aselfmadewinter

I got that same e-mail, and I just got it now as well. I suspect that it has something to do with the applicaion being forwarded from the graduate division at your university.

I've heard nothing from my university, but I got an email from SSHRC saying that they'd received my application. I guess that means it was forwarded...

I asked the department's admissions committee, but I suppose I should ask the Faculty of Graduate Studies. It's sort of a bizarre situation... does that mean they'd have trouble with MAs from Union, Catholic U, Wheaton, etc.? In any case, you're right, I should probably contact them.

So, I've been given notice of being recommended for admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies for UBC's Religious Studies PhD program. Being Canadian, that's a big deal for me, since it's usually ranked as our number two institution under U of Toronto, and so I'm really seriously considering going there. I was really excited until I discovered a potential problem... My MA is from the Faculty of Theology of St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto, which is a constituent of the Toronto School of Theology. Though SMC is federated with UofT, the degree itself still comes from SMC. Apparently, UBC's Faculty of Graduate Studies has stated that degrees from theological institutions cannot be considered as a basis for admission. I'm slightly worried because, even though my degree is from a UofT federated school (and not, may I add, in theology), it might be considered a theological school. Besides, it's always kind of daunting to know that the department has accepted you but that some little wrinkle might still ruin everything at the FoGS. Has anyone ever heard about anything like this? I understand the university's concern insofar as some of the... um... less reputable Bible colleges are concerned, but St. Michael's is a fairly reputable school. I contacted the department, and I was told that they'd considered the issue, but decided that SMC's reputation and connection to UofT would take care any problems. I was also told that the dept. admissions committee is closely monitering the process to make sure things go smoothly. That sounds like a good sign to me, buttttttttt... I'm not too sure. I figure this is indicative of the widening gap between Religious Studies and Theology that seems to pop up every now and again. Has anyone else experienced this before? Should I be worried?

Thanks! It's nice to know that I have somehwere to go. I might actually go to UBC, since it's my second pick. It's ranked second in Canada after U of T by most rankings, which is pretty good, but the joint Classics/Religion thing is kinda newish, so... tough decision. I'm definitely going to wait til I hear back from the other Canadian schools though. Anyone else apply to Canadian schools? It seems like most Americans tend to stay south of the border, but we've had the odd one or two up here at U of T, which is where I am currently.

Got a *very* early acceptance e-mail from UBC today for a PhD in Classical and Religious Studies. I'm kind of excited, because it means I can breathe easy. It's sort of strange, though, since some of the other Canadian schools haven't even had their deadline come up yet (which is Jan 15 for McGill and McMaster). No substantial word on funding, though the letter did mention that there would be some available. Good luck to everyone this year! I know I've been on edge since sending my apps in in December.

I'm applying for a PhD in Religious Studies, and it seems as though most schools ask for a very short SOP (500-700 words at the most, 500 seems standard). I chose to leave out stuff about my formation and personal goals entirely and instead, to concentrate on my proposed research and the current research that I'm doing for my MA thesis. This seems like a solid call to me, since most schools ask for a statement that describes "research interests". In the end, I had an SOP that looked an awful lot like an SSHRC proposal. I have a few more days before I absolutely have to send out my last few applications. Does anyone think that I should change my SOP to talk more about my goals and my 'fit' at the various schools that I'm applying to? Keep in mind that I only have 500 words to say what I want to say and that most schools I'm applying to specifically ask for research interests. Consider, for instance, the description of the SOP for one of the schools that I'm applying to: "...a statement of research interest in pursuing graduate studies (approximately 500-700 words). Please include in your statement of interest a description of your background and proficiency in foreign languages, detailing the courses you have taken, the levels, and the grades that you received for them." Of couse, I intend to provide the requested information about my language work, but aside from that, it seems as though the focus of the SOP should be on the research that I intend to undertake. Does this seem accurate?

Thanks! That really does help. Fortunately, my research interests seem coherent with the interests of quite a number of professors at the schools I'm interested in. Hopefully, that'll help.

I'm an MA at St. Michael's (TST) at the University of Toronto studying New Testament. I'm looking to start applying to PhD programs in the fall, but I'm at a loss insofar as I have no idea where to really apply. I would like to go somewhere that guarentees funding, or would probably give me funding, but while my MA GPA is 3.88, my undergraduate GPA is sort of mediocre, at 3.4. My ugrad major GPA is much higher, however, at 3.7, and I think I'll have strong references. I have not yet taken the GRE, but I expect to do between 1250 and 1350, since I'm terrible at mathematics. I've got excellent grades in Greek (4.0), and I have Hebrew competency. My undergrad is also from U of Toronto. Now, here's the question... for someone who has a fairly good but not outstanding profile (such as myself), where should I consider applying? Notre Dame in the US would be nice, if not a bit of a stretch for me, and I'm considering Toronto, McMaster, McGill and UBC in Canada. However, other than Notre Dame, I have no idea where to apply in the US. What would be some good schools in my range? Any suggestions for safety schools? My main concern is, of course, my mediocre undergrad GPA. I've seen a lot of people posting very high ugrad GPAs on here, and that worries me a bit. Thanks!

Yeah, the whole % thing is probably impossible to equate. I can't fathom an 80% being a 2.67... that's pretty abysmal. I know for a fact that U of Toronto has a bellcurving policy where very few 80%+ grades are given. That must explain why the GPA grading system is equivalent even though the % grades aren't. I've been told that it's absolutely necessary to point out to American schools that your grades come fram a Canadian institution, since % grades show up on transcripts. Like I said, an 85% in Canada would be a 4.0, and there's very few of those given out in undergraduate classes. Well, I guess that makes me a fan of the 4 point GPA system for the first time in my life. I used to think a % grade system would work better for academics but seeing the difference between American and Canadian systems, I guess the GPA is the only way to go short of standardizing everything. Thanks for the info, I think I should be fine for my applications as long as I don't only apply to top 20 US schools. I'll throw some safety schools in there, and it should turn out alright.

Thanks for the reply. It helps to know about graduate GPA's being expected to be higher in the US, it seems to be a bit different up here, since most of the institutions I've inquired into have told me that a 3.5 MA GPA is a standard requirement. The different grading system I was referring to is how an 80% grade in Canada is an A-, a 3.7, while it's a B (I forget what that would be as a US GPA) in the US. However, I think that gets sorted out when it gets calculated as a GPA, since I've heard through the grapevine that the GPAs themselves are equivalent. An 85 in Canada would be considered an excellent grade.

This post is sort of about two related issues: graduate and undergraduate GPAs, and Canadian vs. American GPAs. Here's my situation: I got a my undergraduate (specialist in Philosophy and Religion) at the University of Toronto. My GPA was alright, but not outstanding - a 3.4 (out of 4). However, it was good enough to get me into an MA (also at U of T), in which I earned a 3.8. I also have two publications. Now, I'm thinking about applying to a mix of American and Canadian schools - McGill, UBC, McMaster, U of T in Canada, and Notre Dame, Emory, UChicago and a couple other in the US. So, I've been wondering, is my lower, though not too terrible, undergrad GPA a liability? Do schools prefer graduate or undergraduate GPAs? Moreover, I've noticed that the US has a completely different grading system. Is that taken into consideration when applying outside of Canada? Further, the grades that brought down my undergrad GPA tended to be either in my first year (I had a LOT of Bs in my first year) or in courses completely unrelated to my field, whereas my grades in my field are consistently high. If nothing else, my undergrad degree taught me what I'm good at, and what I'm hopeless at! Hopefully, if it comes down to the wire, they'll look at my individual courses. One other odd thing is that Canadian university admissions sites (at least in the field of Religion) often indicate a minimum MA GPA for PhD considerations (which is actually kind of low - 3.5 is the number I've seen a few times), whereas American universities don't seem to say anything about MA grades, or about MAs in general. Is it possible that the MA means more in Canada than it does in the US for PhD applications? (also... anyone think I have a shot at US universities with my low ugrad GPA and higher grad GPA? Any thoughts?)