Isaac32

Notre Dame was my top choice, and they were the only Master's theology program that didn't accept me. Hopefully I can make myself more appealing in two years when I send them a PhD app

I didn't hear anything, possibly because I rejected their offer the next day. Was it a substantial increase?

Does anyone know of any scholarships and/ or grants that us religion and theology grad students qualify for? I am specifically hoping to find scholarships and grants without geographical, denominational, gender, or ethnicity requirements.

Students at PTSem can take any of the language courses offered by Princeton University, as long as the language is relevant to their studies, and I am sure this is the case at other theological schools that are affiliated with a university, such as Harvard Divinity, Yale Divinity, Cadler.

Well, I can tell you that a fellow MA student was accepted to Emory and Harvard PhDs with little language training, but good GRE scores. She will have to learn French and German from the beginning.

Awesome. That sounds really nice.

Do PTS students not take language classes during fall and spring? I was planning on taking German during fall and spring semesters since I already know Greek, Latin and French.

It is very difficult to predict, and there is a lot more than test scores and academic achievement that go into such considerations. A buddy of mine says the biggest reason that he was admitted to a very prestigious philosophy program because he is a half Korean, half Hispanic Pentecostal who loves to go skydiving I don't know how much truth there is to his claim, but I am sure his background didn't hurt his chances.

I'd say Boston U and Florida State are definitely good programs, even if they are just below TT. I don't know much about Georgetown. I e-mailed admissions at VDS. I did not talk to a specific faculty member. That said, I know two people who have been admitted to VDS PhD in the past couple years with comparable scores at or near the 90% mark. One had a 161 V and a 4.5 AW and the other had a 163 V and a 4.5 AW.

Thanks for the reply. I've spoken with admissions people at UVA, PTSem, Marquette, Fordham, and Vandy and they all said my scores (162 V, 5.0 AW) are good, but they also said that a higher score would help. I'll probably retake just so I am not left wondering if my GRE scores did me in in the end. Are you coming from a master's program in RS or theology?

So now that we have all heard back, were any of you admitted to good PhD/ ThD programs this season with a V score less than 90%?

What specific area of early Christianity do you want to study? This, IMO, is the biggest factor in determining where to study.

Yeah, I've been leaning towards PTSem anyways. A lot of good resources for me there. Are you going with Yale, then?

What a punch in the gut! I just received two e-mails from Duke Divinity School pertaining to my financial aid award. The first thing to catch my eye in the first e-mail was "Duke Scholarship (100%)," which I thought meant I had received a full tuition scholarship. Unfortunately, when I received the second e-mail it said "MTS Scholarship 22%." Oh well. I am still grateful to have been considered for and accepted with some sort of scholarship to the program.

If one of the programs happened to be far superior in your prospective field, then financial matters would matter less, but it seems like both programs offer strong and diverse options, especially when you factor in philosophy departments. See what Duke is offering and then decide.

Is funding comparable?

Actually, it was under the Notre Dame MTS results. The poster said "Surprised to have been rejected given 5 full scholarship offers from Emory, Duke, Yale, Princeton T.S., and Harvard". Perhaps it was the same person?

Someone posted on the results database that they received a full scholarship to Duke. Was it someone here? Has anyone heard back from Duke about funding?

Given your details, as long as your GRE scores are above the 80th percentile in V and AW and you have a good SOP and writing sample, I believe you would do well applying to PhD programs in the fall. That said, an MTS from Notre Dame certainly won't hinder your chances. It might be a pain to pack up and move to South Bend, though.

Just out of curiosity, did you apply to any PhD programs this previous round? For me, it comes down to this question. If you applied and didn't have much success, then an MTS from Notre Dame might help. I have known a lot of people who were accepted to great PhD programs from small schools. I suppose you could go for it and apply in the fall. If you get accepted to a good PhD program you can just transfer before you finish at ND.

Given PTS's faculty reputation, and that the MA(TS) is set up like a MTS program, I can't imagine it having any drawbacks. What in particular do you find concerning?

Yes, congrats all! So, given that cost of living is quite a bit cheaper in Durham than it is in Princeton I just need to figure out how much funding Duke needs to offer to make it worth accepting their offer over PTS's. Thoughts?

I think everyone gets at least 22% off tuition, but don't quote me on that. My letter of acceptance states "You will receive your scholarship package early next week." Does yours not say the same?

Notre Dame decisions posted, or at least mine was. I am honestly surprised that I wasn't accepted this time. I have multiple publications under my belt, university teaching experience, and an MA in religious history. Oh well. Congrats to those who were accepted.

The person I mentioned studied at Notre Dame back in the late 80s/ early 90s. I'm not sure what degrees the department offered back then.