alizeh55

Wow, congratulations!!!! If you happen to get any insider info on how many candidates they accepted/had room for this year, please do share. It would be helpful to know for the next cycle as well.

Do you know if acceptances went out for CSR yesterday too? I only know of people being waitlisted

sigh

I only applied to one PhD program this cycle so I realize I am an anomaly on this thread. I did this for two reasons: 1. The programs whose faculty I was interested in (such as Columbia and Brown) were not accepting. I saw no reason to apply places where faculty did not fit into my interests because I wouldn't even know what to say on my SOP. I did a lot of research and even consulted my advisors and although they warned me not to put my eggs in one basket, I knew the risk I was taking from day one. 2. I am trying to keep my options open in life. Of course my attention is completely on the app right now because it's admissions seasons, and I would love to start a PhD this year, but I am open to waiting it out some more. As a result, if I do not get into CSR I will not be starting a PhD this fall. Not trying to imply that age is a determining factor of success or opportunities in any way, because I strongly disagree with that, but I am very young and have a few career options ahead of me if I choose to reapply in the future. The funny thing is that I felt more like an outsider as the youngest student in my program! Anyway, I am so extremely excited for everyone who has gotten at least one offer and is continuing to get more. It feels like this thread has existed for years instead of months, and the kindness and inspirational anecdotes have really helped my mental health throughout this gruesome process. Nonetheless, I hope to read your groundbreaking work one day in your respective fields! Edit: I chose the worst year in history to take a risk and apply to one program lmao

Thank you for sharing and being honest. At this point I prefer that over sugar coated responses! That makes sense... I just wish they would reject me already so I can begin my process of grieving. I just want to know if it's a yes or no at this point and not hold onto any bit of hope anymore

Seeing that made me feel pretty down considering I haven't received any update yet... which is sort of an answer within itself.

This may be common sense / a common practice, but I like to download my application proofs whenever I apply to grad programs and save it to a drive folder before the portal locks me out. This really helps me think about room for improvement especially if I decide to reapply again. It also serves as a reference point in advising future applicants if accepted!

sharing this masterpiece from Facebook: ”Reply to rejection: Thanks for your interest in rejecting me. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your rejection. Please note that I have received a record-breaking number of competitive rejections this year and your unsuccessful rejection does not mean your rejection is not good. In light of this, I will still attend your school this fall and I am looking forward to see you on campus soon.”

Thank you for sharing this. I completely agree that rejections are just a part of the process, and this is extremely true even for some of my own experiences in the past. However, it is *so* hard to come to terms with that in the moment! Hoping we can all gain the courage to see the brighter side in the next days and weeks.

I really do hope my analysis was correct! I just did a lot of unhealthy stalking on their website which led me to this conclusion, haha. I really don't think they'd go past this Friday, though. Or at least hope so. Also, I saw that someone posted an acceptance to NELC at Harvard but there were no rejections listed, which makes me wonder if the Religion dept. has already accepted their handful of students, but they just haven't posted their results... If you type in just Harvard into the results page you'll see someone from Music explaining what's going on with GSAS. It seems like they were told late how many spots they have, so maybe that's why it is taking so long. I know this is for a different department but I would imagine it's a pretty similar story throughout GSAS this year. Pasting it here as well: Regarding not accepting composers this application cycle. To lift the veil and explain how/why: the music dept was given 4 spots by GSAS to accept new grad students across all the grad programs at the music department (5 departments). They also aren't told how many spots/how much funding is available until they start to review applications. It sucks but the faculty don't get any say in how many spots they can have for the entire dept. But with this shortage (only 4 spots), this means that there was a chance one, or more, of these accepted would have been composers into the composition department or, as happened, none accepted at all. Usually they are given more open spots for all the music dept but unfortunately that didn't happen this year. Partly because they are trying to support current students and students who have no funding opportunities elsewhere due to COVID (so even those who have recently graduated). It's not decided until all applicants have been reviewed for all the departments exactly how many of these spots will go to each department. All departments have to negotiate and it was particularly tough this year. This is why it's pretty fluid how many candidates get accepted each year, though usually the composition department, in previous years, usually ends up only accepting 1 or 2 grad students. It ended up that there were really strong candidates and these spots when to the CPCI (interdisciplinary music makers), music theory, and the rest but not composition. It sucks but hopefully this helps illuminate any questions.

Just read a wholesome thread on a Facebook group called “grad school memes with relatable themes”: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GradSchoolMemesWithRelatableThemes/permalink/716233179258090/ The comment section is similar to our thread here. A lot of reassurance and solidarity. The only thing that sucks more than the waiting period is applying in a COVID year, and as passionate and hardworking students and academics, we deserve better than to wait for months only to open rejection letters and question our self worth and scholarship. Critical thinking, especially within the field of religion, is never easy in a world where assimilation is the norm. I know for me personally, this academic journey has subjected me to a lot of ostracism. So we should all take a moment to remember that we are resilient, badass, and deserve better. That is all. ❤️

Right? So many of us are technically competing against one another for spots, but this thread is nothing but solidarity, showing it’s truly not a competition and we are genuinely good people who want the best for others as well as ourselves. I think that in and of itself will get us all very far in life ❤️

At this point I'm refreshing the results page to finally find out that they sent out acceptances... and I didn't get one. Agh lol

Exactly. So what I do remember is getting in touch with someone at CSR who said the program at Harvard is a lot more Christian-centric, which I think isn't a big deal for me as an Islamic Studies student considering you can take classes at any department including NELC. However, I'm sure it doesn't help the actual admissions criteria. While I do like that the PhD holds a title of Religion for future teaching purposes, I really wish each track or religion had their own acceptances and merged under one program. It's probably not in their hands, though. Columbia did that. They have Islamic Studies and South Asian Studies completely separate, though students take classes in all departments. Only thing is they don't offer PhDs (only MESAAS does), just masters, so I'm sure they have more control in that sense.

I also really wonder how admissions works in "religion" departments. If you have several tracks, such as Islamic Studies, Buddhism, Judaism, etc. but only take 10 applicants a year, are you essentially taking one from each discipline or just choosing the best applicants overall?

Wow- congratulations!!!! You know you're on gradcafe too much when you get banned from liking too many posts in one day LOL. Yeah, makes sense!! Thanks and likewise I 10000000% agree. CSR, for example, says on their website that the admissions is very competitive -- 5-7% on their website. But 5% of, say, 200 is still 10 people. In terms of PhD applicants, that's still more than 1-2. I know academia is heavily flawed and elite institutions have their baggage, but this doesn't feel right at all. It feels too much like a business model lol

F... 1-2?! That’s insane. I hope CSR has at least a few more spots available than just two

Ah, I see. Thank you for sharing that. I completely support them taking their time if that' the case! RE sources--I have been talking to some HDS master's students who informed me. Also, after speaking to PhDs in NELC, it seems that low acceptances this year are norms throughout departments at Harvard. RE deliberation--it was my own snooping around the calendar on the webpage, but now I'm realizing it could have meant anything and may not directly affect when they send out decisions

Yup I saw Which is why I was expecting a response yesterday! No idea what’s going on in their side but I wish we had some sort of insight

Oh wow - so whatever two people they’ll take will get in this week, you mean? Good for them! Haha sigh. Don’t know if I’m numb or in a state of shock at this Point

I agree. This thread is wholesome. It’s not just “anyone hear from” back and forth hahah, it’s actual conversations — human conversations — and that makes me so happy. I know that if this thread wasn’t here, I’d be endlessly reading quora posts about phds that have nothing to do with religion but still somehow letting it define me, so it’s great to have you all.

Not sure since last year’s results say 25 February! But god I hope so. At this point I’m ready to just move on in life (once I’ve been sad for a period of time)

I'll probably spend some time being annoyed/sad, and then eventually start the endless cycle of applying to jobs

That’s an incredible story. Genuinely so nice to hear! I can imagine how you must have felt though it does scare me a bit, because I didn’t exactly have the same interaction with my POI. I did have a great email exchange with one POI (who is affiliated with the department but not on the actual committee), which I was told to mention in my SOP, but the actual committee member who was a potential POI as well never replied my email. When I spoke to the program director they said it wouldn’t be held against me because they understand that professors are busy... but now I’m really starting to doubt that. I don’t know whether the POI who I spoke to will be able to really fight for my case if she isn’t even on the committee to decide admissions. Though I’d hope that by mentioning I spoke to her, they would at least discuss it... but no idea. well, it’s too late now anyway. POI #2 (who didn’t respond to me) has taught coursework in my research interests, and my perspective as an “insider” who grew up in the communal histories he teaches would be a great fit. Let’s see what happens! Also, I should note that POI #1 (who replied me but isn’t on the committee) is someone whose work I’ve closely followed for years and she knows that. I also got an LOR from a professor who is just as prominent in her field.

I know this is a relative question, but what do you guys think is the most crucial / deal breaking element of an application? The SOP, LORs, etc.