DivSkool

Here's more info about Islamic Studies at the University of Chicago: http://divinity.uchicago.edu/islamic-studies Feel free to PM me with questions.

Chicago notified internal applicants via email tonight (2/18).

Come to Prospective Students Day! We're all pretty nice

This is pretty common, especially at Chicago. If you apply for a PhD in a humanities division like NELC and they reject you, your application will be recommended to CMES, or MAPH and MAPSS instead. These programs are typically unfunded, but it's possible to get some funding.

Well, definitely apply to UChicago! I can tell you more about the program if you PM me.

Chicago Div. Just finishing up my MA now, I was an internal applicant accepted to PhD starting in the fall.

Islamic Studies student here. I can tell you a lot more specific things about my experience, just PM me. As other posters have said, languages languages languages. Start learning Arabic right now. Most programs will want you to specify your Arabic background in your application, and having even a little will set you apart from the others. It's a tough language - you simply cannot be learning Arabic from scratch and trying to do research in the language at the same time, so most programs are going to want to see applicants who are already at at least an intermediate level. Don't bother with German or French now, you'll have plenty of time to tackle those later. Work on your Arabic. Having another Islamic/ate language like Persian, Urdu, Turkish, etc. will be necessary depending on your subfield. I can give you lots of advice on summer/study abroad programs for all of these languages, like I said, just PM me. Being Muslim is an interesting balance in this field. I think that it will largely depend on who you want to end up working with. For some people, the "insider" perspective is a necessary factor in the study of religion. Others think that it is in fact a huge hindrance to critical scholarship. If you're going to be working as a theologian, then great, but if not, then you're at some point going to have to prove that being Muslim is not going to be an issue when it comes time to examine whatever aspects of Islamic thought, history, literature, politics etc. you're studying from an objective or critical perspective.

At least for all internal applicants, emails were sent out by the Dean of Students on Friday night with offers/waitlist/rejections. As for external candidates, I don't really know what the deal is. I know my status but I don't want to say too much more on here because I don't want to be immediately identifiable by other people at Chicago...

I'll see what I can find out and then PM you. Hang in there!

As a relative "insider," I know that despite only one acceptance to Islamic Studies being posted, at least all the internal applicants to that field have been notified of their status. So it seems that for UChicago Div, the decisions - acceptances, waitlists, and rejections - went out on Friday evening. That being said, I personally know of at least a couple people who have been admitted to various PhD programs in the Div School after having been waitlisted or even outright rejected, so I definitely wouldn't lost hope and I would get in touch with your POIs to see what the situation might be or become for your field.

I know personally of one internal applicant who was accepted to the PR section. It seems like, at least for the internal applicants, UChicago Div sent out individual acceptances/waitlists/rejections yesterday evening, alphabetically by department (which is why there were gaps in when people were being notified - Ethics before Theology, for example). I have no idea whether this was for all applicants, or just the internal ones.

UChicago's the place to be, both in the Divinity School and in SALC (South Asian Languages and Civilizations). Now, if only they would ever let us know...

I personally know of two people who were offered acceptances to Chicago NELC last week, one internal (as in a CMES student) and one external. Their subfields are not archaeology/any kind of ancient stuff. However, I also know of people who have simply not heard anything one way or the other, and I'm not sure whether the accepted students heard officially from the department or unofficially from their POIs. Anyway. That's what little "insider" information I have.

In terms of South Asian languages, that's pretty much it. CLS and AIIS are in effect the same thing - the CLS scholarship simply provides you with the funds to go to one of AIIS' many programs. I've actually done all of the programs you mention so just PM me if you want more specific info.

Easiest option. Leaving it off the CV. thanks!