luciernaga

First, there is absolutely no reason to go into debt unless you know exactly what you wish to study, at which program (or programs) you would like to study, and have a clear sense of how this program will help you in your career (for example, set you up nicely for PhD programs etc.). Most good universities in the US have decent undergraduate funding and great PhD funding (of course, obtaining the latter is really hard). However, masters programs are generally understood to be the cash cow of these programs - funding is not great and hard to come by. The exception to this would be some M.Div programs (perhaps some others too, but we are in the religious studies section of the forum). Getting into debt is easy, getting out is not so easy, particularly if you follow a masters program with a PhD and/or an academic job. This is, of course, assuming that you actually get in to a PhD program and obtain a decent paying academic job - probability says these two things more than likely won't happen. Similarly, in academia there is a sense of the rich getting richer (ok, everyone's poor, but bear with me). Most people who get accepted to fully funded PhD programs attended Masters programs with at least some kind of partial scholarship/fellowship. It's the same deal later in academia as well... most of those who get big grants are those who have already gotten smaller grants. It may be that you can't demonstrate that you merit funding at Masters level, but you think that if you work insanely hard during your Masters program then you will be able to show that you merit funding at PhD level. This is possible. But know that you'll be competing for spots against people who did obtain funding at the Masters level AND worked insanely hard throughout their masters programs. if you are absolutely dead set on trying to make a career in academia (and many of us, against our better judgement, are), then I still wouldn't take on more than 20,000 debt for a masters program. Even paying the interest on such loans could be crippling during a PhD program. And you will probably never make a salary that will allow you to comfortably pay them off (and get married, buy a house, start a family, etc). If you know what you want, be smart and go after it. But be realistic about the state of academia these days and how you can repay the loans you take out. Otherwise you may regret it later.

I interviewed with ND but didn't get the decision Monday. Anyone else have the same thing happen?

I had to visit early to interview at ND and I had hoped that they would have sent their rejection letter by now At this point I'd rather just know, one way or another.

And what's up with ND? The interview weekend was last weekend so I would have hoped that they would have sent out their acceptances/waitlists/rejections.

Belichick, how do you know that UT Austin has a welcome weekend this weekend? They accepted me (no details yet on funding), so it strikes me as odd that they didn't mention this welcome weekend.

Anyone have any info on Harvard GSAS Religion? ThD (HDS) has been out for a week or so but I can't find any info on the PhD.

Let me be quite clear here: I am DEFINITELY NOT a genius. I'll answer your questions by PM.

I know that everyone says that you should contact POIs etc before you apply (and they're probably right), but I have not found that to be the case. I've been admitted to 4 schools this application cycle, and except for 1 of these schools, I had very little, if any contact with professors at those schools before applying (however, I did my research about the programs and had a section in my SOP particular to each school and how I saw myself fitting in there). 2 schools admitted me without an interview and/or email exchange, and I literally never sent a single piece of correspondence to them except for the application itself. 1 school admitted me after reading my app and a 20 minute skype interview. The other school interviewed me extensively. However, there are 2 other schools that have interviewed me extensively and have not offered me admission (in one case they shifted my app to another department, and with the other I am awaiting rejection). Also, I visited another school this past summer, met with faculty, and was rejected (no interview or waitlist). i also had minimal correspondence with one school and was rejected without interview or waitlist. I have no idea what made me an attractive candidate to some of these schools and apparently not even under consideration at others. When people say that applying is something crapshoot, I do not think that they are exaggerating. Here's what I think you need to give yourself the best chance at success: a strong application (try to eliminate any weaknesses you can... have a high GRE so people don't look askance), good advice from faculty mentors (and not just one, but many) about the field and your place in it, and a great writing sample. The last is hard, because in biblical studies you need a ridiculous amount of training in order to say anything actually important, but after you've had all of that training you need to still be able to express your own voice - very hard. General advice for the writing sample: don't write it with the intention of it being good, but find a problem in HB that you can explore and attempt to solve (or contribute to its solving) in such a way that demonstrates the kind of scholar you want to be. And find something that you genuinely enjoy writing and researching.

Emory recently upped their base stipend to $20,000/year, although for certain subdisciplines and awesome applicants it is possible to get a top up fellowship of a couple thousand dollars on top of that.

Indeed, congratulations to all those admitted (and even those waitlisted) to Duke. Regarding my official notice of rejection from Duke, I would like to say, it's about time.

you can also set your email to autoreply to state that you're out of the country and that you will respond as soon as you can.

I think the importance of the writing sample varies from program to program. The writing sample seems to be less important at UVA. However, I had an interview with another school and a POI had clearly read my writing sample quite thoroughly. Much to my delight, his short feedback on my paper ranks as one of the most affirming conversations I have had about my academic work. I think there is perhaps a hidden benefit to having a good writing sample - it gives you a sense of confidence in your own abilities as a scholar. Being a confident (but not arrogant) scholar can only help your in your SOP and in interviews.

I wish I were in your position! Congratulations! There's a thread going on the decisions area of the website which you may find helpful.

Before eviscerating UVA, it should be noted that I inquired directly about the writing sample in the interview. It struck me as odd that all of the other programs I applied to all required a writing sample and UVA did not. Unfortunately, despite emailing a writing sample to the admissions office, for whatever reason, it did not get passed along. The POI said that a writing sample would be helpful and asked if I would email it to him directly. Do not despair. I think UVA is fully capable of evaluating your application without a writing sample (I got an interview without mine, apparently). However, if you think it would be helpful, then contact your POI(s) and send one along. Regarding the content of the interview, I can say that it was short and helpful. Essentially, I think UVA wanted to gauge my approach towards studying Scripture and see if it fit with the ethos of the program. They do really interesting things in SIP, but I don't know that it would be a good fit for everyone.

I am the UVA SIP applicant from the results page. I had a short skype interview todaywith my POI there. 2 things to note about the interview: 1) I got the sense that they are very much still in the process of narrowing people down, not necessarily close to making decisions. 2) I actually emailed a copy of my writing sample to the grad office, which was not passed along. My POI said seeing a writing sample would be helpful. I emailed him one directly. SIP is a really unique program and the POI seemed really nice. I am very excited to have gotten an interview. Good luck everyone.

It looks like the results list has exploded today. Unfortunately not for religion... sigh.

ah, just read more carefully... skype interview. But a funny image nonetheless for a non-skype interview... However, I actually stand by what I said before... you'll feel more confident if you know you're entirely dressed for the interview. Helps to put you in a good mindset. And you never know if you might have to get up to get something...

Not to be a stickler for these things, but might I recommend wearing a tie WITH pants. A shirt and jacket might be helpful also. Socks... shoes... you know, the basics...

I'm still not quite clear what you're asking about. Are you applying to MA, MDiv, PhD, ThD, or other? Generally speaking, i think your life background/skills are a clear plus to your application. If you're applying to MA/MDiv programs, you seem like a very competitive applicant and I would be surprised if you were not admitted. If you're applying to PhD/ThD programs, then know that the applicant field is exponentially more competitive. (Although, if you can independently finance your education (and it sounds like this may actually be possible for you), then you'll have more options). However, jumping into a doctoral program after not having been in academia for a significant period of time strikes me as something of a long shot, unless you have a previously fantastic academic record from well-known institutions and out of this world GRE scores. I wish you the best of luck.

Grad cafe has already burned me twice this application season. In both cases I heard about people getting interviews (in one case even in my subfield) to programs I was highly interested in... and the next day (after much soul searching), I too was graced with an interview invite. Sometimes I wonder if we're not part of some grand, sinister psychological experiment designed to see how we react to stress...

Recognizing that everyone's nerves are frayed due to the stress of waiting to hear responses from schools (responses that will have huge impacts on our lives), perhaps it is best to retain some semblance of calm. Grad cafe is great when it seems to give us accurate info and allows us to connect with people in similar positions. Grad cafe is problematic when we receive what appear to be conflicting pieces of information, causing us undue anxiety and stress. Let's remember that it is still January, quite early in the admissions process. Let us also remember that nothing is official regarding our applications until we hear it from the schools themselves. I know we would all like to know ASAP the status of our applications and where we have been accepted, rejected, or waitlisted. But that is not how this game works... Think of Jan-April as training for future grant proposals and job searches in religion (or job searches outside academia). Good luck to all.

I don't know about ND, but Emory will fly international applicants in for interviews (and amazingly pay for their flights)

Actually, I started looking over Emory's current students website and they appear to have many more HB students than NT students. So perhaps it's best to assume that regarding NT I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Kuriakos, I think your reading of Emory is correct. I asked, and regarding HB they invite 5 people and will make 2 initial offers. The others will be put on a waitlist. They have 18 funded slots across 9 subfields, meaning first round offers are usually 2 for each subfield. However, once first round offers go out, things seem to get a bit more complicated, as the waitlist doesn't seem to be precisely subfield-specific. That is to say, by the time they have full incoming class, they will have 2 or perhaps 3 HB students. One particular year they even had 4. If NT is as ridiculously competitive as I think it is, then they likely will tend more towards 3 in NT each year, but this is speculation on my part. If you didn't get invited to an interview, you are right, that is not a good sign. Sorry for the Hunger Games reference, but the odds are not in your favor. However, it is certainly not impossible that you will be extended an offer later in the admissions process, as there is often a lot movement on waitlists during late March and April. Just as you've done with Duke, I wouldn't write Emory off yet either.

Yep, the Emory and Duke invites on the results list sting, Duke especially because it's HB. Congrats to the person who got the call.