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Hi, just want to chime in here. These are good questions. HDS is in no way more prestigious than Chicago within rlst circles. Chicago would be more academically rigorous, no question. Quarter system means you will have to be on top of your game. Money: south side chicago is much much more viable than Cambridge/Boston. If you're gunning for top phd programs in your field, both will serve you equally well. Would also try to pinpoint whose faculty you're most interested in. Don't worry about hyper-competition, a lot of these things are self-imposed but you can't slack either. Stay calm and you'll be fine. Harvard gets hyped up due to prestige chasing behavior (sorry, but it's true.) Be strategic with what professors you want to work with (either harvard or chicago) because professors at both schools can fall into two camps: they'll either give you attention or you'll just be a number as an MA. Being proactive is the best way to enhance your phd acceptance chances later on. Just make sure you don't fall thru the cracks
as both institutes are big. Be open to working with professors whom you didn't think would be part of your academic journey (they might turn out to be your biggest supporters rather than the big name in your field). Overall, it is my estimation that Chicago might even have a slight edge for PhD apps (but this is subjective and may not apply to everyone). If money is of concern, Chicago hands down. That stipend means someone thought you were excellent. 
Also, it's okay to be non-confrontational, but it would be an asset to be assertive some of the times, esp if you're heading into a phd later. colleagues and professors respect someone with an independence of voice. trust me on this if you can. 
Hope that's helpful in someway. 
Best of luck. 

Hi, just want to chime in here. These are good questions. HDS is in no way more prestigious than Chicago within rlst circles. Chicago would be more academically rigorous, no question. Quarter system means you will have to be on top of your game. Money: south side chicago is much much more viable than Cambridge/Boston. If you're gunning for top phd programs in your field, both will serve you equally well. Would also try to pinpoint whose faculty you're most interested in. Don't worry about hyper-competition, a lot of these things are self-imposed but you can't slack either. Stay calm and you'll be fine. Harvard gets hyped up due to prestige chasing behavior (sorry, but it's true.) Be strategic with what professors you want to work with (either harvard or chicago) because professors at both schools can fall into two camps: they'll either give you attention or you'll just be a number as an MA. Being proactive is the best way to enhance your phd acceptance chances later on. Just make sure you don't fall thru the cracks
as both institutes are big. Be open to working with professors whom you didn't think would be part of your academic journey (they might turn out to be your biggest supporters rather than the big name in your field). Overall, it is my estimation that Chicago might even have a slight edge for PhD apps (but this is subjective and may not apply to everyone). If money is of concern, Chicago hands down. That stipend means someone thought you were excellent. 
Also, it's okay to be non-confrontational, but it would be an asset to be assertive some of the times, esp if you're heading into a phd later. colleagues and professors respect someone with an independence of voice. trust me on this if you can. 
Hope that's helpful in someway. 
Best of luck. 

Closing the loop on this, I've accepted Notre Dame's offer and will be heading to South Bend. Best of luck to everyone and keep in touch.

Just committed to Harvard's CSR PhD program! Good luck to all on waitlists and making a decision; hopefully this can cause some waitlist movement at other programs.

You clearly have the credentials to go far regardless of the decision you make. Even just on the merit of being a University of Chicago undergraduate you will do well (where one does their undergraduate degree matters more than one might think - i.e. while most Top Tier Divinity Schools have high admissions rates, the same is not true of those same schools at the undergraduate level, so it will speak to your ability). 
For you, I think the question will be where you want to do your PhD. If you want to go to Notre Dame, they have a strong propensity to prefer their own internal candidates, though outstanding external candidates also do well. As long as you perform strongly in your MTS/MAR by earning high marks, acquiring strong letters of recommendation, and working early to produce a stellar writing sample, the difference may honestly be negligible since you already have a very strong profile. Also, I would advise you to pick your top three schools where you want to do your PhD and start networking now. I cannot overemphasize the utility of knowing the professors you want to work with before you apply. By this, I mean more than just meeting at conferences (though I do not mean less than that). Visit the schools in person if you can a year ahead of time and find ways to remain in touch (just not in an annoying way lol). 
I am an outsider to the field of ethics, so I will pose some questions and statements for consideration that I cannot answer:
(1) Who has the more renowned professors in your field? These are the letters of recommendation that will have the power to open doors. If both institutions are about equal, then it may come down to which faculty align with your current project or interests. 
(2) Notre Dame expects their MTS students to teach. This could add a nice touch to your CV come PhD application time. On the other hand, Yale is an Ivy League School and it will pop off the page too. 
(3) Notre Dame is close to the University of Chicago - while it may be a bit tricky due to the time zone change and commute, you can likely take classes at U of C if you go to Notre Dame. This can be a foot in the door if U of C is in your purview for the PhD. Richard Miller is a fine fellow, truly one of the kindest and most erudite people I know (I had to take an ethics class during my AM at Chicago), and you would be very fortunate to work with him. 
(4) Where do you want to live? I know this may not be the most important consideration, but it is important nonetheless, and it is worth noting that South Bend is considerably different than New Haven. You should enjoy your MA program (and your PhD, for that matter). 
As a fellow UChicago alum who also appreciated their commitment to free speech, I wish you the best, and please feel free to message me if you have any further questions or comments. 
 

All others factors held equal (including quality of your own work), the prestige of your advisor and school/department will have an impact on where you find work. No doubt about it. 

All others factors held equal (including quality of your own work), the prestige of your advisor and school/department will have an impact on where you find work. No doubt about it. 

I hope everyone here has been doing well, as nerve-racking as the last few months have been. Personally, I feel very drained by the pandemic application process (and the pandemic in general!). The mental and emotional labor that goes into applying to doctoral programs under these circumstances, and even under normal circumstances, is a lot - maybe even too much. That being said, I'm really grateful for the support of this community and hopeful that I'll be able to read your work and see you at conferences in the not-so-distant future.

Hi all - long time listener / first time caller here. This has been a super helpful thread throughout the application process this year - thanks especially to all the more seasoned folks who take the time to engage with all us grad school noobs on the forum.
Curious if people have any thoughts on the protocol for reaching out to programs after getting waitlisted. For context, I was waitlisted at my top choice program, and had a brief, polite e-mail exchange with the DGS right after getting that notification, in which he shared that they will be able to give a final yea/nay to waitlisted applicants by mid-April, but not much other color on the process (or the size of the waitlist).
Basically, I want to know whether it's a good idea to reach out to POIs to (politely) try and get a better feel for the decision rules the department uses to make offers from the waitlist, given that I haven't talked to my POIs since November/December (i.e. haven't gotten any inbounds from would-be advisors). 
Additionally - for folks that have done a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th) application cycle, curious what parts of your "package" you think changed the most with each iteration. Was it mostly about fit (& communicating that better in the SOP)? A new writing sample that you were proud of? Recs or credentials from an MA/MPhil program? Maybe this second question is a separate discussion in which case, happy to start a new thread. 
Thanks!

Accepted to the MA program at UVA. Was wrestling between this or the PhD program at Marquette but finally decided that I'll be heading to UVA to work with the faculty that I'm more inclined to study with and re-apply once I complete this new degree. Love you guys !
 

That makes sense. Even the big schools have taken a massive hit. Got waitlisted to two school based on reduced intake for this year. So my experience corroborates with option 2. I think more schools should have suspended admissions, to be honest but I don't know the implications for that. At-least that way, a lot of candidates would have saved the energy to apply. 
It's a crapshoot, really. And if I am not mistaken, Yale does not take a very large cohort to begin with. So reduced really means almost next to nothing for a lot of these schools. 

That makes sense. Even the big schools have taken a massive hit. Got waitlisted to two school based on reduced intake for this year. So my experience corroborates with option 2. I think more schools should have suspended admissions, to be honest but I don't know the implications for that. At-least that way, a lot of candidates would have saved the energy to apply. 
It's a crapshoot, really. And if I am not mistaken, Yale does not take a very large cohort to begin with. So reduced really means almost next to nothing for a lot of these schools. 

Not sure about UVA, specifically, but I know many programs have about 10-13 spots in a regular cycle.

Didn't hear back. Had my interview two weeks ago. Surprised, I thought I would make it but it seems not. 

There's a couple things to do depending on your situation. 
If you have an offer on the table from another program but are on the waitlist at your dream school, let that dream school know you have an offer. Email the head of the grad program, say you have another offer but your first choice would be their school so you want to know where you are on the waitlist. There's always a (small) chance that them knowing you have another offer may make you more desirable in their eyes. They're not magically going to find money for you, but they might rethink your position in the waitlist line. 
If you are only waitlisted, you can always inquire where in line you are. But this should probably be a one time email a month or two after initial acceptances have gone out (an initial inquiry is also fine; you want to know the outlook). Any more frequent and they will know that you haven't got in anywhere. Not a bad thing, but desperation is never a good look. 
Lastly, if you are only on waitlist(s), start developing your backup plan. If you are slated to graduate, you will need a source of income if these apps fall through. Start that process now. You can always back out of a job application/interview process later if you get accepted to a school. But waiting until all hopes are exhausted may put you way behind other spring graduates in the job market. 

I think that's a positive view of looking at the situation. In my experience, fit has become the main factor this cycle given how reduced spots are. Yeah, USC has very narrow preferences for what kinds of students they want given it's such a small program. My top choice was not even accepting applicants this year, so I am getting major fomo. 

You're welcome! 
I agree. Data should be considered for job prospects. Anecdotally, I know a lot of folks from outside religious studies (anthro, hist, ethnic studies, etc.) that end up with jobs in religions studies departments. 
When I was deciding whether to apply to religious studies or history, a professor told me to look at the questions central to my work to determine whether religious studies or history would be the best place to do the doctoral program. This helped too. 
 

Hi all,

I'm currently a first-year MA student in Islamic Studies, and will be applying next year to Ph.D. work to several top programs -- Chicago and Yale in Political Science, Duke, Princeton and Harvard in Near Eastern Studies/Religion, and Michigan in History/Anthropology. I've got a strong undergraduate record (4.0 GPA and multiple majors), decent GRE scores (660V, 730Q, 6 writing), and a pretty strong publishing record this early in the game -- several articles, several conference papers, and I'm working on my first book as we speak. The thing is, in my first year as an MA student this past year, I took a bit of a ding, getting two A minuses (on account of taking on waaay too much this year).

I know graduate GPA is expected to be higher than undergrad, so I'm wondering, is an A minus here as an MA student a deal-breaker for top Ph.D. programs? I imagine it varies across the spectrum of programs, so if anyone can comment intelligently about any of these programs all the better -- especially Michigan, as I don't specifically have an anthro background, so that one is going to be a little trickier. Will a less-than-perfect (but still strong) MA record stand in the way of admission to these top programs?

If this does stand to pose a problem, might it be worth retaking the GRE? My scores were above 90th percentile across all registers, but I know the verbal can stand to be improved. Might that be necessary in this case?

I practically had a panic attack after getting my *second* A-minus (I was borderline by half of a point, and my prof refused to budge). I just took on waaay too much this year, otherwise I don't think this would have happened. I'd really appreciate any feedback anyone can provide, as it'd go a long way to alleviate my angst. Thanks!