whubbla

Didn't know D3 beta was out yet. I'm in.

So, I'll start. Hoping to find a job that makes some use of what I've done in my masters program while I deliberate whether to apply to Ph.D. programs again (granted, I did not cast a very wide net this time given personal-geographic constraints). What thoughts and plans do others have? Parents' couch? Investment banking? Clergy? Burger-flipping? House-spouse?

This thread can complement the decisions thread that I'm sure will appear soon...

All the advice so far makes sense to me, but I wanted to add one thing to respond to your question #2. The priority deadline issue will probably affect scholarship aid more than admission itself, so bear in mind that you could probably expect more money from schools if you were to apply next year. This might not necessarily be so, of course.

LateAntique--Let me echo the feeling of being bummed about the lack of discussion and contribute my own thoughts in response to your questions. It does seem to be the conventional (and smart, so far as I'm concerned) wisdom that Ph.D. in religion --> tenure-track job is a tenuous connection even for the best of students (well, maybe not THE best) and that it accordingly makes no sense to incur debt or attend a less-reputable institution (provided one needs a job and income upon completion). I'm applying this year to American religion programs; as it happens, the geographic factors constraining my applications also constrain them to "top" programs that happen to fit my interests reasonably well. Even if that weren't the case, I wouldn't apply anywhere that does not offer sufficient funding and does not have a good reputation. Even if I am fortunate enough to be admitted, I plan to seek as much detail as possible from my prospective advisors about their placement records with their advisees as well as their expectations for how my dissertation, etc., might look, and condition my acceptance on what I learn.

Mine were dead-on, but they were both 50 point ranges.

Outis: Some thoughts about your writing sample question. I'm no expert, so my first suggestion is to ask a biblical studies professor who makes decisions about Ph.D. applicants. My thoughts, though: If the biblical studies paper is good enough for SBL, it seems to me that it would be good enough for a writing sample. Based on my perusal of various graduate program websites, they seem to appreciate writing samples in the same field. It demonstrates engagement with contemporary scholarship (at least ideally) and demonstrates interest, as well as showing more generic research, writing, and analytic skills. Even if you think the quality is slightly below that of your theology paper, I suggest using the biblical studies paper (unless the theology paper could pass for a biblical studies paper).

I am curious why you are targeting so few schools. Forgive me for giving unsolicited advice, but given your interests and credentials, I would suggest considering Chicago, Duke, Harvard, Union in New York, and Vanderbilt. You could conceivably get $ from any of them. If you want to pursue Kierkegaard to the ends of the earth, go to the Theology School at Copenhagen University in Denmark.

If your current decision is between apply and don't apply, I see little reason not to apply. The $50ish application fee (which could conceivably be waived in the event of financial hardship) and few marginal hours it takes to write an application (I presume you've already solicited LORs for your other applications, which are easy enough for your recommendation writers to retool) seem like a small cost compared to the potential reward. Vanderbilt is certainly academically strong, and they seem to have relatively generous funding, which you're less likely to find at some of these other institutions.

Yes, Vanderbilt is a good idea. Also, consider Union Presbyterian Seminary in Virginia where Mark Valeri writes about Puritans and Edwards. Ditto for Mark Peterson at UC Berkeley in the history department, but less about Jonathan Edwards. Not a comprehensive list, by any means, but worth examining.

It would probably be worthwhile to secure a purely academic letter of recommendation, as well; maybe HDS requires this, anyway (I did not apply, so I don't know). Are you interested in ordination? If so, ddsdevil's suggestions make sense to me, too. Otherwise, work really hard this semester (you can show a higher senior-year GPA) and in preparing for GREs (studying vocab will make a big difference).

Isn't that disappointing? Especially since UofC's tuition is about 200% of most other divinity schools...I am in the same unfortunate boat, where I must decline for financial reasons...

Apparently the concentrated MARs are the very selective, but I don't have numbers for you. The 44% acceptance rate that people have been quoting about Yale is for MDiv and MARs, though rates within MDiv differ from within Comprehensive MAR, which differ from Concentrated MARs, just so everyone knows...

Has anyone heard whether Yale Div notified recipients of any of its merit scholarships?

Thanks for the reminder...need to post mine. At least one of those is from another person.