avocet
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Posts posted by avocet
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On 3/12/2018 at 10:39 PM, newbietheologian said:
@avocet thanks for the info. I'm emailing them now.
How's the theological education at BU? Do you take advantage of the other schools from the BTI consortium? Would love some insights on the school
Congrats on the acceptance!
While we're not Ivy League level, there are some great professors and classes at BU. Currently taking a class on theological responses to mass incarceration and last semester I took a class on theology and social justice, both of which were amazing. Looking forward to taking theology & trauma and womanist/feminist theology, both of which are considered some of the best classes at BU. BU's pretty strong in ethics, theology & social justice, and pastoral care -- if those topics appeal to you. There's also 4-5 travel seminars (full course credit) a year (e.g. Israel-Palestine, US/Mexico border, Cuba) which are quite popular.
The core curriculum is pretty intense, but as someone without a theology background I'm finding the requirements (that you can petition out of if you've completed an equivalency in a previous degree) really helpful. The MTS has a less rigorous curriculum though, which I'm not too familiar with.
The only class I've taken in the BTI is an ordination requirement class at Harvard Divinity. Not a great class, but it's pretty common to take classes at other schools. Much different culture there than at BU.
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1 hour ago, newbietheologian said:
Also, is it normal that I didn't hear from Boston University yet? I applied to their MTS program but no word from them---though, some people from here got their decisions already ...
Did you apply by the priority deadline? If so, it seems like the standard notification time is February. Last year I hadn't heard back from BU by this point, and the admissions office didn't answer my emails. By late March, I had to make a decision to accept or turn down an offer from Union. I emailed the dean at BU STH and she responded back right away expressing concern. Long story short, they notified me the next day of my acceptance and apologized, saying I was accepted weeks previously but the file got lost...
Not trying to make you nervous, but may be worth a phone call/email. I'm at BU now (M.Div) and love it, but the application process was messy to say the least.
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Check out this FB group for $900 or less rooms: https://www.facebook.com/groups/xcellentroommates/
I'll be living in Allston (though I'm not going to HDS, I'll be at BU), which is about 30 - 60 minutes away from HDS via public transit. Managed to find a place for just over $1000 in a 2-bedroom, which seems to be the average for the area though there are cheaper places. One advantage of Allston is it's also close to BU and BC so if you are intending to take classes outside of HDS it may be a good choice.
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12 hours ago, Johnny.S said:
WOW !Congrats!! They made a very embarrassing mistake.. But in the end, you've gained a wonderful result
I think Boston is a wonderful place to learn and live.
Thank you! I was appreciative of how quickly the dean responded to my email and how honest the admissions staff were about the situation.
I'm looking forward to studying at BU, taking advantage of the BTI, and living in Boston. I'm sure it'll be a great experience!
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After over a month of waiting and emailing the dean, I received a phone call from BUSTh informing me that I was accepted with 70% scholarship! They also apologized profusely for the delay...apparently my application was one of three that was lost. Are the other two applicants whose applications were lost on here by any chance?
So it looks like I'm going to BU! While the offer from Union was great, BU was tied for my top choice and the cost will end up being much lower than Union. Looking forward to the next 3 years!
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On 3/22/2017 at 10:22 PM, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:
I am very much in a similar situation, my heart is telling me to pursue a PhD in theology/religion, while my mind is struggling to justify the costs. Also, have you placed your deposit down for Union yet? I am about to!
I haven't yet placed my deposit. I'm still waiting to hear back from one more school (they told me on Tuesday that I'd hear back "very soon" but it doesn't look promising). Because of this, Union gave me an extension to March 31.
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My ideal post-M.Div plan is to enter a ThD/PhD program but I've been giving it second thoughts lately. I think I'd probably find it personally fulfilling but given the cost and time commitments, combined with the state of academia and scarce job opportunities (especially in theology/religion), I'm not sure if it's the most sensible decision. So, I'm thinking I'd probably want to work a job in the nonprofit/social justice sphere, or perhaps as a Director of Religious Education in a church if I were to find a decent paying full-time position. Ordination is definitely not something I plan on pursuing, but chaplaincy is an option.
I've also thought about trying for a PhD in another field, such as history (my undergrad major) but I'm not sure if the M.Div. would hurt my chances of getting into a decent program, especially as I don't plan on studying church history during my masters. Of course, finding a tenure track position as a history professor would also be difficult.
If I do decide to go for a PhD/ThD I know I definitely want to take some time off after my M.Div. I'm going into seminary straight out of college and I want some time spent working outside of the academia bubble to get "real-world" experience and prevent burn-out. So my post-M.Div plans are clearly up in the air! I'll see how the next 3 years progress and where they lead me.
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1 hour ago, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:
I believe that I'll be heading to Union as well! Are you concerned with living expenses in Manhattan though? That is the one thing holding me back..
Awesome!
I am also concerned about housing costs, but it seems like there are decent options on campus starting at $900 for a single dorm and ending at $2132/month for a 2-bedroom. That's still super high (the one bedroom studio is more than 3X what I'm currently paying monthly for rent!) but it's below market value for NYC and only a little more than I'd pay in the Boston area. The housing is definitely less than ideal, especially as it's dorm-style living (only the apartments have private kitchens and bathrooms). I was thinking of looking off-campus, but I doubt I could find anything nearby for a better price.
Here's the on-campus housing costs:
https://utsnyc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/tuition-and-fees/
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4 hours ago, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:
Any further updates in regards to HDS?
Haven't heard anything, but I'm hoping the decisions are released earlier in the day. I have class from 1:30 to 7, so it's going to be pretty hard to focus if I'm expecting a decision!
Is the 11:59 am thing standard, or was that just one year?
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Congrats to everyone accepted into Yale!
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3 minutes ago, bijou2017 said:
Y'all got me too hyped for 11:59a today ? still nothing from HDS in my email....
Haha, I was also sitting at my computer waiting until 11:59 am. Hopefully we'll hear soon!
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13 minutes ago, Lysdexia said:
That's awesome! Odd BU SoT hasn't gotten back to you yet because I heard from them almost a month ago. Still waiting on BU GDRS though.
Thanks! I think the silence from BUSTh is because I didn't qualify for the merit scholarship (my undergrad GPA is 3.26), so I assume I'll hear back by March 15.
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41 minutes ago, Lysdexia said:
BU GRDS or SoT? I applied to both and already heard from BU SoT but not GRDS.
SoT (M.Div.). I still haven't heard back. I'm not sure if this is a bad sign or just a result of having rolling admissions. I'm also not sure if all the acceptances that are being reported are just folks eligible for the full-tuition fellowship (which I am not eligible for).
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3 hours ago, ibn daoud said:
Just got word I was accepted to Union's MA program! I was awarded a modest grant (which I'm chalking up to being a Muslim who wants to study at a traditionally Christian seminary). All thanks and praise is due to God Most High. Now I will turn 110% of my positive energy to everyone waiting to hear back from Union/other schools.
Glad the wait is over (still waiting on first/second choices UChicago and HDS, but very happy to know I will be able (God willing) to attend school next year!) Since Union decisions started coming out (last Friday) I have: forgotten to pay my rent (we get discounts for paying early), forgotten to pay my healthcare premium (ya Allah), forgotten to return library books (paid my $1.40 fine today) and washed my favorite clothes with a blue ballpoint pen in my pocket.
Hang in there folks.
Congrats!! Best of luck on UChicago and HDS!
Hoping tomorrow will be the day that I hear back from Union and BU.
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12 minutes ago, lurking said:
Got an email from Union this afternoon with an acceptance letter PDF attached! No funding information yet; letter says that will come "in the next few weeks."
Fingers crossed for other Union applicants!
Awesome!! Congrats!
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9 minutes ago, Johnny.S said:
WOW. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Union applicants!
Thanks! Tomorrow's my day off, so I'll probably be spending my whole day refreshing my emails haha
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5 minutes ago, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:
Hi everyone,
I am extremely grateful that someone decided to create this thread, I hope it may serve to alleviate at least a little bit of our shared anxieties. As for me, I have applied to Wake Forest MDiv (Accepted 80% funding), HDS MDiv, Union MDiv, and Vanderbilt MDiv. Does anyone know what weeks I should be expecting to hear back from HDS and Vanderbilt? From what it looks like, Union may be very soon.
Congrats on Wake Forest!
From what I've heard HDS usually releases decisions around March 15.
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According to the Results page, it looks like two more acceptances to Union were sent out via email today -- one M.Div. and one MA. At least that doesn't mean that all the acceptances were sent out on one day. Hoping to hear back tomorrow!
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40 minutes ago, xypathos said:
I was invited to the Intersections event back in 2014 and attended. I was notified about a week or two before hand of my acceptance to Union, though several students were notified while they were there.
From what I recall, everyone in attendance was accepted to the school and those invited who hadn't heard back before Intersections started, it was a chance for faculty and administrators to hear about your passions, as there are several meet and greet functions with faculty.
I will give it to Union though, they wine and dine the shit out of you while you're there. Unfortunately, they give next to no aid, even for their top applicants.
Hmm, interesting to know. Wish I applied, but it's too late now.
Union is my last choice, largely because of the lack of aid. So if I don't get in I won't be too upset, but I'd still like to have that option especially if I don't get into BU and HDS.
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5 minutes ago, ibn daoud said:
Yeah, I submitted mine on December 28 hoping to hear back sooner, but I think a couple of my LoR's were submitted closer to the January 17 deadline (early Jan at best). Apparently they do rolling admissions, but now it just seems like they make paper airplanes out of the applications and throw them in groups of two and whichever gets farther gets admitted. Jokes. But by far the least transparent process.
1 hour ago, avocet said:All my letters were submitted very close to the deadline too. And yeah, the process has been so unclear, it's really frustrating.
8 minutes ago, ibn daoud said:I did get that email and at first thought that meant I got accepted, until I read through and it was clear it wasn't specific to me at all. Who knows, maybe we're top applicants? I filled out the whole thing but didn't send it out because I wanted to use my very limited time off to go to Chicago for a visit. I also figured they would have made decisions before now.
I didn't send it in either. I had visited Union for a day and did not know if it would be necessary to stay for several nights and miss so much class (finishing up my senior year of undergrad and it's right in the middle of midterms). Though I do wish I applied. Because if I was accepted into it, I would probably know right now if I was accepted into Union. I can't imagine them having rejected applicants attending! Maybe those who were notified of their acceptance already were also those who got into the Intersections event?
11 minutes ago, ibn daoud said:I'll send you all my positive vibes for BU tomorrow. Lord knows I'll have this page open all day. Even if in some cases we're 'competing' for admission to the same program, we're all in this together!
Thank you
Let's hope we both hear from Union tomorrow! And yes, even though we're competing, we're all in this together (and may even be future classmates!).
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1 hour ago, ibn daoud said:
Oof. You and I are two peas, huh.
On a happier (?) note, looks like (from the results page) us Union folks might be hearing back at the beginning of this week? Apparently two people (one MDiv, one MA) heard back on Friday. Not sure why they would send acceptances over a couple of days, but... On the flipside, I've been following the PhD thread and that always meant that folks who didn't receive acceptances were denied.
Funny how I come here looking for answers and peace of mind but only leave with more questions and anxiety.
Hmm, weird about sending acceptances out over the course of a couple days. Hopefully that doesn't mean rejection, though I don't see why they would wait to send out rejections. Perhaps those who were accepted submitted their applications much earlier than the deadline? I submitted mine a day before the January priority deadline.
Did you get an email invitation for the Union Intersections Diversity Recruitment event a couple weeks ago? It said "top applicants" were invited, though I'm not sure how many other applicants received it.
Hoping I hear from Boston University tomorrow. Nervous because others have received acceptances, though it's rolling admissions.
Advice on M.Div Programs
in Religion
Posted
BU offers at least 70 percent funding for all M.Divs (many receiving 100 percent funding and a stipend) and there are quite a few "progressive evangelicals," both on faculty and among the student body.