PhD in Religion @ Claremont

[magicsana]

Anyone here applied to the phD in religion program at Claremont graduate university?

[xypathos]

There have been a couple active over the last year or two. Unfortunately once they find out the financial situation at Claremont for PhDs, they don't bother applying. For the uninitiated, it's a largely self-pay program where students generally pay their way teaching UGs in local CCs or maybe being able to line up a TA position at a nearby university. If those positions cannot be lined up, it's loans - there's very little funding from the university.

[magicsana]

58 minutes ago, xypathos said:

There have been a couple active over the last year or two. Unfortunately once they find out the financial situation at Claremont for PhDs, they don't bother applying. For the uninitiated, it's a largely self-pay program where students generally pay their way teaching UGs in local CCs or maybe being able to line up a TA position at a nearby university. If those positions cannot be lined up, it's loans - there's very little funding from the university.

That doesn't sound too good. Especially for an international student like me.

Edited February 26, 2016 by magicsana

[Kuriakos]

The two people I know at Claremont received partial funding (I think 50% in one case and not sure how much for the other). 

[drivingthoughts]

Claremont's faculty particularly fit my interests, and I seriously considered them; even so far as visiting - but as echoed above, the financial situation is dire compared with other schools. Claremont and the surrounding areas are very expensive (why I turned down Stanford) and I know a handful of folk who started at Claremont only to quit because they couldn't take another day of living in a shoebox and eating ramen. Don't get me wrong - it's a beautiful area and a solid school, but if you're not independently wealthy, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Esei_John]

Before stating what I've heard from dear friend of mine, I have to be clear that Claremont's faculty is pretty nice (as you may know) 

However,  as was stated above, their financial situation is far worse than ever.  My friend said "many candidates, including myself, are facing a crushing burden of debt"

My folks (I'm also an international applicant) have repeatedly said that many candidates are competitively fighting for few T.A or R.A spots, and their fellowship/scholarship opportunities are reduced to the vanishing point. In particular if you are an international student, the chances are really against you.  

 

And one more thing, I've seen lots of profit-oriented degrees run at Claremont. I really don't want to argue about it, and I shouldn't. But definitely this is not a good sign for your degree, it can hurt your career and might depreciate years of assiduous effort and study. 

[magicsana]

1 hour ago, Esei_John said:

And one more thing, I've seen lots of profit-oriented degrees run at Claremont. I really don't want to argue about it, and I shouldn't. But definitely this is not a good sign for your degree, it can hurt your career and might depreciate years of assiduous effort and study. 

I'm sure this wouldn't include the phD in religion? I got rejected from 5 schools, and I only have Claremont left, and it is a great fit for me. These are the only two reasons I'm considering it. Also, I'm Canadian so I'm not sure if I count as an international student, because Canadians do not need a study visa to study in the States. Hmm...

[magicsana]

2 hours ago, drivingthoughts said:

Claremont's faculty particularly fit my interests, and I seriously considered them; even so far as visiting - but as echoed above, the financial situation is dire compared with other schools. Claremont and the surrounding areas are very expensive (why I turned down Stanford) and I know a handful of folk who started at Claremont only to quit because they couldn't take another day of living in a shoebox and eating ramen. Don't get me wrong - it's a beautiful area and a solid school, but if you're not independently wealthy, I wouldn't recommend it.

Would you then suggest I do another round of applications for next year? I cannot decide whether I should do another MA and then apply for phD next year. 

[xypathos]

What's your situation with Claremont, more specifically? Have you heard back from them and waiting on a financial packet?

[magicsana]

2 hours ago, xypathos said:

What's your situation with Claremont, more specifically? Have you heard back from them and waiting on a financial packet?

Waiting for a decision. POI keeps saying she's sure it will be good news. So far I'm 0a/0w/5r. Having trouble finding faculty interested or its my GRE scores that's putting me down.

[Marcion]

I have friends at Claremont who adore the school, the faculty, and their learning but are facing a massive amount of debt. The school is in big trouble when it comes to funding. One of my friends at Claremont got a his tuition waivered but no stipend, another two got 50% scholarships, and one is looking at full fee paying. 

[drivingthoughts]

@magicsana Im not sure of your field specifically, but for Christian theology, NT/OT studies, etc., it's not uncommon for applicants to have two masters. That's true for me, a friend at Baylor, another at Chicago, two at Harvard, and one at Yale, all in fully funded PhD programs. So ya, I would recommend an M.A.R. or a Th.M. or whatever is applicable to your study, and then apply again to some new schools and some of the ones you applied to last year that you still think are a good fit. 

To put things into perspective, I've been rejected from 15 programs during my journey and I know several people who got into programs after their second or third application.

[magicsana]

@drivingthoughts Thanks for that. I am considering another MA in Sociology or Poli Sci. My undergrad is in Poli Sci, and I've been suggested by some profs to continue in that field. So if it's a no from Claremont, or funding is horrible, I probably will pursue another MA.

[xypathos]

1 hour ago, magicsana said:

@drivingthoughts Thanks for that. I am considering another MA in Sociology or Poli Sci. My undergrad is in Poli Sci, and I've been suggested by some profs to continue in that field. So if it's a no from Claremont, or funding is horrible, I probably will pursue another MA.

 

If it's a yes from Claremont, find some current students. More specifically, find students who would be in your position (financial packet wise) and ask them how they navigated it. It's entirely possible that attending may be a financial possibility. Something that a lot of students don't consider, and it's something places like the H.E. Chron have covered, is that most Ph.D. students in the Humanities still have to take out loans and/or part-time work in order to make ends meet. Its been written out about extensively, my POIs have talked about that reality with me, and most Ph.D. students I've talked with have admitted to taking out loans or picked up a PT job until they pass Comps. and moonlight an UG class or two at the college or somewhere in town.

[magicsana]

@xypathos Totally makes sense. It's sad though seeing Ph.D students living on ramen and having to pick up PT jobs. I've heard stories of some even taking a break from their Ph.D studies because they cannot afford it, so they take a year or two off just working and saving money.....in the end taking longer to finish their Ph.Ds than originally planned.

[Esei_John]

On 2/26/2016 at 3:28 AM, magicsana said:

I'm sure this wouldn't include the phD in religion? I got rejected from 5 schools, and I only have Claremont left, and it is a great fit for me. These are the only two reasons I'm considering it. Also, I'm Canadian so I'm not sure if I count as an international student, because Canadians do not need a study visa to study in the States. Hmm...

I'm talking about Claremont's other programs which usually require ridiculously short period and plenty of tuition, not Phd in religion. I meant, in general, that's not a good sign for your program too even if you may not belong to these (profit) programs. Wish you a good luck for your future plan.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Esei_John