Georgetown

[abram]

Hey everyone. I know that right now is a very stressful time for everyone, but I was curious if anyone applied to Georgetown for the Ph.D. in comparative religion? I haven't noticed any mention of Georgetown since I've been lurking around on here.

BTW, I'm not applying to any doctoral programs this year, just finishing my MA in theology.

[Febronia]

I applied and was accepted this year! I haven't decided yet where I'm going to go next year, but my interactions with the program have all been extremely positive. Their students seem to be doing very interesting research, and I'd certainly encourage any applicants with an interest in religious pluralism to seriously consider them. It seems to be a fantastic program.

[abram]

Congrats brother (or sister?) on your acceptance!! From what I've read, GT's PhD seems like an excellent program. Do you mind me asking what your stats are? Or perhaps PMing them? Sorry if I seem 'nosy', I'm really just trying to gauge where I might have the best chances of getting accepted (it definitely gets stressful when you have a family! ).

What are you going to be concentrating on, and what two religions will you be researching?

[Febronia]

Congrats brother (or sister?) on your acceptance!! From what I've read, GT's PhD seems like an excellent program. Do you mind me asking what your stats are? Or perhaps PMing them? Sorry if I seem 'nosy', I'm really just trying to gauge where I might have the best chances of getting accepted (it definitely gets stressful when you have a family! ).

What are you going to be concentrating on, and what two religions will you be researching?

Just sent you a message!

[Clare]

I was accepted to Georgetown's doctorate in theology and religious studies, and will be starting there in the fall 2013! 

 

Although I visited all the schools I was accepted to, I was most impressed with Georgetown's faculty and students!  First of all, the faculty are so strong in their respective traditions, as you would hope and expect; but they were also wonderfully attentive to raising up their doctoral students to be competent colleagues (in terms of intellect, mastery of the material, communication, professionalism, the whole package) .  Granted, that was a little intimidating... it seems a small and therefore intense program; Georgetown's program is on the newer side, but they have definitely hit the ground running.  So even though I'm coming from an Ivy League masters program, I quickly realized during my visit to Georgetown I wasn't in the Kansas of being a Masters student anymore! The current students there are unusually articulate about their work.  I think this is due to both substantial coursework in methodology (religious studies, and theology) and from working so closely with the faculty often in one-on-one tutorials.  So, this was all really exciting - so, it's a challenge I know will stretch me to be the best scholar I can be.  

 

Students in the other doctoral programs I visited seemed to operate very much as 'grad students,' being part of a cohort of others working on similar types and themes, being guided as a cohort through a program curriculum.  While there are benefits to this structure, I felt it allowed students at these other universities to sit  back on their heels a bit; it wouldn't be much of a step up from the environment I'm currently in at the master's level.  On the contrary, I think Georgetown does a good job of producing mature individual scholars, who from the very start set about articulating their intellectual enterprise and then doing really innovative, solid theological work .  As Febronia said above, the students all seemed to be pursuing fascinating and unique research!

 

Finally, the department couldn't be more supportive, both in terms of mentorship and funding, of helping doctoral students do what they need to do to be top scholars.  Every time I asked about opportunities (like funding for language study, for research in EAsia, conferences,  etc) the answer was always to the effect of "of course, if it will help you gain what you need, that's what this is all about."  The department really encouraged students to identify resources they need to be successful, and from the accounts of current students I talked to, really comes through in terms of helping you operate as a scholar in the disciplinary scenes that you'll need to.

 

Therefore, I'm going to Georgetown in the fall, and as you can probably tell, I'm very excited about it!

[MsBOOM]

Congrats! I PMed you about getting in - their PhD program is my dream program