thekidisalright

From my language experience I would agree that "intermediate" for an ancient language means 3-4 semesters. You should have the ability to conjugate regular verbs and decline regular nouns easily, and be able to translate at a reasonable pace with a dictionary in hand.

I would definitely add BC to the first group in the list above, but otherwise agree. There are also really great places to do particular projects (Loyola Chicago and Marquette are wonderful for healthcare ethics, for instance) so it depends on your interest.

To all the people asking about Marquette funding -- I know many people (including myself) who received funding late in the game once people declined offers. I got the call on April 8th. So if you are accepted there is still a chance. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

Hi, I'm currently ABD at Marquette. I highly recommend their Theology&Society program for doing this kind of interdisciplinary work. It's technically open to other fields, but the majority of students choose philosophy as their allied discipline (in fact, I think there are some typos in the handbook that assume philosophy). I'm happy to answer more specific questions via PM.

Since multiple people have asked, I will share a little about my experience at Marquette as a feminist theologian: First of all, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Marquette is fairly traditional. The distribution requirements are a little intense and much of the coursework is focused on the standard topics (CHRISTOLOGY, TRINITY) and major figures in the tradition. They intentionally and explicitly claim that the PhD program produces well-rounded (even generalist?) scholars. This is not, however, code for "conservative." The department is fairly balanced on the liberal/conservative divide. I haven't been able to detect a critical mass in any direction. The department as a whole is incredibly committed to ecumenical dialogue and I've found that this spirit permeates the entire culture of the department. There are lots of people from lots of different perspectives coming together, and somehow everyone plays nice. Those who focus in "marginalized discourses" are doing so through independent studies and the Theology & Society concentration. I'm able to take 4 courses outside of the department: so far they have been in race theory and feminist ethics. It might be a *tad* more difficult for us than for those who are interested in, say, von Balthasar, but I don't think by much, since everyone in the department is supposed to specialize more in their comps & dissertation than in their coursework. In terms of numbers, I am one of two people (out of nine) in the first year interested in feminist theology. I have been absolutely 100% supported by all the professors I have encountered. There are a number of professors interested in feminist thought (though none, I think, claim it as their top interest). It's also a wonderful place to study Rahner and method (my two other interests). ALL of my professors have been incredibly encouraging of my work. To summarize, I love it at Marquette and it has been a really good fit! Please PM me if you are interested at all in knowing more, especially if you have concerns about doing feminist or liberation theology. Peace, E P.S. What's all this hate for Milwaukee? It is seriously a cool town. There are more pubs per person than in any city in the country and we have beaches. The End.

I'm at Marquette (PhD) right now with an interest in feminist theology. I LOVE both Milwaukee (seriously, who knew it was such a hip town?) and being at Marquette. However, I'm not sure how my experience would transition to someone looking at the MA (for instance, the coursework at the MA level is rather different than at the PhD). Feel free to PM me if you have questions about the program or would like to talk to someone who is here.

Thanks Phenom, I should probably change my signature though - that is old and I am currently in my first year at Marquette. Loving it so far!

P.S. It is standard to have a Master's before applying to Phds in theology. In fact, most of the schools I applied to explicitly stated that you had to have one even to apply. (UVA's religion department is the one counter-example I can think of). In fact, I know plenty of people with two master's.

Hi The Man, I would definitely re-apply. (I had to suffer two rounds of the PhD process!) Just some ND-specific thoughts from a grad of the MTS: Languages are a good idea, but I question whether they are the most important thing at this stage. Notre Dame's language requirements stipulate *new* languages (so for the HC requirement of 2 languages, even though I already had 3 years of Greek, I had to pick up 2 more). So unlike PhD programs where they are looking for students who have already crossed some hurdles and therefore are less likely to have nervous breakdowns and fail out, any previous language work won't make your time easier at ND. What it might do is make you, in general, look like an accomplished and well-educated person and prepare you for more language study. It also might be the type of tiny thing that distinguishes excellent candidates from each other (and at the top, all are excellent). The obvious exception here would be Biblical Studies. So summary: languages are good but not awesome, and if its the easiest/cheapest thing to do with your CV then do it. As for volunteer programs, I don't think it makes a difference. Grad schools aren't looking for well-roundedness in the way that colleges are. And even though its a theology program, ND also has an MDiv program, so there is an understood distinction that this program is *just* academic (I think the distinction is more fluid at other schools). The exception would be if it actually related to your research. Looking at your stats, I would imagine that what is hurting you is lack of previous coursework and perhaps an unfocused personal statement. Do you know what sort of theological work you are interested in? I think my actual goal when applying for ND's MTS was "gain a knowledge of Christianity" which sounds RIDICULOUS but I was in an evangelical school where you could take Biblical Studies, and not theology, so I felt like I was missing out on 2000 years. The only theology I read was through my philosophy major. Anyhow, even though my actual goal was hopelessly vague (and looking back, quite funny) my personal statement said that I wanted to study apophatic theology and its retrieval in postmodern philosophy of religion. This did a number of things: 1) used my coursework to my advantage rather than a deficit. Suddenly, my postmodern philosophy courses made sense, and didn't just look like a lack of theology courses. 2) It appealed to the strengths of the program. 3) And though it didn't remain a huge interest for me, it was still representative of the type of thinker I am. All of this is to say is that if I were you I would find a way (if you hadn't already) to stress how your previous coursework makes sense with what you want to do at ND. I imagine that you have a lot of questions and topics you want to explore. Narrow it down to those that best make your case. It's not a contract. So even if you are at the point where, like you said, all you know is that you want to do theology, use your personal statement to explore some more narrow subtopics (even if you know that they are just possibilities). Finally, I would find a way to take coursework, even if its just to audit courses. Getting a better feel for the discipline will allow you to articulate your interest better. Also, take heart. You are switching disciplines (even though it sounds like you are getting some experience in your thesis) which means you are somewhat fighting against the grain. But there were plenty of people at ND who didn't have BAs in theology so it is totally possible. Remember that there are lots of people at the top who would be successful if admitted, and you could very well have been one of them. Sometimes its just a crapshoot in choosing between a number of excellent candidates. Peace E

Thanks for all the numbers! However my Teaching Assistantship offer specifically says that Medicare and SS won't be taken out. Perhaps this is a state by state thing? Or because it's stipend/scholarship money? This was also the case when I had a stipend from my Master's institution - SS/Medicare weren't withdrawn.

The requirements are 120 payments at either the standard or income-based(contingent) plan. (Source: http://www.finaid.org/loans/publicservice.phtml) Also, check out this calculator: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/icr.phtml.

I love this thread - thanks to everyone for contributing! I don't feel particularly wealthy as a high school religion teacher, but I live for free at a boarding school. My stipend next year will be 10k less than my current salary and I will have to begin paying rent too. I suppose I will lack back at teaching at a Catholic high school as the days of prosperity! A couple of questions: 1. A lot of you are talking about after-tax monthly income. I know the school will be withholding, but I can't imagine having to pay much on anything between 15-20k/year. Especially since medicaid & social security won't be withdrawn. What formulas are you using to figure out the withholding? If it matters, I'm single with no dependents. [insert Liz Lemon lament]. 2. I'm setting up my budget now to see how much I can safely spend on rent. What percentage of your monthly income are each of you spending on rent? Should the old 1/3 adage apply here? And are any of you attempting to save 10% of your income for retirement? I guess all these questions boil down to whether or not standard financial advice should apply during grad school. I'd appreciate any responses! ES

Thanks flynn! I'm looking forward to working with a lot of folks in systematics--Del Colle, Dabney, Long--but since I'm a Rahner buff I am really excited to work with Masson.

I was just offered funding (off of the waitlist). I am ecstatic. This was my only acceptance so I will be taking them up on their offer. Hello Milwaukee!

Also, keep in mind that students at tier one institutions will also be publishing and presenting at AAR (they may even be required--or all but required--to do so as part of their program). It's a bit more difficult to stand out. Like lovethequestions said, one would need to invent the wheel. Honestly, the best information will be the most specific information. What do you mean by non tier one state schools? Look at a few and see where their professors come from. Check out Iliff's placement record for the past 20 years. Good luck in your decision making process. I am sure it is agony!

It's pretty simple: re-apply. If you are worried about your job prospects now, take a year and work with one of the many excellent service organizations out there--the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Mennonite Voluntary Service, Episcopal Service Corps, Americorps, etc. Spend your free time learning a new language and improving those mediocre scores. Read some books. Email professors. Attend conferences. No one is saying not to go to grad school, just not to go to an unfunded master's level program. I hardly think that advice qualifies any of us as being debbie downers (nor should it invite sarcasm and/or hostility), since there are MANY funded programs. I don't think anyone on the forum would argue not to be a professor because of the state of the humanities - we are all in this together and all in it because we love it.

My point is in part due to the fact that master's level degrees in religion are worthless if you don't move on to a PhD, which, given the way the field is right now (again, check out the old forums) is uncertain. A PhD at UChicago isn't quite a gamble - you might not get a job you love initially, but you will get a job. It makes more sense to go into debt for it. A M.A./M.T.S. on the other hand will likely not prepare you for much. I'm using mine to teach (which I love), but even that is tenuous: diocesan schools pay nothing and prep schools often won't hire you without a PhD or years of teaching experience (at least on the east coast). What they essentially prepare you for is the opportunity to apply for PhD programs. Given that there are many other programs that are better funded than UChicago's 50% offer, it's worth going elsewhere, or re-applying next year. You may be in a slightly different position here, if your interests mean that you might work in government, consulting, etc. Still, we are talking about a non-terminal degree that doesn't directly prepare one for anything, in one of the worst job markets. We do this because we love it. Just find somewhere that will pay you (at least not charge you) to love it.

Disclaimer: Pessimism Below Yes, this is absolute lunacy. I would caution against taking that out for a PHD, and at least a PHD sets you up for some kind of employment. A master's at a top program does not guarantee you admission into a PHD program (I did well at Notre Dame, have excellent GREs and recs, and have struck out twice. Check the forums from years past - I am not the only one). Further, the amount of tenured positions in the humanities is decreasing so quickly that IF you do get into and out of a PHD program and get hired as a professor, you are likely never going to break 100k/year (or even get close). If you are hemorrhaging money like that at the master's level, by the time you leave school, you will have given away a house for the sake of a low-security, low-income job. Or in other words, you will owe twice your maximum salary cap. All this to say, only go if they fund you. See Wikepedia for salary numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professors_in_the_United_States#Salary Also, this is a good article about the state of the academy: http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the-Huma/44846/

There were also at least two of us deferring from last year, which took away from total admits (and admits posting on gradcafe).

Admits to ND's MTS are usually emailed by the director - so it could very easily happen the night of the decision or during break. Here's hoping you guys hear earlier rather than later! Good luck!

I deferred from Marquette last year and was in contact with the department last week. They said that decisions were made, and would be mailed out at the end of the week (i.e., yesterday). So you should hear from them in a week or so. Last year they contacted people via email/application site, so that may be the difference in the time. Hope this helps assuage any anxiety!

Thanks for the info!

OK, STILL haven't heard anything. Here's hoping.

Yes, a friend of a friend got in. (I know, that sounds dubious).

At this point it looks like all the admits have been contacted. There are a few rejections posted too. I haven't heard anything and am wondering if this means I've been unofficially waitlisted. Does anyone know the structure of how BC contacts people?