academiccricket

I already have one M.A., but from a school that didn't have as good of a reputation, so people don't seem to take it (or my high gpa from there) seriously. I've already been through two admission cycles--applying to both M.A.'s and Ph.D's where I thought certain I would have a fighting chance (9 schools total) and only receiving an unfunded Ph.D. offer (which I declined) at one school and partially funded M.A. offer (where I am now). I've already "waited" essentially for a year (during the 2007-2008 admissions cycle), and during that time have published and presented, taught two college classes (not that it made a difference in terms of my application), etc. This next cycle is really "it" for me, because I can't keep putting my life on hold, and the other options just aren't good enough. The problem with my application, as I've been told so many times, is that my undergraduate GPA is too low (I was working full-time and trying to balance double-majoring). I'm now in a top M.A. program for my field, and am hoping that at least this will help balance how I've screwed up in the past. For what it is worth, I'm not just applying to this school, but for numerous reasons this one would be favorable for me and my fiance--especially if they can see that my work now is not a reflection of what my ugpa is.

I was rejected from a Ph.D. program and accepted into the M.A. (which I would like to complete in one year, because of the $40,000 tuition)...I was wondering what I should do (besides obviously do excellent work) to help my chances of getting into the Ph.D. program. Thoughts? Advice?

I think this may help you gauge your chances at Ivy League Divinity Schools. This is what I received from Yale Divinity School, in response to why my application was not successful (My ugpa was 2.8, my grad gpa was a 3.7 ------------ This year YDS received the largest number of applications ever--- 558 vs 485 application last year. As a result our admit rate dropped by about 4%, thus this was probably the most competitive year for admissions in many, many years (if not ever). Given the competitiveness of this year

I'm sort of in the same boat as you...I was homeschooled from 3rd grade - 11th grade, went to a community college when I was 17...only I had to work-full time to financially support my collegiate studies (first gen college student), coupled with my competitive, overachieving nature while trying to figure out how to function in a classroom--I worked 40+ hrs a week, double-majoring...the second quarter before I was about to graduate, I got sick(literally. hospital and all) and burnt out--receiving 2 F's and 2 C's on my transcript, which meant that my shot at anything reputable was down the drain (or so I thought). I entered a bottom-tier M.A. program, got decent grades/decent experience, and now I'm in a good program at a good school. Ten years later, I have 2 B.A.s, will have 2 M.A.s by next June (hopefully), and just want to start a Ph.D. program... :-) My advice to you would be...to apply to an M.A. program in your desired field of study in a top program. Since your GPA is stellar (and assuming your GRE scores would be the same) and if you've taken courses in whatever it is you want to study, you should be okay. Your personal statement seems like it would address your course choices /ill-focused transcript decently, and maturity is a huge plus in admissions. I don't think that pursuing another B.A. would be worth your time, when you could get an M.A. and do a lot more intense research and gaining valuable research experience.

I'm starting my second masters in an area relevant to Middle Eastern languages. I'm participating in an Ulpan for Intermediate Hebrew this summer, and have taken a year of Classical Arabic. I would like to increase my fluency in Modern Standard Arabic and Hebrew--which is why I am looking at the FLAS. How competitive are these scholarships? Are they like Fulbrights where you have to draft a proposal? My institution is not listed as one who gives FLAS scholarships to students -- does this make me ineligible, or can I still apply for a summer fellowship at another institution? Thanks for all your help.

$500 in the Boston area would definitely be with a roommate. Most likely, two or three. If you're looking for a 1-bedroom, it is realistically going to be approximately $1000+/month despite whether or not you live in Waltham or commute from Cambridge (Porter Sq.).

So, I accepted a spot in an M.A. program, with tuition being $41,000/yr. I was given a $15,000 scholarship, and federal loans allow grad. students to take approx. $20,000 a year. Which leaves a $5,000 balance (if I want to do the Summer Language Program--which I do--it is more like a $10,000 balance)... I was laid off from my job in February, and I was denied a private educational loan. My parents refuse to co-sign a private educational loan because of "the economy"...so, I don't know how to pay for this extra balance. Any suggestions I don't know about?

You may also want to look into couchsurfing.com for people in the Boston area....I've never used it so I can't speak for its reliability, but it is another option.

mbta.com will give you the times of trains, etc. A little more detailed directions: -Logan to the SL1 Bus (it will be $2.00 on your charlie ticket - that you purchase at Logan that allows you access to the public transportation) which takes you to South Station -Take the Red Line Outbound (this subway connection is South Station) to Porter Square T-Stop -Commuter Rail (Fitchburg / South Acton Line, Zone 2) will take you to Brandeis Stop (I think the round-trip fare is 9.00? I don't remember). If you need specific Boston advice, PM me. I live here. :-)

achowa00 suggested we create a new thread, and I'm happy to kick it off. If you feel comfortable, post your stats, relevant information, and what you think you did "right"/what you would change...for next year's applicants. I accepted Brandeis' offer for their M.A. program in NEJS, focusing primarily on Bible and Ancient Near East. My stats: M.A. in Jewish Studies (concentration in Hebrew Bible), from non-rigorous, small school in MA. GPA: 3.7 GRE; 1190 (590 v. 600 q.) B.A. in Religion, English from a respectable SLAC GPA: 2.72 Presented at an international conference / forthcoming publication from this conference Adjunct experience in upper-division course relevant to my area of study Went on archaeological dig for a full-season I have a lot of languages under my belt (German, Hebrew, Akkadian, Attic Greek, Aramaic...am currently adding classical arabic) Things I would do: -take the GRE again. -not apply to as many schools (I applied to 9, got into two...) -make contacts with programs and find out about their programs that ISN'T listed on their website (e.g. one program I applied to ONLY takes their Ph.D. candidates from their M.A.s, and I was subsequently rejected from this program because I didn't go there for an M.A...) Things I wouldn't do: -I would NOT apply to div schools or programs that have 500+ applicants, as I'm sure they throw out my application after seeing my low ugpa, despite having performed strongly since. I took a course with a professor at Brandeis (and got an A in his course) who remembered me, plus I had two great letters of recommendation for this school.

Anyone hear back from Hebrew and Judaic Studies? I've pretty much counted myself out, but I'd be nice to finally put this whole thing to rest.

Epic Fail: Harvard Div and Yale Div. Thus, I've decided to do another M.A. at Brandeis. Good luck to everyone still waiting and congrats to all who got in!

Congrats Runningcar and everyone in at HDS! I was rejected for the second year in a row. No surprise.

Good luck tomorrow everyone! Jufarius87, Good luck - it has been nice to have you on the boards to empathize with!

I think the above advice is fantastic. The only thing I was told was not to send a writing sample critiquing an author/viewpoint espoused by the school's department (apparently a former professor of mine did this, with less-than-favorable results). My writing sample was from my M.A. thesis, which I had to orally defend last spring, and which I presented last month. Honestly, I also wonder how much of the writing sample weighs into the decision-making process, as I don't imagine it matters until at the very end (no committee is going to read 10 pages or so of every applicant...so hypothetically, you'd have to be in the running for this to matter). Strengthening your C.V. is probably more important by trying to present, publish, acquiring French and German, in addition to what you've mentioned. Granted, you can't do all this in the next admissions cycle, so pick a couple of areas and go after it. If you have a strong paper, polish it, polish it, polish it. Revise it taking into consideration your notes. Ask the same professor to read over it again and again until it is perfect. Say that you are considering using it as your writing sample. They might be able to guide you better (in terms of current academic discourse/available resources/articles, etc.) with this goal in mind. The same goes with your personal statement. See if any professors in your department attended similar programs/schools, and ask them to give you pointers. It would help if you had what you considered to be a "Final draft" of your ps for them to see, so their criticism is applied to your best work. In addition, most schools have career centers that help with this kind of stuff (in terms of clarity, cohesion/logical flow, correct grammar usage). This might seem silly, but since I've adjuncted (English 101 and an upper division religion course) and had to grade stacks of papers...use Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced, with clean margins FOR EVERYTHING (unless specified otherwise). Don't be creative on this. At the very least, it looks nice and doesn't annoy your readers (reading other fonts drove me crazy), though they clearly won't reject you for stylistic reasons such as this. Good luck!

Both of my remaining top-choices are notifying Friday before 5 p.m. I hope it is Good Friday, and not Black Friday.

Congrats on your acceptance! I hope everything works out for you!

Sadly, no. I know from past experience that HDS won't release their information a minute earlier than 5 pm and by no other method than the online application. I'm trying to find other ways (though not more productive) to pass the time, like watching Gilmore Girl reruns and dwelling on the sparse acceptances I have.

I dreamed last night that NYU's (the last Ph.D. program I have yet to hear from) administrative staff doused my application in gasoline and lit it on fire with a lighter, all while they were laughing hysterically and pointing. Before this whole process started, I dreamed that I would get into YDS because I saw the big Yale logo on a blue folder containing my acceptance letter. I hear back on Friday, and am waiting to see if I'm right....

Even if you have an M.A., there is no guarantee you'll get in. I have an M.A. in Jewish Studies, and I've struck out at three programs. I was accepted without funding or tuition remission at CUA, and I applied for Brandeis' Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and they admitted me to their Masters program, despite the fact that I have essentially that degree already. I think you essentially need a 4.0 and a 1500+ GRE, and solid recs, publications/presentations all from undergrad, if you are going to be competitive for top programs straight out from a B.A. (my fiance who got into Harvard's NELC Ph.D. straight from undergrad had all of these these including 3 publications, various conference presentations, 3 languages to make up for his "lack" of having a relevant major...but he is exceptional in many ways ) What matters is to look at who you want to study with at the Ph.D. level, and email them about what you should do in the next two years to be competitive for their program. That being said, don't underestimate the power of good recommendations. I don't mean "nice things people say about you"...but WHERE these things come from in terms of connections (e.g. if your dream adviser has a friend who is the chair of a dept....), these things hold weight. Period. I've seen it happen. So, make sure your M.A. is respectable, ranked, and has connecting power. The end.

I just found out that I was accepted to the M.A. program in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis (I applied for the Ph.D.)... I already have an M.A. in Jewish Studies with a concentration in Hebrew Bible, but this still feels good and lifts a huge weight off my shoulders in terms of staying in the Boston area.

I don't think increased applications due to the economy are particularly shocking or indicative of "pushing people towards a ministerial education..." Almost all fields saw an increase in applications because of the economy, and I heavily doubt that many people applying as a "plan b" to any field (Not just div schools) are going to make the cut, because they generally would lack the necessary experience/academic qualifications. If many people see enrolling as a "way out"...they won't get that far into the program anyway, before realizing that it isn't what they want to spend the rest of their lives pursuing. As for the MAR/MTS stuff...I'm just hoping that the increased applicants don't have the necessary qualifications, and that I do. :wink:

I applied for a Ph.D. and checked the status is basically that they have moved me to be considered for the M.A. (Ph.D. notifications have already gone out, and I pretty much assumed this was a no-go for me). I realize that if they wanted to reject me outright, they could've...The question is, how often do these types of things lead to admissions? (I already have an M.A. in a related field...it will be a tough decision if the funding isn't there.)

From the YDS email that went out today (for those lurking who want a bit more insight): ---- This year

My choice depends on funding...but... I'm really hoping for acceptance from one of the two Div schools, but I am not holding my breath for either one. This article (http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/27636) in the Yale Daily News, says that YDS applications are up to about 550 and they are only accepting about 140, which puts the acceptance rate at approx. 25% as a whole. Harvard Divinity allegedly had the most applications they've ever had, so I expect their acceptance rate to go down from the 37% last year.