Chicago Div MA Discussion Thread

[tsgriffey]

Now that results are in I'll start this thread to discuss all aspects of the program and our decisions to attend or not.

I'll start: does anyone know what their acceptance rate is? How prestigious is the program? I know UChicago is top in religious studies, but I worry about the MA program being easy to get into since they rely upon us for a large portion of their income. (Sorry if I'm being too cynical )

Also, what are your subspecialties?

Edited February 27, 2015 by tsgriffey

[Thorongil]

My main concern is how to pay for the cost of living. They cut my tuition in half. That's good, certainly better than nothing. The other half I will have to take out more loans for. Let's say I'm fine with that and decide to accept. Where, then, will I get money to pay for rent, food, etc? So far as I can tell, they don't seem to offer any basic stipend. I assume I would have to get a job, but where would I find one that pays enough for me to live and attend school full time? This acceptance is a double edged sword for me. Even if I am accepted, which I am, it seems like it would be impossible to go. 

 

Edit: They do appear to have stipends, but they only give them to one person, and I'm clearly not that person. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by Thorongil

[tsgriffey]

I'm in the same boat, my friend. I've been planning on my year long UK Master's, but a 2 year long MA here would be a massive cost in living expenses alone. I do know that certain loans can be applied to living expenses after tuition has been met. I'll be trying to figure out the financial situation over the course of the next month and will keep you updated!

Edited February 27, 2015 by tsgriffey

[fides quarens intellectum]

Hey guys you may want to check out their living communities they offer for students.  If you're single and willing to live in a community of some sort to save costs, it might really help cut down on your expenses.  Check their website, because when I was researching them before applying and not getting in to their PhD program I thought "Man, this would be really useful information for somebody else."  So, it may really help you all.

Pax,

 

Luke

[tsgriffey]

Thanks for that, Luke! I've been planning all along to live in community housing. Here's a link to the costs: http://housing.uchicago.edu/community_living/housing_and_dining_rates/

 

Link to graduate specific housing (off-campus apartments, I believe): https://rp.uchicago.edu/graduate_housing/

[jpb]

Thanks for that, Luke! I've been planning all along to live in community housing. Here's a link to the costs: http://housing.uchicago.edu/community_living/housing_and_dining_rates/

Link to graduate specific housing (off-campus apartments, I believe): https://rp.uchicago.edu/graduate_housing/

He's referring to some of the co-ops that are available in the area, many of which are affiliated with divinity programs. They can be substantially cheaper than standard housing.

[tsgriffey]

Thanks for the clarification. I'm assuming you guys are referring to coops such as: Disciples Divinity House, Qumbya Housing Coop, etc. Correct? Seems like it might be hard to get a spot.

 

Source: https://divinity.uchicago.edu/faq-living-hyde-park

[tsgriffey]

@thorongil: If we both decide on Chicago, maybe we could be roommates to save money haha. Your user name is a little known reference to Lord of the Rings, I like you already

Edited February 27, 2015 by tsgriffey

[wanderlustxx]

Hi everyone! I've been lurking the threads for a couple of days and since I just received my official letter of acceptance, I think this is an occasion to celebrate! Are any of you planning to visit campus? 

 

After getting my acceptance to Harvard's GSAS which insisted I should have about $70,000/year on hand for tuition and expenses, Chicago Div's tuition feels exceptionally cheap, especially with the merit scholarships. Hyde Park looks like a pretty reasonable place to live, although, again, this is coming after apartment hunting in NYC. I've been browsing through Craigslist and the University Housing page and about $700 seems to be enough for a studio. The ideal situation for me would be to split a 2-bedroom apartment which should bring costs down further. Anyone looking for a roommate?  

[tsgriffey]

Thanks for joining and congrats on your acceptances!! You got the 50% tuition scholarship as well? I'm not planning on visiting, I wish, but I'd like to save the money.

 

Chicago Div is pretty reasonable at $17,500 a year (for those with the 50% funding), especially for a top (if not the top) program!. The way I see it is pay our dues now at the Master's level and then get funding through teaching assistance and scholarships for the PhD and hopefully be able to start repaying loans (or maybe take a little time off to work full-time).

 

Finding roommates/housemates through this forum might not be a bad idea haha.

 

Also, another idea on funding a M* program: I plan on selling my car since I'll be in a big city for my graduate studies and it seems like having one would only be an annoyance with parking and traffic. Another 9 grand or so in the bank. Maybe you guys have some nice cars that you could trade for a nice lump of cash  . 

[wanderlustxx]

Thanks! I definitely see it as paying our dues. Besides, since most PhD programs offer funding for 5 years, and anthropology PhDs generally take longer, I'm looking at the bright side - I'd probably end up paying for 2 more years anyway! At least with an M* degree, my PhD research project will most likely be more structured and take less time overall (fingers crossed). 

 

I'll be visiting in March so I'm hoping to look at some of the coops mentioned earlier in the thread. Qumbya looks interesting and I'm definitely down for a vegetarian home cooked meal every night Has anyone been to it? The online pics make it look somewhat like a European hostel.

 

Tsgiffey, I see that you're applying to HDS too! Any word on admissions? Looking over the results from 2014 it seems that they generally release their decisions in March so I'll be undecided on Chicago Div til then. I feel Chicago is a better fit for me in terms of the faculty but HDS is much closer to where my partner lives so that will definitely be a huge factor in my decision if I'm accepted. 

[Hirsch]

It seems like i'll be accepting the offer. Does any one know when will fall semester begin?

Cheers

[tsgriffey]

Tsgiffey, I see that you're applying to HDS too! Any word on admissions? Looking over the results from 2014 it seems that they generally release their decisions in March so I'll be undecided on Chicago Div til then. I feel Chicago is a better fit for me in terms of the faculty but HDS is much closer to where my partner lives so that will definitely be a huge factor in my decision if I'm accepted. 

 

Sounds like a tough decision! I'm expecting HDS results to come around mid-March.

[Thorongil]

@thorongil: If we both decide on Chicago, maybe we could be roommates to save money haha. Your user name is a little known reference to Lord of the Rings, I like you already

 

I would be down with that, my friend. Reading through this thread, however, it's still looking pretty grim. Even in the community housing option, money for rent, etc will have to come from somewhere, either loans as someone said (a most unwelcome prospect) or a job (which I wouldn't know the first thing about where and how to obtain). 

 

I know Chicago will require me to send my FAFSA to them, and on FAFSA I did check the box for work study. Does anyone know the chances of getting that and how much it pays? 

Edited February 27, 2015 by Thorongil

[tsgriffey]

Seriously, funding for grad school, especially in the humanities can be very stressful. I came into this process with the mentality that I would not go into debt, but the further into it I get the more I realize how rare it is to be either fully funded or be able to completely pay for graduate education without taking out a loan. Fingers crossed that the others schools I've applied to have better funding packages. On my to-do list is to check out the loan options from the University of Chicago--they may have more forgiving ones with lower interest rates and later due dates for payment.

 

Edit: I forgot to mention an example of how one guy managed to get through a Duke MA program debt-free through living in a van and working menial jobs. He wrote a book called Walden on Wheels (good book). Obviously this is an extreme lifestyle, but it is an interesting example of how one can afford grad school (not exactly recommending it, btw). Comic relief, if nothing else.

Edited February 28, 2015 by tsgriffey

[Paraclete]

Hi folks! Congrats on the UChi admissions--it's a magical place. Just to answer a general question or two, here are the dates for the upcoming autumn quarter: 

 

Autumn 2015 Date Event/Deadline Sunday, September 20 College Orientation Wednesday, September 23 Incoming Student Registration (College) Monday, September 28 Autumn Quarter Begins Thursday–Friday, November 26–27 Thanksgiving Break Thursday–Friday, December 3–4 College Reading Period Friday, December 11 Convocation Saturday, December 12

Autumn Quarter Ends

 

 

(Link: http://www.uchicago.edu/academics/calendar/#year)

 

And as for on-campus student jobs, here is where you would find the official listings: https://studentemployment.uchicago.edu/index_jobs.php

You do, however, need a student log-in to see the actual listings, but you'll be receiving that very soon from the school because they issue that to you before you either accept or decline precisely because they know that you'd like to have access to this kind of information. Since y'all are in the Div School, the Dean of Student's weekly newsletters actually have a lot of relevant information for jobs that don't get posted to the official student employment page that I just gave you. Pay ranges from $9.50-$15ish/hour as far as I know. The coffee shot in the basement of the Div School, for example, are constantly looking for students to hire, and they pay $10/hour.

 

Finally, work-study is not that competitive to get. The general range seems to be about $2500-3000 for the three quarters of the academic year. On top of whatever you've been offered on your admission process, there will be just one university-wide grad student financial aid application (it's really simple) that you'll also be getting access to soon, though you can view information about it here: https://sla.uchicago.edu/page/graduate-financial-aid. You'll also gain access to this application with the same ID that you'd use to get a look at the student employment page. 

 

Finally (wait, finaally..?), here's a database that can be used to search for outside funding: http://grad.uchicago.edu/fellowships_funding/fellowship_database/

 

Hope this helps a bit!

[jsant09]

My main concern is how to pay for the cost of living. They cut my tuition in half. That's good, certainly better than nothing. The other half I will have to take out more loans for. Let's say I'm fine with that and decide to accept. Where, then, will I get money to pay for rent, food, etc? So far as I can tell, they don't seem to offer any basic stipend. I assume I would have to get a job, but where would I find one that pays enough for me to live and attend school full time? This acceptance is a double edged sword for me. Even if I am accepted, which I am, it seems like it would be impossible to go. 

 

Edit: They do appear to have stipends, but they only give them to one person, and I'm clearly not that person. 

 

This is exactly my situation with Vanderbilt. Living expenses are just too much without a stipend. Would need a full time job just to cover those costs without accruing more debt.

 

Couple options are looking at external scholarships and fellowships; problem is, at this point even if you got them you likely wouldn't know before a decision has to be made. Work study is pretty much a guarantee if you apply for those jobs so that will give you anywhere from 2-4,000. You can also look for part-time jobs at area churches or elsewhere. Definitely find a roommate. In Chicago you don't need a car. And set a budget on food and entertainment and stick to it. Even after all this you will still likely need to take a loan for several thousand in addition to your tuition. 

 

Everyone I talk to says do not go into debt for this degree. Very tough situation. 

[marXian]

Just a quick word on tuition, stipends, debt, etc. from someone deep into a PhD.

 

The majority of students who attend a div school or seminary for an MA/MTS/MDiv, etc. in religion/theology goes into debt to do it (and usually work at least part time) or have a full time job and attend part time taking 5-10 years to complete the degree--or have a partner willing to support them through full time work. Div schools and seminaries are not "normal" graduate programs. They admit hundreds of students as opposed to a small cohort of 5-10. Many seminaries are "stand alone" institutions with no undergrad population paying tuition, so they can offer very few of their students any real money at all. My "scholarship" in seminary was $680 a quarter. One course cost $1500, so it was a drop in the bucket. The schools that have the resources to offer significant tuition remission are, in my view, great deals because you can go into relatively less debt than you would attending other seminaries that don't have R1 university resources.

 

Whether or not you should go into debt for the degree is somewhat relative. If you already have a ton of debt from your undergrad, then sure, it's probably unwise. The problem is that there just are not that many fully funded MA programs in religious studies, and if your interests are more theological/interpretive, then those programs aren't going to be a good fit anyway. I went through seminary (MA in theology) over three years and was fortunate enough to find part time work at a church over that whole period. I didn't know anyone at my seminary who wasn't working at least part time. I had no debt from undergrad or my first MA, and relatively little debt elsewhere (no auto loans, small CC debt, etc.) so I figured that as long as I got into a fully funded PhD, going into debt for this one degree wasn't going to kill me. I'm also married now, and my spouse works full time, which makes the situation a little easier.

[sport01]

This is exactly my situation with Vanderbilt. Living expenses are just too much without a stipend. Would need a full time job just to cover those costs without accruing more debt.

 

Couple options are looking at external scholarships and fellowships; problem is, at this point even if you got them you likely wouldn't know before a decision has to be made. Work study is pretty much a guarantee if you apply for those jobs so that will give you anywhere from 2-4,000. You can also look for part-time jobs at area churches or elsewhere. Definitely find a roommate. In Chicago you don't need a car. And set a budget on food and entertainment and stick to it. Even after all this you will still likely need to take a loan for several thousand in addition to your tuition. 

 

Everyone I talk to says do not go into debt for this degree. Very tough situation. 

 

Hey jsant09,

 

I'm butting in - but at Vanderbilt I took full advantage of the federal work study I was allotted through the FAFSA (29 hours per week) and it paid my living expenses. (Thank you, night shifts at the library circulation desks.) So 2k-4k that you mentioned might be a bit conservative. Hope it works out for you!

[tsgriffey]

Has anyone decided to attend Chicago at the masters level?