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xypathos

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Everything posted by xypathos

  1. xypathos
    Beat yourself up for a week then find a constructive means to move forward. At the very least, they'll need a meaningful way to occupy your time until next application season. There are several MTS/ThM/etc options with later deadlines should you find yourself in such a situation. There are plenty of M* graduates that strike out on PhD programs and go into ministry, nonprofits, etc. I know many ministers that teach part-time as adjuncts at their local CC or SLAC. I think no matter what you have to continue pursuing theology to some degree. Maybe it's as an avid reader, applied journal submissions, diocese/conference presentations, etc. Something initially attracted you to pursuing the academic study of theology and if you don't nurture it, a part of you will die. One can always reshape their focus but lets face it, getting into a RS or Theology program is fucking hard. English and History PhD programs are a dime a dozen and if you're willing to move, you can likely get in somewhere. Given the already low number of RS programs and even smaller number of faculty that cover your interests - it's not uncommon to only have 3-5 schools that are reasonable fits.
  2. xypathos
    It's largely anecdotal. I don't know of any actual studies done. Usually, the criticism isn't over scholarship, clearly Oxford and the like produce exceptional scholars. The issue is that US programs, by their nature, expose you to some teaching whereas UK schools don't. So, if you're seeking a job as a teacher and you didn't have any experience during training, you're asking an employer to take a risk with you. Whereas as a US alum, you'll have faculty and student evaluations to show potential schools. So, if you need to hire a professor and have 50 applicants, you tend to choose the safer bet.
  3. xypathos
    What degree at HDS were you specifically admitted to? Also, fuck Chicago in this case. It's a great school and would prepare you well but Harvard is an amazing school and you'll have full access to the rest of the university. 50% tuition, living expenses, etc in Chicago will still be a metric buttload of money. What happens if you don't get into a PhD or you come to realize that you don't want to do it? Now you've got debt (presumably). At HDS, your debt would be massively lower and you could still construct a degree to make yourself an exceptional applicant to PhD programs. Don't spend more than three seconds thinking about this, go with HDS' offer.
  4. xypathos
    Back in 2014 when I visited on prospective day we weren't reimbursed for visiting, presume that policy still stands.
  5. xypathos
    FSU notified a while back, almost three months ago now. I'm not sure about SL or Rice though. SL tends to notify mid to late January but we don't average a lot of SL applicants here.
  6. xypathos
    I concur, age discrimination absolutely exists and it shouldn't. I just don't see a way to easily get rid of it. Some schools employ a blind review process (name, schools, age, addresses, etc are removed from the file that faculty look over) but most don't and even those that do, there's still bugs in the system.
  7. xypathos
    Yea, three separate articles cited that a faculty told him that his app was rejected because of his age, one specifically said they told him by email. That was just a stupid mistake on their part - you never give a specific reason, opens the door for a lawsuit.
  8. xypathos
    Per a faculty member, they're dealing with a current lawsuit at Georgetown that is making them be particularly careful in their review and how they notify applicants going forward. I naturally presume this is the lawsuit that is being referenced: http://www.thehoya.com/applicant-files-age-discrimination-lawsuit-georgetown-admissions/
  9. xypathos
    A large batch went out two weeks ago but I don't know if it was all of them.
  10. xypathos
    Assuming you got good grades, a master's degree from a top school can only help you. It helps show that you can perform at a top level and it's likely put you in contact with top people in your field that can vouch for your ability. Can you excel at a mediocre M* school and still land at a top school? Sure. Have you intentionally gimped yourself and chances? Absolutely.
  11. xypathos
    Chances of admission might be diminished if they expect they've already hit the statistical likelihood that more students will accept than what they can provide resources to. That said, your financial aid award will certainly be less but I don't think admissions will be impacted.
  12. xypathos
    I'm handling round two of doc apps like I also did the first and my Masters: When I have two offers on the table I decide which of the two is a better option (finances, quality of life, etc) and then turn down one - single elimination style. I follow this approach because I also want to be sympathetic to the person that is waitlisted and could use my spot if I'd rather be at a different school. All of my schools have given me until April 15th at 5 PM EST to decide so no worries there.
  13. xypathos
    Depends on the school. Some notify you of funding with acceptance and some send funding notifications 2+ weeks later. Generally funding is pretty standard from year to year, plus a small increase for Cost of Living.
  14. xypathos
    Sorry to hear that @Fontanabush. If it’s of any use there are several ThM and similar programs at top schools still taking apps. Faculty notified me today at BC that they haven’t exhausted all of their full ride scholarships for STM and don’t anticipate doing so as of yet.
  15. xypathos
    I concur with @sacklunch. Profs that list their M* degree are generally doing it b/c it says Harvard, Yale, Duke, etc. If they also attended such a school for UG, they tend to put it too. Pedigree matters when you hit the job market. I know Search Committees love what we call the Trinity - Ivy education for UG, M*, and PhD. Keep in mind that nearly every position will receive dozens of apps so anything that might, however remotely, give your school a bump is pursued. Trinity candidates are also quite rare and they tend to always land jobs at a fellow Ivy or major research university too, so they're competing for jobs that most of us will never survive the initial cutoff screening of.
  16. xypathos
    Yes, more or less. A few schools that are considered quasi-TT (Top Tier) that compete with Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Duke, and the like will sometimes create a backup waitlist because they know that their accepted candidates have likely applied to more prestigious schools and consequently, so have their top waitlisted candidates. So, it's a stop gap measure should they just completely strike out in landing a candidate. EDIT: They presume, rightfully so, that those backup candidates were subsequently rejected from top schools. So, if they have to go to a backup slot they presume that candidate was either rejected across the board or only accepted into a lesser school so they'd jump at the chance of attending their quasi-TT school.
  17. xypathos
    My source (faculty) confirmed. They interviewed several, including current YDS students but didn't like any of them enough to extend an offer. EDIT: Some applicants had their app sent to other departments/fields since they had strong apps but weren't appropriate for theology. So, they might still find their way into Yale through another field.
  18. xypathos
    Per a faculty member at Denver, they’ve just begun reviewing applications and don’t anticipate having results out for another month (3-6 weeks per source). Sorry if Denver is a top choice, they continue to take their time like in years past.
  19. xypathos
    SLU has some clout in Catholic schools that tend to lean conservative but their placement hasn’t been remarkable. Keep in mind that they’re competing with schools like BC, Notre Dame, CUA, etc. they're quite strong in medical ethics and theology though or at least they’re certainly investing in that realm for the long haul.
  20. xypathos
    I agree, many of them come across as quite cold and distanced. I also realize that in order to be meaningful that they've have to write a rejection letter catered for each person and that's asking too much That said, Department and/or Program Chairs will *sometimes* pull your app and let you know 1-2 things you can improve on if you're looking to apply again next cycle. Butter them up, give them a boost to their ego, and ask them to do it once the application cycle has died down.
  21. xypathos
    I'm not saying you shouldn't pursue publications and presentations. I'm just saying that they don't carry as much weight as we might think. It's a fucking amazing feeling when you get a piece accepted for publication, esp. the first one. I obviously pursued publication myself but I'm ordained clergy and my publications were for fellow clergy. I'm also completely okay getting a PhD and landing a church job as a priest or a TiR (Theologian in Residence), not necessarily an academic teaching job and the schools I've applied to know that.
  22. xypathos
    The often cited downside is that as much as you think you're ready as a Master's student, you're not. You'll grow so much as a student during your PhD studies and early career that you'll look back and be embarrassed of the material you prepared. If you don't, you didn't take the risks and pursue the questions that needed to be explored and your program failed you / you failed. There's also this belief that as a Master's student, you'll never have the clout needed to land a publication in a major journal without riding on the coattails of a professor that gave you a freebie.
  23. xypathos
    If I were to do this again, I guess I would branch my interests out even more to appeal to more schools. I am interested in pastoral theology, specifically fields that engage Psych and Religion and there are few schools that "play in this pool" so applying has been weird. I emailed Department Chairs and/or POI at every school that I applied to, most of them wanted to arrange a Skype chat so they could get to know me better, wanted to see drafts of my PS, etc. Every single one of them commended me for this b/c they would be able to put a voice to someone's app when it came time to advocate for candidates. Apparently A LOT of people just apply blindly and had they emailed they would've been told that they're not accepting anyone with their interests or in their field, so it's a waste of time and money for everyone. I'm obviously involved on TGC and have been for several years now. I'm also involved on Reddit and some FB groups, particularly geared toward people discerning calls to seminary/divinity schools. Maybe if PhD life doesn't work out I can return to Admissions for a div/sem school? I always encourage people to utilize privacy settings on FB but I don't post anything that I would be embarrassed to say to someone. Yea, writing samples and the PS could always be tweaked. I thought I had stellar samples and I pulled them out several weeks ago to brush the dust off and found several places that I would make changes to. Regarding publishing and presenting, it's a two edged sword. My advisors and faculty encouraged us to stay away from publishing entirely (minus lit and book reviews), presentations depend on the conference. I had two book chapters in a book designed for clergy, on the topic of suicide and religion but it's not an academic book. Involvement does drop off big time come late spring - early summer.
  24. xypathos
    A former prof of mine that did his ThD at Harvard has advised me to stay away from ThD programs if you want to be a professor. His objections are that it's noticeably harder getting a teaching job with a ThD when so many applicants have a PhD, even when it's from Harvard. There are all kinds of arguments to be made for and against ThD programs but I think it's a valid concern. If you're wanting to teach a seminary/divinity school then it won't be as hard for you but I've met a surprising number of RS professors that don't know about ThD programs. As someone that went VDS - I loved the school. Their placement isn't amazing on initial placement but they tend to find tenure positions quickly.
  25. xypathos
    My notification came from my POI, he said an official email would be forthcoming. Not sure if that helps any.
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