LateAntique

This is the very reason no one should have "safety schools".
You said you have refined your research interest - is it something that this department wouldn't be able to handle? If not, what could you do over the summer that would dramatically change your application from this year to next? Refining your research interests is great, but if you got rejected from everywhere but this one place, it seems like other things in your app would have to change.
Also, don't be led by the boyfriend situation. If he's in graduate studies as well, he should understand. 

This is the very reason no one should have "safety schools".
You said you have refined your research interest - is it something that this department wouldn't be able to handle? If not, what could you do over the summer that would dramatically change your application from this year to next? Refining your research interests is great, but if you got rejected from everywhere but this one place, it seems like other things in your app would have to change.
Also, don't be led by the boyfriend situation. If he's in graduate studies as well, he should understand. 

I think everyone can agree that there are good scholars outside of Harvard, Yale, Duke, Princeton, etc. I'm probably going to attend FSU next year and I'm very excited at the prospects of working with David Levenson.

However, my original post was simply to point out that one should not get defensive and get an attitude when someone else underestimates the reputation of one's school or the scholars that teach there. Brite may very well be a very fine school for certain things, but that doesn't mean one should get defensive because Brite isn't perceived as being on the same playing field as Harvard or Yale (and it's not - even if some scholars who teach at Brite would do just as well at an Ivy).

As I said - one should attend the school that they see as being the best fit.

Straight from a Duke Professor's mouth when he told me about hiring policies: "We have a big stack of folders, and we say, 'This is a Yale trained (whatever)', 'Here is a Harvard graduate...'."

I agree with several of your points. 1) Top tier grad schools are incestuous. It's incredibly difficult to break into those schools without some sort of "in". 2) Schools with bigger, better programs are obviously going to have more resources available to their students. Ask anyone who's receiving a stipend from Duke vs. someone who is attending Dallas Theological for their Ph.D. My uni doesn't have a grad program in Religion, but our library holdings are awful. I often have to travel to Duke if I want to write a paper with any sort of depth.

Also, top tier programs are going to have the resources to poach professors from other programs. Much to U of Chicago's chagrin, Princeton has a long history of poaching Classics professors from U of Chicago. It may not be fair, but that's how it goes.

Congrats!! I was accepted to my top choice off of the wait list as well.

Congrats!! I was accepted to my top choice off of the wait list as well.

HistoryFan, Notre Dame's MTS FAQ page has very helpful information pertinent to your questions, including minimum GPA and GRE scores. It also answers the following: "Q. Is this M.T.S. program appropriate for students with a M.Div. degree? A. Yes. The M.T.S. program will allow students with M.Div. degrees to further their academic training and their preparation for Ph.D. programs. Students with M.Div. degrees are encouraged to apply." http://theology.nd.edu/graduate-program/master-of-theological-studies/faq/

The following thread from last year concerning Yale's MAR and MDiv admission and financial aid may also be of interest to you:

A MTS/MAR program can be helpful after having obtained a MDiv or equivalent studies. In contrast to the focused purpose of most ThM/STM programs, intended to further one's background in a specific topic of interest, a MTS/MAR could assist the student in attaining broader exposure across theological subjects, or more depth either outside an area of specialization or developing new areas of expertise. This could be particularly helpful for students returning to school after years in vocational ministry. For these reasons, a MTS/MAR could be an excellent option for one with an MDiv or equivalent studies, and it could also be very good preparation for PhD/ThD programs.

Hi Lucan,

Firstly, congratulations on receiving a funded offer! In speaking with friends at other programs, I know that this has been an abominable year to be applying to PhD programs. A lot of programs are facing stiff budget cuts, and thus they are slashing cohort sizes dramatically. Rutgers is a rather strong program, and they would not have extended an offer to you if they did not think that you would make an excellent fit for their program. The fact that you also liked the program is a good indication that Rutgers' instincts were correct. This being said, here are a couple of things that I would encourage you to keep in mind:

1.) Graduate school is a 5-6 year commitment. It is not simply a stepping-stone to becoming a professor. It is 6 years of your life -- 6 wonderful, enjoyable, stimulating years. Consequently, you want to be somewhere that makes you happy. Harvard may be Harvard, but some people are miserable for 6 years in Cambridge. You are not going to do your best work when you are unhappy on most days. Job placement is a relative statistic -- students are just as responsible for getting themselves jobs as professors are, and a program that is going to equip you well to be a teacher, that is going to give you the freedom and the environment (i.e. happiness factor) to do the best work you can do is the program where you want to end up.

2.) ONLY do the post-bac if your language preparation is lacking. If you think that another year of Greek and/or Latin would have earned you a few more acceptances, then a post-bac might be advisable. I know both Penn and Georgetown have had tremendous success in placing students into top grad programs, but I think it would be a waste of your time and money to enroll in a post-bac if you don't need it. An MA is another matter, especially if you were to receive a funded offer from Vanderbilt. I know Vandy has also had a lot of success placing candidates. If you don't get a funded offer, however, then I can't believe it would be worth it to go into debt for two years, only to be faced with the uncertainty of applying to PhD programs again.

3.) While this shouldn't necessarily be a deciding factor, I believe Rutgers is a program where you have to earn an MA before you get your PhD. As a result, you could always apply to transfer out after you get the MA. Obviously you don't want to enter into a program already thinking you are going to leave it, but you would have the potential flexibility to look elsewhere if you ultimately decided that Rutgers was not the ideal fit for you. Nevertheless, as somebody else pointed out, Rutgers participates in this amazing collaboration with Princeton, Columbia, CUNY, NYU, and others that would allow you to take classes at any of those programs. This means there is always an opportunity for you to establish relationships with professors at other programs -- professors who could ultimately be on your dissertation committee, and thus other professors who could write on your behalf when it comes time to apply for jobs.

So, go ahead and chat with Rutgers about job placement if that is your biggest anxiety. Talk to your current professors. Everybody will have their own opinion, but ultimately yours is the only one that matters. Remember that you do not have to make a commitment one way or another until April 15. Wait to hear back from Vanderbilt. And trust your gut. For what it's worth, I rolled the dice three years ago and turned down a fully funded program that was on par with Rutgers to do a funded Master's in the UK. I reapplied after completing the Master's, and I had my pick of programs. However, I turned down my initial offer because I wasn't sure the program I had been accepted into would be a good fit for me. If I had liked the program more, things might have turned out differently.

Good luck, and don't forget to bask in the glory of your acceptance. Once you start your PhD, it will be a little while before people are fawning all over you again.

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

I just broke it down like this: I got rejected. It's either a numbers issue (my GPA is 3.9, but my GRE isn't great) or a fit issue. I can work on one in the next year (numbers), I can't work on fit. I contacted the DGS and politely asked what parts of my application weren't up to snuff. If she says "numbers", I can improve them and try again (assuming I don't get into another school this year) - if she says "fit", then I won't reapply.

I was bummed for about 15 minutes, but I'm totally Type A, so I saw a problem and addressed how to fix it. Moping takes way too much energy and I've got Archilochus to translate!

I saw it too - I wonder why people aren't posting in the forum when they receive a decision.

OP - Graduate school may seem like a Liz Lemon dealbreaker, but this is not a religion. This is not a cult. Take your pedestals and go offline for a bit. If you want data, do some research on admission and funding at your schools. It is okay to be disappointed in the process and express that in an online forum. Gasp.

It sounds like somebody insulted your top school of choice, and you feelings got hurt. Then you started a thread about how immature the results section is, when you clearly benefit. Or, maybe, somebody wrote something wittier than yourself on the rejection note. And now you are jealous. Burn.

The fake results are a mere reminder that this is a horrendous process that I am choosing to visit upon myself. Every time I hit refresh.

And, for your reading pleasure

maybe it is a cult

the future awaits - and all the related articles in this series


HONESTY - my daily affirmation. Oprah!

I think everyone can agree that there are good scholars outside of Harvard, Yale, Duke, Princeton, etc. I'm probably going to attend FSU next year and I'm very excited at the prospects of working with David Levenson.

However, my original post was simply to point out that one should not get defensive and get an attitude when someone else underestimates the reputation of one's school or the scholars that teach there. Brite may very well be a very fine school for certain things, but that doesn't mean one should get defensive because Brite isn't perceived as being on the same playing field as Harvard or Yale (and it's not - even if some scholars who teach at Brite would do just as well at an Ivy).

As I said - one should attend the school that they see as being the best fit.

Straight from a Duke Professor's mouth when he told me about hiring policies: "We have a big stack of folders, and we say, 'This is a Yale trained (whatever)', 'Here is a Harvard graduate...'."

I agree with several of your points. 1) Top tier grad schools are incestuous. It's incredibly difficult to break into those schools without some sort of "in". 2) Schools with bigger, better programs are obviously going to have more resources available to their students. Ask anyone who's receiving a stipend from Duke vs. someone who is attending Dallas Theological for their Ph.D. My uni doesn't have a grad program in Religion, but our library holdings are awful. I often have to travel to Duke if I want to write a paper with any sort of depth.

Also, top tier programs are going to have the resources to poach professors from other programs. Much to U of Chicago's chagrin, Princeton has a long history of poaching Classics professors from U of Chicago. It may not be fair, but that's how it goes.

do you know how big is the department?
their intake size?
I didn't see many acceptance or rejects in last couple of years in the result search of grad cafe.

any news from Princeton CS, PhD ?
who else applied ?

I just broke it down like this: I got rejected. It's either a numbers issue (my GPA is 3.9, but my GRE isn't great) or a fit issue. I can work on one in the next year (numbers), I can't work on fit. I contacted the DGS and politely asked what parts of my application weren't up to snuff. If she says "numbers", I can improve them and try again (assuming I don't get into another school this year) - if she says "fit", then I won't reapply.

I was bummed for about 15 minutes, but I'm totally Type A, so I saw a problem and addressed how to fix it. Moping takes way too much energy and I've got Archilochus to translate!

I know this is for Ph.D results, but I figured I'd share mine - I got in for an MA at FSU in Religion (Religions of Western Antiquity).

I know this is for Ph.D results, but I figured I'd share mine - I got in for an MA at FSU in Religion (Religions of Western Antiquity).

I am a bit of an old man at heart, but I hate the idea of those Kindle e-reader things. There's something wonderful about going to the library, sitting at your desk, and reading a book. I like being able to feel the book too. I hate reading on the computer and I can't imagine I'd like reading on one of those new-fangled e-readers. Now get off my lawn, Matlock's on and I've got some soup ready!

Single

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.

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.