r&sstudent

general_jr, Congrats on your acceptances, particularly to Northwestern's Ph.D. program! What do you hope to study?

Hello, all . I will be applying to programs in the fall, unless I change my mind. Right now I am at BC for an MTS in [sexual] ethics. I am looking at BC, LUC, Northwestern, and possibly Harvard, GTU, and Iowa. Do those of you who got in to Ph.D. programs have some words of advice for me? I am on scholarship for this program, so I must have done something right . But...that doesn't mean that I'll be admitted to a doctoral program, as we all know. I don't plan to retake the GRE (710Q 660V 5.5AW)...undergrad GPA is 3.98 with a double major in philosophy and Spanish, current grad school GPA is 4.0. I have studied (or am studying) under Vacek, Jordan (at Harvard), Sachs, and Harrington, among others, and would like to study under Cahill/Keenan/Hollenbach/Pope (BC), Jung (LUC), Traina (NU), or Jordan (Harvard). Sorry if that was too much info...I'm just trying to give you a picture. I don't know if being Catholic will be an edge (since sexual ethicists seem to be a dime a dozen, but there may not be as many who want to delve into the Catholic teachings, particularly when it comes to sexuality and theology of the human person). Thoughts, anyone? Did you publish a billion things? Did you just work hard in your classes and hope for the best, making sure that you wrote reflective, representative personal statements? Did you make some shady underground deal? Kidding! Also, I did Teach For America for two years (h.s. Spanish) prior to starting grad school. I wonder if that might give me a boost, since it's a little different. A private message or public post would be wonderful. I wish all of you the best of luck, and hope that you get to have some choice as to where you will end up, with lots of funding to support you Thanks in advance for anything you have to say!

You are correct, academiccricket. I misspoke. Here is the link to the BTI website for all who are interested. http://www.bostontheological.org/ Hope you all have a good evening

theostudent, BC is definitely a Jesuit school. I have found it a very nice fit for me, and I encourage you to apply. There are some Protestants in the various programs, and they seem to feel included. As far as what you want to study in particular, I don't know that you would find that here. We don't shy away from postmodernism and what have you, but I haven't heard the term "post-liberal" used in any context. You are more than qualified, if your application were merely based on your GRE scores, your publication, and a fair world. No matter what happens, I wish you the best! If you are interested, here is the link to the School of Theology and Ministry website: www.bc.edu/stm . Don't forget, by the way, that as a student at a school in Boston, you would have access to the other eight theological schools, among them BC, BU, Harvard, Andover Newton Theological Seminary, Episcopal Divinity School, Hebrew College, and more. I'm taking a class at Harvard right now - there is no additional charge, and BC has some nice merit-based financial aid packages (not for housing, but full-tuition scholarships are available).

What do you mean by crunchy? Haha. I'm sad that you had an inhospitable reception in Chicago. I love that city (I went to a school in Chicago for undergrad), and I could have gone to UChicago for my master's. I'm so grateful that I turned them down. I won't live here in Boston unless I am in school here, so if I do not get into BC or Harvard for a Ph.D., I'll be leaving at the end of my master's program . Best of luck with the rest of your apps! To your knowledge, does BC require and interview? I can't remember your area...are you in phil of religion?

I find that some of the people here are tough to be around. While there are many cultural opportunities and excellent schools, as well as convenient public transportation, I find that the locals can be rather abrupt and harsh. I realize that this is a generalization, and I have certainly met some pleasant people outside of my school (which has plenty of amicable folks), it's not exactly a place that one might call warm. Congrats on GTU, deamondeac! That's exciting . Did you get some funding? I heard that it can be tough to secure there, as they may not have as big a budget (I could be wrong, but that is what I have heard). Any insight into my Ph.D. question?

Hello, all . I am issuing a correction to an earlier post. While it is certainly the case that master's-level students at UChicago are the cash-cows of the Div School, such is not the case at Boston College. I was accepted by BC last year, and I am quite happy here! The master's programs are run by a different school within BC - The School of Theology & Ministry, which is brand new. Weston Jesuit School of Theology and the Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry (which was a BC entity), as well as the Century 21 Online program, merged to form the STM this past fall. The Theology Department, which pertains to the School of Arts and Sciences, is a separate entity. So, BC's theology faculty doubled in one year, and the funding is separate. BC offers attractive, merit-based funding for grad students. If the app is still open, I suggest that you consider Boston College. To be frank, I hate Boston as a city, but I am very pleased with the quality of BC's faculty (I'm doing moral theology), and also with the ability to take courses at all of the other theology schools (including Harvard and BU) for free. If you have questions, let me know...and good luck to everyone! By the way, I'm hoping to apply to Ph.D. programs next year in sexual ethics/Catholicism, and I'm wondering if there are programs I have not looked at that you would suggest. At present, I am considering BC, Harvard, Loyola Chicago, Northwestern, and GTU. Take care

I was at the UChicago open house, as well. I'm not impressed...and by that I just mean that I was put off by their claim that it's more likely that you'll get into the Ph.D. program if you go there, and that most of the M.A. students don't apply for the Ph.D. Of course it's more likely, but that doesn't make it likely. Additionally, I had no idea that they took so many people. They said something like 55 M.A. students (they probably end up with most) times two (since it's a two-year program), 15 M.Div students times two, plus Ph.D. students and the AMRS students who are only there for a year. I'd feel like cattle...and I don't want that. I know they have great people and all, but I also know that they were putting their best face on for the event. Granted, the students who were there were very frank, and I really appreciated that. Also, when I had a one-on-one conversation with the dean of students (and with the academic dean), they were very forthright, for which I am quite grateful. It's nothing against UChicago...I just don't think I'd be happy there. I'm so glad I got in, and I'm so glad that I don't have to say yes.

It seems that I've sparked an interesting discussion . Thanks so much for your thoughts...my housemates are going to Harvard for public policy and education policy, and they keep trying to tell me that I should go to U of C because I need to think of my future, blah blah. I tried to explain the shortcomings of U of C, but I wasn't really successful (not that it's their decision to make, but it was frustrating nonetheless. The more I thought about it, I would be very foolish to go to U of C, as my current hope is to teach at a Catholic university. If I wish to do so in my field, I would need to go to a Catholic university for my master's degree (and probably the Ph.D., as well). Religious ethics does not equal moral theology . Plus, it seems that my beliefs (and doubts) would be much better integrated into my work at a place like BC. Thanks for the assistance, and best wishes to all of you! I was pretty shocked to have been offered a full scholarship and, given the other factors, I'd truly be a fool to decline BC's offer.

I need some advice...I was admitted to two programs: religious ethics (AM) at U of C and moral theology (MTS) at Boston College. As you may know, Weston Jesuit is now running (as of this fall) the master's-level programs at BC. This means that I'd get more personal attention from professors than I'd expect to enjoy at U of C. It also seems that BC's program seems to care about spiritual growth, etc. It seems to me that both programs are quite good. I got the standard half-tuition scholarship to U of C, and I was just offered a full scholarship to BC. Are both of these places viable options for someone who wants to be marketable when it comes time to apply to Ph.D. programs? Given the earlier discussion about the chilly climate of the Div. School, I'm wary. Given the fact that BC (which seems to be well-regarded in its own right) is giving me a full scholarship, I wonder what I should do. I think I'd be really happy there, and learn a lot, but will I be in a good position when it comes time to apply to Ph.D. programs if I go there? My main focus is on ethical issues in the Catholic Church, including sexuality, ecumenism, theodicy... Thanks in advance. If you went/go to U of C, I'd especially appreciate your comments!