xypathos

Echo @menge's sentiments in that in Religious Studies, Theology, etc - going to the UK and getting a PhD is generally acceptable and often simpler in terms of application. Funding though is an entirely different matter! Getting accepted to even say Oxford and Cambridge as an American is easy, the competition comes in getting funding since almost all of their bursaries are reserved for EU members and students from the developing world. UK Theology degrees are also known to be more accommodating to conservative students so there's that stigma when trying to land a job in the US too.

Most schools start trickling notifications around mid-February but ultimately it can vary by 2-3 weeks each year. Generally, we'll start seeing some interview invitations late January to early February, with some decisions really beginning mid-February. Applications, generally, remain as "incomplete" until an actual staff member certifies it as Complete.

If you're unable to get a hold of the LoR writer, you really only have two options: 1) Attempt to contact the Chair* (keep in mind that this will almost surely not go over well with your LOR writer!) or 2) Replace them. *I had a very similar situation, that I chronicled on here about three years ago - one of my LoR writers dropped off the face of the planet, deactivated their FB account, wasn't returning emails or phone calls, etc. I took the route of contacting the Chair who informed me that the Prof. had a a bit of a midlife crisis and quit the college, left his family, and moved to Iceland. The Chair was happy I contacted them and agreed to write the LoR (we'd had only one class) and said he even included a note about the situation as to why the abrupt change - at the time the application system didn't allow me to change LoRs on my own so I had to ask the department to delete him. EDIT: Also check the guidelines on YDS and HDS' website as per how the LoRs should be spread out as far as 1/2 academic, 1 pastoral, etc. If you can only meet the minimum, so be it.

I think applying for the M.Div and talking briefly that this program is also a period of discernment for you will go over well. You're discerning potentially some kind of ministry (interfaith, social justice, etc) though leaning towards academic work but lets be real - that in of itself is a ministry too! In fact, we specifically call it "academic ministry." Union, HDS, BU, etc - they all see this every year and they understand. It's expected that who you are coming in will be different in three years time, as it should be or they've/you have failed in doing their job. If your application read more along the lines of, "I'm applying to the M.Div program because of an interest in academic ministry or possibly becoming a police officer" - that would raise some eyebrows. Your situation will not. The acceptance rate at BU and Union hovers around 50%, sometimes higher - HDS, last I heard, is closer to 35-40% for the M.Div. so you have that going for you. As long as your GPA shows an upward curve, your 3.2 isn't going to kill your chances. I nearly flunked out of school my Freshman year (seriously, I had two faculty meetings that recommended I withdraw but the President was willing to give me one semester to turn around), kept somewhere around a 3.0 GPA my Sophomore year, and the last two kept a 4.0 and I was eventually accepted to all of the top Div. schools with almost full rides, and I'm not an URM of any kind. Also, it's worth noting that funding for M.Div programs is generally always superior to MTS/MA programs, even once you account for the third year of the M.Div. I'm applying to Ph.D. programs right now so I get the "let me look over this statement for the 99th time" jitters! Just go with your gut, take a deep breath, and the click the Submit button.

Grats @OHSP! Getting very early, unofficial acceptances is unusual but it does happen. I'm in the same boat though my acceptances came by way of Canadian schools (one history, one religious studies) but neither are my top school but I certainly won't complain about having choices already.

Doesn't that prove his point though, about grades being arbitrary? We say *this* equals an A-, yet when the student produces B+ work, we'll shift the goalpost that benefits that student, yet doesn't benefit others. Did you also give the other students a .8 increase in their grade? In the Humanities, from my sole experience of having conversations with professors in Religious Studies and History - the distinction from A to B is easily discernible. Yet, the distinction between A and A- isn't always agreed upon between professors and even professors and their TAs.

I know, it's such a let down especially when you get grades back that have been so high. My final G-GPA will be somewhere around 3.8, which while still good, it wasn't where I was hoping to end up but without A-'s I'd be somewhere closer to 3.5.

Absolutely @Rabbit Run! I forgot to even mention the job market situation/fiasco, post-doc(s) while trying to line up a TT job, some students spend an extra year working on their dissertation while adjuncting to line up even more teaching experience and to buff up their stipend, etc.

I'd echo @TMP's reflections as well! What languages are required are entirely dependent on the area and time of what you will be studying. If you're doing something specifically on Germany, then you'll need more than a reading knowledge of German. Your French will be a huge benefit (it would almost certainly be required for a program in the US though since it's your mother tongue it's not something you need to worry about) and whatever German you can pick up beyond a reading ability would be highly beneficial if not required. A lot of programs include language requirements for specific fields on their website. Should it not be there though, reach out to a professor at a potential school and inquire about general expectations of incoming students (languages you're expected to have down before entering) vs. languages they're okay with you having some skill in by year 1-2.

I don't think the LOR from a conservative professor is what would do you in. Rather, I think they'll be more interested in your methodology and how you approach your work. If you're open to being led by the "evidence" in front of you, that's good. If you're looking for evidence that affirms a position you already have (being an apologist), then they'll find that problematic. Being a conservative, though open to criticism, and still arriving at a conservative conclusion isn't bad in of itself. Being so close-minded that you look for evidence which affirms a position you've already established as truth is bad for everyone. Plenty of students here and elsewhere have made the move from conservative to HYP-level schools. So, you're not alone and hopefully some chime in with their experience and advice!

How departments certify language ability varies across the states and schools, there's no uniform agreement. That is, generally if there's 2-4 semesters (1-2 years) of a language on your transcript with good grades, then you'll be good to go. Some departments do language tests no matter what though. Some programs will accept participation in an intensive summer language program. Yet again, some departments specifically offer courses that allow you to develop reading competency in a language (with the use of a dictionary) - generally French, German, Spanish, Latin, Greek, and a spattering of Hebrew programs. If you teach yourself just be prepared to take a language exam - many of us here have done this and it's perfectly acceptable (generally). I studied Latin in high school and college and found it helped tremendously when studying other Romance languages (I have intermediate French and Spanish, and intermediate reading Romanian (it touches on my research area!)), but found it "relatively useless" when it came to German (admittedly my area requires Low German so a bit different). That said, once you have a system down to learn a language, it helps across the board.

Howdy @Adonalsium! This year has been remarkably quiet, certainly more than most years! While I'm not applying to ethics, I have applied to several programs though primarily around moral theology so not that far from your field. It's uncommon to finish a Ph.D. in five though if you're coming in with a strong M*, I have certainly heard that it's doable if you hit the ground running and already have an established dissertation idea. I forget their names but the faculty at VDS mentioned several students finishing the Ph.D. in 3-4 but they came in overqualified, to use their term. I don't know your background but the biggest corners to cut would be to minimize courses you need to take and obviously to be prepared to sit for your exams ASAP after those courses are completed. Some schools want students to be prepared to take those exams the summer after courses and going straight into a proposal defense, while others suggest taking up to a year. Obviously though it depends on the student and school.

I recycled a section from one SOP into another and forgot to change the school's name (I used the correct name elsewhere)! Still got in (it was for an MA) and my PI that called to notify said, "I'd like to welcome you to X! Oh wait, sorry I meant Y!" The app system wouldn't let me change it but I emailed the Chair, apologized, and provided a corrected SOP. Surely this happens from time to time. If if makes you feel better, no real harm in asking if you can submit an edited copy. If they say no they at least know that you're aware of the error.

Anyone here familiar with the Canadian system? I've applied to several schools and was notified today that my application for Manitoba was pulled for decision by the department. I've inquired with the department contact but haven't heard back. I asked a Canadian friend and was told that with particularly strong (or weak) applications that they'll make decisions before the deadline ever closes but that seems to run counter to this whole process as I've understood it.

Are you looking for something general, historical, theological, etc? There's strains within all of these religions that have their own focus as well, though perhaps more so within Buddhism and Christianity. Some that are coming to mind though: Barton's Cambridge Guide to Biblical Interpretation Martin Luther's Basic Theological Writings - I was raised as a Moravian and it runs deep, so I think Luther gets too much credit in the Protestant Reformation but that's a different issue. That said, it serves well to be versed in his writings and influence. Strauss' Four Portraits, One Jesus - I enjoyed it for providing an analysis and commentary of the Gospels and how they developed, and obv. how Jesus is portrayed in them. Some of my classmates didn't like the book. Hillerbrand's The Protestant Reformation You already know this but I'd also look at whatever syllabi you have access to from mainstream seminaries, particularly intro NT, HB, Buddhism, and Hindu courses. Obviously every professor teaching them has an agenda and some are heavy in that regards but not necessarily a bad thing.

It's popular in the History, Philosophy, and I think the Lit & Lang subforums for someone(s) to host a Google Doc spreadsheet that catalogs applications, stats, and/or stipend history for specific programs. The religion forum has just never been as active as the ones I mentioned so, as far as I know, we've never had someone do that. The survey database hosted by TGC which @Almaqah Thwn linked is wonderful just be careful of taking it too seriously. From about late January to March 15th we'll get a handful of trolls claiming acceptances in order to scare actual applicants that they've been moved to the WL or R pile.

That's a good question and I guess it depends on our respective fields. I'll likely brush up on my GRE to see if I fair better there (163/159/5 this round) but spend more time on my Latin and German, and obviously wonder how I might further refine my SOP. I'll have the cushion of being an ordained Episcopal priest come next admissions round. It doesn't help my applications at all obviously but it's a Plan B since I don't see myself doing more than two application cycles. I'll likely further pursue employment as a college chaplain or campus ministry, and use that as a backdoor, at the very least, to teach intro religion courses.

It varies from school to school. In some cases individual scholars have such sway/clout that they can say "I want this student" and they'll get it. In other cases each field (NT, HB, Critical, History, etc) gets one student and the faculty within that field hash out who that student will be. Other schools decide together and go through multiple rounds of elimination of candidates. Generally though, yes. They begin meeting early January and exceptional candidates have been known to be notified rather early in the process and asked to make a decision ASAP - granted they (students) technically have until April to make the decision.

The advice I've been given by PIs is the same - just give a brief note on how you plan to accomplish it and move on (I'm also an Americanist).

The big one that I've heard just by several Adcoms is that the older you get, the harder it is to do a PhD. Though I imagine it's more of a societal pressure thing than anything - expectations of marriage, children, needing a solid salary to support said family, justifying being 30+ and still in school, etc. I've heard anecdotal evidence of Adcoms doing some age discrimination, arguing that the applicants will find it harder to get a TT job as an older graduate, thus hurting their placement records. Sort of an, "all things equal, they'll take a a 22 year old over a 32." That said, I think we're all much more likely to face that kind of discrimination by hiring committees than anyone.

I hope that isn't a deal breaker for you!

I'm applying across fields (Theology, Religious Studies, and History) but am in a similar boat - I'll be 32 before any potential PhD school year starts and likely looking at being mid to late-30s before I ever hit the job market. I'm certainly nervous about any potential job market I'll hit and of course the dread of the reality that I might not get accepted anywhere. Fortunately I will have the slight cushion of being an ordained Episcopal priest but even that in these times doesn't guarantee me anything! I did an M* in Theology and was older than most of my classmates and younger than quite a few. I'm worried that this will continue for my PhD (or that I'll be on the upper end of the spectrum) but will have to just work that much harder to establish those friendships.

Not sure about what you've experienced but the main Duke website lists the deadline as Dec. 16th and I thought it had always been around that time.

Program I applied to through ApplyWeb had a similar issue. Fortunately for me the Grad. Program Dir. was browsing applicants which caught her eye and sent me an email letting me know of the issue and I was able to resend my C.V. and writing sample.

What specifically are you applying for? Union has M* and PhD programs, Harvard Divinity confers MDiv and an MA but PhD falls under CSR, and I can't really say anything about Detroit Mercy, Temple, or Columbia. I'm assuming that you're applying for Masters degrees across the board? Your GPA will raise some questions but don't sell yourself short on your firsthand experience in Cairo! 160 GRE V isn't going to cut it for Harvard or Columbia come PhD time but it will certainly survive any cutoffs for the MA though may still be a bit low for Columbia's median. 30-50% of applicants get accepted to Harvard and Union (for their MDiv!) so don't worry too much about that. I don't know about Hartford's options at the M* level but I've been to conferences with some of their PhD students working in Islamic and Christianity dialogue - good strong group of students. Might be worth it to take a look at them if it's not too late.