Sleepless in skellefteå

Update: I asked a month ago, got the response that it was still being peer-reviewed by two editors. Pushing on 6 months now!

I'm not att UChicago div, but I 've met students who go there and professors who have worked both there and here at HDS. The biggest takeway seems to be that the UChicago div-school is a much more academia-oriented and competitive place (in comparison to HDS that is), for better and worse. My professor, who has worked at both places, said that it is a noticeable difference that almost all her students in Chicago intended to go for a PhD. The positive part was that the faculty really adapted to this, which is good if you want to go into academia. The negative was that it seems to have created a more competitive environment where everybody tries to impress the same professors and outdo each other.

Basically what the title says: I submitted an article to a history journal in the middle of September. She said that she had sent it out for review, but I have not heard back since. Could I write again to ask her for updates, or would this be considered pushy? Thanks!

I'm having problems finding projects outside of classes to do. Within the scope of my program, I am studying languages and plan to do research when given the opportunity. However, my friends who are not doing history are all doing reading groups, side jobs etc that are somewhat connected to their interests. I have had a hard time finding similar projects that align with my goal of becoming a historian. Does anyone have any tips/inspiration? Or is it not that important when applying for PhDs?

Information that might be relevant for some of you: HDS announced today that they will significantly increase the standard size of several stipends starting next year. https://hds.harvard.edu/news/2022/03/10/harvard-divinity-school-increases-financial-aid-stipends

I have only been here for a short while, but my experience so far has reflected what Xypathos wrote. However, in the classes outside of HDS that I have been taking (Kennedy School and law school), the professors have seemed genuinly excited about having us there. Perhaps due to the lack of job prospects for people with a div school degree, I feel like HDS students have a reputation for being true nerds who are actually excited about their field. I would also add (aware that I am getting somewhat defensive) that my HDS classes have been more demanding in terms of the amount of readings and assignments than the non-HDS ones. In the end, of course, other peoples opinions are mostly irrelevant for the total experience.

I love it! Primarily because I am greatly enjoying my classes and because we get to take half of them outside of HDS, which means that you can really utilize the whole Harvard community. Also, I have really gotten a strong community experience - HDS has its own cafeteria and library and is positioned at the edge of the campus, so it becomes its own little world where you keep bumping into people after introduction week. Even though I have to spend most of my time studying, I have also really enjoyed being in Cambridge and very close to Boston. I started of with ''Religions of the Americas'' as my concentration, but changed it to ''Religion, Politics and Ethics''. For divinity schools, I only applied to Chicago and HDS. It was a tough choice deciding between them, since I am pretty set on going into academia and I have heard the same thing you said about YDS being said about Chicago. I have also heard from professors that have been at both schools that there definitely exists a difference in culture - I don't necessarily think you are at a disadvantage if you apply for a PhD coming out of Harvard, but you will for sure interact with people with more diverse career goals compared to at a school like Chicago, where most people are planning to go the academic route. A fairly large share of my friends are aiming to work for NGOs or politically. In regards to Yale, I primarily did not apply there because I had heard that it has more of a distinctly Christian profile and I wanted to be in a multireligious environment, but I am not sure if that is actually factual.

Hi all! I applied for the last cycle, and I am currently a second semester MTS student at HDS. If you have any questions about the school or program, let me know!

It sounds like you have a very competitive profile. I would not worry too much (even though you should, of course, work hard on your applications). As you may know, a lot of religious studies M.A and MTS programs have fairly high acceptance rates. Your list looks fine, the only school I thought of adding was Chicago (not as a safety school). This time last year, I was in a similar mental state as you, stressed out and worrying about not getting in anywhere. It all worked out in the end!

I was just admitted to the University of Toronto history M.A. Really honored, but I feel like it is a bit unfortunate that they send out acceptances on April 16 when the acceptance deadline for most of my American applications was April 15.

Unfortunately, it is going very slow but it also changing a lot so perhaps I might be able to get it in time. Americans sure are lucky! Have you started the visa-process?

I am already in the process of taking 3 different vaccines to meet Harvard's requirements this summer, I should be some kind of posterboy against anti-vaccine propaganda if corona-vaccination requirements are added.

Just accepted my offer from HDS and will decline the offer from Chicago tomorrow. I feel a little sick to my stomach about declining a really great school that gave me a fantastic offer. I also have a paranoid fear that Harvard suddenly will inform me that a mistake was made and that I was not really admitted, as part of some really strange moral lesson from the universe. Anyway, I hope that this can help someone get admitted to Chicago or get increased funding!

In relation to what people have mentioned about most universities going on-campus the coming year, I am worried about Sweden's vaccination-tempo and hope that I will be able to get a shot before the fall.

Congratulations, that is awesome! It feels good to know that someone else is in the same boat.