Seatbelt Blue

Really? My professor's doctorate is from Leuven. It might be different within theology. I dunno.

Nah, I'm Catholic, so it was a fair assumption. I have two main reasons for looking at European schools, and Leuven in particular: cost, and family. I've been in conversation with Leuven, and I have been told (and my mentor confirms this) that Leuven is so heavily subsidized by the Belgian government that the cost per year is 600 Euros. That's the *cost*. My mentor made very clear to me that it's an absurdly affordable program. The other side is that my wife is a Wagnerian soprano who needs to spend a couple years auditioning in Europe. I'm already an EU national, so *getting* there isn't an issue, but this would let me knock out some necessary schooling at relatively low cost without having to sacrifice a couple of years putting around Europe getting nothing done. Zizeksucks, thank you for your advice regarding American schools. I am actually going to be looking at Fordham again (I applied for my MA Theo, but they never even responded!)

I'm currently pursuing my MA in Theology, and I'm planning on doing another MA in Philosophy before I go onto doctoral work, because my background in philosophy could be stronger. My thesis advisor/mentor has been really encouraging me to move in a more philosophical direction in my work as is, as I naturally tend in that direction anyway. So I'm looking at his alma mater, KU Leuven, where my plan is to do their abridged BA in Philosophy (because I really do need to strengthen my background...) and then the one-year MA, and then taking stock to see if I want to do the MPhil or move on to a PhD in either theology or philosophy. So I'm curious: how is Leuven's program, and how difficult is admission? I've read elsewhere that it's not a terribly competitive admission process; one person reported being accepted within 24 hours. Is this normal? Or should it raise a huge red flag? Any other thoughts you might have would be appreciated.

Planning my wedding, listening to philosophy podcasts, trying to bone up on philosophy more generally, and picking up some French along the way

Me too!

So, I'm going to be starting at Seton Hall this fall, but I live in the Bronx, which is a very lengthy trip away via public transit. I don't have a car. I also have a full-time job in Brooklyn. I keep reading how it's important to form professional relationships with the other students and with professors, to be present on campus, etc. But I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that; I'll be in three classes a week, two of them in the evenings, and while I've decided I'm going to take at least one day a week to be present on campus, I'm very concerned about how possible it will be to form meaningful contacts in my department if I'm skirting in and out the way I'm fairly sure I'll have to. Any other commuter grad students with experience have any advice?

Hell, I still haven't been officially rejected from Fordham.

I submitted a book proposal to Loyola several years back on the advice of a reader of my blog who was an editor there; by the time my proposal was finished and submitted, though, she had moved on. I received a respectful reading and was declined.

I figure this would be a good thread to have and keep active: any questions any of us might have regarding thesis writing and prep. My own question: How far in advance do I need to have my thesis topic picked? I have a few vague ideas running around my head, but nothing especially concrete.

Language and philosophy. I speak Italian pretty well, but it's not exactly coming in handy in this. I did French in high school and one semester of college, but I am profoundly ill-equipped in both that language and German. I also don't have the best formal backing in philosophy. I've done a lot of reading on my own, but nothing systematic or under the tutelage of a knowledgeable instructor.

Is it worth it joining one of these organizations? I'm a total novice at upper level academia.

Seton Hall University ICSST. I'm doing the research option, concentration in systematics. Already trying to dream up thesis ideas.

WE GON' KNOCK IT DOOOOWN.

I can attest it is. Congrats, Luke! I'm going to be going into SHU for advising this upcoming Tuesday.

Me too, buddy. In seminary I was the bomb-throwing anarchist. When I withdrew from seminary, I suddenly became the most conservative person in my social circle.