2019 MDiv MTS MA Applications

[rejectedndejected]

1 hour ago, fordlandia said:

@rejectedndejected my GRE scores were reasonably low for the MTS program, 159Verbal, 154Quant, 4.5AW.  Not even sure they were above the median, and as for language training, I am an intermediate reader, writer, and speaker for the language I needed for study. Despite this, after looking at HDS sample language exam, I would probably need further schooling.

Honestly, I think it was my writing sample, personal statement, and recommendation letters that got me over. I went to a small liberal arts school for undergrad and had very involved mentors who could write strong letters.

Thanks for this.  Again congrats.  Enjoy the moment.  Victories such as this in life are few and far between. 

[xypathos]

Sorry about the bad news @rejectedndejected, I don't recall over the last five pages but were you able to get an acceptance somewhere? We can chat over PM but I'm glad to talk about the schools you applied to, look over your Personal Statements, etc. If it was a complete shutout I suspect there's some red flags that scared them.

[theseriouslady]

2 hours ago, tqrgx341 said:

Got into HDS MTS! They're only offering me 75% financial aid, however, while UChicago MDiv is offering a 100% tuition and a full stipend. This is hard...

Negotiate. I highly recommend going to the open house in April and meeting with financial aid. When I was there last April, they were very candid about their willingness to up their offers to their accepted students and match competing offers. If you can do that, then it comes down to which program might suit your interests and academic needs more. And we can talk privately about this, too. I know it was very difficult for me personally to choose between UChicago and HDS, so I can gladly be of guidance on that note ? In any case, you are spoiled for choice! Rejoice, and enjoy this moment, because you’ve earned it!

[Pierre de Olivi]

1 hour ago, theseriouslady said:

Negotiate. I highly recommend going to the open house in April and meeting with financial aid. When I was there last April, they were very candid about their willingness to up their offers to their accepted students and match competing offers. If you can do that, then it comes down to which program might suit your interests and academic needs more. And we can talk privately about this, too. I know it was very difficult for me personally to choose between UChicago and HDS, so I can gladly be of guidance on that note ? In any case, you are spoiled for choice! Rejoice, and enjoy this moment, because you’ve earned it!

I'm not who you were responding to, but do you think it would be appropriate for me to contact the financial aid office about this issue even if I don't go to the open house? I would like to go but unfortunately I do not have access to a reliable means of getting to Boston and back, although I would like to discuss competing offers with the office.

[xypathos]

7 minutes ago, Pierre de Olivi said:

I'm not who you were responding to, but do you think it would be appropriate for me to contact the financial aid office about this issue even if I don't go to the open house? I would like to go but unfortunately I do not have access to a reliable means of getting to Boston and back, although I would like to discuss competing offers with the office.

Absolutely! They can't rescind the offer because you asked for more money. I would be honest with them about your desire to attend and go from there. I, and several people here, were offered more money when asked about it. I also had schools say that offers were final. Either way, no harm in asking.

[muse2019]

4 hours ago, rejectedndejected said:

Congrats Fordlandia and Muse.  I wish I got in also.  If you don't mind me asking, what were your GRE scores that you were worried weren't competitive?  Were they above HDS medians?  Sorry to ask for so much, just trying to assess why I got dinged.  How was your language prep?

I wish you got in, too--I'm sorry about the bad news ? I had 170 V, 161 Q, 4 AW. I was really afraid that the low writing score would hurt me a ton, especially since I'm an English major and so much of my application revolves around literature/writing. And my math score was definitely below the median. 

[gotoschool]

On 3/9/2019 at 7:50 PM, ravinglove said:

Hi all!!

I'm a prospective MDiv candidate and applied for a couple of schools. But, I was wondering... anyone heard back from Vandy? I applied (after the priority deadline, unfortunately) on February 2 and was wondering if y'all had any idea on how soon they might reach out to me.... 

I submitted my application 9 weeks ago -- 1 week in advance of the Jan 15 date. I received an email 3 weeks ago saying I would hear of an admission decision very soon. 

[xypathos]

Vanderbilt releases in waves with the first waves favoring their preferred candidates. Generally 100% scholarships then descending accordingly. There's a spattering of average offers in between but preferred applicants are called by an Admissions or faculty member late January - mid-February and invited to a special weekend only for them.

[tqrgx341]

6 hours ago, theseriouslady said:

Negotiate. I highly recommend going to the open house in April and meeting with financial aid. When I was there last April, they were very candid about their willingness to up their offers to their accepted students and match competing offers. If you can do that, then it comes down to which program might suit your interests and academic needs more. And we can talk privately about this, too. I know it was very difficult for me personally to choose between UChicago and HDS, so I can gladly be of guidance on that note ? In any case, you are spoiled for choice! Rejoice, and enjoy this moment, because you’ve earned it!

thanks for the advice! will do. and that would be spectacular; PMed

[JHubbs]

Does anyone have any movement to report on the Notre Dame waitlist? 

[theseriouslady]

8 hours ago, xypathos said:

Absolutely! They can't rescind the offer because you asked for more money. I would be honest with them about your desire to attend and go from there. I, and several people here, were offered more money when asked about it. I also had schools say that offers were final. Either way, no harm in asking.

I second this!

[LSiefferman]

I am beside myself with the news that my application was not accepted by HDS. I must have really messed up, but not sure where. An HDS professor has been a mentor of mine and wrote me a recommendation. I had a small group of folks, including current and recent HDS students look over my application materials, and I visited campus, sat in on classes, and had a good conversation with admissions. I left a career three years ago to pursue the work of arts and social change, discovering the deeply important role of religious literacy and reconnecting with my own spiritual path along the way. I have been doing community work towards my academic and career goals for the past three years. I also completed a graduate certificate in Social Justice online via Harvard’s Extension School in pursuit of these goals. (Not many other social justice options in my particular area in the South.)

I certainly don’t believe I deserve anything, no. I guess I just thought I may have perhaps had a little bit of the tiniest advantage with a faculty member’s ardent support, strong writing in my essays, and all the grassroots organizing and project development I've led the past few years. I am feeling a bit lost right now. It sucks to be told you aren’t good enough by a people and place you respect very much. I truly felt I could wholly express myself and my ideas there, and perhaps within that lies my challenge... to start anew someplace unfamiliar and challenge myself to find my own way without the comfort of knowing faculty or community memebers. 

I did get into Union with some money, though not 100% funding. That is the only other school to which I applied, and between the two Union is where I felt more at home. Of course I will still need time to process the rejection.  

I share all of this for those out there who did not get the best of news this week in the hopes that it resonates with others navigating despondence and confusion. Tomorrow will be a new day... 

in close, a HUGE congrats to all y’all who received acceptances and funding this week!!! What an exciting time! I truly wish the best for you!! Silver lining for me is that I suppose I don’t have to sweat over which path to pick. Ha. 

Congrats everyone!

Edited March 13, 2019 by LSiefferman

[KA.DINGER.RA]

8 hours ago, JHubbs said:

Does anyone have any movement to report on the Notre Dame waitlist? 

I'm not sure about the other subfields, but I think only one Biblical Studies person has accepted the MTS offer so far. That means that a couple of other offers are still floating around out there. If those people don't accept, I'd guess that waitlist acceptances will go out shortly thereafter. 

[muse2019]

5 hours ago, LSiefferman said:

I did get into Union with some money, though not 100% funding. That is the only other school to which I applied, and between the two Union is where I felt more at home. Of course I will still need time to process the rejection.  

Maybe the universe is just calling you home ? I'm so sorry about the rejection and I can imagine how much it stings after you put so much of yourself into the application. Your work sounds amazing, though, and I don't doubt that this vital and beautiful work will continue to flourish regardless of which divinity school you attend. 

Edited March 13, 2019 by muse2019

[muse2019]

Has anyone heard from HDS yet about merit-based aid? The HDS letter said I'd hear within 24 hours if I'd receive any aid, and since I haven't gotten an e-mail yet, I think it's pretty safe to assume I wasn't offered any. This could be a blessing--it certainly narrows down the extremely difficult choice between HDS, UChicago, and Union! (The latter two offered full tuition.) I was definitely hoping to receive a bit of aid, though.

[tqrgx341]

8 minutes ago, muse2019 said:

Has anyone heard from HDS yet about merit-based aid? The HDS letter said I'd hear within 24 hours if I'd receive any aid, and since I haven't gotten an e-mail yet, I think it's pretty safe to assume I wasn't offered any. This could be a blessing--it certainly narrows down the extremely difficult choice between HDS, UChicago, and Union! (The latter two offered full tuition.) I was definitely hoping to receive a bit of aid, though.

Yeah in my email communications w financial aid they confirmed if you hadn’t heard from merit-based aid yet, then whatever need-based aid you were offered under Rewards is just it.

[sambam]

I wanted some time to absorb the news yesterday on my own before I wrote on the forum.

By God's grace, I have been accepted to HDS MTS program in Islamic Studies. 

A bit odd how I found out. I received HDS notification at 9am yesterday and decided to wait until after work to open it so I didn't have to remain stone cold face while at my desk. I either wanted to openly cry from getting in or not getting in. 2 hours later,  I received an email from HDS financial aid offer. At that point, I knew I got in. 

I have been out of school for a few years and was on the path to law school. I decided to take a detour and study the intersection between law and religion first. I had applied last year to HDS but got a rejection and cried tears of fire. I will never forget that moment.

I decided to reapply this year with much more intention. I called HDS to ask how a re-applicant should approach the application for a second time. I retook the GRE (studied for 3 weeks) and scored higher (although my overall score was not very high at all).  My GPA is subpar too. I had a very straightforward, concise, and direct SOP.  In my SOP, I told HDS precisely what I wanted to explore backed up by a very simple clear narrative of what led me here to this exact moment in time. After fully submitting my app, I traveled from CA to Boston mid-February to tour the school and meet a current student at HDS (hoping they would see my extreme interest in the school). 

Dreams do come true. Never thought I would be writing this post. I had below average GPA (I was lost in college, didnt know what I wanted to do),  below average GRE scores and a decent SOP. I have 6 months of language training in Arabic. 

I received full tuition and 8k/year stipend.   

Thanks ya'll for sharing your input on this forum! It helped immensely!  ❤️

Edited March 13, 2019 by sambam

[muse2019]

3 minutes ago, tqrgx341 said:

Yeah in my email communications w financial aid they confirmed if you hadn’t heard from merit-based aid yet, then whatever need-based aid you were offered under Rewards is just it.

Gotcha--then this certainly makes my decision easier! ?

[AspiringBard]

On 3/9/2019 at 5:21 PM, rejectedndejected said:

Hey what were your stats that you got in to Notre Dame with?  I'm trying to figure out what went wrong where I only got waitlisted...

For GRE, I think I had 169V, 153Q, and 5.5W. 3.87 GPA, triple major in Philosophy, Religion, and Classics. Advanced level ancient Greek and intermediate level Latin. I'm also a TRIO McNair scholar and heavily involved in various extracurricular activities. Also, I'm Catholic!

I wish you all the best and hope you find your way out of the waitlist!

 

I also got admitted to the MTS at HDS! Congrats to everyone else who also did. However, I still haven't heard back about any financial aid, so judging by the rest of you having already heard back, I take it that I didn't get any. Alas.

[muse2019]

1 hour ago, ParagonAlex said:

I also got admitted to the MTS at HDS! Congrats to everyone else who also did. However, I still haven't heard back about any financial aid, so judging by the rest of you having already heard back, I take it that I didn't get any. Alas.

Ah, neither did I! (For MDiv.) Alas. Are you leaning any particular way between Notre Dame vs. Harvard yet? Congratulations on both!!!!

Edited March 13, 2019 by muse2019

[JHubbs]

3 hours ago, ParagonAlex said:

For GRE, I think I had 169V, 153Q, and 5.5W. 3.87 GPA, triple major in Philosophy, Religion, and Classics. Advanced level ancient Greek and intermediate level Latin. I'm also a TRIO McNair scholar and heavily involved in various extracurricular activities. Also, I'm Catholic!

Hello there! Are you willing to share what your subfield at Notre Dame is? 

[AspiringBard]

5 hours ago, muse2019 said:

Ah, neither did I! (For MDiv.) Alas. Are you leaning any particular way between Notre Dame vs. Harvard yet? Congratulations on both!!!!

Thanks! Sorry you didn't get any financial aid. Turns out I was wrong and did get a generous financial aid offer. PSA: Always remember to check your spam folder... As for Harvard vs Notre Dame, it's a tough one for me, but part of me is still leaning towards Notre Dame, as I'm especially interested in doing Catholic historical theology and there is hardly any better place for that as far as I know. I'm also considering Duke and Candler (both made generous offers and have some pros of their own). So it looks like I'm just going to have to tour and discern where I feel most called. But what about? Do you have an idea of where you will go yet?

 

4 hours ago, JHubbs said:

Hello there! Are you willing to share what your subfield at Notre Dame is? 

History of Christianity. That's the subfield I'm going for for all the programs I applied to. What about you?

[JHubbs]

29 minutes ago, ParagonAlex said:

Thanks! Sorry you didn't get any financial aid. Turns out I was wrong and did get a generous financial aid offer. PSA: Always remember to check your spam folder... As for Harvard vs Notre Dame, it's a tough one for me, but part of me is still leaning towards Notre Dame, as I'm especially interested in doing Catholic historical theology and there is hardly any better place for that as far as I know. I'm also considering Duke and Candler (both made generous offers and have some pros of their own). So it looks like I'm just going to have to tour and discern where I feel most called. But what about? Do you have an idea of where you will go yet?

 

History of Christianity. That's the subfield I'm going for for all the programs I applied to. What about you?

Cool! I’m waitlisted at Notre Dame in Biblical Studies. 

[muse2019]

36 minutes ago, ParagonAlex said:

Thanks! Sorry you didn't get any financial aid. Turns out I was wrong and did get a generous financial aid offer. PSA: Always remember to check your spam folder... As for Harvard vs Notre Dame, it's a tough one for me, but part of me is still leaning towards Notre Dame, as I'm especially interested in doing Catholic historical theology and there is hardly any better place for that as far as I know. I'm also considering Duke and Candler (both made generous offers and have some pros of their own). So it looks like I'm just going to have to tour and discern where I feel most called. But what about? Do you have an idea of where you will go yet?

All good options! A wonderful set of choices to have (and congrats on aid! That's so funny that it was just sitting in your spam folder!) I'm also waiting to tour and discern, but right now, I'm leaning heavily towards Union! It feels right intellectually/emotionally and I also love the location. 

 

[LSiefferman]

6 hours ago, muse2019 said:

All good options! A wonderful set of choices to have (and congrats on aid! That's so funny that it was just sitting in your spam folder!) I'm also waiting to tour and discern, but right now, I'm leaning heavily towards Union! It feels right intellectually/emotionally and I also love the location. 

 

That’s how I feel about Union as well, but I’m concerned about the lack of academic resources at Union. I was really going to need to take courses at HKS and HGSE. All things aside, I had a better experience at Union.

@sambam did you only apply to HDS last year, or did you turn down other offers when you decided to reapply this year? What was it about HDS that made you believe it was the only place for you?