AbrasaxEos

When you are applying, you may well feel as though you have quite a pitiful-looking CV, especially if you go and take a look at those of the profs you would like to work with (or possibly the bloated bloviations of graduate students who include every course they ever took, books they've read, and hallway conversations held with big names at SBL/AAR as the exemplars of knowledge falsely so called). Despite this, if you scroll back through those same CVs of the profs you like and match up the listed achievements with their years of graduation from their various degrees, you'll probably find that back in 1984 when they graduated from HDS or something, their CV would have been quite slim as well. AdComs know this and mostly expect it. Your CV is a easy place where they can find your degrees thus far, interests, language preparation, and perhaps a few tidbits like regional or national presentations, etc. Don't pad it with unnecessary information. If you think it might be directly relevant to your acceptance into the program, then put it in, but if you find yourself asking whether or not it has relevance, just leave it off. You want your CV to be easy to navigate and to clearly demonstrate the things that will be important for your acceptance, so if they are buried four pages back in a whirlwind of barely relevant class presentations, fiction books reviewed for the student newspaper at your undergraduate institution, and membership records for the local rotary club, I don't think you achieve this. In terms of templates, go look at a few examples and ask yourself whether or not they clearly allow you to locate information that you might be seeking. I have seen some execrable examples of CVs where everything is in one long column, barely separated, in the same font, same size, with lines jutting out like a poorly-trimmed hedgerow. Don't do that.

I think it would be worthwhile to go just go for the concentrated to begin with - the comprehensive isn't really made for what you want to do, and I think that if your interests are in American Religious History that unless you felt as though your preparation was very poor or had some serious problems with GPA or something, why bother shooting for what is really less than what you want to do?

The language thing isn't so much a question of meeting a certain requirement for admission as much as it is going to be the competition that you have from other applicants to the kind of programs you are looking at. Whereas Yale might say that 2 years of Hebrew is a minimum requirement, there will be a lot of folks applying who have more like 3-4, who will also have some ability with other Semitic or cognate languages, many of whom are coming from the big divinity schools like YDS, HDS, U of C, Duke, etc. If you have not yet started Hebrew, you may well require a second M* degree to be a competitive applicant to the top schools because of the time it will take to get to a competitive level. I cannot say this with certainty, but I would guess that you would be expected to be able to very rapidly read pointed Hebrew texts, and have some ability, if slower, with unpointed ones for the best PhD programs. This was the preparation that I recieved at YDS, even though I ended up going about 1000 years later for my PhD program. There are a number of folks here who have gotten into excellent HB PhD programs that should be able to give you more detailed info on this as well.

A few years out here, but I did a concentrated M.A.R. at YDS in Hebrew Bible. The concentrated is the best for pursuing a PhD, as that is what it is really designed for. However, it is also more competitive for this reason. Your undergrad preparation would need to be slightly more focused to get into it, though I think that this depends on what you are concentrating in. Some of the biblical studies-focused ones put a lot of emphasis on existing language preparation, but I am less sure about the other areas, maybe someone else can speak to this if your interests lay there. Comprehensive is designed more for those wishing to get a general sense of things, without delving too deeply into any one specific area, I am not 100% sure what people do with such a degree, but it is good for someone who might not be interested in academia, but also not interested in going towards the professionalized degree path that the MDiv offers. It isn't hard to transfer, and many people do. Sometimes if you apply for a concentrated M.A.R., they committee will admit you to the Comprehensive, and suggest petitioning for a transfer a year in. It is more so that they can see whether you actually have the scholarly chops to do the work. Depending on where you did your undergrad, the adcom may not have a sense of whether you actually did rigorous work, or whether you stood out among a confederacy of dunces, and were given exemplary grades for what is actually mediocre work.

I would however, suggest emailing with someone at U of Oregon, etc. (any classics M.A. that you are looking at), to be 100% there is no language requirement. Glancing at the requirements from the link you posted, even with the interdisciplinary one, you need to "Pass with a grade of mid-B or better five courses in Greek and/or Latin authors" - I would very strongly assume that these courses would be in Greek and/or Latin, and coming in with neither, this would probably mean having your entire first year and first summer taken up with mostly beginning courses so that in your second, you could then take the requisite 5 courses in the specific authors, while also completing the necessary work to complete your degree. This seems to me not simply a "rigorous" program, but possibly not able to be done, if only because there might not be three separate courses that you can take in Greek or Latin authors in a single year. So, despite there not being a explicit language requirement, I would shoot an email to a director or something to see whether this would be feasible coming in with no languages. Maybe they'll let you do it in three, but this of course means that you'll have to pay another year of tuition, fees, etc.

Yes, why not? I would say that it might be worthwhile to email Adela Collins to see what the best course of action might be. If you look here: http://divinity.yale.edu/admissions/master-arts-religion , at the bottom there is a paragraph about applying to the concentrated M.A.R., but being admitted into the comprehensive one with the possibility of transferring into the concentrated one after a year of (promising) study. Explain your situation and basic interests and see what she thinks, as I would guess she would have a good handle on what kind of students get admitted into the concentrated program in NT. The concentrated program there tends to function a bit like a mini-PhD at least insofar as specific professors work with specific students. I did it myself, so PM me with any other questions you might have. I think that you wouldn't have much trouble being admitted into the comprehensive M.A.R. - it isn't as competitive as it might seem.

Yes, I think we have, and I think that there would be programs at a large number of the big name divinity schools that wouldn't require you to have languages. It would be a very rigorous two years though, in that you'd need to bring your languages from 0-60 (so to speak) fast. In particular though, I know that HDS offers free (for matriculated students) 8-week summer courses in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin - so you could pick one of those up in the summer such that you might be able to show some language proficiency by the time you apply. I am not sure though whether you can take one of these courses in the summer before you start, I am sure someone on here can speak to this. The only degree that I would see your having no language preparation being a problem for would be the concentrated M.A.R. degrees at YDS - these tend to be slightly more competitive than the regular M.A.R. they have, so people applying for them often have some language preparation. I think there is the option though to start with the regular M.A.R. and move into the concentrated one a year in. There is also the option for a third year added onto the M.A.R. at YDS, which is becoming less popular as the funding is dramatically decreased for it (I think this is the still the case). Check out U of Chicago too - they are particularly strong on languages. As sacklunch mentions, if you are serious about doing work in Ancient Christianity, you probably need to jump into an intro classical Greek class, not Koine. KU is probably fine as well. They seem to have a decent placement (though I would ask about your field specifically), but as you note here, it might be a bit of a crapshoot. The big name div schools have far more students (overall), but also a proven placement rate that a cursory glance around at some PhD student lists bears out. The reasons for this have been enumerated in a number of other topics on this board, so I won't reiterate them here. I don't think you'll have any trouble as an a/whatever at any of these places. You can be as involved in the more confessional aspects of academic life as you'd like. There is no statement of faith, expectation of creedal maintenance, etc. at any of the big name schools and plenty of folks go there wanting to study the field solely as an academic endeavor, including myself. I even went to a few chapel services at YDS and felt comfortable just being there without any robust participation on my part. As much as it might be some folks' dream to have the field firmly divided between theology and historical/religious studies - it simply ain't the case. Experiencing a variety of viewpoints and approaches to this bizarre field is to your benefit, so don't eschew it too quickly.

So as to be sure that nothing is too clear here (it's the gradcafe way, I think), I will push back against the multiple M* advice. Some people do, and lots of people don't, even in NT/EC. Contrary to sacklunch, I do know a few doctoral students, even in this field who are in TT, or pretty close to it programs straight out of undergrad. It is in no way the norm, but it does happen. If you'd like some names and places, PM me and I can provide. Now, these are exceptional students, usually from top-tier undergraduate institutions who have had the great boon of heavy language coursework and a single-minded focus on what they want to do the minute that they walk in the door. Also, you can get multiple M* degrees, and I don't doubt that it will help you out when you apply, but I also think that "almost every student I know" is a bit of an overstatement, unless you don't know that many people. In that you ask about getting one degree at Aberdeen and then another here in the U.S. - why? You've got Greek started, which is great. I would echo sacklunch in his former advice though and just say to go to a TT M* program at one of the big name div schools (i.e. the ones that you can immediately think of when you say 'div school'), do a bunch more Greek, add Hebrew, one modern research language, and apply. Why waste money doing multiple M* degrees? Even if Aberdeen is relatively inexpensive, I doubt it would be free. Most folks need to go into a bit of debt to the get their M*; but at the risk of raising the ghost of another lurker on these forums, if you need two M* degrees (and the concommitant debt that this would entail) to get into a PhD program that might, but probably won't result in a job at the other end - you'd do better with your money to go learn to use a CAT scanner over the course of 18 months.

1. I don't think that having a car in the first place is that big of an issue, especially in Arlington - plenty of people do this. It is at times easier not to have one, but as long as you are okay with some occasional aggravations, you'll be fine. The best bet is to have off-street parking in that you'll always have a spot. Otherwise, depending on your street, you may find that parking near your house is occasionally difficult. 2. I wouldn't do the "illegal" option. Cambridge meter attendants are very aggressive about ticketing, and if you are parked in a space where you either run out of time on a meter, or are in a space for longer than the allowed time (i.e. even if you put more money in the meter, but are parked for 5 hours in a 2 hour limit space), you almost certainly will get a ticket every day. Even if you park in resident only parking close to HDS, they are pretty tight on that as well. If you are parked in a downright illegal spot, you'll probably be towed. So, with tickets running from $25-30 each, things could get pretty expensive pretty quickly. Plus, in that all your vehicle's information is logged when a ticket is issued, there is a good chance that they may notice a pattern of sorts happening (maybe not, but it would really suck if they decided just to tow your car one day, in that they usually tow it to a faraway, inconvenient location). 3. I am not 100% sure on the options, but I think the unreserved surface is not for garages (that would be the garage rates), but is for the surface lots, of which there are few, and which only have a few spots. Go here: http://map.harvard.edu/?ctrx=759881&ctry=2961624.5&level=7&layers=Campus%20Base%20and%20Buildings,Parking,Map%20Text to see parking options near HDS. I think the closest, most realistic optiion near there is the big Oxford Street garage, but I assuming that it would require the slightly more expensive "Unreserved Garage" fee. Anyhow, do call them or email them to double check on this stuff, as I am sure they will be able to tell you about the various options, whether they fill up every day, etc. I don't have a car myself, don't actually attend HDS except for a few BTI classes and to use the libraries, but I do live a similar distance (though in a different direction) from Harvard. I just take a bus in every day - it takes about 25 minutes and it costs...$48 per month!

The rates are here: http://www.transportation.harvard.edu/parking/permits-rates/rates Sacklunch, I think he is talking about driving to HDS (or driving somewhere and parking), not just general parking issues, which are a different can of worms.

Alewife is in a kind of commercial/light industrial area, and most of the parking will be in the garage attached to the station itself. In general, you and lots of other people have the same idea (parking at or near a T station and riding the train in), so it costs money, I think about $7 per day + $2 for the train ride. If you feel as though a bus just won't work, and biking isn't an option, I would look into the cost of parking in one of the garages at Harvard - this is probably your best bet. Otherwise, with street parking, you'll find that the chance for repeat, expensive tickets, and even towing when it comes to street sweeping and snow is rather high in Cambridge. Boston/Cambridge is a pretty compact area with a high demand for parking, so unless you are ready and able to pay the fees associated with it, there isn't really a consistent, convenient workaround.

Parking could be a bit of a challenge, and might get expensive in that there just isn't a ton of it available in the near environs of HDS, and what is costs money. Depending on where you are in Arlington, there are a fair number of buses that run right into Harvard station with some frequency (the 77 being the most frequent and running right down Mass Ave.). Others might be able to speak more to this, but even biking when the weather permits might be an easier option.

I think that the classical Greek course woudn't be too bad an idea - if your Greek is poor to begin with, you are definitely going to have to get that to at least an intermediate level before you apply. It is good that your modern languages are solid, this will help, even if only incrementally. Classical Greek, even at the introductory level is typically much more rigorous than a Koine/NT course, and I think that if you invest yourself in it seriously for 2 semesters, your Greek should actually be about where most EC applicants who have only focused on Koine Greek claim their ability is at when they say "Intermediate." That way, I'd think you'd also be able to register for some more difficult Greek courses next year, which you can indicate on your applications to demonstrate that your abilities will be up to par by the time you enter into the program. Ask your advisor though, as I think s/he will have a good sense of what you need, and what will benefit you the most. We need more people who know Coptic, but I think that AC programs will be less than impressed if your Coptic is good, but Greek is mediocre - and a solid understanding of Greek will be of great benefit when you do learn Coptic, as there are many loan words, in addition to the whole Egyptian language written with the Greek alphabet thing!

I would try to get something on paper for at least one of the two (I assume that you may have some Coptic already?), even if it is at a lower level. If you have some existing ability in the language, is there any course that you could possibly test into at a higher level? Or are all the courses 101(ish) level? If this is the case, I would try and go with Attic Greek as opposed to NT/Koine, as I am assuming from your username that you may have some interest in Late Antiquity, and if you'd like to read someone like your namesake's brother, you'll need some familiarity with an Atticizing style of Greek, which a NT course won't give you. I think that out of the two, Greek would be more beneficial, especially if you are thinking about LA Egypt (which is my own area of study, so PM if you have other questions), Cappadocia, etc. as opposed to the non-Byzantine regions.

Sacklunch has plenty of good advice. Things have gotten more competitive than when I myself applied to programs a few years back, but I don't think that two M* degrees are totally necessary, especially if your language preparation coming out of undergrad is as decent as yours is. I think that if you went for one M* degree at a strong div school (YDS, HDS, Chicago, etc.) that you would probably be fine when applying. An added plus here is that profs in these programs will have a really good sense of what it takes to be competitive and will give you plenty of advice on how to do it, which will always trump anonymous commenters on internet message boards. On programs - I would say to look for people you want to work with vs. specific programs. If you can find someone to be your advisor, and have a few others that seem to be working in related areas, the program will probably work for you - even if it has a stodgy name like "The Divison of New Testament and Early Christian Studies." When you say Ancient Christianity/Near East, this seems to cover a lot of possible ground, though I assume that you may have something like the Late Ancient period in mind vs. something spanning a couple thousand years. The nice thing about a M* degree is that you can use it to narrow in particular places, texts, themes, etc. that really interest you. You mention women & gender, and there is certainly plenty to do there, but you'll still need to decide if, say you are really into the construction of the female body in the monastic texts of Late Ancient Egypt, or whether the ecstatic women of the Phrygian plateaus really get you going. A good M* program will give you lots of exposure to different texts, places, times, and thematic elements from which you can hone things down. So, this would be the reason that a good M* program would help you out beyond just being a springboard to a PhD. If you have interests in all things esoteric, 'magical', etc. PM me on here, as I can go into more detail on studying these things there. On languages - these are important as many will note here, but I also caution that you should really only learn languages that you will have some practical use for. Sure, it might be nice to be able to go and read the Sogdian version of Evagrius' Talking Back, especially because you would be one of about four people who can, but do you need to do so for your research? This is another area in which a M* degree will help you out. So yes, if you want to study the Late Ancient world, you will need Greek and Latin, which you at least have a start in, so keep those up. Arabic is great if you want to read stuff that begins to appear closer to the 6th century and later. Other than these, I suggest trying to figure out what the sources that most interest you are written in. If you want to study the East, you'll probably need Aramaic and Syriac; for Egypt, Coptic (Arabic would be really helpful here too though!); if you love 2 Enoch, Old Church Slavonic, etc. As mentioned above, it only helps your chances to have at least reading proficiency in one modern language, like German or French. Some places, like HDS even have nice summer courses that you can do in these languages, which are super helpful in that you can just focus on getting pretty good at the language without three other courses to worry about. All in all, from what little I can glean from your posts it seems like you have a fine start and a good focus on your interests. PM or ask more here and I am sure others can chime in further.

There are a number of different reasons - a basic 5-year plan for US PhD's goes something like this: Years 1-2: Coursework, maybe TAing Year 3: TAing, Comprehensive Exams Year 4: TAing, Prospectus, start dissertating Year 5+: Writing Dissertation, and maybe teaching. So, in the US, you typically teach and takes more courses during your PhD, which is not the case in the UK/elsewhere, where you go bascially to research and write a dissertation. Additionally, depending on what you are studying, you may have some added time, to extend a completion span to the 7+ years you mention. These factors could include: - You need to learn additional languages to work in particular sources that interest you, or are necessary for your dissertation. - You need to get good enough at existing languages to pass exams in them. - You need to do fieldwork or outside research that ends up taking longer than expected, or just requires you to be elsewhere outside of your program for an extended period of time. - You have a family emergency or other health issue that prevents you from working on your dissertation as much as you need to. - You have a horrible advisor who endlessly extends your writing with suggestions like "you should learn Portugese so that you can read this excellent book on your topic." - You are an undisciplined person, which you cover up to your advisor with claims of needing to do some "additional research" while you mostly sit around reading buzzfeed articles and wikipedia entries on legacy Sega Genesis games all day. So, a lot of things could take up your time, though it tends to mostly be at the dissertation stage, as most schools push you through the other ones quickly, and won't allow you to stagnate at the prospectus stage or something for a while. Many schools are now instituting a terminus ad quem for dissertations as well, otherwise you get people who keep paying the continuing fees for 13 years under the guise that they are actually going to pick up writing their dissertation some day, though mostly so that they can tell other people that they are 'working on a PhD at ____."

You should be able to find somewhere available outside of the Sept. 1 date. It depends on what it is you are looking for though. There will be a higher chance of finding a place if you are moving in alone, or say with a partner. The places which are roomate situations sometimes tend more towards the Sept. 1 move in. I do think that you should be able to find somewhere even in the case though, check craigslist, it is a pain because there are a million duplicate listings, and who knows if any are still available, but realtors are slammed for the next three months here. They have no need of your business, which is obnoxious, but having a few friends in the business, they tell me that the number of emails they get hourly is staggering, and they try their best to help everyone that they can. So, look all of the time - many places get snapped up on the spot here in Boston, and places are out now for J/J/A, and the good ones won't be around for much longer. On the previous post - where on Beacon Street? It is overall a pretty nice street, though hopefully when you say "a bit of an older guy" this also means that you also have a half million or more to spend on a 1 BR condo! For the question a bit above, BU/Tufts convenient neighborhoods are a bit tough, unless one of you drives or is an avid biker. Tufts isn't super accessible except by some buses (and about a 20 minute) walk from the Davis Sq. Red Line stop. I don't know what the parking situation at Tufts is like, but going to BU I can tell you that it can get pricey to park there. So, the best option might be Cambridgeport, if you can afford it. You'd probably pay about $1800 for an older 1BR there. This way you could bike, walk, or take the 47 bus across the BU bridge to get to BU, and then either the Red Line from Central to Davis and walk to Tufts, or get one of the buses that go out of Harvard Station a bit closer. The hard thing is that the public transit options for BU tend to be mostly parallel with the river, which means that there isn't a super easy way to get across from Cambridge without having to go all the way downtown and back out. You can live somewhere on the Boston side, but I think you'll find that the commute to Tufts gets exponentially more difficult this side of the river. It is pretty deep in Medford. On the broker fee - it is, as the other poster noted, de rigueur here in Boston unless you can find a privately owned building. You can search on CL for "by-owner" apartments, which will make your results dwindle, but won't include any that have broker fees. However, you won't be the only person who has this idea, and these apartments do tend to move really fast. Like here is an example (extreme, but it happened to me, so not totally beyond the pale): I went and saw an apartment in Camrbridge that was posted by a private owner, and was a good deal for a nice place. The person who lived there was showing it, and told me and the others who came to see it that the property manager was not in until Monday morning (it was a Sunday), so whoever showed up with the first month's rent and application at 7 AM Monday would get the apartment. So, I was ready to do what I could, considered camping out there, etc. However I got a call later in the day that the place was rented. How? I wondered. It turned out that another prospective tenant had looked up the tax record on the apartment, found the name of the owner, called him, and coaxed him to give him the name and phone # of the property manager, who he proceeded to call and set up a meeting on Sunday to give him the application and fee. Things move fast. Things that don't probably have something wrong with them and will be what the folks who think that they will show up on August 28th and find a place will get. So, indeed, be ready to throw down a possibly astounding amount of money just to move in. I think it is capped at 1 month broker/first/last ~or~ 1 month broker/first/security - so for a $1500 1 BR, you'd need $4500. I might be wrong on this, and some places might not follow the rules and go for 4 months up front, but I think it is technically the law. So, best of luck!

360State is the newest attempt at a new, hip building in downtown New Haven. The area a decent, though because there is a large bus stop there, people often loiter and hang around across the street, and I sometimes found this area less than desireable to walk through even in the day, let alone later at night. It depends on how you'll be getting around, but it wouldn't be my first choice to walk home to from a bar late at night (well, actually nowhere in New Haven would be, so not just 360State). I think that for the money, you could get something larger in East Rock or Wooster Square. They are about the same as far as safety and such goes, though without the bus stop across the street. There is a co-op on the bottom floor of 360 State, which is nice if you don't want to have a car and want to have easy access to a grocer. I never actually found downtown NH all that desireable to live in. In that the city is so small (i.e. you can walk from East Rock to downtown in about 30-40 minutes depending on where you are), it isn't like NYC or some sprawling midwest/southern hell-hole where living in even a close suburb can mean that you are an hour's train ride from where everything is happening. Also, with the Yale shuttle, you can get within a block or two of anywhere in East Rock from downtown pretty easily. Just my .02, but if you would really like to be downtown, I would stay within George St. (to the South) - Howe St. (West) - State St. (East) area. To the north is East Rock, so go as far north as you want.

The Deal/Beal suggestion is helpful at this point. Depending on how far you want to go into all of this stuff it can be helpful to read through some of the classic works, as MarXian says, to get a feel for what they are doing. For example, you don't need to read all 500 pages of Durkheim's "Elementary Forms..." His aboriginal "ethnography" is ridiculous, and mostly wrong, but it is helpful to understand what he is actually saying about religion, and how he is using this information. Moreso, it is helpful to be able to recall this information when someone write something like "despite Durkheim's insistence on the power of collective effervescence..." and assumes you know exactly what they mean. Additionally, I tend to think that understanding poststructuralism (assuming you actually want to do so) requires some understanding of structuralism. At this point though, I don't think you need to go into this kind of depth. Start with a survey, and as Joseph helpfully notes, choose a few folks that interest you, and read some longer works by them. If you feel like you are having difficulty understanding them, pay close attention to those whom they are "conversing" with in their text and consider reading some of them as well. I think it is good to at least get a "feel for the [theoretical] game" in your Masters program, with the expectation that you'll have a chance for further, more in-depth investigations as you enter a PhD. Don't overburden yourself, and don't put undue pressure on yourself to "get" everything. Find some professors who are willing to sit down and explain some of the more difficult works to you, and ask every question you can, however dumb it seems.

It is no problem - more just that so many similar threads sometimes fragment the conversation in too many directions and make it difficult for people to find what they are looking for. People will typically answer follow-up questions on the thread, so just do that!

How many of these threads are we going to open here?

Wooster Square is nice for the most part. Some areas border Fair Haven, which is one of those areas that you should not live in, so these border areas can get a bit less savory. However, if you exercise good judgement you shouldn't have any problems. There are a number of nice markets and coffeeshops in the area, and the Yale Shuttle service runs there now as well, so you'll be able to get in the vicinity of your apartment without too much difficulty. There are a lot of nice apartments there, with a mix of young professionals, families and graduate students living there. You'll also be close to the classic pizza places in New Haven. East Rock is typically called the "grad ghetto" of New Haven, but don't mistake the latter portion of the name to imply that it is not a nice place to live, because it is. There are lots of nice, tree-lined streets, a decent number of nice apartments, and the area overall very safe. All of the Yale Shuttles run here as well, so getting to and from class is easy. It tends to be more monolithically graduate student oriented than Wooster Square, but there are still plenty of families and professional living here. Orange Street is a nice stretch with lots of little shops and small restaurants dotting its length. In general, these two areas would be the best to stick with. Westville is a nice area, but it is separated from the main campus a bit, so you'd really need a car to get to and from school. Many of the other areas, other than that directly abutting downtown proper can be quite variable in their safety, from the downright dangerous to a bit run-down. Also, as I've posted here before, New Haven is a small, compressed city, which means that very nice areas are directly adjacent to not so nice ones, and so can change in the space of a block or two. Thus, I would really try to see the place prior to moving in. Less scrupulous real estate agents will sometimes try to play on the name recognition of areas like East Rock or Wooster Square to get you into a place that is in one of these areas because it technically might be located in the vicinity. So as a general rule, see the place before you sign, walk around the area a bit, and when you do move in, use common sense (i.e. don't walk home alone at night half in the bag with your iPhone out, holding a bag with your computer, iPad, and wallet with 500 dollars in cash in it). People get mugged, even in the best areas of New Haven, but by and large they seem to be avoidable situations.

A couple of less-common ones, that might yet be of interest to people in the Late Antique/Early Medieval field: Coptic: - Bentley Layton's "Coptic in 20 Lessons: Introduction to Sahidic Coptic" [i think better for learning initially, but his language can be very obscure at times, and you'll have to get used to what seems initially like an odd way of getting into the language; also you only get to read parts of the Bible by the end of it] - Johanna Brankaer's "Coptic: A Learning Grammar" [some people like this one better, but it is rife with English grammatical errors and the organization is confusing at times; however you get more interesting reading by the end] - Bentley Layton's "A Coptic Grammar: With Chrestomathy and Glossary" [The standard reference grammar] - Richard Smith's "A Concise Coptic-English Lexicon" [Really nice for quick reference] - Walter Crum's "A Coptic Dictionary" [The massive tome, look online, as it is available there] Demotic: - Janet Johnson's "Thus Wrote 'Onẖsheshonqy: An Introductory Grammar of Demotic" [Get it here: http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/saoc45.pdf] - Wilhelm Spiegelberg's "Demotische Grammatik" [Old, but still the main reference grammar] - W. Erichsen's "Demotisches Glossar" [Dictionary that is now in the process of being supplemented by The Oriental Institute here: https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catalog/cdd/] [N.B. You probably need someone to teach you Demotic, unless you are already familiar with an earlier form of the Egyptian language. However, knowing one or both of these will pay off greatly in understanding Coptic, especially some of the rules of pronounciation that can be confusing if you are too tied to the Greek letters of its inscription.] Old Church Slavonic: - S.C. Gardiner's "Old Church Slavonic: An Introductory Grammar" [Very basic, more intended for those who mostly want to use the language liturgically] - H.G. Lunt's "Old Church Slavonic Grammar" [More complete, but if you are not at least roughly familiar with some linguistics terminology you'll be lost after a few chapters] - T.A. Lysaght's "Old Church Slavonic - Middle Greek - Modern English Dictionary" - Also see UT Austin's site here if you just want to look into the possibility of learning the langauge: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/ocsol-0-X.html [ N.B. Again, you'll probably need someone to teach you OCS. It helps a great deal if you already know Russian or some other Slavic language, as you'll have far fewer alphabetic characters to learn, and they'll make more sense. Classical Armenian: - For learning, just use the UT Austin site here: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/armol-TC-X.html - Robert Godel's "Introduction to the Study of Classical Armenian" [A decent reference grammar] - Hans Jensen's "Altarmenische Chrestomathie" [A bunch of texts to practice on, and one of the only accessible glossaries - in German though] In general, the UT Austin site has a number of languages rooted in the Indo-European family with basic lessons, so go there and pick some esoteric language to work on in your spare time.

Don't get me wrong, being a TA is not a replacement for any of the other elements of a good application, fit being foremost among them. I will say that in each of my acceptance calls, my being a TA was commented on positively - was this the deciding factor? Probably not, but I do think it helped. Further, while doctoral programs don't particularly care whether you are going to be a good TA, the job that you might apply for after your doctoral program will. You'll gain some during the course of your PhD, but why not have some more, and in a different kind of environment? Note also that I would very much not suggest doing this if it is going to affect your academic performance negatively. I mentioned this in the first post as well. So, as with most things on this forum, you'll get both sides of the coin, and strong opinions that one side is much shinier than the other. This is one of them, as are those responding above. I think that you get the pros and cons set out pretty well, so have fun deciding!

Boston/Cambridge is tough for those with multiple pets. Most landlords simply don't want to deal with them because of the high number of students that live here (i.e. students who decide one day that it would be really fun to adopt a dog, but don't know what that actually involves and it wrecks the apartment). Hence, most just have a no pets policy, no matter what. To get an idea for what this means, go on craigslist and do a search for whatever would suit you, and then do the same search after checking the "cats" and "dogs" boxes and watch how your options dwindle. You can find something, but you'll probably need to look in a less student-heavy area and find a landlord who also loves animals, especially because you have 3. Even my own landlord very specifically stipulated that I could have ONE (1) pet in the lease. Look at Watertown, Arlington, Medford, maybe Davis square. Davis and Arlington will be more urban, a bit younger-feeling and Watertown/Medford a bit more suburban (though still retaining some urban features).