PhD Applications Fall '18 Season

[RiskyNT]

21 hours ago, Almaqah Thwn said:

Welp, not anymore. Duke's Religious Studies PhD program just extended their deadline to the 20th. I wonder if they weren't getting as many applications as expected? 

I might be misremembering, but didn't Duke do this last year? I seem to remember Duke doing this last year.

[Epaphroditus]

1 hour ago, RiskyNT said:

I might be misremembering, but didn't Duke do this last year? I seem to remember Duke doing this last year.

I think last year the deadline was Dec 16, but the GDR website said the 28th, which they updated a day before the Dec 16 deadline to the 16th.

[torontonian27]

Just submitted my application to the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto! Here's to waiting until February...

[ShewantsthePhD101]

So Yale's Religion PhD I thought was due Jan. 2... and I just got an email Saying it's due today (the 15th) !!!  AHHHHH.

[Epaphroditus]

8 hours ago, ShewantsthePhD101 said:

So Yale's Religion PhD I thought was due Jan. 2... and I just got an email Saying it's due today (the 15th) !!!  AHHHHH.

I thought the same and got the same email. If you look at their newly updated website though, it says Dec 15 is a soft deadline and Jan 2 is the hard deadline. Not sure what that means, but they said they will consider all applications received by Jan 2, though they will be marked "late." Hopefully, that doesn't mean apps submitted by today are seen more favorably.

[ShewantsthePhD101]

2 hours ago, y00nsk said:

I thought the same and got the same email. If you look at their newly updated website though, it says Dec 15 is a soft deadline and Jan 2 is the hard deadline. Not sure what that means, but they said they will consider all applications received by Jan 2, though they will be marked "late." Hopefully, that doesn't mean apps submitted by today are seen more favorably.

I'm torn...all my letters are in. I haven't picked/perfected my writing sample yet though... do I let it be marked late and have a better writing sample, or turn it in on time with a writing sample that may not be as carefully selected/edited.

[Epaphroditus]

2 hours ago, ShewantsthePhD101 said:

I'm torn...all my letters are in. I haven't picked/perfected my writing sample yet though... do I let it be marked late and have a better writing sample, or turn it in on time with a writing sample that may not be as carefully selected/edited.

I say turn it in "late." I think what happened is the department website listed Jan 2, but the graduate school website had the official Dec 15 deadline. Since they probably can't change the grad school app system this late in the game, they're accepting apps until Jan 2, even though the grad school system will mark them as "late." I don't think it will affect your chances. A less polished writing sample would, though.

[xypathos]

Good luck with the deadline everyone! It's the big one for most of us, followed up by January 15th for those schools that take mercy on us.

[xypathos]

Emails from Drew went out today that applicants should know by February 28th. The wording, to me, came across that applications are being considered in batches.

My POI told me that specific departments began screening applicants within a few days of them receiving notifications that an applicant had uploaded writing sample and a PS. They, by and large, don't wait until the deadline and generally have a short list of candidates by the end of the first week in January before they go to committee.

[bijou2017]

Hey everyone, quick question. So I submitted an app for the religious studies MA at Arizona State University, then received an email from a POI saying after a quick look at my application, he thinks I'm a better fit for the PhD program, which also has full funding. 

I was curious if anyone knows much about ASU's PhD program (I can't find current grad students online, or even how many are there right now), or has any thoughts on this. I'm a little surprised by all this, their deadline isn't until Jan 15 (I submitted less than a week ago), and the POI offered to help me refine my personal statement in preparation for the PhD application.

[menge]

6 hours ago, bijou2017 said:

Hey everyone, quick question. So I submitted an app for the religious studies MA at Arizona State University, then received an email from a POI saying after a quick look at my application, he thinks I'm a better fit for the PhD program, which also has full funding. 

I was curious if anyone knows much about ASU's PhD program (I can't find current grad students online, or even how many are there right now), or has any thoughts on this. I'm a little surprised by all this, their deadline isn't until Jan 15 (I submitted less than a week ago), and the POI offered to help me refine my personal statement in preparation for the PhD application.

From what I know, ASU has strengths geared toward anthropology of religion. Depending on your interests and potential supervisor, it certainly is a good option. Plenty of folks with MA's get shut out every year, so getting one is no guarantee of getting into a PhD. If you get a PhD offer in lieu of MA, I would strongly consider it (pending the outcomes of your other apps of course). 

[ShewantsthePhD101]

Anyone applying to Brown's RCT?

[bijou2017]

18 hours ago, menge said:

From what I know, ASU has strengths geared toward anthropology of religion. Depending on your interests and potential supervisor, it certainly is a good option. Plenty of folks with MA's get shut out every year, so getting one is no guarantee of getting into a PhD. If you get a PhD offer in lieu of MA, I would strongly consider it (pending the outcomes of your other apps of course). 

Okay, thank you! I am interested in anthropology of religion, so that is *very* good to hear. Yeah, I figure I'll move forward with converting the application to a PhD one (because I don't really have much to lose), and then I'll just see how the other 9 apps turn out. 

[Epaphroditus]

What do you all do when a school asks you your ranking for programs? I'm applying to ND and their app asks for a ranking of my potential schools, but they say it doesn't impact my chance of admission. I find it hard to believe that they won't consider the fact that a candidate lists ND at #3 and another at #1..

[KA.DINGER.RA]

1 hour ago, Hopeless_Academic said:

What do you all do when a school asks you your ranking for programs? I'm applying to ND and their app asks for a ranking of my potential schools, but they say it doesn't impact my chance of admission. I find it hard to believe that they won't consider the fact that a candidate lists ND at #3 and another at #1..

I don't think it matters at all. I think it's just for statistical purposes. That said, I would just put them as your #1 and move on just in case. Haha. 

 

Also, I'm currently at ND and also applying for the PhD. Let me know if you have any questions!

[Averroes MD]

7 hours ago, KA.DINGER.RA said:

I don't think it matters at all. I think it's just for statistical purposes. That said, I would just put them as your #1 and move on just in case. Haha. 

 

Also, I'm currently at ND and also applying for the PhD. Let me know if you have any questions!

I dunno, it seems hard to believe (the bolded part).

Anyways, what do you and others think of ND for doing a PhD in Theology?

[ShewantsthePhD101]

On 12/15/2017 at 2:01 PM, xypathos said:

Good luck with the deadline everyone! It's the big one for most of us, followed up by January 15th for those schools that take mercy on us.

Except I have a January 2nd and January 5th due before my two January 15ths lol

[KA.DINGER.RA]

On 12/22/2017 at 6:07 PM, Averroes MD said:

I dunno, it seems hard to believe (the bolded part).

Anyways, what do you and others think of ND for doing a PhD in Theology?

I just mean that I think it's likely more for statistical purposes rather than anything than anything pertaining to decision making. 

 

I like the program at ND a lot. They have an insane amount of student resources if you're willing to apply for them and the faculty is great. It's weird going here as a non-Catholic, but you get over that. South Bend also isn't a bad town. It's obviously not as big as Chicago or Boston or anything like that, but it's got enough things to do. Your life will be occupied with school anyway so outside attractions aren't all that important. 

[Epaphroditus]

Thought I should post an update since I started this thread. I got an email yesterday afternoon for a Skype interview at Princeton Seminary! Finally, some news. I'm applying for NT.

Related to this - any advice on these kinds of interviews? I was told it would be short, maybe 10 minutes.

[Deep Fried Angst]

1 hour ago, Hopeless_Academic said:

Thought I should post an update since I started this thread. I got an email yesterday afternoon for a Skype interview at Princeton Seminary! Finally, some news. I'm applying for NT.

Related to this - any advice on these kinds of interviews? I was told it would be short, maybe 10 minutes.

Even though some of this is straightforward, I'll say it anyway. 

1. Dress like it is an in person interview. 

2. Make sure you have a clean room, a wall without anything distracting, and good lighting where you sit. If possible, use a room where you can have an ethernet connection rather than WiFi; better to have faster more stable internet than to freeze up during your interview. 

3. Work on your answers to typical interview questions. Read everything you can on the program and tailor them to the school. Make them concise and brief. If you ramble, you waste time for other questions or substantial answers. If you get answers down from two minutes to one minute, even with ones like research focus, why you are interested in their school, and influences in your scholarship, you will almost double the amount of questions you can answer/the information they learn about you. 

4. Have at least one or two good, substantial questions about the program. 

5. If you have a smaller laptop, it may be helpful to set it on a couple books or a box so you don't look slouched or hunched over but are looking straight ahead. 

[Averroes MD]

9 hours ago, Hopeless_Academic said:

Thought I should post an update since I started this thread. I got an email yesterday afternoon for a Skype interview at Princeton Seminary! Finally, some news. I'm applying for NT.

Related to this - any advice on these kinds of interviews? I was told it would be short, maybe 10 minutes.

Silent farts are OK, but the risk of accidental conversion to a loud one means that they should be avoided if possible. 

[Epaphroditus]

12 hours ago, dmueller0711 said:

Even though some of this is straightforward, I'll say it anyway. 

1. Dress like it is an in person interview. 

2. Make sure you have a clean room, a wall without anything distracting, and good lighting where you sit. If possible, use a room where you can have an ethernet connection rather than WiFi; better to have faster more stable internet than to freeze up during your interview. 

3. Work on your answers to typical interview questions. Read everything you can on the program and tailor them to the school. Make them concise and brief. If you ramble, you waste time for other questions or substantial answers. If you get answers down from two minutes to one minute, even with ones like research focus, why you are interested in their school, and influences in your scholarship, you will almost double the amount of questions you can answer/the information they learn about you. 

4. Have at least one or two good, substantial questions about the program. 

5. If you have a smaller laptop, it may be helpful to set it on a couple books or a box so you don't look slouched or hunched over but are looking straight ahead. 

Thanks for the tips. I hadn't even thought of the position of my laptop, but a good thing to consider.

[xypathos]

I'm pretty sure you're required to wear no pants during a Skype interview and hope you never have to stand up. I think they call it "Business on the top, Party on the bottom."

[Deep Fried Angst]

9 minutes ago, xypathos said:

I'm pretty sure you're required to wear no pants during a Skype interview and hope you never have to stand up. I think they call it "Business on the top, Party on the bottom."

I'll be the hypocrite here as I advised against it but definitely was wearing athletic shorts during my Skype interview. 

[MonkeyMagic]

I think I should post an update as well...I was offered an interview at Baylor (Old Testament). Finally I see some light after a series of rejections...Anyone going to the interview?