PhD applications for 2014 chit chat...

[B-612]

Lol, well I probably need full funding. Vanderbilt was a kick in the bank accounts.

Also was just linked to the DU/Iliff connection. Silly me. Figured Duke must've undergone a radical change lol... Denver makes much more sense.

Edited October 7, 2013 by besixdouze

[Body Politics]

Haha, yeah. Not Duke.

[Kuriakos]

Lol, well I probably need full funding. Vanderbilt was a kick in the bank accounts.

Also was just linked to the DU/Iliff connection. Silly me. Figured Duke must've undergone a radical change lol... Denver makes much more sense.

 

Well, you mentioned wanting to apply to second and third tier schools. Funding is a large part of what separates the schools into tiers. If you want full tuition (with or without stipend), that, generally speaking, takes a lot of the second and third tier schools off the table. Many of those schools may be able to provide full funding to one or two exceptional students, so they could be an option given the right conditions. 

[B-612]

I'm going to cast a wide net. If I catch anything, I'll exercise discernment then.

[marXian]

I actually emailed Catherine Keller yesterday to see if she was accepting. Drew is #1 on my list, as I am closer to a process theologian than a systematic one. I'm also looking at Claremont due to their center for process studies. Does anyone know how competitive those programs are? My GPA isn't stellar and I'm not confident about my GRE, so I'm hoping to lean on my sample, recs and SoP.

And really? Duke has a good sexuality program? Most of the stories I heard had it as pretty unfriendly toward LGBTQ folk. I know powerhouse Hauerwas still gets pretty fidgety and tries to beat around the bush about it. I'd love to hear more.

 

FYI, there are lots of process theologians at CGU who would take issue with being excluded from the discipline of systematic theology! =) Process theology is really just a way of conceiving of theology proper (i.e. the nature of God) and his activity in the world. So process is a way of shaping a systematic theology. I would definitely consider Keller's Face of the Deep a contribution to systematic theology since it treats on both the nature of God and the doctrine of creation. One does not need to write or even have plans to write a complete system in order to be a systematic theologian.

 

If you're worried about funding in second or third tier programs, contact the admissions offices of those schools and try to get in touch with some current students. Though direct funding from the school is probably limited in those programs, it is possible to get creative and apply for some outside funding or even internal grants and scholarships. You just have to know what to look for. I have a friend from Fuller, where I went to seminary, who stayed for his Ph.D and he was able to secure 100% funding for his first three years. That funding only paid for his tuition, so he had to keep his job, but Fuller's program only requires one course a quarter from Ph.D students, so that was manageable. I have also heard from a friend at CGU that funding can increase after the first year depending on academic performance. CGU also, I've heard, has a good record of students getting adjunct jobs following the second year at the many community colleges in that area (meaning the name recognition helps, not that the university actively gets you these jobs.)  If you're diligent about doing the research to figure out what sorts of opportunities might be available, I think it's possible to get most of a second/third tier program funded.

[B-612]

FYI, there are lots of process theologians at CGU who would take issue with being excluded from the discipline of systematic theology! =) Process theology is really just a way of conceiving of theology proper (i.e. the nature of God) and his activity in the world. So process is a way of shaping a systematic theology. I would definitely consider Keller's Face of the Deep a contribution to systematic theology since it treats on both the nature of God and the doctrine of creation. One does not need to write or even have plans to write a complete system in order to be a systematic theologian.

 

If you're worried about funding in second or third tier programs, contact the admissions offices of those schools and try to get in touch with some current students. Though direct funding from the school is probably limited in those programs, it is possible to get creative and apply for some outside funding or even internal grants and scholarships. You just have to know what to look for. I have a friend from Fuller, where I went to seminary, who stayed for his Ph.D and he was able to secure 100% funding for his first three years. That funding only paid for his tuition, so he had to keep his job, but Fuller's program only requires one course a quarter from Ph.D students, so that was manageable. I have also heard from a friend at CGU that funding can increase after the first year depending on academic performance. CGU also, I've heard, has a good record of students getting adjunct jobs following the second year at the many community colleges in that area (meaning the name recognition helps, not that the university actively gets you these jobs.)  If you're diligent about doing the research to figure out what sorts of opportunities might be available, I think it's possible to get most of a second/third tier program funded.

Delightful news! And yes, as long as I'm in a program that is open-minded about the incorporation of process theology I'll be fine. I catch a lot of flack for process being "unbiblical," "unorthodox," and ultimately, "un-Christian," so I want to make sure there's support and room for creative growth.

 

I'm having the most difficult time constructing my statement of purpose. I don't want to be too vague but I don't want to be too specific either. Ugh. Time to research papers published at respective universities.

[Body Politics]

The folks at DU-Iliff were great when it came time to put together a funding package for me. At first, I was given partial funding. But my POI worked really hard on my behalf and was able to up the offer to full-tuition. It is a smaller, no doubt second-tier program, but I was very pleasantly surprised by what they were able to do for me. I definitely recommend tossing an app this way (to anyone), provided the program sounds like it will meet your needs and support your interests.

[B-612]

The folks at DU-Iliff were great when it came time to put together a funding package for me. At first, I was given partial funding. But my POI worked really hard on my behalf and was able to up the offer to full-tuition. It is a smaller, no doubt second-tier program, but I was very pleasantly surprised by what they were able to do for me. I definitely recommend tossing an app this way (to anyone), provided the program sounds like it will meet your needs and support your interests.

 

What good news! I'll definitely submit an application to DU-Iliff. They've got a lot of great stuff going on in the realm of gender and sexuality, so I'll be most happy to touch base with them.

 

A further question for folks, given the Catherine Keller recommendation earlier--does anyone have experience or knowledge of Drew beyond its theology department? Keller is a definite draw but I know they accept a limited number of philosophy/theology students per year. I'm wondering if I should perhaps apply in another area and list her as an additional advisor. I think my intended study is something they'd be interested in, but I don't know that I have the stellar GPA or will receive an outstanding GRE to provide me one of those 1-4 spaces.

[MBIGrad]

Here's a theoretical question for y'all, just for fun: If you were interested in both Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism, and were applying to programs concentrated on one or the other but involving both, to which would you apply if: 1) at a certain school, the Second Temple Judaism concentration received fewer applications (and thus was less competitive) and held real interest for you, 2) but one of your recommenders was very well known by the Hebrew Bible faculty and not so much, perhaps (you don't know), by the STJ faculty?

 

I would be especially interested in PhD students familiar with how much faculty from related concentrations weigh in on the applications of students applying to cognate areas (eg, do NT faculty at X University factor heavily, lightly, or not at all on admitting students applying to Ancient Christianity?)

[B-612]

I plan to mention a couple of faculty advisors in my SOPs rather than putting all my eggs in one basket. If you can make the case successfully about the relationship between the two, perhaps mention the HB professor your reference knows while simultaneously applying to STJ. That's my thought, but I'm in the applications period myself.

[sacklunch]

I sent you a PM. Depending on the school a lot of folks apply to both programs. But that assumes they are distinct (NELC vs Div, ect).

[MBIGrad]

I am not talking about distinct programs. The question is not about statement of intent, but about which option seems best and why, and whether anyone knows how much pull a related prof might have. Or even an unrelated field: Say you are applying to do NT at Harvard and a recommender of yours knows Shaye Cohen or Jon Levenson quite well; would that even affect your application and, if so, how much?

[sacklunch]

I suspect that varies a great deal. Though I think most of us would agree that having your recs personally know profs at X school helps. I have heard that in private from several of my professors over the years. Then again, a lot of other applicants have advisers that know prof. X personally, too. Still, again, you are at a considerable advantage if they are reading recs from other folks they trust. 

Edited October 9, 2013 by furtivemode

[MsBOOM]

I am not talking about distinct programs. The question is not about statement of intent, but about which option seems best and why, and whether anyone knows how much pull a related prof might have. Or even an unrelated field: Say you are applying to do NT at Harvard and a recommender of yours knows Shaye Cohen or Jon Levenson quite well; would that even affect your application and, if so, how much?

 

My undergrad adviser said that it helps greatly (and she specifically told me about schools where she knew people). However, she didn't know anyone at HDS, and I still got in... so, I'm not too sure?

[awells27]

Here's a theoretical question for y'all, just for fun: If you were interested in both Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism, and were applying to programs concentrated on one or the other but involving both, to which would you apply if: 1) at a certain school, the Second Temple Judaism concentration received fewer applications (and thus was less competitive) and held real interest for you, 2) but one of your recommenders was very well known by the Hebrew Bible faculty and not so much, perhaps (you don't know), by the STJ faculty?

 

I would be especially interested in PhD students familiar with how much faculty from related concentrations weigh in on the applications of students applying to cognate areas (eg, do NT faculty at X University factor heavily, lightly, or not at all on admitting students applying to Ancient Christianity?)

That question is almost impossible to answer.  Most of my ANE classes at Fuller were half doctoral students, and I have heard from my main ANE professor that recommendations he wrote to a faculty that knew him well still rejected a well-qualified student; yet I have also heard him say that his recommendations often carry much weight at certain schools.  For myself, applying in formative Judaism/Christian origins, I am looking at professors of interest who are breaking down the barriers between Old and New Testament.  I found such barriers a stumbling block during my seminary experience.  Hebrew Bible, of course, is another story.  

[11Q13]

I'm going through this right now... I have terrible, terrible GRE scores (where it's straight out terrible, this is a fact, not an opinion of humility or modesty), and I am banking so hard on the rest of my application. There's no reason for me to retake the GRE, because I'll do even worse this go around. I have no hope when it comes to it.

 

I wouldn't give so much credit to the ability of the GRE to produce consistent results -- you might want to take it again. In terms of percentile, I nearly doubled my verbal score without any additional practice.

[11Q13]

I am not talking about distinct programs. The question is not about statement of intent, but about which option seems best and why, and whether anyone knows how much pull a related prof might have. Or even an unrelated field: Say you are applying to do NT at Harvard and a recommender of yours knows Shaye Cohen or Jon Levenson quite well; would that even affect your application and, if so, how much?

 

I wouldn't say it's who your recommender "knows," that has kind of a corrupt connotation. It certainly does help, though, if the person you're applying to work with knows your recommender and respects/admires them, because that means their word (recommendation) would have all the more clout. 

[MsBOOM]

I wouldn't give so much credit to the ability of the GRE to produce consistent results -- you might want to take it again. In terms of percentile, I nearly doubled my verbal score without any additional practice.

 

I am meeting with a prospective PhD adviser tomorrow at Georgetown, and I think I'm going to ask him how much it matters. I guess what he says is going to determine whether I'm going to take it again or not. Thank you for the advice though!

[matthewadam22]

I'll be applying to programs in systematics. I'm interested in theological aesthetics and theological approaches/rationales to/for popular music. I'll be applying to...

 

Duke Divinity (ThD: theology and the arts with Begbie)

Baylor (PhD in religion, theology)

Vanderbilt (PhD in theology, interested in the Theology and Practice track)

Fordham (PhD in theology)

Loyola (PhD in ISET)

DU/Iliff (PhD, Theology, Philosophy, and Cultural Theory)

University of Western Ontario (M.A. in Popular Music and Culture)

 

If anyone has any recommendations for programs or POI's sympathetic to theology and culture, aesthetics, popular culture studies, etc., my ears are open.

 

I'm taking the GRE this Thursday.

[matthewadam22]

Also, MBIGRAD, does the MBI in your moniker refer to Moody?

[MBIGrad]

Indeed

[MsBOOM]

Anybody already having anxiety over being accepted/rejected? I just can't seem to shake the anxiety!

[diazalon]

Anybody already having anxiety over being accepted/rejected? I just can't seem to shake the anxiety!

 

The advice I took to heart when I was anxious about my MA apps, and the advice I give out - if you are prone to anxiety, STAY OFF GRAD CAFE.

 

This place is good for asking and answering questions, but it can get pretty toxic after a while. For your own sanity, it might be worthwhile to step away until closer to decision time. There's a long time yet, even until the application season is closed. Just a thought. I will be doing the same in short order.

[MsBOOM]

The advice I took to heart when I was anxious about my MA apps, and the advice I give out - if you are prone to anxiety, STAY OFF GRAD CAFE.

 

This place is good for asking and answering questions, but it can get pretty toxic after a while. For your own sanity, it might be worthwhile to step away until closer to decision time. There's a long time yet, even until the application season is closed. Just a thought. I will be doing the same in short order.

 

Good idea. Funny thing is, this hasn't been the first time I've been told this! Haha

[RedDoor]

I'll be applying to programs in systematics. I'm interested in theological aesthetics and theological approaches/rationales to/for popular music. I'll be applying to...

 

Duke Divinity (ThD: theology and the arts with Begbie)

Baylor (PhD in religion, theology)

Vanderbilt (PhD in theology, interested in the Theology and Practice track)

Fordham (PhD in theology)

Loyola (PhD in ISET)

DU/Iliff (PhD, Theology, Philosophy, and Cultural Theory)

University of Western Ontario (M.A. in Popular Music and Culture)

 

If anyone has any recommendations for programs or POI's sympathetic to theology and culture, aesthetics, popular culture studies, etc., my ears are open.

 

I'm taking the GRE this Thursday.

Have you checked out St. Andrews? They offer a PhD in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts (link). Sounds like it's right up your alley.