LateAntique

I think there's a way to repair this, but it might be lengthy. You may have to take that certificate and do really well. If you don't get in where you want to thereafter, you may need to take graduate level classes in your field as a non-degree student to prove you can do the work. Don't despair, there is hope - it's just going to take some time to patch things up.

Have you read Shaye J.D. Cohen's "The Beginnings of Jewishness"? If you have an interest in the 2nd Temple period and the question of "What does the word 'Jewish' mean?", this is a great book.

Definitely not a theologian here. I'm applying to one historical theology program (Fordham), and one of the programs I'm applying to is a hybrid between theology and classics (Notre Dame), but I'm far more historical than I am theological.

Congrats!

I should've been more clear. The aspects of my education that encouraged critical thinking were not in favor with most of the faculty or the administration. It was a small degree program, something akin to a 'Great Books' program (which they've subsequently shut down). The academy has its sacred cows - I didn't mean to imply that it's somehow a utopian bias-free zone in which there are no pressures for conformity. However, in the state school I attend, I've had a much easier time voicing opinions concerning a variety of things that would've never flown at the confessional school. None of my professors have encouraged me to take any kind of view as being normative at the state school - I challenge their favorite authors, their sacred cows, and everyone's happy at the end of the day. I did the same thing at the seminary and got the boot. No, the academy cannot work like that. We cannot go around booting out people for asking questions. I also did not say that a confessional education isn't worth anything. I'm quite glad every one of my priests received the education they did. Though, even their education helped to shape and mold them - change them - edify them, even. I certainly never intended to imply that a complete overhaul was necessary. In fact, nowhere did I say anything even remotely close. I don't know where you got these ideas - if I hit a nerve, I apologize.

Thanks! I studied at a conservative evangelical seminary and ended up Catholic. The Fathers are dangerous people.

I sent my stuff on time, but I'm going to send out updated transcripts to my top choices. I had another straight A semester and I figure this might look good - who knows?

I've been wanting to start a 'what are my chances' thread, but I doubt any of us can say, so it would just be me looking for someone to reassure me (or tell me to find a job).

I had schools like Moody in mind when I mentioned that schools worth anything are going to help one develop and change their views on religion in general. I attended a very conservative seminary's undergraduate program and eventually left. They encouraged critical thinking on some levels, but I felt like their main goal was to create people who maintained their status quo. Granted, this was a confessional school and not a div school. If one wants to go into that, that's fine - different faiths need people who are going to maintain and defend their idea of orthodoxy. However the academy cannot work like that.

According to ETS's website, they will automatically send all scores whenever you order them.

If universities have both a Religion Dept. and a Div school, it's generally a safe bet the Div school professors consider themselves 'believers' (whatever that might mean). At Duke Divinity the professors are Christians, though of various stripes (you've got everyone from Paul Griffiths, who is a Roman Catholic, to Curtis Freeman, who is a Baptist). Most of the professors in the Religion Dept. at Duke who deal with Christianity are Christians - some will divulge their religious preference(s) in order that the students are made aware of potential biases. It would be taboo to ask professors about their religious preference(s) if they do not give it (they've certainly thought about it and apparently see it best not to offer up that information). Your best bet is to find someone who attends these schools who is sympathetic to your own faith tradition and discuss with them whether they feel edified or not. Also, all of my friends who have graduated from Harvard Divinity(or, excuse me - Hahvad) are self-identified as Christian. You're inevitably going to have to deal with things that will change the way you view your own religious committments. I've never known anyone who attended a school worth anything that has come out completely unchanged when studying Religion.

There are various versions of this story and I'm far too lazy to track down the real one, but it's something like this: apparently Woodrow Wilson was asked how long it took him to prepare a 5 minute speech, to which he replied "Two weeks." When asked how long it took him to prepare a 2 hour speech, he said something like "I'm ready now." (I'd love for the real version of this story to come out if someone's an American history expert - the 20th Century is over a millenium outside of my research interests)

Even though the earliest I anticipate hearing back from any program is mid-January, I still like to think that if I check my email 20 times a day, something will be in there from somewhere. Though this week I realized it's not really a possibility. With all the schools on Christmas break (or Winter Break, if you prefer), I know there's not a chance of receiving any kind of updates on my applications. It zaps some of the fun of checking my email. On a side note: Next semester I am taking a course with a guest professor from one of the universities to which I'm applying (he comes nearly every Spring and lectures here as he is emeritus at his other school). We know each other already, had some good convos over good wine last semester, etc. However, I was thinking that if I get rejected from the school he teaches at currently it could potentially be kind of awkward, at least for a week or so. Lets hope that doesn't happen!

I have no desire to read any of my letters of recommendation (though one of my professors asked me to read his first draft to give him some clues as to what I wanted him to stress). This is because when I asked my professors if they would write me letters I asked, "Would you be willing to write me a strong letter of recommendation for graduate studies?" They were all extremely excited and said yes. I don't have anything to worry about. I cannot imagine anyone would ask a professor for a strong recommendation only to get an entirely negative review (unless the professor is just insanely malicious).

Now I'm reading the user guide to my new SLR camera. Thanks, Santa!

I'm trying to bang out my senior thesis over break, so I'm reading a giant stack of books on Roman pagan and Christian funerary practices in the late antique. I'm also reading Smyth's "Greek Grammar" and Pliny the Younger's letters in Latin. I read approx. 1 modern-ish fiction book per year and it doesn't look like that's happening over this break.

For what it's worth, I've been told by several professors at my top choice that meeting them was a very smart move because they like to associate a face with an application. The chair told me that she and the DGS would both be remembering me fondly when they met to decide(her words). So, I think/hope it makes a difference - I'll let you know in about 6 weeks.

How did you guess?

An update: I got an email from one of the schools to which I'm sending this round of transcripts and they said they will be taking stuff an entire week after the 4th since they too will be taking time off. It warms my heart to see universities operating with this level of sensibility.

Even the most prestigious program to which I'm applying doesn't do interviews. My girlfriend, who happens to attend the school at which my top choice is, was offered a flight (we lived 2 hours away at that time...they still offered), was put up in a nice hotel, and taken out to eat/drink on the department's dollar for her interview weekend. Every school she was accepted to did this. I've been told by a grad student at my top choice that if I get accepted, I can come up for a weekend and the department will take me and a few other students out to eat. Moral of the story: Go into the sciences because they have all the money.

While I don't suggest you have word-for-word what the girl has on her mini-bio, I think you'll probably be safe. Considering how aloof most professors are concerning the content on the department's website, I doubt they even know what's on those things. Someone will know the current student's interests, so you will need to change yours up a little bit so you don't look like a carbon copy. But, I think this bodes well for you - they've already got one person in there doing your kind of work, so the trail has been blazed.

+1 - Most interview weekends I've seen have had two people in a hotel room already.

I have had dinner at my professors' houses and I still don't call them by their first names! I just don't think it's right, particularly for an undergrad. We're notwhere on the same level and respect for their position needs to be maintained.

To screw people.

So I took some classes at a community college when I first graduated HS because I had no idea what I wanted to do. Some of those courses transferred when I went to a 4 year university so I naturally have to include their transcript. I called the other day to order some transcripts for schools with January 1st deadlines. This school's office is closed from December 18th-Jan 4th! That's an unbelievable break! At any rate, this is obviously messing with getting everything in on time. I'm not too worried about it considering this is just a minor transcript from years ago and the universities already have my main transcript from the 4 year from which I'm graduating in May. I figure if I can get the transcripts there by the 8th, I'll be okay. Still - I'm just amazed that schools would have such a long break in their registrar's office when it's the season of grad applications.