Body Politics

The application process was awful, the waiting is worse, and even though I know (that I know that I know) that I want to do this, that I want to take the fool's gamble on pursuing the Ph.D. and a career in academia, the uncertainty of whether or not this will pan out in the end is terrible. But my wife, my mom, dad, in-laws, friends, and church family have been absurdly supportive. My wife holds me up when I'm weak, reassures me that something good will come of all this, despite the odds (even if that something is unexpected), and most importantly, she believes in the work that I do. She may be bored by some of it, but she knows that it all gives me life and she sees the energy I get from reading, writing, and teaching---and she wants to support that. She's already moved once for me, and is willing to do it again. That's ridiculous. Absurd. Foolish! ...And a blessing. So. Who is it in your life that has supported you thus far in your endeavors towards the Ph.D.? They deserve an internet round-of-applause, for their ministry is incredible. Edit: Oh, and let's not forget mentors!

I'd love to study with Richard Horsley, though he's never taken on doctoral students. And, since we're dreaming, I'd like the school to not be in Boston, but rather somewhere else---wherever my wife wants to live next. (She's incredibly supportive but I do feel a little guilty for dictating her next home based on my school...again.)

So far Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin is pretty awesome.

You should come over on Saturday. Brandon and I are bottling my Ph.D. Pale Ale. Unfortunately it'll be another week or two before that's ready, but I've got some other non-homebrews knocking around, too, that we might partake in. We're also going to watch Prometheus and pretend that God isn't (and admission committees aren't) capricious and brutal. It's going to be great.

Haha! That is unfortunately quite apt.

Eh, I'm NT anyway. This was just the first notification I've seen from LUC's Theology dept, of which NT/EC is a subfield. My results may be coming soon...or, you know, not. I'm just antsy.

I know, I know. It's just...we're getting close now. I can feel the heat (whether the warmth of acceptance or the burning of rejection). Congrats if that was your acceptance, though!

Impatiently awaiting my rejection from Loyola....

As a ploy to get in, or because you actually hate Duke now? Either way, it's pretty funny.

This made me lol:

Nope, but HazelMotes (on these boards) is. I am a NT guy, so Ramsaran is my main squeeze.

Are you a Church of Christ guy? A few of us lurking these boards are students at Emmanuel in the Christian Church stream of the tradition.

Tonight's distraction: late-night scary movies and microbrews.

Perfect.

Here's another dose of levity and distraction: http://pdfcast.org/pdf/corinthian-facebook-feed

Also, you should derive a certain amount of confidence from jdmhotness' avatar. Be like Nyan Cat and reach for your dreams.

Coffee, coursework, and self-loathing.

Vidya games.

On my best days, my thesis is my near-constant distraction from the misery of waiting. On my worst days, the misery of waiting is my near-constant distraction from my thesis. It's between me, HazelMotes, and probably God which of these two kinds of days I experience most often.

If you can get Miroslav Volf to vouch for you, that'd probably be helpful. Seriously, though: I think it's important to have established scholars as references (at least one "senior" scholar, two "juniors"). They don't have to be academic celebrities, but if you take a look at their CV and they're well published and active in regional and national conferences, it's likely that they'd be recognizable entities granted that their area(s) of expertise are similar to those of the programs you're applying to. I am speaking, of course, out of a hopeful optimism for myself. All of my main references are active in their fields, but only one is any sort of household name. I suspect this is true for many of us. I am also hoping that it's helpful for references to have definite connections to programs I'm applying to. 4/5 of my applications are to programs in which faculty POI's are on a first-name basis with at least one of my references.

That makes sense.

I've never heard of people listing courses they've taken. Is this a thing people do?

I wouldn't. While that sort of information is perfect for any CV, it's still going to pale a bit in comparison to some of the people you're (likely) up against who already have full courses on their CVs. I think it's not worth the risk, as adding it now might make your file stick out, and not necessarily in a good way at this point.

I mean, the end result will probably be similar. But the in between time...