Master's Admissions 2017(MA,MTS, ThM or Mdiv)

[meishi kafei]

If we did not receive merit scholarship info in our HDS admit letter, does this mean we did not receive merit funding at all?

[avocet]

Unfortunately didn't get into HDS. Congrats to everyone who did!

For me it looks like I'm going to Union, unless I get into BU SoT (which doesn't look good because everyone here has heard from them already). 

[Kunarion]

I got my admission to Yale Div School's MDiv program yesterday, about which I am thrilled! But I found out today that I wasn't admitted to the Institute of Sacred Music program within YDS, about which I am slightly heartbroken. I'm not sure what else they could have been looking for in an applicant, and this program would have fully paid for my tuition.

Regardless, YDS was the only program I ended up applying to, so I'm pretty smiley. Good luck to everyone still waiting! And I'm so sorry for those of you who have been getting bad news.

[Kunarion]

2 hours ago, Mememememe said:

has anyone gotten scholarship info from yale???

I received mine today (Thursday) via email at 5:18pm.

[Limitless101]

Congrats good people! I didn't get into Harvard. I am excited about attending Yale this Fall 2017!

[suhba7]

Accepted at Harvard with full tuition and 8K stipend! I think (?) I'm still leaning towards UChicago but HDS's generous offer will make this a very difficult decision!

[Kunarion]

10 minutes ago, suhba7 said:

Accepted at Harvard with full tuition and 8K stipend! I think (?) I'm still leaning towards UChicago but HDS's generous offer will make this a very difficult decision!

Wowww!! Very exciting. Congratulations! Hard decisions ahead but a good problem to have.

[Mememememe]

2 hours ago, suhba7 said:

Accepted at Harvard with full tuition and 8K stipend! I think (?) I'm still leaning towards UChicago but HDS's generous offer will make this a very difficult decision!

Dang! Can I ask what your concentration is? 

[misterrager]

So at this point if there was no financial info in the HDS acceptance letter than we didn't get a merit award?

[suhba7]

@Mememememe Islamic Studies! 

[ibn daoud]

2 hours ago, Johnny.S said:

BTW,  the decision letter says that "within 24 hours, I will receive an email from the Financial Aid Office regarding your financial aid package ". All I need to do is just waiting for their decision to come, right? (as my previous question about HDS' funding presents, I'm really nervous about their funding decision. So excuse me if I'm having too many worries.)

First of all, congrats! I'm glad you got good news today. From what I read in the letter, I was assuming financial aid would be sent out next week, 24 hours after we got something in the mail. In hindsight, this seems silly, because why would they mail something and not send an email if they already know? We'll see I guess. I, too, am a little bit nervous about financial aid, since I don't want to take out loans (for obvious reasons, but also since interest is a sin in my religion) but thanks be to God I was already leaning towards UChicago!

 

Just now, suhba7 said:

Accepted at Harvard with full tuition and 8K stipend! I think (?) I'm still leaning towards UChicago but HDS's generous offer will make this a very difficult decision!

Alf mabrouk! Very happy to hear this! Two things: I still hope to see you in Chicago next year (if we both go!) and was your offer in your acceptance letter?  Mine was straightfoward and so at this point I'm assuming if I wasn't notified of anything like this in the letter it will all be loan information coming tomorrow?

[suhba7]

@ibn daoud I hope to see you there too, I'll definitely keep you posted on what I decide. I've already visited both campuses in the fall but I'm trying to think if it would be worth it to go to the accepted students days. So my offer had an acceptance letter that included a sentence telling me that I've been selected for a 'deans fellow award' and a separate letter attached to the initial acceptance letter detailing what this award actually entailed (full tuition, stipend). 

I think from what I gather Harvard notifies everyone of merit scholarships immediately upon acceptance and then awards financial aid to all other accepted applicants the following day (but this financial aid can be up to 100%).

[Johnny.S]

I've just received the award letter from HDS.  I've got the full-tuition grant! Exciting! 

Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Edited March 17, 2017 by Johnny.S

[misterrager]

1 hour ago, Johnny.S said:

I've just received the award letter from HDS.  I've got the full-tuition grant! Exciting! 

Good luck to everyone still waiting!

Did you demonstrate extreme financial need on the HDS financial app? I was hoping to get 100 but only got 75.

[lurking]

Congrats to everyone who has gotten in to YDS and HDS!

[franz]

Heard from ND this afternoon, and it was a reject. But, I'm very pleased with my options so far, and, adding to that, Chicago awarded me a FLAS Fellowship today!

 

Congratulations to everyone who got in at HDS too!

[ExceedinglyCaffeinated]

On 3/16/2017 at 7:10 PM, avocet said:

Unfortunately didn't get into HDS. Congrats to everyone who did!

For me it looks like I'm going to Union, unless I get into BU SoT (which doesn't look good because everyone here has heard from them already). 

I believe that I'll be heading to Union as well! Are you concerned with living expenses in Manhattan though? That is the one thing holding me back..

[avocet]

1 hour ago, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:

I believe that I'll be heading to Union as well! Are you concerned with living expenses in Manhattan though? That is the one thing holding me back..

Awesome!

I am also concerned about housing costs, but it seems like there are decent options on campus starting at $900 for a single dorm and ending at $2132/month for a 2-bedroom. That's still super high (the one bedroom studio is more than 3X what I'm currently paying monthly for rent!) but it's below market value for NYC and only a little more than I'd pay in the Boston area. The housing is definitely less than ideal, especially as it's dorm-style living (only the apartments have private kitchens and bathrooms). I was thinking of looking off-campus, but I doubt I could find anything nearby for a better price. 

Here's the on-campus housing costs:

https://utsnyc.edu/admissions/financial-aid/tuition-and-fees/

[Whippoorwill]

Hello fellow applicants! Long time lurker here. I have been accepted at the University of Chicago Div School, with 50% tuition. While I'm totally thrilled about this acceptance- I'm definitely worried about the cost. I've applied for the Religion, Art, and Lit track- I'm interested in the mashup of contemporary art, politics, and religion. 

How is the decision making process going for all of you? It seems that a lot of people here are thinking of going to on PhD programs after a masters- are there any people who aren't? What are you thinking of doing career-wise post masters?

[Lysdexia]

1 hour ago, Whippoorwill said:

Hello fellow applicants! Long time lurker here. I have been accepted at the University of Chicago Div School, with 50% tuition. While I'm totally thrilled about this acceptance- I'm definitely worried about the cost. I've applied for the Religion, Art, and Lit track- I'm interested in the mashup of contemporary art, politics, and religion. 

How is the decision making process going for all of you? It seems that a lot of people here are thinking of going to on PhD programs after a masters- are there any people who aren't? What are you thinking of doing career-wise post masters?

Hard. Like you I only received a little over half covered for tuition. I qualified for the merit process at BU SOT but didn't make that round. . For me, this is my dream and BU is an amazing college and I will learn so much. But the debt is scary but I am fortunate to have a partner through this process which helps some of the burden of being a student. I'll assess where I am when I'm finished with my MTS, but worst case my plan is to teach community college (even if I get into grad school) to get my foot in the door teaching.  Hard to decide what to do as well, considering I'm in mid 20s and would like a family at some point in the next 6-7 years. 

[lumpengrad]

1 hour ago, Whippoorwill said:

Hello fellow applicants! Long time lurker here. I have been accepted at the University of Chicago Div School, with 50% tuition. While I'm totally thrilled about this acceptance- I'm definitely worried about the cost. I've applied for the Religion, Art, and Lit track- I'm interested in the mashup of contemporary art, politics, and religion. 

How is the decision making process going for all of you? It seems that a lot of people here are thinking of going to on PhD programs after a masters- are there any people who aren't? What are you thinking of doing career-wise post masters?

Hi @Whippoorwill! Congrats on Chicago! Their program looks pretty awesome. I'm also a long time lurker, also accepted to div schools (Yale and Harvard) with a concentration in religion and the arts. I'm at around 75% tuition at Yale, and 50% at Harvard, plus I have an AmeriCorps educational award that would make up some of the difference. Cost is a huge factor for me as well--I have a fully funded English MA offer at a mediocre school in a cheap city, which looks very tempting some of the time. But the programs at Yale and Harvard are more in line with what I want to study--contemporary poetry and spiritual practice--and a divinity school community sounds very appealing to me. I hope to eventually pursue doctoral studies in English, and possibly ordination in the Episcopal Church.

Currently, my decision making process involves reaching out to family, coworkers, former professors, friends, and friends of friends--anyone who would have any sort of insight on humanities grad school--to ask advice, and to hear about their experiences. I spent an hour on the phone last Friday with my husband's former roommate, who went to Duke Divinity, asking him questions about the value of a divinity school experience. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Yale, but I'm still really not sure what to do. How is your decision process going? Do you have any other offers you're considering? Are you thinking about a PhD? What discipline?

Also: is anyone attending the admitted student days at YDS and/or HDS?

[Whippoorwill]

10 hours ago, Lysdexia said:

Hard. Like you I only received a little over half covered for tuition. I qualified for the merit process at BU SOT but didn't make that round. . For me, this is my dream and BU is an amazing college and I will learn so much. But the debt is scary but I am fortunate to have a partner through this process which helps some of the burden of being a student. I'll assess where I am when I'm finished with my MTS, but worst case my plan is to teach community college (even if I get into grad school) to get my foot in the door teaching.  Hard to decide what to do as well, considering I'm in mid 20s and would like a family at some point in the next 6-7 years. 

Congrats on BU! Boston is a great city! I'm with you on trying to balance the $ with my interests. It's a tough path! 

9 hours ago, brailled said:

Hi @Whippoorwill! Congrats on Chicago! Their program looks pretty awesome. I'm also a long time lurker, also accepted to div schools (Yale and Harvard) with a concentration in religion and the arts. I'm at around 75% tuition at Yale, and 50% at Harvard, plus I have an AmeriCorps educational award that would make up some of the difference. Cost is a huge factor for me as well--I have a fully funded English MA offer at a mediocre school in a cheap city, which looks very tempting some of the time. But the programs at Yale and Harvard are more in line with what I want to study--contemporary poetry and spiritual practice--and a divinity school community sounds very appealing to me. I hope to eventually pursue doctoral studies in English, and possibly ordination in the Episcopal Church.

Currently, my decision making process involves reaching out to family, coworkers, former professors, friends, and friends of friends--anyone who would have any sort of insight on humanities grad school--to ask advice, and to hear about their experiences. I spent an hour on the phone last Friday with my husband's former roommate, who went to Duke Divinity, asking him questions about the value of a divinity school experience. At the moment, I'm leaning toward Yale, but I'm still really not sure what to do. How is your decision process going? Do you have any other offers you're considering? Are you thinking about a PhD? What discipline?

Also: is anyone attending the admitted student days at YDS and/or HDS?

I don't have any other offers- I applied to HDS and Yale but didn't get in! I didn't apply to very many schools, and I come with some academic baggage from years past. I'm beyond thrilled to have gotten into Chicago.

I also have been reaching out to family, my current Professors/TA's and some friends at div schools. None have straight up said "don't do it!"- though, I did have a relatively recent HDS alum tell me it's pretty indulgent to go to div school. I was like uhhhhhh, I don't think that's what you're supposed to say haha! Most of them have said that the job market is hard and that they aren't sure that it did much for them, but they would probably do the same thing again- "the stuff I learned and the people I met were worth it etc."

As far as a PhD is concerned: I'm not that interested. I'm not crossing it off, but it seems incredibly hard especially for women at top schools. I know a few women in ivy PhD programs and they have all said they wouldn't do it if they had been more aware of the environment that they were getting into initially. It has kind of scared me. Also, I would be like late 30's by the time I was done! 

 

 

 

 

 

[avocet]

My ideal post-M.Div plan is to enter a ThD/PhD program but I've been giving it second thoughts lately. I think I'd probably find it personally fulfilling but given the cost and time commitments, combined with the state of academia and scarce job opportunities (especially in theology/religion), I'm not sure if it's the most sensible decision. So, I'm thinking I'd probably want to work a job in the nonprofit/social justice sphere, or perhaps as a Director of Religious Education in a church if I were to find a decent paying full-time position. Ordination is definitely not something I plan on pursuing, but chaplaincy is an option.

I've also thought about trying for a PhD in another field, such as history (my undergrad major) but I'm not sure if the M.Div. would hurt my chances of getting into a decent program, especially as I don't plan on studying church history during my masters. Of course, finding a tenure track position as a history professor would also be difficult.

If I do decide to go for a PhD/ThD I know I definitely want to take some time off after my M.Div. I'm going into seminary straight out of college and I want some time spent working outside of the academia bubble to get "real-world" experience and prevent burn-out. So my post-M.Div plans are clearly up in the air! I'll see how the next 3 years progress and where they lead me. 

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by avocet

[ExceedinglyCaffeinated]

21 hours ago, avocet said:

My ideal post-M.Div plan is to enter a ThD/PhD program but I've been giving it second thoughts lately. I think I'd probably find it personally fulfilling but given the cost and time commitments, combined with the state of academia and scarce job opportunities (especially in theology/religion), I'm not sure if it's the most sensible decision. So, I'm thinking I'd probably want to work a job in the nonprofit/social justice sphere, or perhaps as a Director of Religious Education in a church if I were to find a decent paying full-time position. Ordination is definitely not something I plan on pursuing, but chaplaincy is an option.

I've also thought about trying for a PhD in another field, such as history (my undergrad major) but I'm not sure if the M.Div. would hurt my chances of getting into a decent program, especially as I don't plan on studying church history during my masters. Of course, finding a tenure track position as a history professor would also be difficult.

If I do decide to go for a PhD/ThD I know I definitely want to take some time off after my M.Div. I'm going into seminary straight out of college and I want some time spent working outside of the academia bubble to get "real-world" experience and prevent burn-out. So my post-M.Div plans are clearly up in the air! I'll see how the next 3 years progress and where they lead me. 

 

 I am very much in a similar situation, my heart is telling me to pursue a PhD in theology/religion, while my mind is struggling to justify the costs. Also, have you placed your deposit down for Union yet? I am about to! 

Edited March 23, 2017 by ExceedinglyCaffeinated

[avocet]

On 3/22/2017 at 10:22 PM, ExceedinglyCaffeinated said:

 I am very much in a similar situation, my heart is telling me to pursue a PhD in theology/religion, while my mind is struggling to justify the costs. Also, have you placed your deposit down for Union yet? I am about to! 

I haven't yet placed my deposit. I'm still waiting to hear back from one more school (they told me on Tuesday that I'd hear back "very soon" but it doesn't look promising). Because of this, Union gave me an extension to March 31. 

Edited March 24, 2017 by avocet