Religion PhD - Results Page

[rafnow]

Has anyone *not* heard back from UVA yet? I know a few people posted results. I emailed the grad secretary on March 5 and she said all the decisions had not yet been made. I'm really not holding out hope here; I have other options. I'm just looking for closure.

[Svartsven]

Has anyone *not* heard back from UVA yet? I know a few people posted results. I emailed the grad secretary on March 5 and she said all the decisions had not yet been made. I'm really not holding out hope here; I have other options. I'm just looking for closure.

I still haven't heard from UVA, and the the most recent e-mail I received, which was on the 12th of March, made it sound like I might not hear anything until the first week of April. I think it's really bizarre that they've notified some people of their status (i.e., admit/wait list/rejection), but not others.

[Stud. Theol.]

The secretary at UVA told me that I'm not on the list over a month ago but I read here a bit later that the lists were not complete. I'm not holding out hope; I think they must have contacted admits by this point. They, like many places, are just dragging their feet with rejection letters.

I got rejected from a philosophy program a few years ago (where I had done my undergrad... boo hoo) and they didn't send me a letter until June! By that time I knew it was over but I still wanted to get some official response for the investments that I had made--both the years or study and the $50 fee.

[rafnow]

Someone posted that they got an acceptance email from UVA *today*, so who knows what's going on there.

[sarah4153]

Hey guys, I finally heard from UVA last Friday. Accepted into the MA program with no funding. Even though the program is great, I'm not sure that can beat Rice PhD with full funding and stipend.

[Stud. Theol.]

Sarah,

Did you accidentally apply for the MA at UVA? I think there was something wrong with the application because I almost applied for the MA until I caught the error after submission. I am pretty careful with those things, so I am tempted to think there's something wrong with their routing.

Oh well, if that's the case then this years admits should consider themselves fortunate to have had some candidates electronically routed out of direct competition.

[sarah4153]

No, my acceptance letter specifically said we are admitting you into the MA program, not the PhD program you applied for.

I am flying down to Houston tomorrow. I've never been to TX, so this should be interesting...

[Svartsven]

I e-mailed Sarah Adams at UVA, and I was not accepted. It sounds like all of the decisions have been finalized.

[Stud. Theol.]

I plan to talk to a faculty member at my prospective program about funding soon. As I mentioned, I got a 50% fellowship but he said he'd be willing to discuss it. (Not sure if that means there's a possibility to get more or whether he's willing to explain why there is no more.)

Anyway, is there anything you can suggest that I can be thinking about as I get ready to speak with him?

[tingbaring]

I'm not really sure Stud. Theo. With job interviews, I've heard that you are not supposed to discuss money during the interview. If this is the first time you're talking to your advisor, you may just want to discuss his or your interests. On the other hand, if the conversation is about money, I may ask about the prospects of getting more money for excellent work.

[Revolage]

So, I received an email today that I was accepted into Marquette's Theology program (PhD). Great news! However, I'm wait-listed for funding.

Now, I understand the whole wait-listing/funding hustle, but I almost wish programs only accepted those they could fund. I'm excited about Marquette's program, but what may end up happening is that I find out that a TA-ship or scholarship opened up *after* the April 15th deadline. Which, of course, won't do me any good at that point. I guess I can just hope that enough people turn down their offers before the 15th so that I can make a clear decision.

And, for those keeping score at home, I still have not yet received a funding letter from Boston University, even though I was accepted a month ago.

[Philmajor]

Revolage,

First, congratulations on the acceptance! You must be thrilled to have received word from them, finally.

Second, I agree - they accept then keep you waiting weeks before they let one know if funding is available. What do they thing, students will attend with no money available?!

My fingers are crossed for both schools. May you receive fantastic funding from both and then have the hard decision of which school to attend.

[deus_absconditus]

I am in a similar boat; I was accepted into Loyola's PhD program in Christian Ethics, but I am waitlisted for funding. I really can't imagine going to a program with no funding--no tuition remission, no stipend, nothing. Additionally, second-year funding is competitive, so funding is not guaranteed after the first year.

You said you heard from Marquette today via email. I applied to their program as well. I hope I hear something soon.

[pinkfish]

I got an admissions offer from Fordham but was waitlisted for funding, and it sure is frustrating. Fordham was my top choice. They don't require a decision until May 1st, which makes me fear that I'll already have accepted another offer only to get offered some money after April 15.

Just admitting those they can fund, or who already have demonstrated that they have funding from an outside source, would make the most sense. I honestly can't see how anyone would attend an expensive university in New York City without a scholarship and a hefty stipend.

But I guess I was warned that money was hard to come by at Fordham before I even applied, so I suppose I have no right to complain.

My final tally: accepted to 2 of 9 schools, Southern Methodist and Fordham. Looks like I'm headed to Texas.

And another annoyance: I spent a whole semester preparing a nice writing sample only to be accepted to the two schools that didn't want it. I'm not sure what to think of that.

[Stud. Theol.]

How much does one expect to get if they are give a "good" stipend? I'm guessing that in many cases (most?) some part time work is still necessary. (?)

[deus_absconditus]

A good stipend, I have heard, is $14,000 a year or above, with full-tuition remission. Sure that's not enough to live on, unless you are single and find creative accommodations, or you are married and your spouse works at least part-time.

Is that what others have heard?

[thatindividual]

If you're very thrifty and no problems arise (car breaks down etc...) I suppose one could *maybe* expect to live solely off their stipend. But unless you're an aspiring ascetic I don't know if I would recommend it. Really a "good" stipend depends greatly upon the school's locations. A $12,000 dollar stipend to live in New York City would put you practically in the ghetto without food much of the time. A $12,000 dollar stipend to live in a Midwest city might not be such an atrocity. I, personally, have never seen a stipend over 22K but its not like I seek them out and study them for a living (the highest I remember seeing recently was for Fordham in philosophy for 20K).

[Revolage]

Stipends also vary greatly according to discipline. Religion/theology majors don't often get high stipends because their departments don't generate large government grants or receive large endowments/gifts from their millionaire graduates (mostly because theologians don't end up as millionaires). The exception to this would be Catholic universities. When I visited Boston College, a prof there told me that the Theology department is a high priority at the school and gets preferetial treatment in a variety of ways, including funding.

I've seen philosophy majors receive offers in the low 20's.

The real money goes to science and business majors. Science departments, especially at major universities, do a lot of research that the government and large corporations are interested in. I know of a student in a physics department at a state university who got $28,000 - and I *think* he was an M.A. student. Also, business alumni often give very heavily. There's a millionaire grad at the university I recently attended who has funded a ton of stuff, including two, state-of-the-art buildings. He also mentors the business students, so I know he's kicking in a lot of $$$ for them.

[fortunata]

Yale's Religious Studies dept. offers stipends around $21k, according to one of its current grad students. That's certainly top-of-the-line funding for the humanities by any standards... but then again, not many schools can claim a $100 million dollar nest egg for funding purposes.

[r&sstudent]

I need some advice...I was admitted to two programs: religious ethics (AM) at U of C and moral theology (MTS) at Boston College. As you may know, Weston Jesuit is now running (as of this fall) the master's-level programs at BC. This means that I'd get more personal attention from professors than I'd expect to enjoy at U of C. It also seems that BC's program seems to care about spiritual growth, etc.

It seems to me that both programs are quite good. I got the standard half-tuition scholarship to U of C, and I was just offered a full scholarship to BC. Are both of these places viable options for someone who wants to be marketable when it comes time to apply to Ph.D. programs? Given the earlier discussion about the chilly climate of the Div. School, I'm wary. Given the fact that BC (which seems to be well-regarded in its own right) is giving me a full scholarship, I wonder what I should do. I think I'd be really happy there, and learn a lot, but will I be in a good position when it comes time to apply to Ph.D. programs if I go there? My main focus is on ethical issues in the Catholic Church, including sexuality, ecumenism, theodicy...

Thanks in advance. If you went/go to U of C, I'd especially appreciate your comments!

[rafnow]

sbyoda02- It really sounds like you answered your own question. You have funding at BC, you "think you'd be happy there and learn a lot", your interests tie in with BC. I don't think you'd have any problem going from an MTS at BC to a top PhD program. I got accepted into a top PhD program with an MDiv from a PCUSA seminary -- BC is almost certainly more highly regarded for academics. I'd say go where you're comfortable, where there's a good fit, and where you're funded (!).

[Revolage]

Sbyoda02: I agree with Rafnow. It may also help to consider what you want to do or where you want to go for your doctoral studies. Boston College is a well-respected Catholic instituion. If you wanted to go to another Catholic institution upon completing your MTS (say, Notre Dame), you'd be in a good position. Also, Boston's PhD program in Theology is excellent as well, and of course, you'd have an "in" if you applied as an MTS student.

Also:

1. Full tuition is very important these days - don't take the offer lightly.

2. Boston is the best city in the US to study in general, but especially when it comes to religion/theology. I've mentioned in previous posts (I think) the Boston Theological Institute, which is a partnership between Boston College, Boston University, Harvard Divinity School, Andover-Newton, Episcopal Divinity, Godron-Conwell, Holy Cross, St. John's Seminary, and Weston Jesuit. If you're enrolled at any of these schools, you can take courses and access resources at any of the others, not to mention the various colloquia and projects they collaborate on. It's one of the reasons I'm *STILL* eagerly waiting my funding package from Boston University (just checked the Saturday mail - nothing!).

3. I met a few of the PhD students when I went to BC to visit. They all were extremely nice, grounded, helpful, and serious about their scholarship and faith.

So, I guess my vote (given your situation) is Boston College. I think we've exhausted the merits/demerits of the University of Chicago Divinity School.

[bah]

I'd agree with the above. The UC faculty doesn't have much interest in Catholic studies as evidenced by the fact that the Catholic chair has been empty since David Tracy retired. The one potential advantage to UC over BC for you would be that it could carry more weight with top PhD programs. But even so, it's far better to really get to know 3-4 profs at a somewhat less glitzy program than to barely get to know 1-2 profs at a famous one as far as rec letters go (not to mention mentoring).

[religiousphilosopher]

2. Boston is the best city in the US to study in general, but especially when it comes to religion/theology. I've mentioned in previous posts (I think) the Boston Theological Institute, which is a partnership between Boston College, Boston University, Harvard Divinity School, Andover-Newton, Episcopal Divinity, Godron-Conwell, Holy Cross, St. John's Seminary, and Weston Jesuit. If you're enrolled at any of these schools, you can take courses and access resources at any of the others, not to mention the various colloquia and projects they collaborate on. It's one of the reasons I'm *STILL* eagerly waiting my funding package from Boston University (just checked the Saturday mail - nothing!).

If you're already paying tuition at one of these schools and you want to take a class at another school, do you have to pay an additional tuition charge at that other school?

I'm most likely going to HDS next year for their MTS, and one of the main draws for me was that I could take classes at a number of great schools in Boston (such as MIT, Boston College, or Gordon-Conwell), if I wanted to. However, I don't know if those courses will already be considered "paid for" through my HDS tuition. I probably wouldn't take classes at other schools if I had to pay more for it. However, I suppose its nice to know that its still possible...

Also, to the poster asking between UofC and BC, I'd say go with the better financial deal. It seems that even really talented people who went to top schools for Masters degrees have been getting rejected from top PhD programs. So, even going to the top programs for Masters won't guarantee you anything.

[fortunata]

It's my understanding that, as an MTS candidate, you would not have to pay any extra tuition to take courses as the schools you mentioned. And that certainly earns bonus points for HDS! However, I spoke with a current MTS student who said that getting into classes at other schools is quite difficult. Preference is often given to the "home students" and then to students from other schools. Also, many courses (at HDS and otherwise) have a capped size limit, so once they're full they're full. This student says she's had a pretty tough time getting into classes at BTI, e.g., but it's been much easier to enroll in courses at other Harvard schools. So, while it's not impossible to take classes elsewhere, it's not a breezy process either.