NTNerd

Received a call a minute ago that I was accepted to Duke Divinity School! The lady said I'll receive an official email later today and that I'd hear more about financial aid next week.

I would absolutely mention that you have another offer in hand.
Getting into PhD programs is like dating. You want to appear desirable. 


Haha this is some good detective work. I think you might be right about the wording... But who knows? It could just mean that he/she cannot guarantee you a position... I wouldn't jump to gloom and doom.

Friends, 
 
I wish you all the best. May you remember that your value is not determined by any acceptance or rejection. I accepted my admission into BC this morning. This forum has been a place of solidarity during this grueling process. See you all around the guild. 

I am 43 years old. I have always wanted to study theology since I graduated from high school, but preferred to give a secular direction to what I thought was my calling. I have a B.A. in Education and an M.Ed. in Guidance & Counseling. I don't know if I'm experiencing some kind of middle-age crisis, but I'm dissatisfied with the way I have been living my life. So one night I was having a couple of glasses of wine alone at home, and the idea about applying to theology school came to my mind. I researched a little bit about some schools and found one with reasonable admission requirements and generous financial aid. I don't belong to any church and loved the fact that I didn't need a letter from a pastor. The school is also affiliated to a secular university and accredited by the ATS. After seeing the academic offering, I decided to apply for a Master's in Theology. I was really drunk.

It took me five weeks to write two required essays and gather the required documents like transcripts and recommendations. I am actually a community organizer and my recommendations were strong. I abstained from drinking while I was completing everything, and submitted the application by the priority admission deadline. Well... to my surprise, I was admitted with a tuition scholarship and the chance to be considered for a merit scholarship. I was in shock! The additional requirement for merit scholarship was challenging, but I did my best. I was awarded a merit scholarship with a stipend. WOW... I couldn't believe it!! I was asking myself if it was because I am a great candidate or it was just because the school was too easy. 

I have to admit that I am really excited and proud of myself. The curriculum content is so interesting, but the fact that I was drunk when I decided to apply makes me doubt my decision.

@soitgoes, thank you so much for that super long and detailed answer!! it is extremely helpful, and I'm sure that others on this thread who are going through the process for the first time will find it very helpful as well! 

In my interview for Yale, it seemed way more about getting a sense of me as a potential colleague, rather than just expanding on my application. They didn't ask about my writing sample (though I brought it up at one point), but did ask some questions about my background outside of academia (this likely matters more for so-called "normative" subfields like ethics/philosophy/theology than the so-called "descriptive" subfields), and also about why religious studies (as opposed to politics or philosophy - both of which I could potentially fit into). They had content-based questions related to my proposal that I was mostly prepared for. All in all, I found it to be a pleasant experience - a conversation rather than a defense.

I applied to 2 Religious Studies programs for North American religions and I got one interview with Columbia. They did not ask me at all about my Writing Sample. It was a very informal-seeming interview. They definitely ask you about the proposal, and even some logistical aspects of it that you might not have thought about before (I know I hadn't). I definitely think they are looking to connect your future research to where you are currently. I found it helpful to reference my writing sample even though they didn't bring it up because it helps to show that you've done related work and that you have the ability to do what you proposed. 

You are most welcome. It's my first time, too, and it's such an opaque process. One needs all the advice one can get! 

In my case, the questions on the writing sample were always regarding how it connects to my interest in pursuing further doctoral research.
In one interview, three people from the religious studies department interviewed me at the same time (all with different areas of expertise). It was a quick 20 minute interview and it began with "tell us about your research interests." Unfortunately, I did not prep to answer the question so I stumbled my way through it. I was accepted to the program and the faculty said my interview was excellent. Perhaps I am too critical. Regardless, what I do know is that had I prepped for that answer, it would have been even better. So, make sure you have some sense of how to move about larger questions like "tell us about your research interests," "why did you pick this project?" "what methodologies interest you? regions?" "why us?" "do you have any questions for us?" Each of the questions, including the last one, is an opportunity to give professors information about yourself. You can choose to discuss your writing sample on your own, without them asking for that information: "And that's why I submitted the writing I did, because it shows x, y, z." It will help them connect the dots. (Also don't assume that they will remember your writing off the bat. Get a feel for whether they do).
These faculty members asked me briefly about why I chose the writing sample I did. My sample was also a paper I wrote for a class; I did not edit it, and it was marginally related to my area. Knowing this, I made sure to have a narrative ready on how to help them connect the dots between my sample and my interests: "I chose the writing sample because I enjoyed the subject, it's related to theme x, y, z, which I hope to explore as a graduate student." Just have a narrative ready for how the paper reflects your interests and capacity. I do not think they will push for a detailed discussion of the paper. They may not even have read it throughly. 
In another interview, which was done by my potential advisor, he had already read my file carefully. He asked very specific questions about my background, courses, language preparation. I could tell he was trying to fill gaps in his picture about me. He asked me about my writing sample: why did I choose a paper that's peripheral? Isn't even in my area of studies? Why didn't I choose a paper that reflects my language skills? The paper was interesting, he said, but he was wondering about these questions. So, I gave an answer, linking the paper to my interests and he was content with that. I also told him I could submit other papers if he was interested. And he said sure, and I submitted two other papers and some translations. I think it answered his concerns and I was accepted into that program. 
So I would say: yes be ready to give them answers about the paper but, more broadly, be ready to connect it to your current interests and really explain your thought process in choosing it. How maybe writing that paper influenced your future decisions or interests. The questions they will ask you will be specific to your context, and the gaps they feel they have in your story. Try to think about what they're really asking you to explain, given the questions they have already asked you. Think about your narrative, what information professors have on you, and what gaps they may need to address. Anticipate those—but don't sweat it, and don't over prepare either! 
Super long answer, and perhaps not what you're looking for but there you go!

Accepted at Yale! Rejected by everything last year, this year accepted to my two top choices.

Just reactivated my old Gradcafe account to share this information.
My dearest friend is a phd student at Harvard’s religion program and he has just sent me a message saying that the official offers of admission WILL NOT be sent out today (unlike 2019). 
He said the reviewing process at Harvard(religion) has been quite slow this year and the adcom finally recommended their finalists for admission to the Graduate School only few days ago- which he said his friend working for Harvard’s GSAS confirmed as well. It may take up to a week for the Graduate School to release official decisions. He mentioned that everyone may receive a notification of acceptance or rejection either next Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest.
I hope this information will help you to relieve any anxiety you have been feeling about Harvard decision and to have a less-anxious Valentine’s day. 
Good luck folks!

Hi everybody! I just received an acceptance from Vanderbilt for their MA in Religious Studies program. I'm feeling motivated and positive for the rest of this result season. Best of luck to everyone awaiting responses!

I am assuming ThD - I will try to find out.

Yes! It turned out I didn't have to languish on the wait list too long; I just got the email that I was accepted to my No. 1 choice (FSU)! Now I'm all shaky ... having trouble processing that this is actually happening.

Was notified yesterday that I got into Boston College's MTS program with a 100% tuition scholarship! Hoping I can get an assistantship as well. Living Boston would be lovely, but a bit expensive.

Me too. I wouldn't have known to check if (again, for the 1000th time) if you hadn't posted, so thanks for the heads up!

Wanted to let you guys know that I just got officially waitlisted for the UVA PhD program.  Wish me luck!

A couple people have asked for interview tips: 
Be able to answer both why you want a graduate degree in the field and why you want a graduate degree in the field from that institution. The more specifics the better. Show the committee how you achieve the mysterious "fit" that every one talks about. Not why you want a Ph.D. but their Ph.D.  Part of fit is showing how your educational trajectory fits in with the research agendas of professor, but also be open about areas of weakness and what the program offers to equip you to be a more well rounded scholar.  Be able to describe the key influences on you scholarship.  If graduate program policies and procedures can be found online, read them and use them to boost your arguments: e.g., how many semesters do you teach, availability for cross-listed courses in other departments, placement ratings, institutional help for teaching (Preparing Future Faculty programs, etc.), that you can use to help boost your profile. If you can say A and B are my goals and the unique aspects of the department/university including X, Y, and Z will help my achieve them, you're doing it right.  Ask good questions: if the answer can be found on the department's website, it's a bad question. You can ask about how the professor's envision TA/prof relationships, their view of the atmosphere of the department/program, why they have chosen to commit to spend their academic lives at that institution (at least my interview committee loved that question), etc.  Be specific. Be specific. Be specific. This is not your time to wax eloquent about your love of academia and your subject matter. It is a direct argument in the guise of a conversation about why you will flourish at that school.  For Skype interviews, hardwired connection preferred; don't let your WiFi bug out and cause technical difficulties. Quite space. Blank/non-busy background. Look at the camera when answering questions/addressing faculty members. Feel free to use a split screen, half the Skype video/half your notes/questions. You may want to put your computer on some books to make it eye-level so you aren't looking down into the camera. 

Just received an e-mail inviting me to (Skype) interview for the Ph.D. in Religion at Syracuse University. 

I was accepted to Brown via email today (Religion and Critical Thought subfield). This is my second time applying, after a round of 6 “NO” replies. For personal reasons, I am not even sure if I’ll enter a PhD program next Fall (there’s a lot going on in the background here that I won’t get into), but just wanted to tell people who don’t get in the first round that hope is not lost!

Had an interview with Boston College (for MTS) last Wednesday—think it went okay! Does anyone know when Boston College or Duke release decisions for MDiv/MTS?

I applied to BUSTH, BC, PTS, and Harvard. Practical Theology. 

Finally got a response! Whew!
Wait listed at my No. 1 choice, which isn't bad – but feels a little like, "Hey thanks for waiting! Now wait some more!"

UPDATE: I came to receive a reply from my flaky recommender 23 days after the deadline, and it was by Facebook messenger. The message reads: "Please apologize for not completing the recommendation. If you still need it, this is my email address....." I explained that I found another person and the file is complete. She explained that she is not working anymore for the employer to which I sent her the recommendation link by email, and ended giving me some encouraging words. Actions speak louder than nice words after 23 days. Since the beginning, she could have just given me the alternate email address that she gave me now. The only explanation that comes to my mind is that she was suddenly fired. Water under the bridge.

sorry to hear that, @gls2814!! 
yes, best to everyone!! this is such a grueling process of waiting and being rejected. hope everybody stays emotionally strong! our worth is not changed by whether we get accepted. sorry to get all oprah-y, lol