wanderlustxx

You can definitely email them! It's not inappropriate at all, especially considering the investment you're making into the MA in terms of time and money. I've been in correspondence with most of my POI and they could not have been nicer. If you feel still shy (I totally understand that feeling) then read their books! I borrowed a book from every POI and just read the introduction and skimmed through it to get a better idea and it definitely helps. I mean their bios list their major interests but then you don't know whether you'll be happy learning what they have to say about those interests. For example, in my field (Islamic Studies), I'm very wary of orientalists and it's difficult to get an idea of that just based on professor's bios so reading their publications is necessary. Aside from that, perhaps you could also consider Yale and Duke's public policy programs into your decision? You'll most likely be taking classes outside the Div School so it might end up being a big plus to go to a school that has a fantastic PP program.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to get everyone's opinions and feedback regarding these two programs. I've been admitted to both with full tuition and am struggling to make a decision on which to choose. I'm interested in European and Islamic intellectual history and the interactions between religion and secularism in the modern Middle East. I'm leaning towards Harvard because they offered me a stipend which will definitely help with living costs even though Hyde Park seems to be much cheaper to live in than Cambridge/Somerville. I have visited Chicago and felt very much at home in the department and absolutely love the faculty there. I haven't visited HDS yet so I don't have a very clear picture although I've spoken to a few grad students who have told me wonderful things about the program. Does anyone have any info or experiences they'd like to share? One of my primary concerns is the institutional culture of mentorship and whether the faculty are invested in the M* students. I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything and everything about the programs. Thanks in advance!

Well the letter says "Harvard Divinity School Dean’s Fellow" but googling the title provided me no info about the fellowship so I don't know about TA'ing

I just realized what must have happened. I look at my fellowship letter and they said they'd send me my "offer of financial aid" by the end of the day also. I am an international applicant so my fin aid notification is probably different than domestic students and must have come earlier.

Mine was at the end of the page below the admission notification.

Thanks! I applied to the MTS degree. I checked my status online and it was posted about half an hour-ish before I got the HDS email.

HARVARD IS IN GUYS!!!!! I got full tuition and stipend!!!!!!

From my experience, being extremely meticulous in your search and looking in places you normally wouldn't consider might yield results. I wouldn't count on it though - best to look for a backup job just in case. It all usually boils down to talking to the right person at the right time. Also, a lot of people tend to prefer Workstudy eligible students to take onto their research due to funding issues. If you're fantastic and have much to contribute to research they might go out of their way to have you on board but in my experience it generally detracts greatly from the possibility of finding employment. Good luck!

Thanks so much! I'll definitely follow up on that in that case

Does the "middle of the month" technically mean Monday?

"Harvard" has become semantically satiated for me right now.

You just accurately described the last two days (ahem.. a week) of my life! I also called HDS and was told that decisions would be sent out "in the middle of the month", whatever that means I think I need to find something else to do...

Thanks so much for your insight! I spoke to a professor about the Harvard CMES degree and he essentially reiterated what you said but cautioned me against the possibility of losing focus while engaging in the endless resources provided at Harvard. I guess right now I'll just wait to see what every other school says about funding before making my choice but the CMES MA is looking to be lower on my list. Have you applied to Columbia's MESAAS Dept? Their application deadline is April 15 and that's the deadline to notify schools of acceptances so it seems quite counterintuitive. Do you know if they do rolling admissions? It doesn't make sense that anyone would go there unless they were rejected at every other school.

Got my official rejection from Columbia. Not surprised as I had spoken to my POI and she had essentially told me that they had not accepted me way back in February. Cute panda videos here I come!

Anyone heard back from Harvard? I thought decisions would be released today and am getting really anxious! I really hope they don't wait til next week