jsant09

Question on rejections -- Are there any niceties in regards to rejections? I had two POIs at one school that rejected me, one of whom emailed to express his disappointment and thank me for considering them, but the other has not. Is it recommended, for whatever reason if not just to acknowledge that the rejection happened, to contact POIs if they haven't reached out to you?

Yes, that's the one. Southern Methodist in Dallas.

Thanks for the congrats. I only applied to two schools, wasn't very sure I would get into either: 1 acceptance, 1 rejection (Notre Dame).

I am accepted at SMU. Waiting to visit with my wife for their recruitment weekend March 23 to officially accept the offer, but at this point it's very likely I will.

Sounds like today should be active. Best wishes to you all. My app season ended on 13th (1 acceptance, 1 rejection) but for some reason I still can't help but incessantly check the forum for the latest news.

I wasn't really intending to distinguish between types of institutions but mostly just any tenure track position. That definitely does make a difference though. I guess I am just thinking about programs such as Claremont Graduate U, SMU, FSU, Rice, Loyola, Fordham, etc. I understand all of these to be very good programs, but have little information on how their graduates fare when applying for positions at like institutions.

This is a huge dilemma I can empathize with. It's not even just in regards to average schools but very good ones as well with excellent faculty and good funding. I think the key is really the mentoring you receive. That can be what makes up for the name of the school.

I would imagine there could be many reasons for the gap and the calls are really just for additional information. Similarly, I have a 4.0 and good recommendations, but my scores are just below the limit for most schools. The feedback I received from professors at my current M.A. and the two programs I applied to were that the scores matter to some and not at all to others, and that they wouldn't prevent me from being seriously considered. One in particular suggested I not even worry about addressing it in my Statement. So, I guess it depends on just how low we are talking. If you are just below the threshold I wouldn't worry too much.

Same here. WRWC. ND was my top choice, so this is obviously very disappointing. Thought I had a good chance based on communication I've had with POIs and my visit, but of course not shocking.

As we all know, for those of us who have chosen/are hoping for a career in academia, jobs are few and spots in the top PhD programs are limited. Getting into those tier one programs are key to increasing your chances at a job afterwards, yet many of us will have to choose to either accept admission at a tier two or borderline tier one school or wait another year to try and get into that top prestigious program. So this makes me wonder, which of those borderline tier one and tier two schools have a track record of students getting good jobs? Of course when talking about tier one vs tier two that itself is pretty arbitrary, so I'm not intending for a discussion about that, but more so about when you get an offer from a school that is not a Duke or a Harvard, how much confidence can you have in that program helping you to a good job in academia. From what I've noticed, Drew seems to have a good rep.

As a Catholic I've had trouble finding programs that fit both categories (race in Afro-Diasporic communities/religions and Catholicism). I ended up applying to just SMU and ND. Sounds like you have some good options though.

Nice! I'm actually doing some similar work in the Caribbean. Out of curiosity, where in addition to UCSB have you applied?

That's pretty much why I would want to post with my GRE scores. If someone with lower scores is trying to gauge their chances by comparing scores, they might count themselves out before even trying. On the other hand, as has been mentioned there is no rhyme or reason; people should really just be consulting with their professors and others they trust about applications.

I received a call of acceptance from SMU yesterday. I am not the one who posted the result. There was no mention of an interview, they just have a prospective student weekend in March I am assuming for admitted students.

WRWC

It looks like the Notre Dame interview invitations that have gone out are for Systematics. Anyone know if they have also gone out for the other areas?

Considering that a majority of the verbal scores posted are between 163 and 170 I think it would be valuable to post my results with GRE scores because my verbal is under 160. Looking at the results page, one would never think they stand a chance with a verbal under 160, but what you cannot tell from the results page are the things that show in an application, such as fit, whether English is someone's first language, or the fact that I took the GRE on 2 weeks of study after committing just this fall to pursuing a PhD. However, what are the negatives to doing so? Do schools actually look through the results page on here (which makes accepted students easily identifiable), do they care if their results are posted, etc?

Speaking to your undergraduate GPA, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I was pretty similar to you in that I was not as invested in my academic work as an undergrad and never foresaw myself continuing my education, and graduated with a 3.1 GPA. Regardless, I got into both schools I applied to, one of which was Vanderbilt, with pretty decent funding at that. From my experience, what matters more is writing an excellent statement that lets them know why you fit in their program.

You've probably heard back by now but just in case, I know one person has received acceptance from Dayton. The others should be out as well.

This is exactly my situation with Vanderbilt. Living expenses are just too much without a stipend. Would need a full time job just to cover those costs without accruing more debt. Couple options are looking at external scholarships and fellowships; problem is, at this point even if you got them you likely wouldn't know before a decision has to be made. Work study is pretty much a guarantee if you apply for those jobs so that will give you anywhere from 2-4,000. You can also look for part-time jobs at area churches or elsewhere. Definitely find a roommate. In Chicago you don't need a car. And set a budget on food and entertainment and stick to it. Even after all this you will still likely need to take a loan for several thousand in addition to your tuition. Everyone I talk to says do not go into debt for this degree. Very tough situation.

Just been accepted to Vanderbilt (MTS) with 75% tuition. Also have a full ride from Dayton.

Thanks for the input ALH3. Great suggestions. I hadn't really considered deferring but that won't be necessary now that I've heard back from Vandy. My decision with Dayton really lies with their Campus Ministry department, as they are the ones paying my tuition, housing and stipend. They have already granted me two weeks to make a decision on the GA and I asked for one more last Friday so this is all the time I have left. They've also actually been talking with other departments that have GAs advocating for my fiancee but to no avail. As far as we know the departments do not have enough funding for master students so GAs are the only way to get fully funded. Shes honestly a better candidate than I am IMO so we're kind of perplexed why they denied her a position. You last question is the big one here. How important is it to attend a Catholic university....I'm not sure haha. I loved Dayton as an undergrad and visited Vandy and loved it also. Definitely feel like Id be in the minority theologically there, but as a former Protestant I'm ok with that. I'm mostly concerned with applying for jobs after grad school, how a Catholic employer would view my attending a non-Catholic divinity school.

Update: Just received an email I've been accepted to Vanderbilt with 75% tuition.

I've got quite the decision to make, so I figured I'd revive this thread. My fiancee and I are both applying to grad schools (two body problem) and it's come down to Dayton and Vanderbilt for us. Both schools offer our programs (Higher Education Administration and MTS) and are not a big move for us. The decision is really coming down to affordability and quality of the programs. My two main interests are Hispanic church studies and ecumenism. I would like to eventually work in Hispanic church ministry, campus ministry, or teach. I could even see myself continuing on to a PhD but at this point it's not a goal. Also, I am Catholic as is Dayton if you are not aware. So here is where things get tricky: I have been offered a GA from Dayton that covers tuition, housing and a stipend, a total value of around $25K. However, they have given me a deadline of this Friday to give an answer. Furthermore, I have yet to hear back on a decision from Vanderbilt. I have been in touch with their admissions department and they "hope" to have a decision for me by Friday. So...it seems I may have to make a decision to attend Dayton before I even know if I've been accepted to Vanderbilt and how much funding (definitely will not be getting 100%). Does anyone have any feedback or suggestions? Obviously, if I do not even know I am accepted to Vanderbilt, I will have to accept Dayton's offer. But if I do hear back by Friday, how much is their degree worth paying for? Now, because of the two body problem things are a bit more difficult. It could still be more affordable to attend Vanderbilt depending on how much funding I receive (if at all). Reason being, my fiancee has not been offered a GA from Dayton (which is the only source of funding available) meaning we will still be paying about $11K per year for her tuition plus more for her living expenses. On the other hand, she has already been accepted to Vanderbilt's Peabody School of Education and it seems very likely she will be offered one of the several GAs she has interviewed for, but we won't know until at the soonest another week from Friday. I'm really at a loss for what to do, but may be forced to accept Dayton's offer since it covers pretty much everything on my end. In that case, my fiancee will likely defer Vanderbilt until I finish 2 years from now (if possible). We just don't see the point in her paying for the degree at Dayton when she can get it paid for from Vanderbilt. Not to mention, Vanderbilt's program is top 5 in the country. Lot of information there, but if you made it to this point....any advice?

I have not heard anything yet. Looks like, according to the results page, one MTS applicant was notified of their acceptance on Tuesday with a full scholarship and another M.Div applicant was also accepted the same day. By my guess, then, they began sending acceptances this week.