Mr. David Jay

I heard Duke Div is behind schedule and will send out invites today (or this week?). Next week would be interviews and then offers sent out the following week. I'm expecting an interview for the ThD (because I got one and was waitlisted when I applied two years ago), but I haven't gotten an email yet.

Personally, I feel like the GREs could only hurt my application. Doing well is expected, so good scores wouldn't add anything to the application; doing sub-par, however, would raise some eyebrows.

I think if you excel doing your MDiv you'll be fine, but top tier schools are unbelievably selective. Oxford and Cambridge should be places to consider. Their programs are shorter, for one thing. I would talk to faculty at GC and get connected with graduates from there and similar seminaries who have went on to top programs and good careers and get advice from them. I know someone who studied business as an undergrad (i.e. not the best background for graduate work in religion), but then excelled at Westminster and Cambridge and now has a pretty good gig at a seminary and is very active in his field.

Wouldn't an MDiv's length of graduate work be the equivalent of an MDiv?

Concerning an MTS (master of theological studies) vs an MAR (master of arts in religion) vs an MDiv (master of divinity), the difference is what the subject of the masters (and thus what it is preparing you for). An MTS focuses on theology rather than religion or philosophy broadly construed as in a MAR or MA in philosopy (etc.). An MDiv (traditionally) is basically the theological training of an MTS (or maybe an MAR) with a pastoral emphasis (studying homiletics, pastoral internships, etc.). That being said, each school will have their own core curriculum, and depending on how loose that is and what kinds of electives are offered, an certain MTSs, MARs, and MDivs might amount to about the same thing, especially if you are talking about top programs like Duke, Harvard, and Notre Dame. Academically speaking, I can't imagine that an MDiv from Duke, for example. would not be impressive to PhD committees even outside the humanities. But don't take on debt for graduate school, especially if you're thinking about PhDs. Go where they have stipends like at Duke and Princeton, or at least where you don't have to pay tuition, like at Notre Dame. BTW, philosophy of religion is really hot right now in academic philosophy, so an MDiv or whatever might serve you now better than ever. Likewise in Political Science, given the religious element in politics lately.

Here's the LSU bus loops: http://lsu.transloc.com/. Warning, it's not as reliable as most mass transit (weird hours, long waits), but the LSU busses are free. You want to live near a stop if you're going to LSU, but ideally you should also be able to walk or ride a bike.

LSU has a nice blend of continental and analytic, and some nice cross overs too. I'd recommend it especially if you like Heidegger.

I visited Duquesne last year and it took me a while to discover that they usually only fund 1 MA student per year. I also found out the PhD funding is not very generous (specifically the health insurance package was "unacceptable"). I would be wary of shelling out money for an unranked MA unless you are really interested in some one's work there, that is, if you're doing it for the love of philosophy not as a career move.

I'm a grad student at LSU and I live on Highland. I would encourage you to find an apartment close to campus or close to downtown. Where we live, it is relatively safe, but you have to drive everywhere--about 20 minutes or more, no matter how close it is. Even if you have to pay a little more in rent, you make up for it in gas money.

I made a lot of personal contacts over the past 3 years at PhD programs I was applying to. My impression was that, in general, senior professors may see you as wasting their time, largely because it is unlikely (statistically) that you will get in, and if you do get in, they will likely fly you in for a visit then. From their perspective, it's a bit presumptuous to visit. However, from our perspective we want to see if we should even apply--if its a good fit--and if so, how tailor our application to emphasize the research fit. Also, I've heard dozens of times that a dissertation advisor can make or break your entire PhD experience, so if there is someone in your area you think you would want to study with, it might be a good idea to see if you think you would get along with him or her before you get too far ahead of yourself. That being said, the best way to get the scoop or the dirt on a program or person is to talk to young professors, especially visiting fellows who can be more honest with you, and the grad students. I learned, for example, from a visiting fellow that the school I was applying to wasn't as good as it looked online and that the funding and health insurance for students were sub-par--in short, she told me not to come even if they offered me full funding. Another example: I learned from a senior professor that a certain professor I wanted to study with at another university was retiring. Talk directly to grad students to find out which professors are good to work with and who don't care about their students. In sum, I think taking the time to make personal contacts, especially by visiting, can be helpful and very informative. I've been surprised at how candid some people have been with me about their own school, the field, and my chances. (BTW, some professors will tell you immediately if they are on the admissions committee that year--it tends to be the younger professors, I think, that are on the committee, for what it's worth.) The key is to inquire after their work and their institution. Make them, so to speak, sell you their program--don't try and sell yourself. Definitely do not try to brown-nose, and don't talk about yourself unless they ask you (and be brief). Chances are they won't remember your visit, so don't try to impress them. But if you seem interested in their program and work, and you seem relatively sane (for a philosophy student) and mature, they might make a note of your name. (Full disclosure, I've yet to get into a PhD program, and although I am at a LSU with funding, I got in without visiting/contacting by email, although many of the professors I met with told me quite frankly that unless I got my GREs above 1400 my application wouldn't get a look at many of the places I was applying to. Really verbal and quantitative scores each should be over 700. I wasn't able to get beyond 600v, 750q).

Duquesne doesn't have good funding, although you can get a MA from U Pitt for free, I believe, because of a joint program they have.

There are a few very good funded MAs. I'm at LSU, and the professors are very good and very dedicated to working with you and your interests. (They are very ready to do independent studies and even whole classes in the interests of their students.) There are 5 funded slots (total, not each year), and about 5+ unfunded students in the program (and grad students from other programs sometimes take philosophy classes, too). The funding has gone down since the post I'm replying to: it's just under $9,000 a year, but the school charges a lot of fees, so it works out to about $6,000 a year--the fees, however, do cover your healthcare, and Health Care for spouses is extremely affordable. There are some funds for going to conferences available from the Graduate School Association and occasionally from the philosophy department itself. Unfortunately, decreased state funding will mostly likely cause the school to levy more fees, but being paid $10,000+ for an MA in philosophy is still preferable to paying $30,000+ for an MA elsewhere! And the application fee is cheap. The program itself is well-balanced and somewhat blended in terms of analytic, continental, moral philosophy, and philosophy of art: Full Professors: SCHUFREIDER: Heidegger, Philosophy of Art, History of Continental Philosophy (esp. German), Anselm SIRRIDGE: Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of Language and Literature SARKAR: Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Science RAFFOUL: Contemporary Continental Philosophy, Ethics Assoc. Professors: COGBURN: Philosophy of Mind, Language, Logic CRYSTAL: Ancient Philosophy Assist. Professors: ROCHA: Moral and Political Philosophy ROLAND: Philosophy of Math, Logic, Science, and Epistemology SONG: Political Philosophy, Ethics Also check out Georgia State University. I was waitlisted there, but had a really good experience with my application. They are strong in Neurophilosophy, Legal and Political Philosophy, and German Philosophy. They only admit funded students, and I believe the first year involves a teaching workshop and you teach during your second year. Virginia Tech looks particularly good as well. I got in without funding, but they look well balanced. University of Toronto offers a funded one year masters, which looks very good. I didn't get in. I also applied to several PhD programs, but didn't really get a look. My GREs were low (600v, 750q). But I believe that with improved GREs and an MA to boot, I have a good shot at a top PhD program.