PhD Applications Fall '18 Season

[xypathos]

1 hour ago, msdb said:

I just heard from Emory as well (interview invitation for Hebrew Bible). For those of you who are Grad Cafe pros, is that something I post in the results section or only here? 

Also, does anyone know what timelines have been in the past for Duke, Vandy, or ND? Patience is not my strong suit...!

Vandy tends to interview in later January with decisions going out about a month later/early March. When I was a student there I was told that if they don't invite you in for an interview (on campus) or make alternate arrangements for a Skype interview (if you're international), at best you've been waitlisted and should assume rejection. Interviews are a chance for them to get their preferred candidates and 1-2 alternates in the same room, see how they interact and handle interviews, then cut the ones that they don't like.

[ShewantsthePhD101]

6 minutes ago, xypathos said:

Vandy tends to interview in later January with decisions going out about a month later/early March. When I was a student there I was told that if they don't invite you in for an interview (on campus) or make alternate arrangements for a Skype interview (if you're international), at best you've been waitlisted and should assume rejection. Interviews are a chance for them to get their preferred candidates and 1-2 alternates in the same room, see how they interact and handle interviews, then cut the ones that they don't like.

Has Vanderbilt contacted anyone this cycle yet?

[xypathos]

No, invites should go out next week or beginning of the week after. They just recently had a faculty meeting to finalize their list of candidates they want to interview.

[KA.DINGER.RA]

1 hour ago, msdb said:

I just heard from Emory as well (interview invitation for Hebrew Bible). For those of you who are Grad Cafe pros, is that something I post in the results section or only here? 

Also, does anyone know what timelines have been in the past for Duke, Vandy, or ND? Patience is not my strong suit...!

I believe ND's interview notices go out in late January. Like the very end. 

[chaotic]

I wonder how many applicants Emory invites for interview. Does anyone here has any idea? 30 applicants for 10 spots?

[Epaphroditus]

2 hours ago, msdb said:

I just heard from Emory as well (interview invitation for Hebrew Bible). For those of you who are Grad Cafe pros, is that something I post in the results section or only here? 

Also, does anyone know what timelines have been in the past for Duke, Vandy, or ND? Patience is not my strong suit...!

Duke (PhD) usually sends invites to their interview weekend the last week of January. I think the ThD program starts setting up interviews shortly afterward.

[MarthUser]

5 hours ago, xypathos said:

Vandy tends to interview in later January with decisions going out about a month later/early March. When I was a student there I was told that if they don't invite you in for an interview (on campus) or make alternate arrangements for a Skype interview (if you're international), at best you've been waitlisted and should assume rejection. Interviews are a chance for them to get their preferred candidates and 1-2 alternates in the same room, see how they interact and handle interviews, then cut the ones that they don't like.

I interviewed with Vandy last year (received an e-mail about it from my potential POI on January 21) and didn't get an offer, even though I was the only one interviewed in the sub-field. If you get interviewed, it most certainly means that you are one of the strongest candidates. However, even before my interview, I learned that one of the professors in the sub-field (who in that cycle, was the one designated to take on a student) already had someone in mind to offer their one position to (from what I can remember, was a previous student of his/her). In short, if you got an interview, it means you have a good shot but it does not guarantee you will get a spot. And just because you were not invited, does not mean that one of the professors might not have selected your application. 

[Almaqah Thwn]

Well after three years of applying to PhD programs, I got an email today telling me that I have been accepted into UT Austin's Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East program! I'm very excited and thankful that this entire process is finally going to be over. I've been anticipating doing PhD work in Bible for like 4-5 years now and actually knowing that I will be doing it later this year instead of serving coffee to pay student loans is such a relief. 

 

Also, I would have had to do the GRE again this year if I didn't get in somewhere. I'm so glad I never have to give ETS my time or money ever again. 

 

2 hours ago, MarthUser said:

In short, if you got an interview, it means you have a good shot but it does not guarantee you will get a spot. And just because you were not invited, does not mean that one of the professors might not have selected your application. 

It's also worth mentioning that if you get shortlisted by a program, that doesn't necessitate that you'll be accepted or that the professors didn't like you. So be excited if it does happen to you, but don't start planning anything. 

Edited January 18, 2018 by Almaqah Thwn

[ShewantsthePhD101]

@Almaqah Thwn Congrats on your acceptance!!!

[Epaphroditus]

Thought I was out of the running, but just got invited to interview at Emory for NT! I guess I'll be seeing some of you there.

[ShewantsthePhD101]

@Hopeless_Academic YYYYAAAAAYYYY!!!!!!

[ShewantsthePhD101]

Hey! Is the Hebrew Bible Phd applicant for Yale who got an interview on this thread? I'd love to talk to you!

[xypathos]

1 hour ago, ShewantsthePhD101 said:

Hey! Is the Hebrew Bible Phd applicant for Yale who got an interview on this thread? I'd love to talk to you!

I know a student there that is doing a second Masters there that got an interview. He’s not active on this forum though. I’ll check with him.

EDIT: He’s not the one that posted to the results forum. They interview several so he said not to worry.

Edited January 18, 2018 by xypathos

[msdb]

1 hour ago, ShewantsthePhD101 said:

Hey! Is the Hebrew Bible Phd applicant for Yale who got an interview on this thread? I'd love to talk to you!

I got a phone interview (I think that's what I'd call it) but not anything on campus. Happy to chat! 

And thanks, all, for the info on Vandy, ND, and Duke. Happy continued waiting!

[Cioaba]

Just got an invite to interview at UT Austin (Ancient Mediterranean Religions). Invited to interview at Stanford a few days ago (Late-antique Christianity).

[just_a_history_guy]

Just got an interview invite to Vanderbilt! First invitation for me so far. Any pointers for how these things typically go?

[xypathos]

4 minutes ago, haxmeidelberger said:

Just got an interview invite to Vanderbilt! First invitation for me so far. Any pointers for how these things typically go?

It means you've made it to the short list! I think there were some recent funding cuts but when I was there they accepted ~2 students per field but interviewed ~4 per field.

[MarthUser]

9 minutes ago, haxmeidelberger said:

Just got an interview invite to Vanderbilt! First invitation for me so far. Any pointers for how these things typically go?

Congratulations! Some pointers below, but I'll PM you last year's schedule:

1. Make sure to bring formal business attire, even though you will probably be touring campus on foot for some parts of the day.

2. You will probably be interviewing all-day. All of my interviews were held with multiple professors in the room, so do some research in advance on all of their specific research/sub-fields.

3. There's usually a dinner at the end of the day for each sub-field. This is a chance for you to get to know other graduate students and see how you might get along with the people in your subfield. Make sure to do some background on the other grad students as well and prepare some questions in advance to ask them about the program. 

Best of luck!

[just_a_history_guy]

@MarthUser @xypathos thank you!

[xypathos]

I'll add that it's a competitive interview so while you'll be interviewed by faculty and that will be the primary decision, they're also paying attention to group dynamics. 

per the VDS Calendar, Interviews will be Monday Feb. 5th and 6th, which is usual so I'd expect to leave sometime Wed. morning.

You'll have a bit of downtime so check out the shops along 21st Ave if you get hungry - Mellow Mushroom, San Antonio Taco Company (SATCO) (it's a popular div. school hangout for cheap food when you're taking a break from a late night in the library), etc.

Vanderbilt also has the tradition of the Whiskey Fairy if you need incentives to accept.

[Almaqah Thwn]

8 hours ago, xypathos said:

It means you've made it to the short list! I think there were some recent funding cuts but when I was there they accepted ~2 students per field but interviewed ~4 per field.

From the professor that I talked to there recently, I believe it's been reduced to 1 student, at least in OT. Albeit, there is always the Theology and Practice fellowship. 

[xypathos]

20 minutes ago, Almaqah Thwn said:

From the professor that I talked to there recently, I believe it's been reduced to 1 student, at least in OT. Albeit, there is always the Theology and Practice fellowship. 

You're right. I spoke with a current doc student in HB and they said the school had to cut a slot for each field. Sometimes funding opens up for a second student but it's rare and generally rotates between Biblical Studies and Church History.

[bijou2017]

Just got an email from UT Austin (Religions of the Americas track) inviting me to interview this week! However, question for you all, the email says I am "...on the short list of candidates for admission", and the interview is to ask a few questions about my app and give me a chance to ask questions.

Any thoughts about if the "short list" means I'm basically accepted, and this interview is a formality? Or, am I and some other people all interviewing for one spot?

[xypathos]

I’ve never known Austin to do competitive interviews but I also know that an interview=\=acceptance. They’ve been known to do some weird things in their interviews too, several years ago they had an HB applicant that they’d only let interview in Hebrew.

I imagine it’s a situation of you being, more or less, their preferred candidate but they want to see what they’re buying before they sign the papers. Which probably means there’s 1-2 other candidates sitting on the bench hoping you bomb but you won’t!

[msdb]

I saw on the results page that someone had been invited to interview at Notre Dame for the WCWR track. (Congrats to you, results-poster!) I assume this means interview invites have gone out for each of ND's concentrations but was curious if anyone knew for sure. 

Also, does anyone know how many candidates Vanderbilt interviews for the T & P Fellowship? And is it just one fellowship, or are there multiple T & P spots per year? 

Thanks!