amam

Best of luck to you!

Official rejection from UChicago yesterday. Didn’t really sting since I’m used to it at this point ? lol. No official word from Vandy yet but I already know what’s coming. At this point I’m shifting attention to the one MTS application I put out. I’m hopeful about that one but worried about funding. Will follow up on the MTS page.

Rejected from UT Austin (history).
Should've applied to their Religious Studies dept. Meh. Oh well. 
That's: 
2/8 accepted
5/8 rejected
1/8 pending
In short, I'm doing way better than the first round of applications (100% rejection ?). But it still sucks to get rejected so many times. It's a mindf-ck really.  
____
I'll also mention that even though I had doubts about moving away from the Religious Studies track, I've had some of the most amazing conversations with folks in the Chicanx Studies program at UCLA. I also managed to find some new research opportunities so I'll potentially also be collaborating with theologians at Loyola Marymount Univ. I think I'll also reach out to the POI at Texas and see if it's still possible to work on a different project together. Rejection from a program doesn't mean I stop doing research, right? Besides, the AAR will be in Austin for Nov. 2021 ? (They thought they could get rid of me hahahaha!)
Okay, I'm ranting now.  

Oh that’s a bummer for me then haha. Congratulations to you though!

I was contacted by BC just 20 minutes ago. Under consideration for their joint MA with the philosophy department, but not accepted for the Ph.D. I’ve asked to remain in consideration as acceptance for that might be a foot in the door. Rejection for the doctorate was inevitable, however. At least I got to know directly rather than wait for the form letter that usually comes with being turned down. So that’s a 50/50 record for me. Half of my six applications this cycle were turned down. 
Also, there is a local theology school here which has, by regional standards, a reputable theology program. I’m still applying for it and hope to hear from them before July.

I see...I wonder why they haven't gotten back to you yet.
By the way, it has been a challenging time for me as well, but I'm managing to hang in there. I do hope everyone else is, too. I look forward to reading what you publish (since I might be outside of North America and might not easily get to conferences). 
 

I hope everyone here has been doing well, as nerve-racking as the last few months have been. Personally, I feel very drained by the pandemic application process (and the pandemic in general!). The mental and emotional labor that goes into applying to doctoral programs under these circumstances, and even under normal circumstances, is a lot - maybe even too much. That being said, I'm really grateful for the support of this community and hopeful that I'll be able to read your work and see you at conferences in the not-so-distant future.

Well, I think it might be the case. From my experience of being turned down by BC in 2020, it happened to be the same time as yours, so I guess being made an alternate isn’t a bad deal! That’s an optimistic way of looking at it.
Either way, I have been seeing this delay as a case of “no news is good news.” That keeps me grounded and less stressful about this.

From what I’ve seen in the results survey in past years, they do reply in waves: accepted students initially, then rejected ones. To my knowledge, BC does not let people know that they are on a waiting list, so that is another possibility. I’ve read the department’s manual and it mentions an internal list of alternates that their admissions committee also prepares.
These recent events, combined possibly with the number of applicants BC got this year, may have changed things, but honestly, until I hear from them, I wouldn’t know.

Good luck and best wishes! 

Accepted to the MA program at UVA. Was wrestling between this or the PhD program at Marquette but finally decided that I'll be heading to UVA to work with the faculty that I'm more inclined to study with and re-apply once I complete this new degree. Love you guys !
 

Welcome aboard! I am glad that I am not alone in awaiting any news from BC, and oddly enough, we got turned down from the same two schools (Duke and Yale). Best wishes to you as we hit the home stretch!

Hi folks! Joining the party late, but the little bits of information I've gotten here have been helpful to me as we hit the home stretch this cycle, so I figured I should do my part.
I applied to theology (systematic) tracks at Yale (currently finishing my mdiv here), Emory, Duke, Vanderbilt, Fordham, Boston College, and Boston University (school of theology). I was rejected from Duke (1/21) and Yale (2/12). I was invited to interviews at Emory (1/16) and BU (1/28), but was not offered admission at either program (2/9 and 2/22 respectively). I was waitlisted at Fordham (2/16). I'm still waiting to hear from Vandy and BC.
I would absolutely love to be admitted to Fordham (Enormous and genuine congratulations to those on here who were accepted this cycle! fighting that green monster as best I can...) as it was one of my top programs originally. I'm expecting that I'll be getting "no"s from Vandy and BC since I haven't heard from them yet. The rejection from Emory stung the worst because they were a top program for me and I thought the interview process went very well. But obviously there truly are more deserving applicants that spots available. Anyways, well done to everyone for applying this cycle and what a great thing that we have each other here. Best wishes for everyone!

Thank you! It's definitely up there but I'm waiting to hear back from Chicago and will probably make my final decision based on how conversations with grad students feel. But I looooove the academics and faculty at Harvard and Cambridge is a very convenient location for me!

Thanks. I'm still waiting to hear from Boston College. I'd go for the idea that "no news is good news" at this point, basically to calm my nerves. The admissions office said that I should wait for the department, and I decided not to contact the department, because it might be counterproductive. We'll see.

I'm afraid I don't have any information in that regard, but I just wanted to say that you disrupted nothing and that I hope you hear some news soon! You may have better luck finding out something in the Fall 2021 MTS thread. Wishing you all the best!

I got accepted to Harvard!!!!! The news came last night; sorry I didn't update the thread sooner.

I mean, UCLA hasn't given me info on funding (it's been about a month) and Denver isn't giving me more than tuition... Both offer some great classes, opportunities to TA, and some advisors I would be happy working with. Any upsides to living in Denver? ? Other than that, I made sure all the schools I applied to had a Chipotle nearby. I'm a simple gal.  

I only applied to one PhD program this cycle so I realize I am an anomaly on this thread. I did this for two reasons:
1. The programs whose faculty I was interested in (such as Columbia and Brown) were not accepting. I saw no reason to apply places where faculty did not fit into my interests because I wouldn't even know what to say on my SOP. I did a lot of research and even consulted my advisors and although they warned me not to put my eggs in one basket, I knew the risk I was taking from day one.
2. I am trying to keep my options open in life. Of course my attention is completely on the app right now because it's admissions seasons, and I would love to start a PhD this year, but I am open to waiting it out some more.
As a result, if I do not get into CSR I will not be starting a PhD this fall. Not trying to imply that age is a determining factor of success or opportunities in any way, because I strongly disagree with that, but I am very young and have a few career options ahead of me if I choose to reapply in the future. The funny thing is that I felt more like an outsider as the youngest student in my program!
Anyway, I am so extremely excited for everyone who has gotten at least one offer and is continuing to get more. It feels like this thread has existed for years instead of months, and the kindness and inspirational anecdotes have really helped my mental health throughout this gruesome process. Nonetheless, I hope to read your groundbreaking work one day in your respective fields!
Edit: I chose the worst year in history to take a risk and apply to one program lmao

Good gravy. 
I just got accepted into the joint PhD program in Religious Studies at Univ of Denver & Iliff School of Theology. 
I was definitely not expecting that. ? 
Oh man. I don't know what to do. Denver feels like a natural fit since I've been doing RLST for a long time but the Chicanx Studies program at UCLA has the advisor I really want... Decisions, decisions. ?
I guess it all comes down to funding... right? 

Official rejection from Emory GDR. Was expecting it but it still stings a little bit. Hope is a hell of a drug.

Congrats! Happy for you!

Baylor's preview day is tomorrow now! Excited to see some of ya'll there.

AHHHHHHH!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! : D This seriously made my day. Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay!!!

I just received an offer of admission from the Toronto School of Theology. Financial aid information is forthcoming.
Out of six applications, this means I got into two (Toronto and KU Leuven in Belgium) and was waitlisted in one (Drew).