KA.DINGER.RA

Geez, that grad committee is burning the midnight oil. Congratulations! I hope it goes well!

YO! I just got an email (at 10 PM on a Friday) from Brown to interview for Assyriology and Egyptology.
 
Huzzah!

Two things:
1) I spoke with a PhD student over beers tonight and apparently the professor who will be sending out interview emails for ND has the list of approved applicants in hand. I have no idea when the emails will go out, but things are apparently decided.
2) I got an interview for Brown in Assyriology/Hebrew Bible. Stoked!

Two things:
1) I spoke with a PhD student over beers tonight and apparently the professor who will be sending out interview emails for ND has the list of approved applicants in hand. I have no idea when the emails will go out, but things are apparently decided.
2) I got an interview for Brown in Assyriology/Hebrew Bible. Stoked!

It would appear that my professor has made a liar out of me. My sincere apologies for getting anyone's hopes up. However, I would certainly expect them very soon. Several other students have heard likewise.

It would appear that my professor has made a liar out of me. My sincere apologies for getting anyone's hopes up. However, I would certainly expect them very soon. Several other students have heard likewise.

Did anyone hear from Notre Dame this week? 

Thanks! I'll try my best.
Thanks for the advice! I'd certainly love to do a Master's, and at HDS quite especially, but it's all a question of money for me.  I can't even afford to live doing a fully funded program without a stipend - hence trying for PhDs.

Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity. They don’t have an actual “biblical studies” concentration so they squeeze some Bible-y early Christianity folks in with us.

I just spoke with a professor with whom I am quite close. He said to expect to hear back from ND this week. 
This may only be for CJA, but I would imagine it is for all of the non-WRWC applicants. Get stoked!

I just spoke with a professor with whom I am quite close. He said to expect to hear back from ND this week. 
This may only be for CJA, but I would imagine it is for all of the non-WRWC applicants. Get stoked!

This is likely untrue. WRWC is pretty independent of the other concentrations and their decisions usually go out separately. 
I know WRWC is a thing but I literally never see any of those folks around. It's basically a different department. 

I was walking out of the building and saw the entire CJA faculty meeting yesterday (minus most of the biblical studies professors, since they're basically all on sabbatical). Even with all of the new hirings and job talk meetings going on, they're usually not all together at once like that. If you applied to ND, I would expect to hear back about PhD interviews sometime relatively soon.

If you intend to become an academic, then for PhD work I would strongly suggest that you look more toward history than toward religious studies, if history of Christianity is your thing, particularly if your username is indicative of your interests. It will be much harder to find a home with an area studies PhD. 
For MA programs, either is fine, and you should expect to pick up a general knowledge with a focus in a smaller subfield. HDS and YDS are both excellent choices here, though I'd just note that Kevin Madigan is pretty uninterested in the subjects of his own earlier work at this point.

From what I’ve heard, they do not interview. 

Thanks, @KA.DINGER.RA and @xypathos! Y'all are giving me hope this afternoon!

If that's legitimately the case, then why make letters a requirement for applications? It takes up so much of our professors' time.

Well after three years of applying to PhD programs, I got an email today telling me that I have been accepted into UT Austin's Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East program! I'm very excited and thankful that this entire process is finally going to be over. I've been anticipating doing PhD work in Bible for like 4-5 years now and actually knowing that I will be doing it later this year instead of serving coffee to pay student loans is such a relief. 
 
Also, I would have had to do the GRE again this year if I didn't get in somewhere. I'm so glad I never have to give ETS my time or money ever again. 
 
It's also worth mentioning that if you get shortlisted by a program, that doesn't necessitate that you'll be accepted or that the professors didn't like you. So be excited if it does happen to you, but don't start planning anything. 

Fortunately the semester is back in the swing of things so I’ll have some forced distractions, this way my F5 key can get some rest!

I just mean that I think it's likely more for statistical purposes rather than anything than anything pertaining to decision making. 
 
I like the program at ND a lot. They have an insane amount of student resources if you're willing to apply for them and the faculty is great. It's weird going here as a non-Catholic, but you get over that. South Bend also isn't a bad town. It's obviously not as big as Chicago or Boston or anything like that, but it's got enough things to do. Your life will be occupied with school anyway so outside attractions aren't all that important. 

Oh poor summer child. You need to find a place that specializes in Ramen. 

Oh poor summer child. You need to find a place that specializes in Ramen. 

Oh poor summer child. You need to find a place that specializes in Ramen. 

Oh poor summer child. You need to find a place that specializes in Ramen. 

Currently a second-year MTS student at Notre Dame in biblical studies. Got my first MA from UGA in Hebrew Bible. 
I was invited for PhD interviews after my first Master's and was told that I was very close to making it in. They extended the MTS offer so I took it.
I'll be applying to Chicago, UCLA, Harvard, Hopkins, and ND.
If anyone has questions about ND, drop me a line.