2009 Application: Religion-Theology-Philosophy of Religion

[Prayingforacceptance]

I want to congratulate everyone who has been accepted to the doctoral or masters program of his or her respective choice. I trust that the excitement will culminate in the most excellent research pursuits. As you focus the particulars of your lives on completing your research, which at times will be daunting, remember that you worked so hard to be in this position and were chosen from a significant pool of qualified applicants who are now left to make decisions on their own respective life journeys. I pray each of your success and fulfillment of your scholarly and/or ministerial ambitions. Now, if only I could hear back from Princeton University with the good news that I have been accepted, I might be able to join you guys as a participant observer in the celebration.

[achowa00]

rollofthedice,

I'm very jealous that you're getting accepted into all of my top choices, with BC & Fordham! Congratulations on all of your acceptances thus far. Now I'm hoping you'll decline one so that I can get in off of the wait list (well at least at BC--haven't heard a peep out of Fordham yet).

[rollofthedice]

rollofthedice,

I'm very jealous that you're getting accepted into all of my top choices, with BC & Fordham! Congratulations on all of your acceptances thus far. Now I'm hoping you'll decline one so that I can get in off of the wait list (well at least at BC--haven't heard a peep out of Fordham yet).

Thank you, achowa00. I hope to make the decisions process as quick and painless as possible. I was wait-listed at several schools last year, to no avail (BC, oddly, didn't even do a wait-list last year...or so I was told when they turned me down). I know it is not a fun position to be in.

Did you apply for History or Theology at BC? Let's hope a few others decline offers to increase your chances!

[whakare]

Someone just posted an admission into Harvard. Is it in the committee for the study of religion?

[mconsul]

if you get into harvard and don't know the name of the department/program, you should have your offer revoked. (it's the committee on the study of religion, not the centre for the study of religion).

[mconsul]

haha, i just saw the edited submission/correction. just in time! i was making calls...

[whakare]

whakare:

i applied to columbia in the past (religion) and they didn't give out answers until early march, and i think i found out early by emailing the grad school (apps are sent there by dept for official notification and i don't think they minded telling me).

Thanks for the info. I wonder if it is different in case you are accepted, or if you are not...

[mconsul]

whakare:

if you look at past results, the acceptances went out a bit earlier by phone call. but not early than this point (and even still a little later). but close...

[r&sstudent]

Hello, all .

I will be applying to programs in the fall, unless I change my mind. Right now I am at BC for an MTS in [sexual] ethics. I am looking at BC, LUC, Northwestern, and possibly Harvard, GTU, and Iowa. Do those of you who got in to Ph.D. programs have some words of advice for me? I am on scholarship for this program, so I must have done something right . But...that doesn't mean that I'll be admitted to a doctoral program, as we all know. I don't plan to retake the GRE (710Q 660V 5.5AW)...undergrad GPA is 3.98 with a double major in philosophy and Spanish, current grad school GPA is 4.0. I have studied (or am studying) under Vacek, Jordan (at Harvard), Sachs, and Harrington, among others, and would like to study under Cahill/Keenan/Hollenbach/Pope (BC), Jung (LUC), Traina (NU), or Jordan (Harvard). Sorry if that was too much info...I'm just trying to give you a picture. I don't know if being Catholic will be an edge (since sexual ethicists seem to be a dime a dozen, but there may not be as many who want to delve into the Catholic teachings, particularly when it comes to sexuality and theology of the human person).

Thoughts, anyone? Did you publish a billion things? Did you just work hard in your classes and hope for the best, making sure that you wrote reflective, representative personal statements? Did you make some shady underground deal? Kidding! Also, I did Teach For America for two years (h.s. Spanish) prior to starting grad school. I wonder if that might give me a boost, since it's a little different.

A private message or public post would be wonderful. I wish all of you the best of luck, and hope that you get to have some choice as to where you will end up, with lots of funding to support you

Thanks in advance for anything you have to say!

[thekidisalright]

Sbyoda:

It sounds like you are pretty competitive, I would apply anywhere and everywhere you want to go. The only thing that would keep you out of any school would be pure arbitrariness (which is a strong factor, I admit). BC/Weston places students in awesome programs. And from what I can tell, Catholic sexual ethics is a niche that will actually help you (unlike philosophy of religion and patristics, which should be avoided like the plague). I imagine that BC is the best place for you to be, what with Lisa Cahill. Don't worry about not being published, it's pretty rare, by no means expected, and I don't know anyone who was accepted in ND's incoming PhD class who was. Emory and Fordham might also be a good place to look, they have awesome people for feminist studies and I'm pretty sure Fordham does a lot in sexual ethics. You should also check out ND, it wouldn't be as strong in that area I don't think, but there are a couple of people you could work with (Cathy Hilkert is wonderful).

-E.S.

[amdg09]

Just got work this week that I was accepted at Marquette (no funding available at this time) and Villanova (no word on funding just yet).

[thousandsuns]

I was interviewed....thanks for saying so....now that I see how many rejections and how many people apply to so many schools to increase chances, I really feel good about having gotten this far in the process....but I'm still waiting on those formal invitees to choose other schools! I suppose that happens every year. This is a grueling process, indeed. Thanks, though, demondeac....

I'm assuming you attended the interview weekend? I know the website says you don't have to be asked to the interview to get an offer, but I assumed that was just covering the possibility that droves of accepted students went elsewhere...

Thousandsuns, you should feel like a total badass for getting waitlisted, it definitely is not over!

[whakare]

Hey thousandsuns,

I was there for the interviews too. Haven't heard anything since... it indeed is a grueling process. Let's commiserate, and hope both of us get invited eventually.

[demondeac]

Four rejections, one day. Nice. Feeling good.

[whakare]

demodeac:

take care, my friend. I think Joe Biden's father had some good advice: "when you get knocked down, get up!"

best wishes

[thekidisalright]

Our condolences, deamondeac!

[thousandsuns]

Cool.....congratulations on the interview. send me an email at england.green@yahoo.com....we can chat more about the the experience, program areas, etc....

Hey thousandsuns,

I was there for the interviews too. Haven't heard anything since... it indeed is a grueling process. Let's commiserate, and hope both of us get invited eventually.

[demondeac]

Sorry for being the drama queen guys; thanks for the support. I'll keep my chin up.

It does make me wonder if there isn't some area of my application succumbing to the infamous "kiss of death": a bad letter, SoP off the mark, or even a befuddled writing sample. I'm definitely going to have to make some calls after this thing washes out... I am afraid it's not anything I can really change, like my letter writers (their reputations, or lack thereof) or lack of pedigree. If anything, I know I can work a little bit harder, and if it doesn't work out, organic beet farming here I come. Maybe Arena football?

[theostudent]

Just got work this week that I was accepted at Marquette (no funding available at this time) and Villanova (no word on funding just yet).

amdg09 -- Were you accepted to the MA or PhD program at Marquette? Have you heard anything more from Marq about funding? I saw that you completed a masters at SLU, which is another place I've applied to (they're meeting next week to decide).

[thekidisalright]

I'm going out of my mind waiting for UVA, even though I know its likely to be a-whole-nother month. Everytime someone calls my cell by accident I see the strange # and think Kevin Hart, is that you? It's like the beginning of a bad rom-com.

[studyordie]

eskidd- I checked the records from last year and it seemed everyone found out about UVa at the very end of February/ beginning of March, and it read as though they were waiting for letters. This year they of course had the "check here if you want the decision by email" box, which I checked, so I am thinking we might know something by the end of this coming week, especially if we're receiving emails. Also, here is a question for anyone who has any insight into the ongoings in Charlottesville: if I am not in a Ph.D. program next year my wife and I might very well be living in Virginia for purposes of employment. I looked at the residency requirements and I would qualify as an in-state student for the following school year if this scenario comes to pass, has anyone ever heard of that helping at UVa at the Ph.D. level? It was the issue that occupied the last page of the application so I'm hopeful, but I could also see it being an MA issue and not mattering at all at the doctoral level.

Ooohh, one more thing. theostudent, I think amdg09 was talking about MA acceptances because he mentioned Villanova and from a phone call over there it seemed their Ph.D. apps were not being reviewed as of two weeks ago (I'm speaking of the philosophy dept., since they have no theology Ph.D. but do have an interdisciplinary theology/philosophy spot in their philosophy dept. I am very much hoping to get.)

[rollofthedice]

I was rejected by UVA last year. I emailed them on March 20th because I hadn't heard at that point and was sick of waiting. They office assistant wrote me back that day informing me of the decision. I don't think the letter came for another week and a half.

Let's hope they get their act together this year. Seriously.

[amdg09]

amdg09 -- Were you accepted to the MA or PhD program at Marquette? Have you heard anything more from Marq about funding? I saw that you completed a masters at SLU, which is another place I've applied to (they're meeting next week to decide).

Yes, I'm currently finishing an M.A. (Research) at SLU, but in a different discipline. SLU has a great theology department. I took a couple of graduate theology classes last semester, and I know some of the professors quite well. I really like the faculty they've hired over the past couple of years, and the grad students are, for the most part, really nice and seem to work well with one another. There are lots of students and faculty there who take their personal faith quite seriously, and there are plenty of opportunities for the development of one's devotional life. I'd definitely have applied to SLU in a heartbeat, but because I'd already completed a bachelor's and a master's there, I felt ready to go elsewhere.

I applied to and was accepted by Marquette's M.A. Theology program. I received notice via email, which also stated that my request for financial aid could not be met at this time. I imagine that Ph.D. students will receive priority for funding, but I'm going to wait until April to accept/decline my admissions offer, just to see if anything opens up.

I was informally accepted to Villanova's M.A. Theology program last week. I received a nice email from the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department. No word yet on funding. I think my chances might be better at VU because their Theo. Dept. does not offer a Ph.D.

[amdg09]

Ooohh, one more thing. theostudent, I think amdg09 was talking about MA acceptances because he mentioned Villanova and from a phone call over there it seemed their Ph.D. apps were not being reviewed as of two weeks ago (I'm speaking of the philosophy dept., since they have no theology Ph.D. but do have an interdisciplinary theology/philosophy spot in their philosophy dept. I am very much hoping to get.)

Yep, I'm an M.A. applicant to Villanova's Theology Department.

[studyordie]

Ya, I just looked back at last years records and I didn't read carefully enough before, I found one person that got notice of their rejection on March 4 by emailing the graduate secretary, later in March someone spoke of it being strange they had notified some people in the beginning of the month and some not at all at that point. Both I and a friend currently have unanswered emails in the inbox of UVa faculty so it doesn't seem they are talking yet (or they don't care, or both), I'll be calling the grad. secretary on Friday though to see if she knows anything by that point.