MsBOOM

Makes sense. I'm much more of a face-to-facer, as sarcasm and turns of phrase are lost to, well, computer monitors and cyberspace and all that. Just an observation from going to a relatively conservative school -- though I am liberal myself: "language games" are, by and large, the reasons why much of the conservative students cringe at liberal student statements. We are kind of like dogs chasing our tails, not going anywhere, because we are stuck in the trappings of offensive/inoffensive language, until we distort it into some benign, innocuous, PC technicalia--we don't usually move beyond it. Regardless, point taken. There's all sorts of people on this forum,I suppose, from all sorts of different backgrounds. Perhaps the only thing we all have in common, and that's a bit of a stretch, is that we all want to get into a grad school!

It wasn't GROSS as in, "GROSS" that's a gross topic -- transgendered! EWWWIE! Miscommunication, miss. What I meant to say, "It's gross" as in ---its the stuff people get WET DREAMS OVER in lefty liberal arts colleges! Might as well strike while the iron is hot with that one, no need to fight the paradigm or go against the grain, what you're studying is important stuff, it's the stuff lefties love, and that's the way that liberal arts education programs are going. Good for you. I myself am as far left as you can possibly go, so I get it. Chill out! No value judgments here... if anything, your assumption about me insulting value judgments is the same cycle of value judgments you seek to protest!

If I run into you at HDS in a class some day I'll point out how hilarious this mis-communication was!

And again, I cannot emphasize enough how I used your scholarship as an example of the "stuff" that lefty HDS loves -- not something that is "gross" because it has something to deal with transgendered images. We don't need to get all hyper-vigilant-defense-mode here. Everyone has "niche" scholarship to a certain extend, yours will work well at HDS if you are accepted.

And Trin, I truly am sorry. It's been a crappy week. I wrote without thinking straight things through.

Harvard is famous for pushing the theological envelope and the obscure. A while back someone made mention of their work with pagan religious traditions and transgendered imagery or something to that effect---that's the kind of thing that they love--the stuff that lefty liberal arts college professors find their niche and get wet-dreams over. Gross. It's not a bad thing, it's just that HDS' program has been getting so far "out there" in the aether than it's hardly a Divinity school anymore, according to virtually every professor who wrote me a recommendation for Harvard this time around -- and according to multiple recent grads who went there to study theology. If you are looking for that sort of secularized approach, look no further, you'll likely get an acceptance and good funding to do so. Here's the rub with HDS though -- although you might not have anyone to work with specifically at HDS, at the masters level you can take the Invictus route and be the master of your own fate and captain of your own soul, your own destiny -- by carving out your own program. AND, and this is great -- you can work with many other schools and libraries surrounding HDS in the Boston area. There's some great resources and faculty available at the Graduate schools and the Boston area religion/theological consortium.

In sum, sometimes to find a reputable school to cater to your needs you need to fandangle a little bit, because you don't want to end up some place really small, with no funding, because you're doing something new which pushes the envelope! Go big!

Wow. Can I ask that you not refer to another scholar's work as "gross"? Yes, I am presenting a paper this spring on embodied transgender inclusion in ritual. I also have a lovely scholarly foundation in theology. I expect that I'll end up being focused on translation and interpretation of Cairo Genizah texts. AND I'm an HDS applicant, because, as you point out, it's a great fit for me. That said, I think it's possible to comment on another's interests without making insulting value judgements. If it's not possible for *you* to make such a polite comment, can I suggest you refrain from using my academic work as some example of "gross" work?

You are an MDiv adcom's wet dream. Seriously, they love 'turn-around' stories like that. If you can tell your story honestly, and in such a way that even the worst moments serve as an impetus for your call to ministry (and it sounds like that just is your story), they'll eat it right up.

I always explain it to people that don't understand it in this way: this shiz is like Hollywood... only some make it big. Since it's my passion, it's worth the risk. And if not, well... at least I followed my dreams. Soooo cliche for me to say, no?
 
Anyway, to make myself (and others) feel better in a VERY cynical way, I tell myself that we are at the prime time to be the next generation of whatever field of study in religion we are in. First generation interfaith/inter-relations scholars, second generation feminist theologians, 1st/second generation pluralism scholars... etc. etc. etc. The first generation is dying off, man! They need us to replace them, so there will be more jobs in a few years! Maybe I'm just being delusional, but damn, they're getting old, lmao.

Develop some bad habits (drinking, smoking, too much caffeine, too little sleep). The rest really just comes together as you go.

On the day(s) you are there, drink a good amount of alcoholic beverages with students after you're done with classes.

I always explain it to people that don't understand it in this way: this shiz is like Hollywood... only some make it big. Since it's my passion, it's worth the risk. And if not, well... at least I followed my dreams. Soooo cliche for me to say, no?
 
Anyway, to make myself (and others) feel better in a VERY cynical way, I tell myself that we are at the prime time to be the next generation of whatever field of study in religion we are in. First generation interfaith/inter-relations scholars, second generation feminist theologians, 1st/second generation pluralism scholars... etc. etc. etc. The first generation is dying off, man! They need us to replace them, so there will be more jobs in a few years! Maybe I'm just being delusional, but damn, they're getting old, lmao.

I always explain it to people that don't understand it in this way: this shiz is like Hollywood... only some make it big. Since it's my passion, it's worth the risk. And if not, well... at least I followed my dreams. Soooo cliche for me to say, no?
 
Anyway, to make myself (and others) feel better in a VERY cynical way, I tell myself that we are at the prime time to be the next generation of whatever field of study in religion we are in. First generation interfaith/inter-relations scholars, second generation feminist theologians, 1st/second generation pluralism scholars... etc. etc. etc. The first generation is dying off, man! They need us to replace them, so there will be more jobs in a few years! Maybe I'm just being delusional, but damn, they're getting old, lmao.

Lately I've noticed an influx on my RSS and Facebook feeds of people posting articles and essays cautioning students against pursuing the Ph.D. I get it. The job market is horrendous, adjunct pay is shit, academic freedom in confessional schools is under fire, and tenure is quickly going the way of the buffalo.
 
Really, I get it. Now that I've been admitted to a Ph.D. program, I'm done thinking about it for a couple years (because I'm going to be pissing enough blood over the degree itself without worrying about what's [not] to come after it). But I do get it.
 
But, honestly: I'm tired of the posts. I think they are unintentionally damaging Religion departments and the Humanities in general, as they not only discourage M* students teetering on the brink of applying to Ph.D.'s, but undergraduates as well. If I'd been inundated with such a spewing of "the bad news about graduate school" at age twenty-two, I might've jumped ship. I imagine others might have done the same. Who would have suffered for that? The struggling Ph.D.'s who wrote the article/blog post who teach in seminaries or graduate Religion departments. We're killing ourselves, man. There is a case to be made that laying on the reality check/discouragement is the ethical thing to do, but I'm afraid of the unintended consequences and the scores of bright undergrads who will be dissuaded from pursuing further studies in the Humanities because of these posts and articles.
 
I'll now offer the soapbox to anyone who wants it. Your thoughts on these sorts of "Debbie Downer" Ph.D. posts?

Does he still count as an Italian if he is the son of Italian immigrants TO Argentina? HAHA

Congrats to all those accepted to HDS! Welcome, new schoolmates!
 
((Also, if you guys have any questions about anything, please do not hesitate to PM!))

So, barring an unexpected acceptance from Fordham, it looks like I'll be doing my MA Theo at Seton Hall. It feels good to have that down.

I haven't gotten in touch with him to verify who/what/where/when/how/why (I would really like to know to tell everyone!) - I'm guessing he meant that they were mailed out? (And that the emails will come shortly?)

I think I'm probably responsible for 1000 of the 12000 views this thread has generated so far.

Not trying to be a downer on you right now, but I wouldn't 100% expect Harvard or Yale to cover ALL of your tuition. Two years ago, HDS was great with grants and stipends, but last year, the budget was definitely cut. It's no secret here that the second year MTS/MDiv students definitely got more covereage than the 2012 incoming class. Barely anyone I know was able to get full tuition coverage last year - let alone a stipend.
 
With that said, I hope you do get what you want and need!
 
Furthermore, if you get into HDS and apply at the Law School (and get in), you can do a joint degree in which you get a JD and MTS within three years. I believe you would end up doing one year at HDS and the following two years are at the Law School. I think Yale has the same option (although you might want to double-check on that)... I was very interested in crossing the two, but abandoned the idea once I realized I'm wayyyy too much of a softie to be a lawyer, haha.

I think it may be comparable. I applied to Yale MARc in Second Temple Judaism and was denied (Collins runs it). I think they took two that year (2011). One of the accepted students I met on here then and he was pretty damn impressive (I think he already had several years of Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and German when finishing his UG). At least for that concentration, Collins said he wanted his students in the program to be able to read unpointed Hebrew texts, which isn't terribly demanding of someone with enough Hebrew, but near impossible for someone with minimal ability in the language.
 
In short, if you end up applying to the concentrate make sure you are a great fit. I would also plan on visiting Yale and doing some ass-kissing. That or meet up with the POI at a conference. Otherwise you may run the risk of being denied and end up not going at all. I wish I would have just applied to the general MAR, looking back. Though had I been accepted it would have been pretty great. 
 
On the flip side, you may consider the program I'm in now (Duke's MA in Religion) - we only have to take one required class for the two year degree; the rest is up to you. So it has the same appeal as the MARc, in that you can take exactly what you need and none of the 'fluff' (that MTS degrees normally require).
 
cheers

I got off the phone with the admissions department at BC, and acceptances are being sent alphabetically and they're still going out. Notifications will come regardless of acceptance or rejection, so the fact that I haven't gotten anything means nothing except that, with a last name starting with V, am at the back of the alphabet. 
 
As the saying goes, Poland is not yet lost.

I've got my backup already sorted out. I was accepted to Seton Hall last year and deferred; so if I don't get in to BC or Fordham, I'm off to New Jersey.

Cry. A lot. The kind of crying that makes you hiccup and shoot snot bubbles everywhere. And also drink myself into an oblivion.
 
Then I would attempt to start some kind of interfaith initiative of some sort - someway, somehow. If I can't do what I wanna do academically, then might as well do it on the ground.

Oh, it totally doesn't HURT your chances, but it definitely DOES help - if you know what I mean, lol (I'll even go as far as to say that HDS LOVES Muslim students - regardless of what they want to concentrate in - and are always looking for more). Great job on the classes - and in all honesty, I wouldn't go out of my way to learn Persian/Farsi, Urdu, etc in a study abroad program unless you absolutely WANT to do it... knowing Arabic (and those other languages as well) should be enough. I know plenty of Islamic study concentrations that came in here with no languages under their belt (and usually ended up in Arabic classes) - and then you can definitely pick up another language while you're here (yes, they do have Persian, Urdu, etc etc etc... a wide variety!). I came here with Urdu under my belt, but that's because I'm Pakistani and it's the language spoken in my parents' home.

HAHA, I love how we always keep it real, Nick

I know this may sound like a very crude question, but are you Muslim? (There is definite reasoning behind this that does not involve discrimination, I swear!)
 
Arabic definitely helps - so does knowing other Middle Eastern/South Asain languages (such as Persian/Farsi, Urdu, etc). Does your school offer many classes on Islam? If so, take them!
 
With a GPA like that and your languages (and that fact that you're a RS undergrad), you are actually very competitive.
 
I'm concentrating in Islamic Studies at HDS (and hope to go on to it for a PhD), so please don't hesitate to message/PM me.

Congrats!!!!!!