bibleprofwannabe

University of Toronto

The sense I get is that most professors don't care about GRE scores - of course there will be the rare prof that thinks they are important. But it is the school of graduate studies and administrators keeping the gate of admission who the professors have to satisfy.

McMaster U has some pretty top notch senior scholars including Stephen Westerholm (Paul) and Eileen Schuller (DSS).

Not quite true. I can only speak to two schools: U of Toronto (Department of Religion): covers tuition and health insurance, and you are guaranteed a minimum stipend of $15,000. This is the same for both Canadians and Internationals. McMaster U: International funding varies. In the past, with entrance award and TA-ship international students break even or make a very little amount of money. But, if you can get the difference in tuition fees (between Canadian and Internationals) waived you could make a net of $8,000 to $12,000. This probably varies year to year and depends on how much funding is available.

Out of curiosity, how do Canadian NT Phd programs rank? I have seen Nijay Gupta's rankings, but am wondering what others think. I am especially interested in how non-Canadians perceive Canadian programs, but of course all opinions are welcome. The main players, in my opinion, are Mcgill University, McMaster University (Religious Studies) and University of Toronto (Department of Religion). I am especially interested in thoughts on McMaster University (not the Div College) and University of Toronto as they are the two schools I am deciding between.

I heard from three schools today (Emory, McMaster U, U of Toronto). Quite an active day. One "nay" and two "yays".

Stillwaiting, are you on Emory's wait list? If so, how did you find out?

The calm before the storm. Watch out! When Hurricane Rejection hits she will leave piles of dejected hopefuls in her trail. I am also still waiting to hear from schools. Do most schools let you know if they place you on their wait list? Or am I supposed to inquire myself to get that info?

I e-mailed the graduate administrator and was told that the first round of offers will be released by March 1. That is this Friday!

It Looks like the Emory rejections started rolling out. Anyone know what fields?

Yup, that's the one. As far as I understand, in the UK, funding often covers EU fees and sometimes some stipend for living expenses. International students have to (usually) come up with the difference in tuition fees between International and EU rates. But I'm sure this will differ from school to school and also depending on the applicant. Hopefully, you receive a good funding package! Yeah, that's right. McMaster University (Religious Studies) and McMaster Divinity College are actually on the same campus. However, the programs really have close to zero participation. Graduate (and undergraduate) students at the University can take intro to Hebrew and Greek at the Divinity college but that is the extent of the cooperation. There is no cross-pollination when it comes to graduate seminars or graduate supervision. Also, there is much more available funding at Mac U than at Mac Div. The faculty at McMaster University include: Weterholm and Runesson (NT); Schuller and Machiela (DSS) At Mac Div: Porter (NT) and Boda (OT).

Does anyone know if US programs (such as Emory and Notre Dame) invite and fly international applicants (particularly Canadians) for interviews? Or are the interview weekends only for Americans?

Yes...this does not look good for PTSEM considering a number of faculty departures.

I have applied to a couple of US programs (ND & Emory) as well as to two Canadian programs (I am Canadian). I am interested in the reception of Scripture in early Judaism and Christianity so I have applied to a mix of Hebrew Bible and NT programs. It seems that most Americans are familiar with the University of Toronto but not as much with McMaster University (different from McMaster Divinity College). Is that correct? NT student...did you apply to the PhD fellowship at Durham with Watson?