Fall 2021 MTS

[CafeConGabi]

37 minutes ago, jellyfish7 said:

@CafeConGabi these reflections are really powerful, thank you for being so candid

You're welcome! I think the best way I make a decision is by getting all the information I can. 

I'll also say that if I had to do it all over again I would. I do not regret going to HDS. I think it allowed me to reach beyond my own ideas of what I was capable of. I came out a bit bruised, my soul was somewhat crushed hahaha, but I came out a better scholar. If not better, then definitely more aware of my own goals and confident about reaching them.   

[_Athena_]

I just wanted to chime in and extend a secondary word of caution. While having the opportunity to complete a graduate/doctoral degree at an Ivy League school or comparable institution is wonderful and exciting, it can also be incredibly isolating and disillusioning. I did not have a very supportive advisor and often felt like I had to navigate the twists and turns of academia with no help from anyone. My advice to everyone in this thread would be to pinpoint a professor or advisor who is really interested in YOU and YOUR INTERESTS. You're going to have a hard go of it otherwise. Wishing you all the best of luck!

[sayf]

13 hours ago, Joey_Jawad said:

This is veering into TMI territory, but I'm really stuck so any words of advice would be greatly appreciated. Basically HDS gave me full tuition, but no stipend, whereas Chicago gave me a 10,000/year stipend and I'm wondering if HDS is worth the extra 20,000. I won't have to take out a loan, but it would deeply cut into savings.

I'm eventually hoping to get into a religious studies PhD program, and my interests are amorphous.. broadly 'religion and modernity' I guess.. secularism, intellectual history, christian zionism, evangelism in asian countries etc..

HDS pro: Prestige? to get me to a prestigious PhD program? I think I've seen more HDS grads at top PhD programs? I could be totally wrong. // wider access to classes in other department, schools?

HDS con: Boston is so expensive wow. // I wonder if the size of the student body means that it'll be hard to find mentors or teachers to get to know on an individual level.

Chicago pro: more interesting classes, for me personally. // 40% of cohort apparently ended up in a doctoral program according to stats, whereas HDS doesn't provide them. 

Chicago con: This is silly, but I am scared of the hypercompetitive, cutthroat culture. Im a complete sissy and I wilt at confrontation, so I worry I'll not be able to give my all in classes. // Less facility in getting in a top PhD? is that even a thing??

I get these might all be very trivial concerns, but I would greatly appreciate any input. Thank you so so much

 

 

Hi, just want to chime in here. These are good questions. HDS is in no way more prestigious than Chicago within rlst circles. Chicago would be more academically rigorous, no question. Quarter system means you will have to be on top of your game. Money: south side chicago is much much more viable than Cambridge/Boston. If you're gunning for top phd programs in your field, both will serve you equally well. Would also try to pinpoint whose faculty you're most interested in. Don't worry about hyper-competition, a lot of these things are self-imposed but you can't slack either. Stay calm and you'll be fine. Harvard gets hyped up due to prestige chasing behavior (sorry, but it's true.) Be strategic with what professors you want to work with (either harvard or chicago) because professors at both schools can fall into two camps: they'll either give you attention or you'll just be a number as an MA. Being proactive is the best way to enhance your phd acceptance chances later on. Just make sure you don't fall thru the cracks

as both institutes are big. Be open to working with professors whom you didn't think would be part of your academic journey (they might turn out to be your biggest supporters rather than the big name in your field). Overall, it is my estimation that Chicago might even have a slight edge for PhD apps (but this is subjective and may not apply to everyone). If money is of concern, Chicago hands down. That stipend means someone thought you were excellent. 

Also, it's okay to be non-confrontational, but it would be an asset to be assertive some of the times, esp if you're heading into a phd later. colleagues and professors respect someone with an independence of voice. trust me on this if you can. 

Hope that's helpful in someway. 

Best of luck. 

Edited March 25, 2021 by sayf

[_Athena_]

10 hours ago, jellyfish7 said:

HDS and UChicago are probably the two most prestigious div schools.

Just a note that they may be the two most prestigious div schools in particular subfields. For instance, in my own subfield of Hebrew Bible/Second Temple Judaism, Harvard is basically considered defunct now, unfortunately. Yale was a lot better off in HB/STJ when I applied three years ago, but it's going to be in flux beginning this fall with the retirement of John Collins and Steven Fraade.

Edited March 26, 2021 by _Athena_

[Joey_Jawad]

Thank you everyone for your detailed, incisive comments. I SO appreciate it. I've been out of undergrad for some time now, so I feel like I have no room to make any mistakes in what feels like this momentous life-changing decision. Lots to think about for sure.. Again, many many thanks for all those who commented!

[sayf]

2 hours ago, _Athena_ said:

Just a note that they may be the two most prestigious div schools in particular subfields. For instance, in my own subfield of Hebrew Bible/Second Temple Judaism, Harvard is basically considered defunct now, unfortunately. Yale was a lot better off in HB/STJ when I applied three years ago, but it's going to be in flux beginning this fall with the retirement of John Collins and Steven Fraade.

Will echo @_Athena_. For people going for the MA,  do focus on the subfields before committing. Also, I should say that at the MA level, you can get away with not having a very close alignment of research interests with the faculty. The aim is to have breadth and just some depth. this is a time to refine your research interests, so remain focused but open as well, if that is not too much of a paradox. 

 

Chicago and Harvard's 2 year MAs do not have theses, which means that you'll not get to do in-depth research about a topic. That is fine. If you wish, you can do that through independent reading courses with faculty. Also, very important is that you do not freak out if there aren't relevant courses within the div school, these are massive research universities with a lot of departments, so it's always good to rigorously browse through courses being offered in other relevant departments. for instance, secularism stuff in anthro department etc. what you need from the MA is solid letters, evidence of thorough coursework (focus on something but also be diverse to an extent, the idea is to get acquainted with the field of religion as well, you will benefit from conversations outside your field), language training (if applicable) and solid writing sample. Take courses that require you to write a research (!!) paper not only essays, critical paper and the likes. When you apply for the PhD, you may want not even want to apply to these schools again because then academic fit becomes the most important factor. Without being a calculative robot all the time, it is important to internalize that the MA has two jobs: a) get into a PhD program b) actually develop as a scholar-in-training. all best. 

[MaryHildegard]

Is anyone else hoping they can get permission to take some sort of quant methods class in the university’s sociology department? I love data, and I also think it would look good for PhD or job apps. 

What’s everyone planning on bringing? My uncle sent me three boxes of NT commentaries, which is great, but now that I know I’m going to be living in a double room I’m not sure how many I’ll have space for. 

[CafeConGabi]

1 hour ago, MaryHildegard said:

Is anyone else hoping they can get permission to take some sort of quant methods class in the university’s sociology department? I love data, and I also think it would look good for PhD or job apps. 

What’s everyone planning on bringing? My uncle sent me three boxes of NT commentaries, which is great, but now that I know I’m going to be living in a double room I’m not sure how many I’ll have space for. 

I went from California to Boston with a suitcase and a backpack. I only took one book and the rest I picked up along the way. Anything snow-related helps. 

[Joey_Jawad]

Uh I know things often seem more dire from abroad, especially from the myopic lense of the internet but the recent spate of anti-asian hate crimes is horrifying. I'm torn between being afraid to move there, but also wanting to remove the bandaid as fast as possible and start living there because marinating in unquantifiable fear from abroad probably feels worse.

I know the best practice for this is contested, but if you have Asian friends or colleagues please check in on them. These are frightening times. 

[crossroadsph]

2 hours ago, Joey_Jawad said:

Uh I know things often seem more dire from abroad, especially from the myopic lense of the internet but the recent spate of anti-asian hate crimes is horrifying. I'm torn between being afraid to move there, but also wanting to remove the bandaid as fast as possible and start living there because marinating in unquantifiable fear from abroad probably feels worse.

I know the best practice for this is contested, but if you have Asian friends or colleagues please check in on them. These are frightening times. 

The one reason keeping me from returning to the US for a doctoral program (assuming I get into the last waitlisted one) is probably the degree to which anti-AAPI hate crimes have increased over the last year, especially since the pandemic began. I was in the US at the beginning of the pandemic and did not personally experience anything, but I was in Berkeley, which is mostly tolerant. However, I did get to hear an unfortunate racist slur from a homeless man shortly before I left. All this is to say that the risk of being attacked for being Asian and Pacific Islander is there, but with what one sees on social media and the news, one cannot see exactly how big the risk is. Nevertheless, people living there have expressed their concerns to me.

I agree with @Joey_Jawad that if you do have Asian friends or colleagues, please check in on them. Please educate yourselves too on the history of America's involvement in Asia and with Asians. I come from a former American colony, and what I became aware of about this colonial history gave me a mixed picture of a country and culture I otherwise admire. For me, that history explains a lot.

[jellyfish7]

Still no word from Vanderbilt GDR! Anyone have insight?

[sorenerasmus]

35 minutes ago, jellyfish7 said:

Still no word from Vanderbilt GDR! Anyone have insight?

I also haven’t heard anything ~ I’ve been waiting with bated breath today since the Graduate School site lists March 31 as the day admissions decisions are/we’re supposed to be released. I’m debating emailing the department tomorrow (?) to see if they can provide any update on the timeline. 

[jellyfish7]

11 minutes ago, sorenerasmus said:

I’m debating emailing the department tomorrow (?) to see if they can provide any update on the timeline. 

Definitely!!

[LakeSuperior]

I appreciate the encouragement and information provided by everybody here. To follow-up, I’ve decided to accept Yale’s offer and begin their MARc this fall. Best wishes to all still making their decisions and/or waiting for results!

[CafeConGabi]

22 minutes ago, LakeSuperior said:

I appreciate the encouragement and information provided by everybody here. To follow-up, I’ve decided to accept Yale’s offer and begin their MARc this fall. Best wishes to all still making their decisions and/or waiting for results!

Congratulations! How exciting!  I wish you well on your journey. 

[MaryHildegard]

Just saw that Harvard is expecting students to have a COVID vaccine by the fall and I expect every major American university will have the same rule. International students, do you know when you’ll be eligible? 

Edited April 4, 2021 by MaryHildegard

[Joey_Jawad]

17 hours ago, MaryHildegard said:

Just saw that Harvard is expecting students to have a COVID vaccine by the fall and I expect every major American university will have the same rule. International students, do you know when you’ll be eligible? 

Oh yikes that is potentially not good news for me. Where did you get this information? I received nothing from Harvard itself.

[MaryHildegard]

6 hours ago, Joey_Jawad said:

Oh yikes that is potentially not good news for me. Where did you get this information? I received nothing from Harvard itself.

Okay, sorry, I misread the headline title. I thought it said Harvard and Cornell but it only said Cornell. That having been said, I would still be surprised if other universities did not follow suit (currently there’s only a handful). Especially because last year there was a lot of anger over international students coming in from China. Potentially you could come early and get the vaccine here. 

[Sleepless in skellefteå]

I am already in the process of taking 3 different vaccines to meet Harvard's requirements this summer, I should be some kind of posterboy against anti-vaccine propaganda if corona-vaccination requirements are added. 

[Joey_Jawad]

 

8 hours ago, Sleepless in skellefteå said:

I am already in the process of taking 3 different vaccines to meet Harvard's requirements this summer, I should be some kind of posterboy against anti-vaccine propaganda if corona-vaccination requirements are added. 

How's the vaccine rollout in your country? In my country I think it'll be impossible to get them before term starts, so I just pushed up my flight to early August so that I can get the two jabs before class starts.  Hopefully foreigners could get the vaccine at that point. Someone said people in the states can just go to CVS(!) to get the vaccine which sounds insane to me. Lucky lucky

[Sleepless in skellefteå]

11 hours ago, Joey_Jawad said:

 

How's the vaccine rollout in your country? In my country I think it'll be impossible to get them before term starts, so I just pushed up my flight to early August so that I can get the two jabs before class starts.  Hopefully foreigners could get the vaccine at that point. Someone said people in the states can just go to CVS(!) to get the vaccine which sounds insane to me. Lucky lucky

Unfortunately, it is going very slow but it also changing a lot so perhaps I might be able to get it in time. Americans sure are lucky! Have you started the visa-process? 

[crossroadsph]

12 hours ago, Joey_Jawad said:

 

How's the vaccine rollout in your country? In my country I think it'll be impossible to get them before term starts, so I just pushed up my flight to early August so that I can get the two jabs before class starts.  Hopefully foreigners could get the vaccine at that point. Someone said people in the states can just go to CVS(!) to get the vaccine which sounds insane to me. Lucky lucky

It's terrible. I even heard advice from a member of my country's legislature saying that I might be better off getting my shot abroad rather than here. I think, in Belgium, any resident can get a shot after June/July, and by "resident," any registered international student could get it. The only concern I do have is whether people will be required to get a shot even before leaving. Ah well...

[Isaac Bobron]

Anyone hear anything concerning Vanderbilt? 

[sorenerasmus]

16 hours ago, Isaac Bobron said:

Anyone hear anything concerning Vanderbilt? 

I got a response that all results should be released  this coming week (for the GDR). It will be pretty close up against the decision deadline it seems, but I’m in the same boat waiting with you! Hang in there ~ 

[Isaac Bobron]

11 minutes ago, sorenerasmus said:

I got a response that all results should be released  this coming week (for the GDR). It will be pretty close up against the decision deadline it seems, but I’m in the same boat waiting with you! Hang in there ~ 

Thank you for your swift reply! If you don’t mind sharing, are you on the waitlist for Religion PhD?