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Xavier27

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  • Gender
    Man
  • Location
    Northeastern United States
  • Interests
    Religion, psychology, sociology, economy, science, and education.
  • Application Season
    2020 Fall
  • Program
    Master in Theology

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. I had your same experience. The difference is that I was applying just to one program. I submitted my application complete in all its parts by the deadline with the two recommendations that I already had. Then, I contacted admissions to explain about the third recommendation and they granted me an extension of 12 days. I found a reliable person who only took two days to write and submit it. You may be able to get a chance if the reference is the only thing you need. I wish you the best.
  4. It's a Master's Degree in Theological Studies. The school has an admission rate of 69% and its student body is about 400 students. It would be my second masters.
  5. If the priority admission deadline for theology school was Jan. 15, 2020 and I submitted my application two days before that date, when do you guys think I would receive the decision? I know this is a difficult question, but I'm anxious and still don't want to contact admissions until at least a month after submission.
  6. Now I feel relief. The recommender that I found last-minute submitted her letter today 6 days after the application deadline. It hasn’t been so bad considering that I got an extension of 12 days to submit that recommendation. The rest of the file was complete on time.
  7. I am applying to a school of theology affiliated to a secular university for a Master in Theological Studies (MTS). That degree is for laypeople who want to be leaders in their local churches, activists, chaplains or those interested in academia. The degree is not intended for clergy ordination. Actually, I'm not going to any church but have always wanted to study theology. I chose that particular school of theology because I'm gay and the school is actively involved in social justice advocacy like immigration, LGBTQ rights, racism, etc. I'm actually involved in affordable housing advocacy against gentrification and displacement. I needed three letters of recommendation from people familiar with my social activism. They could be from religious or non-religious people. I asked three leaders from the community and they agreed. One of those leaders is a member of a church with a policy very common among many churches of "we love gays, but not their sin." I knew that she belongs to that kind of church, but I always felt that she didn't have any problem with my sexual orientation during our work together. Well, two of the recommenders sent their letters on time before the deadline. The deadline date was on each request. In spite of the fact that I waived my right to see all the letters, both recommenders gave me the chance to know what they wrote before submission. Every time I followed up on the third recommender, she had an excuse like being too busy from work but always assured that she was going to write it. I followed up the day before the deadline and left a voice mail, but she never replied. I know that people are busy with work and other responsibilities. I know that writing a well-written recommendation takes time and can't be done in a hurry. However, I feel that I gave them enough time. I finally called her the same deadline date and she didn't answer. I submitted my application on time with all the components completed, except for her letter. I contacted the admissions office to explain my case and ask for an extension. They granted me an extension of 12 days. The admission is rolling. However, there was a deadline date for priority status for financial aid purposes. I wanted to have all ready by that date. Fortunately, I already found another person willing to write the letter and I will follow up diligently as before. I don't know what to think about this. Could it be possible that she didn't do it based on her church's teachings? We have an activity to work together on the second Wednesday of February. It will be a very embarrassing encounter for her, not because she didn't write the letter but her unreliability and disappearance. Honestly, I won't talk about the situation unless she do it first to apologize and explain. Who knows if her recommendation was not going to help me anyway, that's not the point. The case is that she didn't keep her word and disappeared despite all my attempts. I wonder what really happenned.
  8. I experienced something similar. Maybe this can ease your anxiety. I got two recommendations on time from three required. The third recommender was unreliable and did not submit it by the deadline date. You can read the rest of the story from my post titled "My Recommender Failed." I just submitted the application completed in all its parts and the two references that were ready by the deadline. I found another recommender and then sent an email to admissions to let them know about my situation, and ask for an extension. They gave me a 20 days extension to submit the third because the rest of the application was complete.
  9. I am applying to a school of theology affiliated to a secular university for a Master in Theological Studies (MTS). That degree is for laypeople who want to be leaders in their local churches or those interested in academia. Actually, I am not going to any church but have always wanted to study theology. The degree is not intended for clergy ordination. I chose that particular school of theology because I am gay and the school is actively involved in social justice advocacy like immigration, LGBTQ rights, racism, etc. I am actually involved in affordable housing advocacy against gentrification and displacement. I needed three letters of recommendation from people familiar with my social activism. They could be from religious or non-religious people. I asked three leaders from the community and they agreed. One of those leaders is a member of a church with a policy very common among many churches of "we love gays, but don't love their sin." I knew that she belongs to that kind of church, but I always felt that she didn't have any problem with my sexual orientation during our work together. Well, two of the recommenders sent their letters on time before the deadline. The deadline date was on each request. In spite of the fact that I waived my right to see all the letters, both recommenders gave me the chance to know what they wrote before submission. Every time I followed up on the third recommender, she had an excuse like being too busy from work but always assured that she was going to write it. I followed up the day before the deadline and left a voice mail, but she never replied. I know that people are busy with work and other responsibilities, I know that writing a well-written recommendation takes time and can't be done in a hurry. However, I feel that I gave them enough time. I finally called her the same deadline date and she did not answer. I submitted my application on time with all the components completed, except for her letter. I contacted the admissions office and they said that as long as the rest of the application is complete, they will grant me an extension until the first Monday of February. Fortunately, I already found another person willing to write the letter and I will follow up diligently as before. I do not know what to think about this. Could it be possible that she did not do it based on her church's teachings? We have an activity to work together on the second Wednesday of February. It will be a very awkward encounter, not because she did not write the letter but her unreliability and disappearance. Honestly, I would not want to talk about the situation unless she apologizes next time I see her. I still wonder what happened?
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