How do you like my chances?

[Hector Varela Jr.]

I am sorry if there is another thread for this. i also tried posting it once before and did not succeed (I don't see it). I am a newbie at this site. I apologize beforehand for any breaches in forum etiquette.

I am a 44yr old professional engineer trying for a change of career. Info about me:

Bach Sci Mech Eng, Univ Puerto Rico Mayaguez '90, GPA overall 2.76, major 3.00

Masters in Arts in Religion, Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico '04, GPA 3.98 (part-time)

GRE taken Nov 2012 Verbal 91 percentile, Quantitative 73 percentile

Adult Bible teacher and Lay preacher at my local church.

Founding member of The Center for Interreligious Dialogue 2009. Have participated in visits to other local faiths' places of worship, book review panels, conferences, and other activities. Will chair a panel on the concept of death bewteen a spritist, a mysticism professor and a priest in a couple of weeks.

Professionally, I am president of a small construction company (owned by my family). We have done about $200million in construction projects in the last 20 years. Have had up to 250 employees; down (but definitely not out!) due to the economy. Was named Project Manager of the Year by the local Associated General Contractors in 2011, among other honors both personal and corporate.

Have applied to BU, Temple, Univ Chicago and HDS. Like my chances on the first three, reaching on the fourth. My interest lie in Religion and Science, especially the scientific study of religion (anthropology, phenomenology, sociology, etc). Like very much the DRTS Track IV of BU.

How do you like my chances? i am as anxious as a 19 year old freshman.

[Eager]

I am sorry if there is another thread for this. i also tried posting it once before and did not succeed (I don't see it). I am a newbie at this site. I apologize beforehand for any breaches in forum etiquette.

I am a 44yr old professional engineer trying for a change of career. Info about me:

Bach Sci Mech Eng, Univ Puerto Rico Mayaguez '90, GPA overall 2.76, major 3.00

Masters in Arts in Religion, Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico '04, GPA 3.98 (part-time)

GRE taken Nov 2012 Verbal 91 percentile, Quantitative 73 percentile

Adult Bible teacher and Lay preacher at my local church.

Founding member of The Center for Interreligious Dialogue 2009. Have participated in visits to other local faiths' places of worship, book review panels, conferences, and other activities. Will chair a panel on the concept of death bewteen a spritist, a mysticism professor and a priest in a couple of weeks.

Professionally, I am president of a small construction company (owned by my family). We have done about $200million in construction projects in the last 20 years. Have had up to 250 employees; down (but definitely not out!) due to the economy. Was named Project Manager of the Year by the local Associated General Contractors in 2011, among other honors both personal and corporate.

Have applied to BU, Temple, Univ Chicago and HDS. Like my chances on the first three, reaching on the fourth. My interest lie in Religion and Science, especially the scientific study of religion (anthropology, phenomenology, sociology, etc). Like very much the DRTS Track IV of BU.

How do you like my chances? i am as anxious as a 19 year old freshman.

Hello! so nice to read your post!  I co-pastor a Baptist church in New York.  It sounds you are very competitive for your programs, and the panel you are going to chair sounds intriguing.  Keep me posted.  Also check out my topic Good Sign, Omen or Hallucination-All Are Welcome! in Waiting It Out.  We are a supportive group and would love to hear from you!

[Hector Varela Jr.]

Thank you, Eager. Hopefully I get admitted in any of these and get my second wind. On the panel: yes, it is an interesting topic. The priest organized it, but asked me to be the 'christian representative'. I know the other members well. It will be fun indeed, especially debating with the spiritist on the journey of the soul... Will check that forum topic. Sounds intriguing. Good luck and God bless!

[11Q13]

How are your chances for what?

[Hector Varela Jr.]

11Q13: thought it pretty self-explanatory; sorry. I was asking the more experienced members here my chances for admission at those schools. My anxiety level is pretty high. Thanks!

[luciernaga]

I'm still not quite clear what you're asking about. Are you applying to MA, MDiv, PhD, ThD, or other?

 

Generally speaking, i think your life background/skills are a clear plus to your application. If you're applying to MA/MDiv programs, you seem like a very competitive applicant and I would be surprised if you were not admitted. If you're applying to PhD/ThD programs, then know that the applicant field is exponentially more competitive. (Although, if you can independently finance your education (and it sounds like this may actually be possible for you), then you'll have more options). However, jumping into a doctoral program after not having been in academia for a significant period of time strikes me as something of a long shot, unless you have a previously fantastic academic record from well-known institutions and out of this world GRE scores.

 

I wish you the best of luck.

[Hector Varela Jr.]

Appreciate it, luciernaga. In BU, it's an MA/PhD track. in Temple and UChicago, it's vanilla MA. In HDS, it's an eventual PhD, but the program starts you out at an MA level with my academic resume. So, the easy answer is MA level. Regarding the financials, I might be able to self-finance the masters (provided it's no more than two years and taking a huge hit on savings), but beyond that I need assitstance. I am married with three kids; one in college and two in intermediate/high school. So I still need to 'produce' for my family in the near future. Also, my wife will work (provided she finds a job when we move) through the first couple,of years and keep our family economically sane. I truly appreciate your comments about my chances. Even though I am an 'old man' (I guess...by this site's standards at least) and have been around the block a few times, I still feel as anxious as a high school senior. I had forgotten how stressful it was. I don't know how I am going to survive the wait till the schools answer in a couple of months. This site has been a godsend.

[11Q13]

I'm pretty familiar with the ins and outs of HDS and there is no such Master's program that leads to a PhD.

As for the master's level, HDS is very good with funding and is up to 100% tuition remission for most of its students, though if you're wealthy enough to own a company with 250 employees they would probably give you 0%, or much reduced.

[Hector Varela Jr.]

11Q13: Thank you for your input. First, I may have pointed to the wrong program at Harvard. This is it: http://www.gsas.harvard.edu/programs_of_study/religion.php. Confused with other programs that stem from the Divinity School. At Harvard, it's through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Second, I never said I owned the company. I am the president. Those are very different things. The owners are different family members at various levels of corporate engagement. Family in the sense of my parents, uncles, sisters, cousins...Financially, we have been hammered by the economy in the past four years. Though still very much in it, we are but a shadow of what we were a decade ago. But that's the story with small businesses everywhere. Long story short: time is right for a change in career. Third, you're probably right about the financial aid. That's why we're prepared to self-finance a couple of years. Then we'll see.

[Lux Lex Pax]

According to the website, "No one is admitted as a candidate for the AM, only for the PhD."

[AbrasaxEos]

Such is what he says above, they start you out in a AM, on the way to a PhD - they just won't admit someone who wants to come in for a terminal AM degree.  As with most PhD programs, if you finish your exams and decide that a dissertation is not for you, they'll typically give you a M-something for your efforts.  Some programs have Post-masters and Post-bachelor tracks, and it sounds like what he is saying is that likely due to his being out of school for a while, they would put him on a Post-bachelor's track.

[Hector Varela Jr.]

It's confusing as heck, isn't it? In any case, Harvard is quite the reach. My hopes are on the other schools, BU in particular.

[Lualoo]

Hector, It sounds like in your situation the best choice might be to apply for an MTS or MAR degree at the divinty schools of the universities you listed. Since you would be starting off at the master's level anyway, it would be much easier to get into MTS programs without a lot of academic background in the study of religion/theology. Then, once you apply to PhD programs you would be much more competitive with the master's behind you. It would take the same amount of time (since you would have to take extra coursework coming into a PhD program at the post-bachelors level) but I think you would be much more likely to succeed. Religious studies/theology PhDs are insanely competitive, and most would not admit someone without serious academic preparation in religion, even with the extra post-bachelors coursework built into the program. Good luck!

[belichick]

Hector, It sounds like in your situation the best choice might be to apply for an MTS or MAR degree at the divinty schools of the universities you listed. Since you would be starting off at the master's level anyway, it would be much easier to get into MTS programs without a lot of academic background in the study of religion/theology. Then, once you apply to PhD programs you would be much more competitive with the master's behind you. It would take the same amount of time (since you would have to take extra coursework coming into a PhD program at the post-bachelors level) but I think you would be much more likely to succeed. Religious studies/theology PhDs are insanely competitive, and most would not admit someone without serious academic preparation in religion, even with the extra post-bachelors coursework built into the program. Good luck!

 

Agreed. I too can speak somewhat intelligently about Harvard: there's no way you're getting onto a PhD track through the GSAS without some serious mileage behind you. An MTS or an MDiv is your best path if you're serious about a PhD track. The nice thing about an MDiv is it gives you an additional year to connect with professors as well as to learn how to engage in current conversations in religious studies. The nice thing about an MTS is that, if you do it right, you can blast languages (you'll need at least 2-3 when entering), which you'll have to do if you're considering anything ancient. I'd count on paying for a portion of your master's, though you should be able to qualify for some sort of aid (not a loan, but a waived tuition %). Good luck.

[Hector Varela Jr.]

Thank you all. Good luck and God bless!