ignatius1796

Your point about individual profs is very useful, @xypathos. Thank you! And @docturus_sum, indeed — deciding without visiting is a tricky task. Congratulations on your PhD admission in any case! I would expect the lack of internal petition to decrease the general level of competition at the master's level (though that may take a year or two to occur) but no idea about doctoral. Any other current or recent MA or PhD students want to chime in? Nice to meet you @Fiat! The total number of full time students at Chicago appears to be 172 according to the ATS, so I would guess each cohort would be 60-70 MA students? Not sure though. My interests are in Islamic Studies. Leaning strongly towards accepting.

Hi all, I was recently admitted to UChicago's MA program at the Divinity School. I am unable to visit the campus before the response deadline, nor did I visit it before applying (unlike the other schools to which I applied). That said, I'm interested in gathering as much information as I can from afar before making a decision. Scouring forum posts here, I have seen the academic atmosphere at the Divinity School variously characterized as "cutthroat" and "competitive," with students hell-bent on attaining their professors' respect and recommendation letters. I don't intend to produce a repetitive thread, but I am interested to see if that is the general anecdotal consensus and to know how that affects relationships between students and between students and professors. For the latter, 2 academic years is not a very long time in which to build relationships with professors, especially, though not solely, when the prospect of a PhD is in the picture. To current and recent students, or anyone with knowledge: is the atmosphere so competitive as to preclude meaningful, substantial learning as well as relationship building? What were your experiences like in the school, regardless of post-graduation outcome? One other, unrelated question — does anyone have knowledge of or experience with switching between the MA and MDiv? Is it easy? Does financial aid follow you if you switch? I'm intrigued by the perception of Chicago's MDiv as a more academic degree than other MDivs, which, in exchange for required ministry classes and placements, would allow for an additional year of study. Thank you!