amam

I think you might forget to mention the significance of Dr. Pepper as well.?

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Baylor probably does have a more Christian "feel" than most other universities considered by people in this forum. That's something to consider for sure. But it's not at all as conservative as one might expect just from hearing that it's a Baptist school in Texas. And the religion department is definitely more liberal than some other departments and than the university as a whole.

I don’t know about Baylor, but what people said above is quite valuable to know. They do cater to a particular segment of the Christian world, as does BU, so, as they say, one's mileage may vary. 
I applied to and visited BU School of Theology in the last cycle. It does have a good reputation, and I’ve had some memorable (in a good way) conversations with faculty and some current graduate students. My POI and I had one of my favorite conversations during my time in Boston, and I would have gone there for a STM if after-tuition funding were available.
I would agree with CafeConGabi that learning about who’s who among the graduate students (and their research interests) would be helpful. This has already been helpful in giving me a picture of what a department is like apart from the faculty, and I’ve made one contact at one school as a result of finding out.

From a friend who majored in Medieval Studies (10 years ago?) and taught at Baylor: it wasn't her favorite place to teach. She thought the schools was too Christian-leaning for her liking, so there's that. 
I don't know anything about BU's School of Theology. I've met some great folks who came out of BU including a great professor who's been at HDS for several years.
Personally, I'd definitely check out the current grad student profiles because these will be my potential colleagues. And if their research interests interest me then it might make the next few years pleasant. But that's just me.    

I don't know the stats comparing job placement between those two schools, but my guess is that the reputation would be similar (other than how denominational factors might play a role).
Another important thing you might want to consider is cost of living. It's much easier to live on a stipend in Waco than it is in Boston! All else being equal, this is something worth giving thought to. Of course, you also need to think about where you would prefer to live for several years, and Boston is probably more desirable than Waco for many folks, haha. But grad school is stressful enough, so not having finances as an additional worry can be huge. Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested in chatting further about Baylor and/or Waco.

I wanted to share some excerpts from an article I was reading which I hope will bring some positivity to everyone who comes across this:
"Do not — I repeat — DO NOT try to put yourself in the minds of the admission’s committees. You won’t be able to figure out exactly what they’re looking for and you won’t know who will be looking at your application. I guarantee that you are much harder on yourself than anyone else will be on you. You don’t have to be perfect."
"You have to trust the process, because, like I said earlier: grad school is too hard to be in a program that is not right for you.
Applying to grad school should be a mutual process, as applying to a job should be. I can guarantee you that you do not want to go to a grad program where you aren’t a good fit — even if it’s at [X school.] Because once you’re there, you’re just one of the crowd. You stop feeling so special. And if you hate it here, you could hate your life or end up dropping out. Or both. I’d say that’s a lose-lose."
^That is such a good point. Maybe what we see as our top choice would actually be a horrible experience. Great to keep this in mind.
"We can all get great educations, we can all find amazing careers, and we can all change the world — if those are things that we want."

For what it’s worth, I did ask the admissions office at the Toronto School of Theology and they told me that application results will be out at the end of the month. This lines up with what I saw on the survey results some time back. They are the latest to report among the schools I applied to. It’s another good option for me, I believe, if I am admitted. 
Hang in there, everyone! Whatever the outcome, we can survive this process.

You're welcome! 
I agree. Data should be considered for job prospects. Anecdotally, I know a lot of folks from outside religious studies (anthro, hist, ethnic studies, etc.) that end up with jobs in religions studies departments. 
When I was deciding whether to apply to religious studies or history, a professor told me to look at the questions central to my work to determine whether religious studies or history would be the best place to do the doctoral program. This helped too. 
 

I hope my response is helpful. 
I have a BA and Master's in religion. Ideally, my PhD would be in Religious Studies. Unfortunately, my POI was not in a Religious Studies dept. They were in the Chicanx Studies dept (that historically does not focus on religion). BUT I reached out to him in August with this concern. He said I would be fine if I got into the program. I chose the program because the professors/current students research interests aligned with my own so I know I'd be able to collaborate and strengthen my work.  
I was also concerned about the job prospects/placements so I reached out to a professor/mentor who reminded me that it's about my work more than it is about what department I graduated from.   
If you would like to keep the Religious Studies track then I would apply when they're taking students. Why spend time in a department/program you're not going to be happy in? 

Oddly enough, no. The story, from what I can surmise from what they told me, was that they were about to turn me down but were convinced that my research had some promise, most likely by my POI. They then emailed me on a Friday morning (I remember this well) telling me that I would be admitted to the Master of Sacred Theology program with my POI as the advisor. I did not interview for it, and I was shocked, to be honest. I deferred admission to this year, given the circumstances, and I will think about taking up the offer, depending on the results other schools issue.

I think one report on the survey did mention interviews for the theology area last year. 
When I inquired with a faculty member at Yale about the program, this professor told me that they are halving the number of slots they’ll be offering this year. Based on Yale stats that are on their website, RS admitted 12 last year. This means that it’ll be likely down to six. So good luck to us indeed (I also applied).
If I recall correctly, Boston University issues doctoral admissions decisions in mid-February. That was when I was informed that I would be offered the STM rather than the Ph.D. (Practical Theology, homiletics). I’ve decided to await what verdicts any school will announce...even if interview requests were already sent out by some schools.

Hey all,
I just got a long email from Loyola Chicago (Theology Dept.). Apparently, they only had one new Ph.D. line for 2021 (in normal times, they have usually had four). The one and only offer of admission went/will go to a NT applicant (I was an ISET applicant). The email was ambiguous as to whether the single offer had been made and/or accepted.
In short, it’s a rough year.
In case it helps anybody:
Vanderbilt GDR: interview invitation Jan. 15
Duke GPR: rejected Jan. 21 (someone suggested above that Duke has probably already extended its offers)
Loyola Chicago Theo. Dept.: rejected Feb. 1
Emory GDR: radio silence
ND Theo. Dept.: radio silence

Called the Emory GDR admissions office this morning and found out that initial interview requests have already gone out. There may be another round of interviews and decisions will likely go out shortly after mid-February. Trying not to be discouraged since the website indicates that not receiving an interview does not preclude admission, but it’s tough.

Yeah, I agree with you. The only certain thing this year might be an email directly from the school. I did apply to their Peace Studies/Theology program and was notified of their decision (rejection) last week. Waiting to know the status of my application to their theology department.

I applied to CJA (NT) and have not heard anything. I know their Peace Studies/Theology program, which is run separately from their theology department, put out interviews (or maybe decisions?) a bit ago; and one person on this thread mentioned that a theology applicant received an interview. It's possible things are moving but generally their interviews invites go out the first week of February for an interview weekend late in the month.
We'll see! This year, with all the disruptions, I'm just not drawing any conclusions until I get notifications directly from the school.

spending way to much time checking my email and  on these sites trying to compare my cv and hoping for an end to the radio silence. we all are in this together! Solidarity!

I think completing the PhD application process under these circumstances - or under any circumstances, really, but especially under these - is an accomplishment in and of itself! However, I'm hoping for everyone here to have some good news very soon.

Yes. I sent my application for theology at PTS the first week of December. Several days later they refunded my application fee and let me know that no theology applications would be received, in order to free up resources for current students. They also limited the number they'd take in across all subfields. I imagine many schools are doing likewise. We chose a brutal year to apply but you never know what might happen in. 

I posted earlier and said DDS normally contacts this week. I haven't seen any indication that folks received interviews so they may be behind on their process. Maybe next week we'll all hear more.
How is everyone holding up mentally and emotionally? I hope you're finding healthy ways to cope with the waiting. I'm not doing anything interesting--mostly just finding more work to do and spending time with my kids. What are others doing?

I emailed my POI at one of the schools last night and he asked me to take the long view. One factor is that a lot of schools are taking less people, if not none at all and that things may stabilize in a couple of years. I’m guessing he’s trying to cushion the impact a rejection might bring, and I otherwise don’t want to read between the lines. Good luck to everyone as the decisions start coming in!

I'll echo many of the comments above, especially Joseph and telk. First, it's worth emphasizing one of telk's comments:
"It's not that the top schools have the brightest students, it's that they have the resources to provide the structure with the best guarantee of success. The list of schools that fit this criteria is very short. Depending on field, it can be as few as 3 and as many as 20, many of which are obvious (Ivies), but not necessarily so."
This is the gist of it all. FWIW, I am at a tier one (for a PhD) and I know many others at a tier two in my subfield (late antiquity). Those at the latter are just as gifted and motivated as the rest of us; but their funding is awful and their teaching requirements are unreasonable. The last statistic I read was 20% of those with PhDs in the humanities have a tenure track job. The rest are either adjuncts or working outside academia.
The only thing I should add to the helpful comments above is that, regardless of whether you are at a top school, you should only do a PhD in the humanities if you are okay with the possibility (some would say inevitability) that you will never work in academia. Even if you "make it" the sacrifices you will have made produce very real consequences, personal and financial. But at least for me--and I suspect others here as well--doing a PhD at a good school offered better financial prospects than had I done something else, at least for 5-6 years. Had I not done the PhD my "salary" with a BA and two M* in RS would have no doubt been lower than my current and rather generous stipend. But had I gone to a second tier school this would not likely be the case; the much lower stipend and bloated teaching expectations would have made it much more difficult financially and personally (and, in turn, would have hindered the already bleak prospects of securing any permanent job). In short: only do it if you are okay with "walking away" from academia at the end of the PhD and only if you are compensated sufficiently. 

Well, the question was not whether reputation correlates with program quality. It was whether one could get an academic job without a shiny name on the diploma. 
Shot (link)
Chaser (link)
 
Sounds like what OP really wants to do is work in academia.

"A PhD is a PhD." This attitude is why there are so many unemployed PhD graduates out there. Nobody thinks a PhD is a PhD. Not applicants (who almost always pick the best program they get into), not academia (who hire almost exclusively from elite institutions), not even your average person on the street.  

Search committees are made up of people in the field, so it's highly likely that they are aware of its reputation. Also, the stats seem to support that if they place alumni quicker. Research fit is important in a PhD. It sounds like you put a lot of thought into your decision prior to making it, but are getting last minute nerves. Trust in yourself and the decisions you've made. Northwestern is also a great school. 

Thank you! I sure hope I see y'all at some conferences! : ) 

Congratulations on this next chapter! Keep us abreast on your research.