tsgriffey

I made a discussion thread.

Now that results are in I'll start this thread to discuss all aspects of the program and our decisions to attend or not. I'll start: does anyone know what their acceptance rate is? How prestigious is the program? I know UChicago is top in religious studies, but I worry about the MA program being easy to get into since they rely upon us for a large portion of their income. (Sorry if I'm being too cynical ) Also, what are your subspecialties?

Same! Congrats guys! . Hirsch, did you get any funding?

Not yet, when you mentioned that results would be in "by the end of the week" I think it went without saying that they will be in at the end of the week, if that was even an accurate prediction on their end haha. I'm half expecting results not to come out this week--even the application submission confirmation page said that results would be ready in early March.

As results begin to come in I for one have been doing a lot of thinking about whether or not this course of study is the right one for me. There is no doubt in my mind that I am fascinated about what I'm thinking about studying (the interaction/dialogue between religious belief, scientific knowledge, and philosophy), but I don't how I'll feel about it after MA, PhD, and a career as a professor and if I'll become jaded by a lack of concrete answers to metaphysical questions. I don't think I will because I enjoy learning about how people answer these questions for themselves and justify their answers. In addition, I know I'll enjoy being a professor since I enjoy teaching (through my limited experience in study groups and tutoring), thinking about pedagogy, and helping people develop more precision in their thoughts and communication (undoubtedly a big goal of a college education, especially in the humanities). Yet, the path requires so much commitment of time and money with no guarantee that half a decade, or more, of education beyond college while scraping by financially will result in any economic security or at least the opportunity to put what we have learned to use in a career. With this in mind, and I haven't heard much different from current professors, do you guys ever consider pursuing something with more economic security and promise? For example, I have considered enrolling in a post-bacc program in computer science instead of pursuing graduate school in the humanities, but my passion for studying existential questions keeps me going--much to the confusion of some family and many friends. I know you guys have probably been berated by these doubts and thoughts by people who don't understand and maybe even by yourself like I have so I'm sorry if this is trite and annoying for some of you, but, for me at least, having a reasoned discussion with people who understand the passion and the risks and who are about to make a similar leap of faith into this next stage of our lives is incredibly important. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Great news, thanks for the update!

Thanks a lot everyone! Makes me feel a lot better

Once I decide on where I'd like to attend I'm going to ask my grad adviser about this issue, but I wanted to run it by you guys to see what you think. I'm in a really awkward part of my life right now--unable to find substantial work because I'm planning on leaving in about 5 months, but we all know that 5 months can still be a significant demand on our resources and without a decent income life is stressful. Long story short: I recently moved back in with my parents (mom and stepdad) and feel very awkward about it, but with the amount of time left before leaving for the other side of the Atlantic or country I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. My question is: do you think it'd be possible to start taking classes this summer? I'm considering at least moving to where I'll be attending. Any other advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Nothing yet for me.

Edit: misread your post Marcion, haha.

As of 2/20 (it's still 2/19 on the west coast) I've seen 2 UChicago Div acceptances with 50% funding! Hopefully all results will be out soon!

And again this morning haha

Someone from Chicago just found one of my papers on academia.edu. Interesting...think it could be related to UChicago Div? It's pretty late over there. Anyone else get a notification?

I've had a few more thoughts. Check out UCSB's religious studies department and specifically Prof. Ahmad Atif Ahmad. He researches Islamic law and is fairly prolific in the field (I think epistemology of Sharia is his main interest). I had a class with him and he is a great guy (he wrote a letter of rec for me). Also, for analytical writing GRE prep make sure to utilize the Scoreitnow program that ETS has. I believe it is 10 dollars (I just remembered how tight money is for you though) and was a very accurate predictor for me.

With a background in Islamic studies I think you definitely are qualified to apply to religious studies programs. In fact, this might make you more competitive since you are applying to Islamic studies subspecialties within RS - you already have a specialized course of study in that field. So, do some more research and find schools that have strong Islamic studies curricula within their religious studies departments. Those are solid schools that you have listed so far, I don't know specifics about them though. If you can't find explicit info on financial aid/app fee waiver on their website you should contact someone within that department and explain your situation so you can get a definitive answer and possibly a connection who will go out of his/her way to help you. Out of curiousity, are you hoping to go on to get a PhD? An Islamic studies prof. at my undergrad school (UCSB) told me that they especially like admitting international students for their different perspectives. Regarding the GRE: good job in using Magoosh! In my experience, Magoosh was an excellent prep program and far superior to Kaplan. You should aim for at least 150 in quant (just to demonstrate reasoning ability and be above average - shouldn't be that hard from where you're at now) and as close, or past, 160 as possible for verbal. In analytical writing, a 4.5 would be the minimum that you'd want to get. Although don't take my word for it, this is just what I think and I'm no expert.

It's kind of a funny email since the title is misleading. It has a general intro: "There is much to consider when deciding which graduate program you will ultimately attend. Our best advice is to be sure you have identified the factors that matter most to you, and evaluate schools based on those criteria. This month, we asked some of our current students what they were looking for in their graduate education, and why they ultimately chose the University of Chicago." The rest is simply five students (including one from the div school) explaining why they chose UChicago. A title such as: "Why You Should Choose the University of Chicago for Graduate Education" would be more specific and relevant since it seems like they are trying to recruit us (beyond merely the application point, obviously). Also, there is no mention of PhD or MA, specifically (re: VDS's method). I bet that if the adcoms saw this thread they would get a nice chuckle at my over-analysis of a simple, generic email. They could have so much fun toying with us.

I think you would have a good shot, GRE scores will be really important though. Also, definitely depends on where you are applying and your fit into that program. I know Harvard and Chicago div offer full rides for a select number of Master's students.

Did everyone who applied to UChicago Div receive an email yesterday about "Choosing the Right Graduate Program"? I'm grasping at straws here, but wouldn't an email about perspectives on choosing UChicago be best reserved for those already accepted? I'm hoping (in desperation) that maybe they've decided to move me into the accepted category and therefore a different newsletter list, but are waiting to release official decisions in a lump sum come early March since they stated that they will be reviewing applications in Jan. and Feb. and releasing decisions in early March.

Since I transferred, I was at UCSB for two years so I honestly cannot give any observation about lower-division general classes, but I think there is a good opportunity for the introductory courses. I've had one graduate student teach one of my courses (he is one of my favorite teachers of all-time; now he is a professor at Miami University) and have attended several courses with graduate students. Regarding undergraduate students: interesting question and discussion. I've been to three different colleges in SoCal at the undergrad level and didn't find much of a difference in effort. I think there is a pretty even split among those that care and those that do not. I, obviously since I'm trying to go to grad school in the subject, was always one of the most interested and motivated undergrads (if not the most). Religious studies is particularly interesting because it is a less popular major due to it not being seen as very "practical" so, as a result, you have people that are mildly interested and just trying to coast by and those that feel the decrease in earning potential is worth studying their intellectual passion. In my experience, there are more of the latter than the former. I think it's a great idea to contact some current T.A.'s and grad students. I'll continue to mull this over and post anything else that comes up or send you a PM. Edit: forgot to post info about demographics. There is a lot of diversity at UCSB and, while it is true that the majority of students are well-off white kids, the attitude and curiosity toward different cultures has been really positive. I've especially interacted with many of Middle Eastern descent (often Muslim). The majority of students that I've come across are intelligent, conscientious, and motivated. If there was a faculty member that more specifically fit my interests, I would be very happy to continue at UCSB.

@jujubean - Congrats! I was in that department for my undergrad and LOVED the time I spent there. Everyone is so nice and supportive, not to mention brilliant and intellectually stimulating. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

I've been mountain biking and surfing a lot. Nothing like getting exercise in the beautiful outdoors! Also, trying to find work (I'm in a gap year) that will take me knowing that I'll only be here until August. Hard to find a decent temp job; had one at a law firm when I graduated that was awful! I'm also trying to avoid checking my email too much and researching the cities that I may move too - makes me way too excited and impatient.

Beaten path

Thank you very much! Keep an eye out for my update in March-ish

Thanks for your thorough response! For Harvard and Chicago, I applied under the philosophy of religion specialty. However, with my background and interests I think a program specifically tailored toward studying science and religion would be best--Edinburgh, Oxford, and Boston are the schools with these programs. BU is my number one choice since it would offer the opportunity to get a PhD and get paid along the way. If I don't get into BU this time around, I think getting a Masters at Edinburgh or Oxford would be my best bet before reapplying to the PhD program at BU. The Religion and Science track at BU has a unique language requirement; they require proficiency in one modern foreign language (French or German, I think), but instead of a second language one must demonstrate proficiency "in a science skill (such as cognitive and neural modeling, ecological modeling, mathematics, computer programming, or statistics for empirical research) depending on the direction of research." As such, I think my psych BA and time spent in a cognitive neuroscience lab will be sufficient. I realize that a one year M* program gives me little time to learn a language--aren't there language intensive courses that I could do over the summer (this summer, before starting a M* program if I don't get into their PhD program straightaway)?

Thanks for the insight! I'm pretty confident in my evidence of original research and am a perfect fit (well, I think so ). Can't wait to hear from them!! The waiting is tough.