2020 Religion Application Thread

[NyarkoSan]

Hey all, I basically heard back from all of the schools I was most interested in attending, and am trying to decide between UPenn and Georgetown. I got offers elsewhere for the MA level, but due to financial difficulties I am most interested in going straight to a PhD. My interests are in Islamic studies, with a particular affinity for Islamic material culture and historiography. I was offered admission to UPenn for their Religious Studies PhD, and Georgetown for their Arabic and Islamic Studies PhD. Both offer similar levels of funding. I was wondering what general consensus is on the programs' reputations, quality, etc. Any advice helps, thanks!

[Theobuckeye]

9 hours ago, NyarkoSan said:

Hey all, I basically heard back from all of the schools I was most interested in attending, and am trying to decide between UPenn and Georgetown. I got offers elsewhere for the MA level, but due to financial difficulties I am most interested in going straight to a PhD. My interests are in Islamic studies, with a particular affinity for Islamic material culture and historiography. I was offered admission to UPenn for their Religious Studies PhD, and Georgetown for their Arabic and Islamic Studies PhD. Both offer similar levels of funding. I was wondering what general consensus is on the programs' reputations, quality, etc. Any advice helps, thanks!

I'm currently in Georgetown's Theological and Religious Studies PhD program. We tend to take classes in each other's departments and overlap in activities and groups, etc. There is much respect for the Arabic and Islamic Studies program, not only within Georgetown, but in the broader academic community. There are some top-notch scholars of Islam here in DC! If you want to work with international relations and religious dialogue, you can't go wrong at Georgetown. But it is expensive to live around DC, and many students commute a bit to save.

[xypathos]

10 hours ago, NyarkoSan said:

Hey all, I basically heard back from all of the schools I was most interested in attending, and am trying to decide between UPenn and Georgetown. I got offers elsewhere for the MA level, but due to financial difficulties I am most interested in going straight to a PhD. My interests are in Islamic studies, with a particular affinity for Islamic material culture and historiography. I was offered admission to UPenn for their Religious Studies PhD, and Georgetown for their Arabic and Islamic Studies PhD. Both offer similar levels of funding. I was wondering what general consensus is on the programs' reputations, quality, etc. Any advice helps, thanks!

A former colleague did his PhD at UPenn and loved it and has never stopped speaking highly of the program (his field is Japanese religious history). I don't personally know anyone that went to Georgetown in Islamic Studies or their Theo & RS programs so I can't speak to that.

That said, I've worked with Georgetown graduates on various endeavors and they were as academically rigorous as just about anywhere else.

As @Theobuckeye noted, DC is going to be expensive on a PhD stipend. Philly is too but probably not as bad.

As someone wrapping up a PhD here soon and looking toward life outside of being a student, I'd encourage you to consider what kind of job you want. Can you see yourself teaching in an Arabic Studies or a History Department? Do you fashion yourself more as a RS scholar? One of the cool things about the interdisciplinary nature of Islamic Studies and Jewish Studies is that you find scholars working in departments that they didn't get their PhD in. So it's possible to hop around but that's still largely the exception to the rule.

[LorenzoDow]

Hi all,

This is my first time ever posting in one of these forums, and I’ve got a few questions so I thought I’d reach out.

I’m an MTS applicant. For years I contemplated a career in ministry or academia, but I was derailed for a while. I graduated from undergrad a few years back from a more conservative evangelical college, but I excelled academically (3.83 GPA). My major wasn’t in Theology but in history. After undergrad I went straight to a Master’s in History, at a state school with a pretty decent reputation, hoping someday to do the PhD. After I finished my MA, I decided to take a few years off and try some other things. Now this cycle I’m trying to get back into the hustle, but decided to go for an MTS first. Mainly, I became really interested in theological history during my time in grad school, going through many personal and intellectual periods. I’m particularly interested in American Religious History, and thought that doing an MTS first would help for intellectual and personal reasons. There’s more than simple intellectual interest, or benefit to a future PhD hunt, but that’s a key point here.

I didn’t know much about the divinity school game before this cycle, and there’s still a lot I don’t know. I ended up sending out MTS/MA/MAR applications to six schools: Harvard, Yale, Candler, Vanderbilt, Boston U, and Union. So far, I’ve been accepted to Candler, Boston, and Vanderbilt, all with full ride or nearly full ride scholarships (though I can tell I didn’t get the top scholarship at any school, I’ve gotten the second to top at least two of them). Today though I was rejected outright from Union. Personally, I don’t think Union was the best fit for me, theologically or intellectually. I applied because I knew they had decent funding, and that it was in NYC. I also do not feel I put as much effort into the application as I could have, it was my last one and I feel I rushed it a bit.

But I’d never been rejected from an institution of higher learning before, not when I applied to undergrad or my first round in grad school. Do you think there was something in particular holding me back in this case (one of things I mentioned), or was it just that competitive?

I thought I would throw this out there for some insight, as I’m pretty familiar with the history admissions game but not as well versed in the theology ones quite yet. Especially with pending apps to Harvard and Yale, I’m just a little concerned. I’m fortunate I have three good schools where I have opportunities, but still a little curious. I also wanted to say that I had three really good LORs, including one who is pretty well known in her field, albeit history, who actually encouraged me to apply to Union.

Also, any recommendations for where I should head in the fall (depending on my interest in American religious history alone)? 

[xypathos]

Per Union, there's not enough to say why they might have rejected you. That said, MTS programs are more competitive than say Mdiv but neither are overly competitive at Union. Financially they're not in a great position and have had to sale or lease parts of their campus and relied heavily on Columbia to bail them out over the years. So...you probably dodged a bullet there. One of their PhD students use to be active here 5'ish years ago and said outside of a select few students, everyone was on loans, including their PhD students to afford NYC.

If you're wanting American religious history, looking at your current acceptances and speaking very broadly, go to Boston.

If Harvard opens up and it's financially feasible, that'd be an option.

Yale use to have one of the strongest American religious history programs you could hope for. I don't know if that's still the case as I'm out of the loop but I know it's still very strong.

I'm biased for New England so the decision for me would be easy but that's just me dreading summers outside of NE.

[NTNerd]

for those in waiting list purgatory, should we not expect updates during a school's spring break? Or do adcoms usually continue processing rejections and extending offers off the waiting list during their institution's spring break?

[alltheques]

51 minutes ago, NTGal said:

for those in waiting list purgatory, should we not expect updates during a school's spring break? Or do adcoms usually continue processing rejections and extending offers off the waiting list during their institution's spring break?

No idea...all speculation on my end. That said, if anyone on here wants to share the schools they are rejecting (or if they get accepted off a waitlist), it would be nice to get a sense of waitlist movement.

[bonhoeffer80]

Does anyone have an information about the deadline for waitlisted (in general)? I mean, at this point I got one acceptance (Phd in theology with confirmation deadline is April 1st) and still waitlisted in three others programs. Should I bother to wait and perharps push it until one day before the confirmation deadline since it's worth to try or just relieve myself from this anxiety?

I know, it is a silly questions.

[xypathos]

13 hours ago, bonhoeffer80 said:

Does anyone have an information about the deadline for waitlisted (in general)? I mean, at this point I got one acceptance (Phd in theology with confirmation deadline is April 1st) and still waitlisted in three others programs. Should I bother to wait and perharps push it until one day before the confirmation deadline since it's worth to try or just relieve myself from this anxiety?

I know, it is a silly questions.

Each school is different on waitlist deadlines. My school took someone off the waitlist in, I think, early-to-mid June several years back in my cohort. I suspect they went down their list to see who was still available from the way my friend (who got the offer) describes it but I don't know. I think it was someone that accepted and then backed out last minute.

You can of course ask for an extension to make a decision but they're under no obligation to offer it. On the bright side - they're not going to rescind the offer for asking but they're going to know that you're hoping for a better offer/location/school.

Edited March 9, 2020 by xypathos

[NTNerd]

14 hours ago, bonhoeffer80 said:

Does anyone have an information about the deadline for waitlisted (in general)? I mean, at this point I got one acceptance (Phd in theology with confirmation deadline is April 1st) and still waitlisted in three others programs. Should I bother to wait and perharps push it until one day before the confirmation deadline since it's worth to try or just relieve myself from this anxiety?

I know, it is a silly questions.

not silly at all! @bonhoeffer80, i think it would be worth it at least to wait to accept your offer until right before the deadline if there is another school that you would rather go to. It seems to me that people often do sit on their offers until the very end, so getting in off of a waiting list march-early april seems very possible. 

[sambam]

i called the admissions team at Uchicago for the Masters of Arts program to inquire about admissions, since decisions should have come out by now based on past years. looks like they are running late on decisions and will come out by March 23rd- 24th !

[PonderingPerson400]

@sambam Did they give a reason why its so late or just speculation on your part? That's pretty unusual on their end.

[sambam]

39 minutes ago, PonderingPerson400 said:

@sambam Did they give a reason why its so late or just speculation on your part? That's pretty unusual on their end.

yeah, I was pretty surprised by their openness on giving a timeline of March 23-24th.  The admissions lady said that they are having a delay in looking at applications (no specific reason) and to expect a decision around that time.  Following that, she said and I quote "The admissions team are looking at your application right now in this moment" which I was quite taken back by and produced a bit of anxiety for me. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by sambam

[PonderingPerson400]

@sambam?? Wow, that's really cutting it close!

[NyarkoSan]

On 3/6/2020 at 11:35 AM, Theobuckeye said:

I'm currently in Georgetown's Theological and Religious Studies PhD program. We tend to take classes in each other's departments and overlap in activities and groups, etc. There is much respect for the Arabic and Islamic Studies program, not only within Georgetown, but in the broader academic community. There are some top-notch scholars of Islam here in DC! If you want to work with international relations and religious dialogue, you can't go wrong at Georgetown. But it is expensive to live around DC, and many students commute a bit to save.

 

On 3/6/2020 at 12:54 PM, xypathos said:

A former colleague did his PhD at UPenn and loved it and has never stopped speaking highly of the program (his field is Japanese religious history). I don't personally know anyone that went to Georgetown in Islamic Studies or their Theo & RS programs so I can't speak to that.

That said, I've worked with Georgetown graduates on various endeavors and they were as academically rigorous as just about anywhere else.

As @Theobuckeye noted, DC is going to be expensive on a PhD stipend. Philly is too but probably not as bad.

As someone wrapping up a PhD here soon and looking toward life outside of being a student, I'd encourage you to consider what kind of job you want. Can you see yourself teaching in an Arabic Studies or a History Department? Do you fashion yourself more as a RS scholar? One of the cool things about the interdisciplinary nature of Islamic Studies and Jewish Studies is that you find scholars working in departments that they didn't get their PhD in. So it's possible to hop around but that's still largely the exception to the rule.

Hey, apologies for the delay in my response. I think I'm ultimately going to be leaning towards UPenn, as they overall align better with my interests, and I already have a former roommate at UPenn that would make my transition easier. Thank you both for all the information. 

[bonhoeffer80]

17 hours ago, xypathos said:

You can of course ask for an extension to make a decision but they're under no obligation to offer it. On the bright side - they're not going to rescind the offer for asking but they're going to know that you're hoping for a better offer/location/school

@xypathos, If, at the end of the day, I choose this school, will it impact my future study? Or this is "a normal situation" when one prospective student reviewing multiple offers (even a waitlisted one) that come to his/her desk?

@NTGal, well-advised! Thank you very much.. 

[rejectedndejected]

Does anyone know when Yale's MAR results will come out this year?  It's usually the 15th, but the 15th is a Sunday.  So can we expect results on Friday the 13th?  Actually, that makes sense...

[Fiat]

32 minutes ago, rejectedndejected said:

Does anyone know when Yale's MAR results will come out this year?  It's usually the 15th, but the 15th is a Sunday.  So can we expect results on Friday the 13th?  Actually, that makes sense...

I had an interview with ISM last month and I think they said the results would come out after March 15. So maybe March 16?

[xypathos]

13 hours ago, bonhoeffer80 said:

@xypathos, If, at the end of the day, I choose this school, will it impact my future study? Or this is "a normal situation" when one prospective student reviewing multiple offers (even a waitlisted one) that come to his/her desk?

I don't think it'll have any negative impact on your success and reception at the school. Faculty know full well that it's a two-way street when it comes to fit. Given the state of the job market it's absolutely imperative on your part to land at a school that will position you for success.

[Deep Fried Angst]

Just a reminder that a good number of the schools being applied to on this form have made decisions to transition most or all classes online to hinder the spread of COVID 19. This may result in delayed responses or notifications as faculty members scramble to transition their class to an online format. 

[pax et caritas]

Just got an email from Harvard saying an update was available. I was accepted to their MDiv! In less bright news, Boston College canceled their admitted students day due to COVID-19. 

[Honey Bee]

@pax et caritas I got into the Mdiv as well!! Congratulations Have you been notified of your financial aid package yet?

 

[Averroes MD]

On 3/2/2020 at 11:09 PM, hajjibaba said:

Anyone have insights about UCB’s NES reputation? What do you know about it? Thank you in advance 

It's top notch. Congrats!!! Berkeley is great.

https://www.universities.com/programs/classical-ancient-mediterranean-and-near-eastern-studies-and-archaeology-degrees(
(Like all lists, take this with a grain of salt... But, my view of Berkeley's NES precedes my seeing that list.)

 

EDIT: I didn't realize my previous response on this already went through. Forgive the double post.

Edited March 11, 2020 by Averroes MD

[Averroes MD]

On 3/6/2020 at 2:27 AM, NyarkoSan said:

Hey all, I basically heard back from all of the schools I was most interested in attending, and am trying to decide between UPenn and Georgetown. I got offers elsewhere for the MA level, but due to financial difficulties I am most interested in going straight to a PhD. My interests are in Islamic studies, with a particular affinity for Islamic material culture and historiography. I was offered admission to UPenn for their Religious Studies PhD, and Georgetown for their Arabic and Islamic Studies PhD. Both offer similar levels of funding. I was wondering what general consensus is on the programs' reputations, quality, etc. Any advice helps, thanks!

Congrats! That's a great problem to have. Both are top notch programs.

I'm biased to Georgetown but I don't know based on your stated interests.

[ndmtsapplicant2020]

Accepted into Harvard MTS (Religion, Literature, Culture track), but waitlisters rejoice, as I will be turning it down for Notre Dame. I do want to see what aid they would've offered me first, though.