tenorcervantes

Hey everyone, I figure it would be a good idea for us to see who plans to attend the open house for admitted students at Harvard Divinity School which will be April 6th. Networking in advance is always great! I'll be attending. I was admitted into the MDiv program. I am taking a red-eye flight from Los Angeles on Monday night and will arrive early Tuesday morning. I'll be leaving to head back to California on Wednesday late afternoon. I know they mentioned a social mixer that will take place on Monday evening, so I'm sad I'll be missing out on that. But please let us all know if you plan to be in attendance, maybe we can working something out and all meet up together.

Accepted to Harvard MDiv with full-tuition

Claremont has a pretty decent reputation. They have some pretty amazing faculty too. CST is in the process of transitioning into becoming a theological university which will turn CST into a multifaith, research-oriented campus; that will definitely have it's advantages. The great thing about both schools is that regardless of which one you're in, you have access to taking classes at both schools that will go towards your degree. I have heard from some students that it is sometimes difficult to find faculty to work with, so look into that. I was accepted to CST for fall as an MDiv student. I chose to apply to CST for their reputation among seminaries in the West. In my opinion, they're definitely one of the best in the West.

Thank you everyone for your congratulatory comments! I am really thinking that I'm going to accept the offer at UC Santa Barbara. However, I am on a waiting list for funding. But there may be opportunities for TAships and fee fellowships. We'll just have to see I guess. Unfortunately, Santa Barbara is a fairly expensive place to live. But it's definitely my dream program!!

I got word today that I was accepted into the PhD program in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara!

Thank you!! Congrats to you too!

I got acceptance letters today from Union Theological Seminary in New York (MDiv) and Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA (MDiv).

Okay I finally got my rejection from Yale this morning.

Okay I'm American Religious History... I too am hoping for some good results =)

What were your applied to programs at Yale and areas of emphasis? (those of you rejected)

I still haven't heard back from Yale!! Grrrr.... No rejection, acceptance, or any word from them at all! I'm getting way too anxious.

I haven't heard back yet. But when I called in they informed me that the registrar was out today (not sure if that effects anything) and that we should be getting our notifications soon.

I got a phone call for both Claremont School of Theology and Pacific School of Religion. I think it depends on the school.

I applied to Union Theological Seminary in NYC, but I applied without knowing much. I do know that there is little to no funding for students (more emphasis on the latter). I applied to UTS because of their affiliation with Columbia -- which would suggest that there is a very good chance of them having high academics. However, I do know that the religious studies department at Columbia is undergoing some transitions and they're recruiting new faculty and the like in order to reshape their program -- so pretty much, they're up and coming. In a discussion I had with a colleague, I was told that UTS tends to be very Christian. I don't know if that matter to you or not. I know for me I prefer to be in multi-religious settings. This information probably wasn't too useful, but I figured I would offer up what I do know. Hopefully someone a little more informed about the school can follow up.

There are already some great responses here. But I will add my two cents anyways... It all depends on what you're looking for out of your seminary/divinity school experience. If you're looking for a program known for its academic rigor look into programs like Harvard, Yale, U of Chicago, Princeton Theological Seminary. If you're looking for programs where you will have a great time with the community and students; then it varies. I suggest visiting campuses and really researching them to feel out what is going to be the best match for you. Since it sounds like you may want to teach and pastor, I would recommend looking into programs that offer dual degrees in MDiv and MA. I really don't know what else to add, everyone else above offered some great advice already. I applied to a variety of different seminaries that were known for different things, because I wasn't sure what I was really looking for. It's going to come down to academics for me; and which program will do the best at challenging me academically and preparing me for doctoral studies.

Wow!! Congratulations!! I'm definitely getting more anxious now to hear back from them!

I have been accepted to the MDiv program at Claremont School of Theology and the MDiv Program at Pacific School of Religion. I'm still waiting to here to hear back from Harvard, Union Theological Seminary in NYC, and Princeton.

My research involves an ethnographic approach. Throughout undergrad I focused my research on Evangelical masculinity. For grad school, I am still wrestling with two research interests: 1) focusing on the use of the Bible in modern discourse on gender and sexuality; and 2) exploring Christian influence on indigenous gender and sexuality in Latin America. I only applied to religious studies departments, but intend on getting support from outside departments.

Ditto. Considering that the deadline is so far away, I'm trying to not to get all worked up. I did however get accepted to Claremont School of Theology, so at least I am comforted by the fact that I will have somewhere to go when I graduate in the Spring.

I'm still waiting to hear back from my PhD programs. But I did get accepted to the Master of Divinity program at Claremont School of Theology!

Now that I'm done with applications, my list has changed from what was originally posted by me. Here are my new prospects: I'm applying to the following schools and programs: 1. Harvard Divinity School M.Div 2. Claremont School of Theology M.Div 3. Yale University Ph.D. Program in American Religious History 4. University of California - Santa Barbara Ph.D. Program in Religion in America or Religion and Culture 5. Union Theological Seminary in NYC M.Div 6. Pacific School of Religion M.Div Research interests: Evangelical Religion, Culture, and Media in the United States; Men and Masculinity; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Issues; Queer Theory; New Testament; Religion and Society

That's actually really good advice!! I'm going to be having a lot of my professors read my SOP, especially those that are alumni of the schools I'm applying to. I'm also having some of my grad schools friends check them out too, just for further review.

I just recently wrote an essay titled, "Premodern Origins of Homophobia: Christian Intolerance of Homosexuality in Premodern Europe" that addresses your question. I argue that church stances against homosexuality came with a rise of asceticism and with the roles medieval men were supposed to play. I would be happy to send you the essay if you would like!! Just email me at vdcervantes@gmail.com and I will get that out to you.

Every time I sit in front of my computer to begin writing my personal statement I have no idea where to start! I have read countless blogs, articles, etc. that give helpful advice on what to cover in your personal statement, but it all seems too general--childhood experiences, work experience, research experience, intended field of study, etc. I don't know what to emphasize. In my head I know the time of research I want to do in grad school and what interests me, but I guess turning that into a reflective self-analysis is confusing to me. Any tips and tricks to getting the ball rolling when it comes to personal statements?

I'm applying to the following schools and programs: 1. Harvard Divinity School M.Div 2. University of Chicago Master of Arts in Divinity 3. Yale University Ph.D. Program in American Religious History 4. UCSB Ph.D. Program in Religion in America or Religion and Culture 5. Princeton Theological Seminary Ph.D. Program in Religion and Society 6. Pacific School of Religion M.Div Research interests: Evangelical Religion, Culture, and Media in the United States; Men and Masculinity; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Issues; Queer Theory; New Testament; Religion and Society This is actually my first round, so I'm kind of going into this whole grad school application thing without really knowing what to expect. Many of my friends already in grad school and professors have told me to compose an excellent personal statement, because it will make a huge difference in their decision making. I was told not to stress too much about the GRE and GPA. I'm enjoying reading the advice on here already though from those who have been through this before.