vega maudlin

Well, that's fair. I loved the atmosphere -- it was intellectual and intensely invigorating. I would not at all have described it as 'cutthroat', partially because everyone was so warm and good-humored, and partially because -- although the academic standards were extremely high -- it never seemed that students were pitted against each other or attempting to 'beat' one another (which is what I think when I hear 'cutthroat'). But look, here I am objecting to your definitions of terms! So perhaps I simply fit right in. Yuanzhu, I do know many people who love it there, and it also seems there are many who found it too rigorous/cutthroat/stressful/intense/etc for their tastes. It may depend on your temperament.

Again -- I never heard or experienced this when I was there, and I've never heard it from my friends who are doing MAs or PhDs there now. But it does seem that I am in the minority, on this board at least!

I have to chip in here. I was an undergraduate at the U of C and took many classes at the Div School while I was there. I never experienced the 'cutthroat' atmosphere described by the poster above and was a little startled (upon visiting masters' programs elsewhere) to hear the U of C described in those terms. Frankly, the vast majority of classes I took felt like extremely collaborative enterprises, and the intellectual atmosphere and chance for good conversation were unparalleled. Now, granted, I was an undergrad, and it may have felt differently for the M* students in particular (who were all competing for the same spots). But this was simply my experience.

If you live near the Baltimore conference and it happens to be convenient to attend, go for it. If not, I'd use your first semester to get the hang of the program. MDivs are three years, right? You have plenty of time to go to SBL.

I just turned down an offer from Princeton RMA -- I hope it helps someone -- and am now deciding between Yale NT and ND CJA. If you are high on the waitlist on either of those places and would find it helpful to PM me, you should feel free.

No, she took the offer. That said, I don't know how many they accept/year.

I have a friend who was accepted to UT Austin (I'm pretty sure in RAM).

I feel like I should say something to this, and -- just by taking a quick mental tally -- I'd estimate that at least 2/3 of the students my year were not coming from Catholic undergrads. The student body runs conservative, but the theology professors fall on more of a spectrum.

At least some went out; I know of four people who have heard. Notifications have been happening via email instead of phone.

Well, I could certainly be wrong. I know the year *before* that, I got my results around March 12 or so.

They've actually only started looking over MTS files, as far as I gather -- you'll probably hear in mid-March?

They said during the interview weekend that they would make calls on Monday.

Do you mind sharing which was your first choice school (and what program)?

I mean, they gave you an interview having *already* seen your GPA. It's not like it's coming as a surprise to them and they clearly didn't see it as an adequate reason to eliminate you as a candidate. That said, they WILL (almost certainly) ask you about it in the interview, so have a well-formulated response for them and keep your cool.

I... actually didn't ask him. If I had to take a guess (and just glancing over the subfields now) I would say Theology and Religious Reflection, but that's only a guess.

A friend got admitted to Northwestern's religion PhD program - just for everybody's information.

Notre Dame holds all their interviews on the same weekend (unless they do it drastically differently than they have the past couple years).

Congrats!! and good luck on the interview

Yeah, we're all in the same boat: http://maryhomegirl.tumblr.com/post/41274299153/when-i-had-applied-to-doctoral-programs-and-someone

I'm probably applying to just 5-7, actually. 13 would be way too many for me, but different people go about the process differently, and I don't think there's an objective "too many." A friend (who's in a PhD program already) advised me only to apply to the programs I'd be really happy at (he only applied to two), so I suppose I'm sort of taking that advice.

I went to the U of C. Fumblewhat is right, the area is lovely, and there's an excellent police/safety system set up for students. However, I have indeed heard from students on campus that computer science classes are more theoretical than practical/general. I had two friends in the department (as undergrad majors) -- one of them is now in a PhD for Theoretical Computer Science and the other I THINK I remember complaining that the department was too theoretical... but geez, I haven't talked to him in so long that I might be making it up. That is all to say that yes, might be more theoretical, but it's probably worth asking around a little more to be sure. Have you tried asking in the computer science forum? There's a chance that someone there knows better.

Can you ask older students in the program? It sounds like they'd be the best people to go to for this question.

The visit was great! The place has a fantastic atmosphere, and several of the professors I talked to were lovely (the HB ones in particular). Of course, I visited and subsequently decided to go elsewhere, but that was partly because of funding, partly because my interests didn't align as well as I thought they would.

When I visited YDS a couple weeks ago, one of the HB professors said that Yale only takes 1-2 PhD students in each subdivision per year, and often tries to take them from the masters program at the Div School. So, only one or two NT PhDs per year, and you'd be competing against students who have not only done a masters, but have also done it at Yale with the professors you're applying to work with. SO. I would probably skip the PhD application. (Although who knows? Visit and ask if you're curious for their take). Instead, focus on making your application to the Yale MAR/MDiv the best it can be. If you stand out in the application process (and in particular make sure you're a good fit for the school/NT professors), they may already have you pegged as a student they'd like to keep on in the PhD program. Plus, better application = possibly better funding. You clearly have excellent stats, but focus on your statement of purpose and research the programs you want to attend in the meantime. And congrats on getting married!

I know an atheist going for his *MDIV* at Chicago... not even just an MA. He's hoping to do ministry in a secular humanism context. And I would say there were a significant number of atheists/agnostics going for their MA. Someone asked when I was visiting Yale -- apparently they have a couple atheists, but it really is an extraordinarily much more Christian atmosphere. I did NT at Chicago too, so feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions about faculty or NT classes etc.