Religion PhD - Results Page

[Stud. Theol.]

Anyone hear from Claremont yet? I'm hoping for some news this week.

I emailed and called (no one there)... but nothing yet.

[mconsul]

haha. guess what genius accidentally clicked/selected the MA Program instead of PhD program in his VA application?

[Stud. Theol.]

haha. guess what genius accidentally clicked/selected the MA Program instead of PhD program in his VA application?

No way! I did that too but I saw "MA" at the top of my results page a few weeks later so I called UVA admissions and they changed it. There might be something wrong with their app, because I know I was really careful with it and couldn't figure out how I ended up applying for the MA.

Well, for me it didn't matter anyway.

[Philmajor]

Stud. Theol.

The year I applied to Claremont I heard around this time; it shouldn't be much longer. Good luck!

[tiredofrejection]

Anyone hear from Claremont yet? I'm hoping for some news this week.

I emailed and called (no one there)... but nothing yet.

I got rejected from Claremont's National Scholars program a couple weeks ago, but I haven't heard from the Religion department yet.

I also emailed the program earlier this week to update my applications with an article I just got published. They said some profs have read the apps and others haven't yet, so I think it's going to be later this year than year past, probably next week at least, I figure

[Stud. Theol.]

Tired,

What area are you applying to? I called CGU today and the secretary told me that they notified Hebrew Bible applicants today but other programs will take longer.

I applied to PRT and she said that was one of the bigger application pools so they hope to have responses out by the 17th (which is their spring break).

[tiredofrejection]

Tired,

What area are you applying to? I called CGU today and the secretary told me that they notified Hebrew Bible applicants today but other programs will take longer.

I applied to PRT and she said that was one of the bigger application pools so they hope to have responses out by the 17th (which is their spring break).

Thanks. I applied ethics. Any idea on that area?

[Stud. Theol.]

Yes, she mentioned that PRT and Ethics are the PRT and TEC are the biggest areas and will take longer because there are so many applications. We may be the last groups but it sounded like the 17th was the drop dead date for them.

Good luck to you.

[tiredofrejection]

Do you know if they are accepting a proportional number of TEC students or does a larger applicant pool simply mean more rejections?

[UGAgrad07]

Adding to the information pool:

I applied to Emory, Rice, FSU, UCSB, and UNC-CH. I got my rejection from Emory last Friday by mail. Haven't heard a word from the other schools, and of course I'm panicky.

A colleague of mine was accepted to UNC-CH and was notified by phone in mid-January.

Another colleague has been admitted to FSU and Vandy in American Religious History. She was told that she was the only one admitted at Vandy in that specialty.

I initially felt good about Rice: I talked to four of the professors by phone, and one offered to edit my personal statement twice before I sent it in. Now that it's fast approaching mid-March, though, I'm worried sick.

V:680 (96%)

Q:610 (61%)

A:5.0 (53%)

GPA:3.99 (4.0 in grad work in Religion/English/Anth/Psych departments)

MA in Religion & Literature, 2 regional presentations, book proposal under review, section chairman for regional AAR conference. What gives?

[mconsul]

UGAgrad07

with every school and dept receiving way more applicants than they have room for, it comes down to a lot of things beyond how great a student you may be. one is overall prep, which could involve MA work, like you've done. another has to do with what's going on in the dept at the time. for example, has someone with similar interests to your own been admitted within recent years? how many students does (do) the professor(s) with whom you would likely work already have? a dept and faculty member can only take on so many in good conscience (if s/he expects to be a good adviser).

with some programs, all it takes is one person who is either a bit more prepared, impressive, or who fits better into the dept at this specific moment. i've spoken with profs who have agonized over the fact that they'd love to take certain students, but simply cannot in light of the space available and what the overall dept decides are the best candidates. i'm not sure where you've applied at UNC, but i know that some programs (often with the most applicants) can only take one person each year, two on occasion (and that may only be due to the fact that they extend offers to more than they plan on having since they expect at least a few to not accept).

i know it's terrible, but don't be discouraged. decisions are still out, and sometimes it takes more than one attempt.....

[UGAgrad07]

Thanks for the peace of mind, mconsul. I applied in American at UNC, but the prof I wanted to work with, Tom Tweed, announced in January that he's leaving for UT-Austin. Since he's gone, I can assume they won't want me.

Likewise, I'm assuming FSU isn't going to want me because of the ahistorical nature of my interests, and considering theirs is an American Religious History program, I'm afraid they won't think I fit.

With UCSB, I had to send off my application before I got an opportunity to retake the GRE, so I had to send out my old scores, which included a Verbal of 630 (88th %), which I'm sure is low enough to be tossed out immediately.

Which is why I'm hanging all my hopes on Rice.

In most of these programs I applied to American Religious History/Cultures/etc., except Rice where I applied to the Mysticism/Gnosticism/Esotericism program. My past research emphasis has been Religion, Mass Media, and Popular Culture.

I don't know how many people have been admitted with these interests in the past, but a quick look at Rice's student list doesn't seem to indicate that. They seem to have a lot of Philosophical Theology people. I mean, there are numerous other people doing more things similar to me, but I still think I would fit in well with the other things already going on there.

[Stud. Theol.]

Tired,

I'm not sure. There are more faculty teaching in the PRT and TEC area so I assume they take more students. But proportionally speaking, she didn't give me a sense for that.

[Stud. Theol.]

Looking forward to next year...

I am hoping to find better schools for my interests next year. Maybe some of you will have suggestions as to where I can look.

My academic interests are found at the interface of analytic philosophy and Christian systematic theology. I think that one can construct a systematic, coherent theology from the Bible (I know that many people don't agree... so I probably won't be studying with them) and that we can use the tools of analytic philosophy to test and inform aspects of our system. (Of those who would agree with me more-or-less on the first point, fewer will agree with me on the second.) Anyway, I have to tread lightly and find the right place because I know these assertions will strike many as typically modernist if not downright pre-modern. I'd say the paradigmatic theologians for this approach are guys like Anselm and Thomas.

I'm not real big on the in-vogue topics relevant to race, gender, and sexuality. Frankly, I couldn't care less, so I'd probably find some of the bigger, well-known programs places where I'd be constantly annoyed.

My problem has been finding a program that even understands the issues I'm talking about let alone take them seriously. I basically looked for programs that offered areas like "philosophical theology" or "philosophy of religion" or something of that sort. What I found is that those titles don't actually indicate anything about what the program is. I spoke with faculty at Vanderbilt, BU, and Chicago who told me that they hadn't the foggiest idea of what I was doing, didn't think the approach to theology that I took was even viable, and that I wouldn't find anyone who would support my projects at their school.

The guy I talked to at Vanderbilt sniffed out that I was some sort of theological troglodyte and sent me a paper he had written on how to cultivate multiple religious identities. Evidently, we've all been victimized by the imperialism that is standard logic. If we simply ignore the principle of identity--the self-evident idea that a thing is the thing that it is and not something else--then we can see that there are other, non-western notions of identity (though he doesn't say what they are) that may make it possible to be a Christian Hindu (which is what he is). Fantastic! Just reject elementary logical principles and the problems go away. Why didn't I think of that... brilliant! Anyway, there's no way I'd be able to stomach that sort of thing for 6 years if they think that's what philosophical theology amounts to.

So where can I look? I thought that UVA might be the place. Since I was interested in Barth and Schliermacher as well I thought that I might be able to work with Paul Jones but when I brought up those other issues with faculty members they looked at me like I had two heads. Chuck Matthews said something like, "Oh yeah, God and time. Eleanore Stump, that sort of thing? Dumb."

The only other place I could find was Claremont. I thought some of the Catholic schools might be more amiable but someone at Fordham told me that he was the only one who was familiar with what I was saying and he wasn't interested in the particular topics I had in mind.

I got good feedback from individuals at Cambridge, Oxford, and Kings College but with 4 kids, I don't think I'll be leaving the country.

The flip side is to go into a philosophy program but I fear that I won't be doing theology there. Most philosophers have to keep their work in phil of religion low key. (And please don't suggest Notre Dame philosophy. There's no way I'm ever getting into Notre Dame.)

If anyone has any sort of sense for where I might look I would be eternally grateful.

[UGAgrad07]

Just got done talking with a professor at Rice. I'm out.

0 for 2 now, waiting on UCSB, UNC, and FSU. No reason to hope for any of them.

Man, this sucks.

UPDATE, though a minor and perhaps meaningless one: I'm waitlisted at FSU.

[Revolage]

Stud. Theol.,

Sorry to hear about your progress so far this year regarding applications. I didn't get into any programs last year and was kinda bummed, despite having 2 M.A.'s, a 4.0 GPA on my last one, great GRE scores, adjunct teaching experience, and great recommendations.

I can relate to a lot of what you said. My M.A.'s are in precisely the two fields you mentioned: analytic philosophy and Christian systematic theology. Finding a PhD program that allows one to combine both is a challenge, but I do think there are options.

I'm surprised you said that the faculty you spoke with at Boston University didn't seem helpful. Did you speak with Dr. Garth Green? Besides being a genius, his research and teaching interests are right at the connection between philosophy and theology (http://www.bu.edu/religion/faculty/bios/green.html). I spoke with him about a similar project for doctoral work, and he was quite helpful and informative. There were some others at BU who also seem to have interests up that alley. I got into Boston University this time around, and am quite excited at the prospect of studying there. Also, they have the Institute for Philosophy and Religion, which I think would also be helpful.

Regarding Chicago, I've also applied there and am waiting to hear word from them. I spoke with Gamwell, and he seemed understanding of my interests. Chicago might be more difficult for one from a more conservative theological background (from what I've heard), but it still might be possible to engage in a project of that nature if one were willing to broaden it a bit.

You may want to consider another program that i'm waiting on: Marquette's Theology program. They have a program called Theology and Society which is specifically geared toward interdisciplinary work, and they are very open to integrating philosophy with theology. As a matter of fact, they consider a solid philosophy background as being crucial to doing good theology, and advised that I stress that on my application. Dr. Stephen Long does a lot of work on Barth and also is very much engaged in philosophical theology. Mark Johnson and Ralph Del Colle would also be great for such projects.

Hope that helps!

[Stud. Theol.]

Thanks Revolage that is helpful.

I spoke to Wesley Wildman who told me quite directly not to apply to BU. When I got his reply I crossed them off my list and didn't give it a second thought. I guess I don't know what to make of it if one faculty member makes it clear that I won't get in whereas another might actually be interested in what I'm doing.

Besides Chicago and BU, where else did you apply. Do you think Fuller or PTS would be good places to do philosophical theology? I might actually be able to get into Fuller. Who knows... probably not.

[religionstudent]

Just got word from Toronto after inquiring about my status my email, they responded within a day and also sent the funding info by email and snail mail. Unfortunately they provide everyone the same base stipend of CAN$13,500 for 5 years with all tuition and health insurance covered, and expect people to compete every year for additional stipends. Luckily, I have offers from others schools with much more livable stipends, so I'll be declining their offer soon. Seems like an amazing program, but it's too cold and they need to raise their stipend a bit!

[tiredofrejection]

Stud. Theol.

One program you may consider is Villanova's philosophy program. They have an interdisciplinary researchship in philosophy and theology. I went to 'nova for undergrad and they have some good systematic folks in thier theology dept. I can't say much about the philosophy department as I only took one philosophy class and that prof is gone. Might be worth looking into for you. Unfortunately I think they only have one interdisciplinary student per year.

On the other hand, maybe we'll end up at Claremont together. Here's hoping...

[Revolage]

That's very odd that a faculty member dissuaded you like that. Did he give a reason? Something like that requires justification - I hope he offered one. I'd be interested to know your background - I know many places are very suspicious of individuals who seem "too conservative" or "too evangelical", which is a sad commentary on religious institutions that claim tolerance.

Anyway, here's my rundown:

Boston University (Div. of Religious and Theological Studies): accepted, awaiting funding info

Harvard University (Graduate School, not Divinity): rejected 3/6/2008

University of Chicago (Divinity School): no word yet

Marquette University (Theology Dept.): no word yet

Notre Dame (Philosophy): rejected by implication (three of my colleagues at NIU got in to the PhD program, though!)

Notre Dame (Theology): rejected by implication

Boston College (Theology): rejected 3/3/2008

Saint Louis University (Philosophy): no word yet

Loyola University Chicago (Philosophy): accepted, awaiting funding info

I regret not applying to PTS. It seems that I would have been able to pursue my interests there. Broadly, I want to study philosophy of religion and philosophical theology. Specifically, I'm interested in (1) Barth/Wittgenstein's common disagreement with natural theology and (2) religious epistemology.

[religionstudent]

Hey,

It seems everyone has received either acceptances or rejections from Yale's Dept. of Religious Dept. What does that mean if I've not heard anything from them yet? You'd think the application fee I paid would include enough to send me at least a rejection letter?

[mconsul]

Who heard from Columbia?!

It seems that at least two (negative) notices have gone out via email/website, but I've been informed that my application is still at the department (the decisions go out from the GSAS after the apps have been sent over from the dept). What does that mean?! They were originally supposed to meet and decide by Feb 26th...

Last year they'd made the decisions by this time...

[sarah4153]

mconsul, I was one of the people who received a rejection from Columbia.

Anyone heard from UCSB? Or UVA?

[deus_absconditus]

Anyone heard from Villanova or Marquette?

[Revolage]

No word from Marquette (Theology) as of today's mail (3/7/08).