Doctoral applications 2015-2016

[KA.DINGER.RA]

I was just rejected from Notre Dame (my number one choice) with the added caveat that I would be a lock for the MTS program.  That one really hurt.  I interviewed with them and felt really great about my chances.  My only remaining school this go around is Emory and I haven't heard from them since January. So things aren't looking great this go around.

[pmajor]

53 minutes ago, raleighheth said:

I was just rejected from Notre Dame (my number one choice) with the added caveat that I would be a lock for the MTS program.  That one really hurt.  I interviewed with them and felt really great about my chances.  My only remaining school this go around is Emory and I haven't heard from them since January. So things aren't looking great this go around.

Probably not "news"... but Emory sent out rejections at least as early as 2/9.

That's for Hebrew Bible, too. So, maybe they are working out funding offers?

[KA.DINGER.RA]

53 minutes ago, pmajor said:

Probably not "news"... but Emory sent out rejections at least as early as 2/9.

That's for Hebrew Bible, too. So, maybe they are working out funding offers?

Hopefully they send good news my way.  But I know they already had an interview weekend to which I was not invited. So we'll see.  Both of my professors are good friends with several of the faculty at Emory.  Maybe I have good news coming down the pipeline.

[11Q13]

3 hours ago, raleighheth said:

I was just rejected from Notre Dame (my number one choice) with the added caveat that I would be a lock for the MTS program.  That one really hurt.  I interviewed with them and felt really great about my chances.  My only remaining school this go around is Emory and I haven't heard from them since January. So things aren't looking great this go around.

Sorry to hear it didn't go your way this year. The ND MTS is the most competitive I know of, and it's funded and then some. That is not a bad option IMHO. Seldom do people get in here without a two year master and something else, whether an MDiv, Fulbright, etc. It would also set you up pretty well in a year to apply to PhD's again, and ND especially since historically (though not recently) internal applicants do well.

Edited March 3, 2016 by 11Q13

[KA.DINGER.RA]

11 hours ago, 11Q13 said:

Sorry to hear it didn't go your way this year. The ND MTS is the most competitive I know of, and it's funded and then some. That is not a bad option IMHO. Seldom do people get in here without a two year master and something else, whether an MDiv, Fulbright, etc. It would also set you up pretty well in a year to apply to PhD's again, and ND especially since historically (though not recently) internal applicants do well.

Oh I'll certainly be taking the position.  I'm going to email Emory today to check my status.  But barring getting in there, I'll definitely be at Notre Dame next year.  After visiting, it instantly became the number one school on my list.

[tdwightdavis]

I was able to switch my PhD application at Vanderbilt to the MA through the department of religion, so hopefully that will pan out. Hopefully the MA will give me that little boost I need for next round.

[fides quarens intellectum]

Will anyone here be at SECSOR in Atlanta this weekend? 

[Josh J.]

9 hours ago, tdwightdavis said:

I was able to switch my PhD application at Vanderbilt to the MA through the department of religion, so hopefully that will pan out. Hopefully the MA will give me that little boost I need for next round.

Having done the MTS at Vandy, I can say that most people who get accepted to the MA end up accepted into the PhD there.

[Josh J.]

Well, it looks like I'll be headed to the University of Tennessee to study American Religious History. Not necessarily a traditional place to study religion, but their history faculty is pretty strong in it. 

[KA.DINGER.RA]

9 hours ago, fides quarens intellectum said:

Will anyone here be at SECSOR in Atlanta this weekend? 

I'll be there! I was originally scheduled to read a paper in the last session on Sunday but they shifted my paper to 4:30 on Saturday.

[gidadu]

Anyone heard from Vanderbilt on PhD acceptances?

[ibnbattuta]

On 3/2/2016 at 11:08 PM, AEscalante1 said:

@ibnbattuta

A friend of mine was admitted into UCSB and was notified early on (I think mid- to late-January). Not sure if they do interviews, though. The prospective student weekend is the end of March-beginning of April, so they might have already wrapped some things up. Good luck and hope to hear good things soon!

Thanks for the heads up, it is rather annoying that they would admit people in mid-January but not send out rejections until mid-March.

[JKO]

1 hour ago, gidadu said:

Anyone heard from Vanderbilt on PhD acceptances?

On Friday afternoon (March 4th) my wife received a call from the head of her potential Area of Study to tell her she was accepted. The professor said they had just met that afternoon and made the final decision. However we don't know if that meant that just that Area of Study met, or if it the entire Department of Religion met or what.

Edited March 6, 2016 by JKO
spelling is hard

[AEscalante1]

1 hour ago, gidadu said:

Anyone heard from Vanderbilt on PhD acceptances?

@gidadu

Vanderbilt did a series of interviews in late-February and then admitted thereafter, as far as I know. However, @JKO says their partner heard back recently, so they might be doing acceptances without interviews as well.

[JKO]

3 hours ago, AEscalante1 said:

@gidadu

Vanderbilt did a series of interviews in late-February and then admitted thereafter, as far as I know. However, @JKO says their partner heard back recently, so they might be doing acceptances without interviews as well.

My wife had a Skype interview in mid-to-late February. They said they wanted to get to know the candidates better, but they also wanted to use it to decide who to bring in for in-person interviews.

However she didn't hear anything after that at all until the call on Friday.

[tdwightdavis]

19 hours ago, gidadu said:

Anyone heard from Vanderbilt on PhD acceptances?

When I talked to them to move my application to the MA they said that letters would not go out for two more weeks, but they also call to tell people of acceptances beforehand and that has obviously already started.

[pmajor]

I find out some more info on CUA's scholarships... but not sure if any of the lurkers actually care.

Also, what's up with JHU's Hebrew Bible?

[Laodiceans]

48 minutes ago, pmajor said:

I find out some more info on CUA's scholarships... but not sure if any of the lurkers actually care.

Also, what's up with JHU's Hebrew Bible?

I'd be curious to know for some friends that want to apply there in the next year or two.

[mangywolf]

1 hour ago, pmajor said:

I find out some more info on CUA's scholarships... but not sure if any of the lurkers actually care.

Also, what's up with JHU's Hebrew Bible?

Yeah, seriously, what's up with JHU (Hebrew Bible/Northwest Semitics)? I haven't heard a word from them, and it seems like no one else has either...

I heard from a professor of mine that JHU has some strange history with admissions. I heard there have been years where no one heard from them until May or so. It makes me want to email a prof there and inquire about the process. May do so if I don't hear anything soon... just to be safe. Anybody else hear anything about them?

Edited March 7, 2016 by mangywolf

[ibnbattuta]

UCSB rejections sent out today.

[pmajor]

3 hours ago, mangywolf said:

Yeah, seriously, what's up with JHU (Hebrew Bible/Northwest Semitics)? I haven't heard a word from them, and it seems like no one else has either...

I heard from a professor of mine that JHU has some strange history with admissions. I heard there have been years where no one heard from them until May or so. It makes me want to email a prof there and inquire about the process. May do so if I don't hear anything soon... just to be safe. Anybody else hear anything about them?

Do it! Then bring back word.

[Abdelazar]

On the wait list for Emory (Hebrew Bible). 1 person denied, 2 offers are still outstanding.

[KA.DINGER.RA]

23 hours ago, Abdelazar said:

On the wait list for Emory (Hebrew Bible). 1 person denied, 2 offers are still outstanding.

Same thing for me.  I hope they get back soon.  I have an offer from Notre Dame for an MTS so I need to start making life decisions very soon.

[dramos2016]

Congrats to everyone! I've been reading this thread religiously (no pun intended) for a while. I'm finishing my MA in Biblical Studies this spring (Ashland theological seminary) and am deciding whether to go for a second masters at a more prestigious school (PTS is top pick) before narrowing down my PhD options. Reading all your successes has definitely been encouraging.

[tdwightdavis]

Baylor accepted another theology interviewee off the waitlist and I know she's taking that offer. So it looks like my PhD season is officially over. Just waiting to hear back about the MA at Vanderbilt.