crossroadsph

Yes I think it's great that we all managed to get through the process. It'll be interesting to see where we will all end up.

I applied to Duke and didn't receive one as of now. I'm ready to call it. That's one acceptance, one rejection, four pending.

I am actually holding up fine. In fact, for what it's worth, I received a bit of news today. I am applying to the Toronto School of Theology, and earlier today (around midnight, Toronto time), I got an email from someone at one of the member colleges asking me about something related to my application... and telling me that the college was quite happy that I chose it and that he found my SOP and writing sample quite engaging. I don't know if it counts for anything, as a consortium-wide admissions committee handles all the applications. It's heartening, nevertheless, to hear that someone liked it. In order to cope, I've been taking quite a bit of time to process things through journaling. I've occasionally taken some walks outside (the weather is crisp and cool over here in Manila) and worked on a big project for my art writing job. I do hope everyone is hanging in there!

I emailed my POI at one of the schools last night and he asked me to take the long view. One factor is that a lot of schools are taking less people, if not none at all and that things may stabilize in a couple of years. I’m guessing he’s trying to cushion the impact a rejection might bring, and I otherwise don’t want to read between the lines. Good luck to everyone as the decisions start coming in!

Congratulations! I’m still waiting to hear from all of the schools in North America I applied to. I’ll just see where the chips fall and plan accordingly. I don’t have a clear first choice as I didn’t receive any interview invites, and I already have a plan B for what happens next.

Thank you for noting that Duke Divinity contacts people this week. While I haven't got any word yet, it's good to know. Also, I did look at the survey: much of the activity starts in early February and continues until late that month. I know that one of the schools I applied to posts acceptances or wait-list entries at the end of the month and rejections much later (I should know, I applied to that school last year). It's tempting to think that most schools are foregoing interviews. From a look at the current cycle's survey, I only noted a few references to interviews: Duke (GPR and Divinity) and Marquette. Usually, I see quite a few in January. I hope that is the case this year, but we'll never know. Maybe people were asked not to post on Grad Cafe?

Same here, nothing from Yale (RS, theology). Though I asked a non-admissions related question to someone there and I got a reply that made me laugh.

Thanks for this. I’m definitely trying to stay hopeful, though the time frame is getting shorter for consideration by the schools to which I’m applying. The top three I’m applying to try to get their results out by early to mid-February, though that might change this year because of COVID. I’m glad you’re getting scheduled for an interview!

The GTU, where I got my Master of Arts last year, was a pretty good place to develop something of an interdisciplinary interest in both systematic and liturgical theology. My thesis committee, which was mainly comprised of liturgists, also knew about the way liturgical theology and systematics interacted and it was very helpful. My biggest regret there was not doing systematics altogether. My advisor there and I agreed, when I was thinking of applying for this cycle, that I should pursue that for the doctorate. Seems that this pivot didn’t quite sit well with admissions committees in North America, but I might be wrong, and I’m still somewhat hopeful.

Ah never mind. I'm glad that your anxiety is being relieved somewhat. I just wrote my POI at my other top choice a note tonight. I am sure he's busy so it will take a while before he replies.

May I ask how you found out? You aren't obliged to reveal your sources...

I hope it does. The only thing not going for me is what I was told by someone working as an assistant for a graduate program in the Northeast. Interviews have always been standard for getting in, especially if one was shortlisted. Speaking of which, I learned that Duke GPR decisions have been released, and I noted that someone was interviewed for the Duke Divinity Th.D. program, which is one of my top choices. I am prepared to give up on that if I don't hear anything. Yes, that was my first AAR. And it was convenient for me too. I was at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley so it was just a short flight down to San Diego.

The AAR-SBL in 2019 was quite interesting! Managed to attend a fair number of panels in things I was interested in, and got in a good number of steps just roaming around the San Diego Convention Center during downtime. I also went to a number of receptions and had both a meeting and a missed connection. I also staffed my school's booth at the event for extra income, of course. In that case, I am somewhat reassured. In one of my schools, I had contacts with a number of faculty and one of them agreed to work with me. I met online or had an email exchange with a faculty member in four of my other schools, one of whom explicitly agreed to work with me as well. So it may be possible for this to happen. It may all have changed during this extraordinary time--what I'm wondering from the schools is have more people applied now than in past years?

I can relate to the "check email-check gradcafe-refresh-repeat" cycle! I do that once a day... My two top choices here in North America have yet to notify me about anything, interviews included, and that does not bode well for my prospects. Might as well fall back on what someone at BU told me back at the AAR-SBL meetings in San Diego in 2019: if you're turned down, it's not about you. It has proved to be reassuring, even if at first it does not. I did apply to a school outside North America, which is a European university that is prominent in the field of theology, and I got accepted to a pre-doctoral master's program that, from the way it's structured, feels like the coursework phase of a Ph.D. program across the pond (because the Ph.D. programs over there are purely research/thesis work). That's another consolation in the event the other applications fall through.

Yes, they do. I spoke with someone at one of the schools I applied to, and he confirmed that this was the case in that school. He added that this is pretty standard. From past entries in the Grad Café survey, I can tell this is the case with some of the schools with which I have applications. Re: wait lists, Ph.D. programs often do have them, and they let people know if they are on them. Past entries on the survey indicate when schools let people know that they are wait listed, and I noticed that it often comes at the same time when the schools inform people of their acceptance.

Yes, it's usually mid-Feb to mid-March for decisions, but I honestly don't know when schools will hold interviews. That's what I've been wondering about.

Also waiting it out. Applied to BC, Yale, Toronto School of Theology, Duke Divinity, and Drew. No word yet from any of them, but I'm not expecting any movement until next week.