PhD applications for 2013-2014 chit chat...

[Theo-Be]

thank you, though i was hoping for mid-January to drive away (or enhance?) these winter blues...

[NTstudent]

It seems that most Americans are familiar with the University of Toronto but not as much with McMaster University (different from McMaster Divinity College). Is that correct?

 

NT student...did you apply to the PhD fellowship at Durham with Watson?

I am aware of McMaster. Is that where Stanley Porter is?

I did not apply for the fellowship with Watson on writing Gospels. I assume that's what you're referring to? I applied to work with Barclay, but Durham does offer fellowship money for international students. I have yet to hear the details of the offer, but I was admitted.

[Body Politics]

I am aware of McMaster. Is that where Stanley Porter is?

 

Porter is at McMaster Div, actually. I think the campuses overlap, or are very close. Or something.

 

Congrats on being accepted at Durham!

Edited January 22, 2013 by Body Politics

[Body Politics]

So, on average, how many times a day are you all checking emails/phones/mailboxes in hopes of finding something?

 

Even though none of the programs I applied to are likely to have made a decision yet, my droid phone is never far away. Every time I get an email, my heart is all a-flutter until I see that it's a Facebook notification, mass email from school, or something from my mom. This waiting part sucks.

[sacklunch]

I am aware of McMaster. Is that where Stanley Porter is?

I did not apply for the fellowship with Watson on writing Gospels. I assume that's what you're referring to? I applied to work with Barclay, but Durham does offer fellowship money for international students. I have yet to hear the details of the offer, but I was admitted.

 

Any idea what type of scholarships are typical for international apps at Durham?

[ecotheology518]

So, on average, how many times a day are you all checking emails/phones/mailboxes in hopes of finding something?

 

Even though none of the programs I applied to are likely to have made a decision yet, my droid phone is never far away. Every time I get an email, my heart is all a-flutter until I see that it's a Facebook notification, mass email from school, or something from my mom. This waiting part sucks.

 

I'm checking multiple times a day, as well as coming on here to see if anyone has heard anything from the schools I applied to. It's really nerve wracking to not know where I'm going to be living or what I'll be doing 7 months from now. Sorry you can't make it to see Cornel West tomorrow!

[bibleprofwannabe]

I did not apply for the fellowship with Watson on writing Gospels. I assume that's what you're referring to? I applied to work with Barclay, but Durham does offer fellowship money for international students. I have yet to hear the details of the offer, but I was admitted.

 

Yup, that's the one. As far as I understand, in the UK, funding often covers EU fees and sometimes some stipend for living expenses. International students have to (usually) come up with the difference in tuition fees between International and EU rates. But I'm sure this will differ from school to school and also depending on the applicant. Hopefully, you receive a good funding package!

 

 

Porter is at McMaster Div, actually. I think the campuses overlap, or are very close. Or something.

 

Yeah, that's right. McMaster University (Religious Studies) and McMaster Divinity College are actually on the same campus.

 

However, the programs really have close to zero participation. Graduate (and undergraduate) students at the University can take intro to Hebrew and Greek at the Divinity college but that is the extent of the cooperation. There is no cross-pollination when it comes to graduate seminars or graduate supervision. Also, there is much more available funding at Mac U than at Mac Div. 

 

The faculty at McMaster University include: Weterholm and Runesson (NT); Schuller and Machiela (DSS)

At Mac Div: Porter (NT) and Boda (OT).  

[Body Politics]

Sorry you can't make it to see Cornel West tomorrow!

 

Yeah, man. I was already scheduled to work that night. I might have been able to get someone to cover my shift, but then I was waylaid by a sneak-attack back injury. Day three in bed. Lots of Netflix and hydrocodone, though. So it hasn't been all bad.

[HazelMotes]

Well, I told myself I wasn't going to get on grad cafe and see who's heard from schools. It obviously is not going to help my already-submitted applications. The only good that can come from this is a more informed worrying. That lasted until this week. Now, after lurking all week I feel like I should contribute. I mean, it's better than working on my thesis, right? 

I've applied to the following programs:

Baylor
Duke (ThD)

Loyola Chicago
Marquette 
Notre Dame (Moral Theology) 
St. Louis (Historical—modern)

SMU
Yale

 

Good luck to you all. 

[LateAntique]

any evidence that suggests when ND will contact?  i am dying.  what about bc, do they interview?  good luck to those waiting to hear from vandy, duke, emory, pts, hds, yds, etc.

 

Faculty are still looking over applications. Expect contacts for the interview weekend to happen around the beginning of February. I think it's typically done right after the superbowl. 

[Kuriakos]

Yep.  They currently have 8 students in the AMR subfield, which means probably just one per year and at most two.  Sigh.  That is a bummer.  Looks like no luck for either one of us unless that lucky individual ends up turning them down.

 

Maybe this has changed recently, but Bart told me last year when I took a class with him that they don't usually do waitlists at UNC. They gauge how many students they currently have and projected graduations, then decide the number of offers to make. If no one accepts in that subfield, they just don't have anyone new. They then balance it out by accepting more people the next year. 

[belichick]

Maybe this has changed recently, but Bart told me last year when I took a class with him that they don't usually do waitlists at UNC. They gauge how many students they currently have and projected graduations, then decide the number of offers to make. If no one accepts in that subfield, they just don't have anyone new. They then balance it out by accepting more people the next year. 

 

I've actually been curious about waitlisting for a while now. Do you know of schools that openly communicate that you have been waitlisted? Or do we assume that if we haven't heard anything that we are still under consideration (i.e. waitlisted)?

[bondsdw]

So, on average, how many times a day are you all checking emails/phones/mailboxes in hopes of finding something?

 

Even though none of the programs I applied to are likely to have made a decision yet, my droid phone is never far away. Every time I get an email, my heart is all a-flutter until I see that it's a Facebook notification, mass email from school, or something from my mom. This waiting part sucks.

 

Way, way too much...

 

Maybe this has changed recently, but Bart told me last year when I took a class with him that they don't usually do waitlists at UNC. They gauge how many students they currently have and projected graduations, then decide the number of offers to make. If no one accepts in that subfield, they just don't have anyone new. They then balance it out by accepting more people the next year. 

 

That's interesting.  And also disappointing if that is the case at UNC.  I had no idea that some schools did it like that.  I just assumed that everyone filled all their rejected offer slots, even if it is sometimes with candidates in another subfield.

 

I've actually been curious about waitlisting for a while now. Do you know of schools that openly communicate that you have been waitlisted? Or do we assume that if we haven't heard anything that we are still under consideration (i.e. waitlisted)?

 

When I applied to master's programs, I had some schools email me quite early and tell me the exact number I was on their wait-list, and I had others who never contacted me all the way through April while I was still on their wait-list the whole time (and I actually ended up getting accepted at one post-April 15 after someone turned them down at the last minute!).  So it just depends on the school.  I'm not sure which is more common, but I'd like to hope that most places would at least let you know that you are on their wait-list.

Edited January 22, 2013 by bondsdw

[11Q13]

I got an invitation for a Skype interview at U Michigan

FYI, Harvard committee for New Testament is meeting Monday, and the other sub-fields will be next week as well I presume.

Edited January 22, 2013 by 11Q13

[john1230303]

I wonder if anyone has received rejections from American Programs yet. It seems like we should have heard something if the interviews have already been decided

[la sarar]

I got an invitation for a Skype interview at U Michigan

FYI, Harvard committee for New Testament is meeting Monday, and the other sub-fields will be next week as well I presume.

 

Do you mean next Monday? First day of class? 

Also, is it just Harvard Committee of Religion or, in the case of Hebrew Bible, NELC as well?

Thank you!

[11Q13]

Monday as in the 28th of January. The whole ThD vs PhD thing is a bit bureaucratic so I'm not sure if the same committee meetings address both, or if NELC is handled by separate committee either. I was also given the impression that, even after their meeting, they might not be sending offers for a little while yet.

Edited January 23, 2013 by 11Q13

[belichick]

When I applied to master's programs, I had some schools email me quite early and tell me the exact number I was on their wait-list, and I had others who never contacted me all the way through April while I was still on their wait-list the whole time (and I actually ended up getting accepted at one post-April 15 after someone turned them down at the last minute!).  So it just depends on the school.  I'm not sure which is more common, but I'd like to hope that most places would at least let you know that you are on their wait-list.

 

Anyone have info on waitlisting protocol for PhD programs?

[sacklunch]

Monday as in the 28th of January. The whole ThD vs PhD thing is a bit bureaucratic so I'm not sure if the same committee meetings address both, or if NELC is handled by separate committee either. I was also given the impression that, even after their meeting, they might not be sending offers for a little while yet.

 

I'm curious, since you were at Harvard, is there any real advantage/disadvantage of applying to say HDS over, for instance, NELC? I see that a lot of the same faculty has appointments in all of these departments....but I'm a bit confused on which one to apply to? I'm mostly interested in working with Saley and Teeter, FWIW. 

best

[belichick]

I'm curious, since you were at Harvard, is there any real advantage/disadvantage of applying to say HDS over, for instance, NELC? I see that a lot of the same faculty has appointments in all of these departments....but I'm a bit confused on which one to apply to? I'm mostly interested in working with Saley and Teeter, FWIW. 

best

 

i know you weren't asking me, but i may have some insight here. the big differentiating factor that i've heard of is HDS grants you a ThD instead of a PhD...the coursework, exams, diss are all the same. But you spend the rest of your life having to explain to some that a ThD is the same as a PhD. Everyone I know in NT applies to GSAS and HDS. Everyone I know who has applied to HB has applied to GSAS, NELC, and HDS.

[newenglandshawn]

Everyone I know who has applied to HB has applied to GSAS, NELC, and HDS.

So you can apply to all three at the same time? Just based upon the respective websites, and who they list as current students and recent dissertations, plus from what I've heard from others, it seems like the only program that is taking HB students is the ThD. Does that seem accurate?

The NELC page indicates that they were no HB PhD students accepted this year.

[sacklunch]

So you can apply to all three at the same time? Just based upon the respective websites, and who they list as current students and recent dissertations, plus from what I've heard from others, it seems like the only program that is taking HB students is the ThD. Does that seem accurate?

The NELC page indicates that they were no HB PhD students accepted this year.

 

Great question which I also meant to ask. Since they are all in dialogue with one another (I imagine?), I can't see applying to all separately very productive. Thoughts?

[newenglandshawn]

Great question which I also meant to ask. Since they are all in dialogue with one another (I imagine?), I can't see applying to all separately very productive. Thoughts?

 

If you haven't come across this page yet, check it out: http://studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70796&pageid=icb.page342440

 

Even though the ThD is technically "governed and granted" through the Divinity School, the Committee on the Study of Religion is the one that "administers" it. They also administer the GSAS PhD. And this is what they say about applying for both the ThD and Phd:

 

 

 

4. Can I apply to both the Ph.D. and the Th.D.?

Yes, if you have an M.Div. (or equivalent) which is required for the Th.D. There is no disadvantage in applying to both programs (assuming you have viable proposals for each). While the same faculty members review both Ph.D. and Th.D. applications, admissions is done separately, so that whether one is admitted to one program has no bearing on the chances of being admitted to the other.

 

 

 

I also contacted someone from the Committee about the two programs and this was her response: "It is common for applicants to apply to both the ThD program here at HDS and the PhD program at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. . . . The Th.D. and Ph.D. programs overseen by the Committee on the Study of Religion (CSR) are moving closer and closer together and are essentially one program now."

[la sarar]

i know you weren't asking me, but i may have some insight here. the big differentiating factor that i've heard of is HDS grants you a ThD instead of a PhD...the coursework, exams, diss are all the same. But you spend the rest of your life having to explain to some that a ThD is the same as a PhD. Everyone I know in NT applies to GSAS and HDS. Everyone I know who has applied to HB has applied to GSAS, NELC, and HDS.

 

I'm applying from HDS to NELC only. Prof. M told me that this suits me and HDS/Religion doesn't. But it seems that I'm taking risks. If he doesn't accept me, well, which is of course possible, I'll be regretting not having applied also to HDS. 

[la sarar]

Great question which I also meant to ask. Since they are all in dialogue with one another (I imagine?), I can't see applying to all separately very productive. Thoughts?

 

I know one guy who got in HDS but didn't make it into Religion. He is in Jewish studies, though. Same teachers, in this case, Prof. JDL, but he got into only one program.

 

There are different sources of money.