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bondsdw

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Everything posted by bondsdw

  1. Feel free to ignore this if you already know about it, but since you didn't mention it: one important part of the application is the writing sample. Go back, pick one of your papers from undergrad, and proceed to make it as awesome as possible. In particular, it should show the ability to think critically and wrestle with the relevant issues at hand. One of the adjustments I had to make from undegrad to grad was writing not just descriptively (showing that I understood something) but engaging the materials in some way (the proverbial 'so what?'). It's also a good idea to have the topic of the paper match up well with the strengths/interests of the departments you're applying to. Obviously a paper can't be a perfect match for everywhere, but in general it is something to keep in mind.
  2. This. I knew the risks heading into the game. Too many people, not enough spots. But if I think that the academic life will make me the happiest, why not go for it? I'd much rather try and fail than run the risk of ending up in some job I hate and always wondering 'What if...'
  3. Assuming you like both programs, then HDS all the way. No question. In my opinion, marginally improving your chances at one program (Chicago) is just not worth half of tuition. You still have a shot of getting in there (or anywhere else) from Harvard, anyways.
  4. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you didn't make it to their interview weekend, you are most likely rejected. They invited about twice as many students as there were spots available to the interview weekend alone, so it would be surprising if they had go to beyond that pool of applicants. They have already done their acceptances and wait-lists from those students who interviewed.
  5. I'd just tell them what the situation is: you don't know an exact date because you're still waiting to hear back on some details from other programs before you make your final decision. That shouldn't be too surprising for them; lots of applicants do the same thing. Schools can certainly ask or request that you let them know as soon as possible, but as far as I know, they can't force you do make a decision before April 15. Can anybody else confirm that?
  6. I tried to get more money at Harvard, was unsuccessful, and took the other offer. It was an admittedly tough decision to turn Harvard down (even typing those words sounds ridiculous), and everyone's situation is unique. It is impossible to know for sure how things will turn out, and obviously all of your options are good choices. That being said, I'm quite happy with the path I've taken. Grad school is hard enough as is. Not having to worry (or not as much, at least) about debts, loans, and the like while completing my studies was very beneficial to me.
  7. If you don't plan on working in a church or as a professor, it's probably not a good idea to get an MTS. I'd imagine it's technically possible to end up doing other things with it, but there have to be degrees better suited for those purposes.
  8. First off, congrats on being in such a good difficult situation! I faced a similar dilemma back when I did my masters: 50% at Harvard versus more money elsewhere. It is certainly possible to ask about the possibility for increased funding, and as long as you are respectful about it, I don't think you would ruffle any feathers. Personally, given your situation, I'd just be honest with them. Tell Harvard that they are your first choice but you have full rides elsewhere (don't think I would name names) that you'd probably have to accept because of financial issues/concerns if their funding doesn't increase any. I have no idea what your chances of success would be, but it can't hurt to try. If you got for it, do make sure to word that email carefully, though! Also, if the offer doesn't increase from 50%, I would definitely recommend opting for either Yale or Chicago. Even at top-flight programs, there are no guarantees about what you'll get on the other side. Paying the cost of living plus 1/2 tuition in Boston would be pretty brutal (I remember trying to work out those numbers...). If you'll absolutely regret not going to Harvard, then do it. But be very aware of the amount of money you're spending/the debt (and interest) you're accruing. Since Yale and Chicago are also fantastic programs, I'd think you'd be better off following the money.
  9. If I were you, I'd definitely go for the MDiv. I'm only a master's student and certainly not an authority on this, but from my experience, it looks like having an MDiv doesn't really hurt your chances at pursing later academic doctoral work. I'm currently at a state school, and there are several PhD students in my program who have MDiv's. Furthermore, I've heard that some schools offering jobs now occasionally ask specifically for applicants with an MDiv follow by a PhD. Like others have said, you might intentionally craft your MDiv to have more academic rigor than perhaps sometime more interested in ministry would. If you're debating between ministry and academia, I think the MDiv is perfect. It seems like both options are available to you upon completion.
  10. Don't worry about the 'Incomplete' thing. Mine says the same too. I remember a while back seeing on their website that they were having some sort of problem with that portion of the status check page. It kept saying 'Incomplete' when the applications were actually complete. Also, I don't have any sort of update either. Still just says 'Submitted.' After what EndlessAshley told us a week or so ago, we knew that the committee met yesterday, so I was somewhat expecting word out of UVA today. Looks like you found out good news a little in advance, sogdia! Congrats. I applied to JCA as well, so safe to say that my chances just took a fairly dramatic plunge. But as usual, might as well hold out hope until proven otherwise. Also, I'm officially rooting for you to make it off the wait-list at Duke!
  11. My focus is similar. Of course, all my experience has been in religious studies at public institutions, which obviously has something to do with it. That being said, I consider myself a historian of early Christianity and the work I do on it largely historical. Nothing wrong with theology. I'm glad people do it, and I think it is good work. Just not what I'm interested in. And as someone going for a PhD in religion/religious studies, I naturally want to be a professor. Pretty much the only option to be had. Public or private, secular or religious, small or big. I don't care. I'll teach for whatever school will have me!
  12. It's always unknown whether or not you'll get in. But that being said, you have reason to be confident. If they ask about your scores, just be honest and explain what happened. You've already been accepted somewhere (lots of people would like that!). Your most recent efforts and test scores reflect the scholar that you are today. They're more concerned with who they're getting now than they are with who you were years ago.
  13. I don't have any experience or inside knowledge about this sort of thing, but I personally would probably not send in an updated CV just for a few lectures. I don't think that would have a sizable impact on your admissions decision. Probably better to not create waves and make things more difficult for them at this point. But like I said, just an opinion. I doubt it would hurt much either if you did send it in. Count me as a part of the UNC bloodbath today. I forgot to put my subfield on my result post, but I was Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Not too surprising since we already knew about the first round of acceptances and their visit weekend, but still never fun to be officially rejected.
  14. Thanks for the inside scoop! Nice to have some actual dates and numbers. At least that's one school I don't have to fret over for a week or two. In other news, I picked up my phone today and saw that I had a missed call from a non-local number I'd never seen before. And they left a voicemail! Listen to the message...only to find out that it was a wrong number. Not cool, fate. Not cool. I don't deserve to be tricked like that right now.
  15. That is interesting about UVA not requiring writing samples in their application. I didn't catch that when I was filling it out. Hopefully it doesn't hurt one's application to fail to somehow provide them with a writing sample. It shouldn't considering that they don't mention it anywhere on the Department's 'How To Apply' page, but I certainly would feel better now if they had one from me.
  16. First off: congrats. You are indeed in an enviable position! Secondly, just to more or less mirror what some others have said, I definitely wouldn't worry about not accepting their offer now. Schools know that people almost certainly apply multiple places and want to gather their potential options before they make their decision. Totally standard. A school who makes an offer in January probably expects to be in limbo for a little bit. They should not be offended at all if you are excited about and gracious for their offer but nonetheless want to wait until you've heard back from everyone you applied to.
  17. Yes, the Virginia entry seems a bit odd all alone and so early. Same goes for the UT interview last week. Don't know what to think about either one of them. Also frustrating that we continue to get no subfield on several of the postings, although that does allow me to just always tell myself it's someone in another area... Anyone here get an interview with Yale in Ancient Christianity? Or happen to know if Ancient Christianity interview requests went out along with the others (American, NT) last Friday? Not holding out much hope there anyways, but just thought I'd check and see.
  18. Another Notre Dame interview here (Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity)! I'm borderline in shock. Did not see this coming... And news appears to be coming out of Yale and Texas today too. Big day. I wasn't expecting to get anything at Yale (like Notre Dame!), but I have/had pretty high hopes for Texas. I really wish that one person told us their subfield. I'll hold out hope until proven otherwise.
  19. Thanks for the answer. Guess I'll be awaiting news on that front sometime in the near future, then. It is a bit less nerve-wracking with schools like Notre Dame and the Ivy Leagues where I never actually expected to get in, though. Just applied because why not? It never hurts to try, and someone has to get in, after all. A rejection is what is expected, and if it is anything else...well, that will be a glorious day. Haha, that's fantastic. And you're right, probably some truth in that too.
  20. I've got a question to anyone with knowledge of interview weekends in general or at Notre Dame specifically: is it standard practice that the entire department has one big interview weekend with all the applicants from every subfield visiting at once, or can there be separate interview weekends for separate subfields? I ask just because I was curious if one could take the February 22-23 interview weekend for the Moral Theology applicants as an indication that the other fields would have their interview requests out in time for that weekend too. Not that this matters since the odds of actually securing one of those precious, precious interviews is so slim, but inquiring minds want to know. And congrats to all those who got interviews there and elsewhere. I have been completely neglecting looking for Notre Dame results. Totally forgot it would be under 'Theology' instead of 'Religion' or 'Religious Studies.' Oops...
  21. A third for Ehrman. I'd definitely recommend it.
  22. Way, way too much... That's interesting. And also disappointing if that is the case at UNC. I had no idea that some schools did it like that. I just assumed that everyone filled all their rejected offer slots, even if it is sometimes with candidates in another subfield. When I applied to master's programs, I had some schools email me quite early and tell me the exact number I was on their wait-list, and I had others who never contacted me all the way through April while I was still on their wait-list the whole time (and I actually ended up getting accepted at one post-April 15 after someone turned them down at the last minute!). So it just depends on the school. I'm not sure which is more common, but I'd like to hope that most places would at least let you know that you are on their wait-list.
  23. Yep. They currently have 8 students in the AMR subfield, which means probably just one per year and at most two. Sigh. That is a bummer. Looks like no luck for either one of us unless that lucky individual ends up turning them down.
  24. Personally, I wouldn't even consider doing a PhD (or ThD) without full funding and at least some sort of small stipend. For PhD programs in the US, this seems pretty standard for every accepted student (although the size of the stipend can vary widely, as can other coverage like health insurance). I have no idea how ThD programs work, but I'd hope it would be the same? Since we're in the humanities and not the sciences, the stipends still probably won't even cover living expenses unless you strike it big at an Ivy League school or something, and even then you're probably looking at $20,000 - $25,000 tops. Along with that, the program takes up enough time on its own that it is certainly preferable to not have any other job while completing it. So, I honestly can't imagine doing the 5+ years while also having to pay for it! Part-time would be another story, I suppose, but I don't know anything about what that process looks like either (and most funding I've seen generally only lasts five years). It would definitely take a while to finish a PhD (or ThD?) part-time...
  25. Thanks for the update, much appreciated. Brings back some optimism. Hopefully we will get the results sooner rather than later. I just want to hear something from someone, ha.
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