myfishpajamas

My GRE scores are one of the main things that held me back from getting into PhD programs (currently in a terminal Master's program). I got a 5.5 on the writing but rather dismal scores in verbal/math. From the sound of it, the new GRE is going to be better suited to my abilities. Anyway, I don't need to reapply until next year for Fall 2013, so unless I take the GRE again this month (which I had already planned to take it again before hearing about the new one), I will have to take the new one. It is unfortunate that they won't have data to utilize the scores effectively, and I fear they will rely on my old, terrible scores, but, at the same time, it does not seem ethical to penalize new applicants for something outside of their control. It is not as though everyone applying for 2012 or 2013 and beyond called up ETS and asked them to change it just in time for their admission year. I plan to take it again in August to get the 50% off rate since, no matter when I take it before reapplying, I'll have to take the new one. Might as well get half off the price.

Well, I meant "backup" as compared to Harvard. Regardless of how selective PhD programs are these days, I certainly have a better chance of getting into Florida State over Harvard, for example. "Backup" in this sense did not mean the same that it does when high-school seniors are applying to undergraduate programs.

I started a job at the Ford Library at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke in May, and I see nothing but Asian patrons day in and day out. I am not sure what the ratio is in other areas around campus though.

Hi, I'm Meaghan, and I will be starting in Duke's M.A. program in Religion (NOT at the Div school...sorry, a lot of people say that to me since Duke's Div school is so great, but I am doing a secular education). I did my undergrad at N.C. State, and I'm from a small town in the Piedmont of NC. I skimmed through the thread and was surprised at the public transportation discussion - I absolutely would not recommend using public transportation in NC. I guess I could agree that it is "doable" as one person said, but if you are from the Northeast or some other locale that has outstanding public transportation, NC's will not compare, not even in the Triangle. Of course, I live 20 min from campus, so maybe that hinders me in ways I didn't know. I just wanted to put my thoughts out on that subject having lived in the state all 22 years of my life.

I am also considering U Penn, largely based on its reputation and what its American Religion program looks like online. Also, one of my undergrad professors received his Ph.D. from U Penn, and he is an amazing scholar and fantastic person. But he also just turned 60, which means the program could have changed tremendously since he went through it. I would be interested to hear if anyone has info about the program too!

Hi all, I am new to the forums, but I used the results list extensively when I was applying for admission for Fall 2011. After being rejected from every other school, I was accepted to Duke's M.A. program. It is a terminal M.A., so I will have to reapply for a Ph.D. program. I have my list down to 14 schools, but that is still way too many. Most places charge at least $50 for the application fee, usually more, and then I have to consider transcript fees and extra GRE score reports. However, it seems that it is nigh impossible to find any sort of rankings on religion programs - the schools themselves, of course, and rankings based on other programs, but not rankings or other such judgments based on religion. I knew this when I applied the first time and ended up only applying to schools that the head of my undergrad department recommended. Since I have more time to contemplate the matter this time, I want to make a more informed decision. I know that deciding to include a school in your list, largely depends on compatibility with the institution. I study American religion but, more specifically, I am interested in Christianity-based New Religious Movements and also the intersection between American Christianity and gender/sexuality. My independent study in undergrad was on Quiverfull, an evangelical Christian movement that returns women to a time before the 19th amendment and beyond. At Duke, I am considering a study of the current political and social issue of LGBT rights in relation to American Christianity, but I have not completely expanded my thoughts on that topic or settled on a specific thesis related to it. Hopefully that gives you all some idea of what I'm looking for in a program. I also am trying to get into some really good programs. Duke is ranked 9th nationally, so I hope that if I kick butt here that I can then move on to an Ivy League. Finally, my boyfriend would like to start his Master's in Sports Management when I start my Ph.D., so I knocked a few schools off of my list because they didn't have that program or weren't near a school that did. Harvard does not and is not near a school that does, but my boyfriend has no problem with me going there if I get in. Anyway, if you can think of reasons to knock some of these schools off the list or even if you just want to praise a school that is already on the list or one that's not, please do so! Please also note that I wanted to apply to some backup schools too, which is why you see Florida State and such on the list (plus, bf's parents live in FL). I'd like to get the list down to a more manageable 10. HarvardPrincetonYaleColumbiaU of PennsylvaniaDukeNorthwesternBrownUNC-Chapel HillUC-Santa BarbaraUT-AustinSyracuseIndianaFlorida State