I applied to 4 Master’s programs this fall, and now comes the crunch time when the schools start sending me replies. I got my first one today, from Harvard Divinity School’s Master of Theological Studies (with a focus on Religion, Ethics, and Politics), and I got in!
To make this even better, they offered me a really nice grant too I was not expecting their decision until next Tuesday, so I’m feeling kind of shocked and overwhelmed. I keep looking at the acceptance letter to make sure it still says “Congratulations.”
Now I’m waiting for the other three schools, let’s see what happens. Sorry, I’m too giddy to write right now.
Thank you SDMB for giving me so much knowledge, teaching me to write better, and entertaining me even though I joined as a dumb 13 year old and spent years lurking.
Thank you guys very much! I have finals on Wednesday and I’m trying to will myself to finish strong.
Thank you! Yes, our local public schools are still doing something right, I guess. Although I shudder at the prospect of a New England winter.
We should have a Santa Barbara mini-Dopefest. There’s about 5 of us from here, right?
This is an excellent point. I am taking it into consideration
The other programs that I applied to were the Georgetown Master of Science in Foreign Service, the USC Master of Public Diplomacy, and the UCSB Master of Religious Studies. They are all strong programs with their own advantages and I’m not sure how their admissions (and financial aid!) decisions will go. The Georgetown program especially is very prestigious and they typically look for students who have a bit more work experience than I do at the moment, so we’ll see what they tell me on Tuesday, I think. I will update the thread with my news.
As my father tells me over and over, financial considerations during the degree are important, but what kind of financial situation the degree prepares me to attain after graduation is something I should really not forget to think about.
Thank you! What made their program especially interesting to me was its focus on academics rather than ministry, although having that ministry influence here is actually a benefit because it keeps me grounded in how people actually live religion. The program I applied to is very diverse and allows me to focus in a large variety of disciplines. It is really old, but they’ve been doing a lot of innovative things there in the last 40 years or so.
I was not expecting their decision until next Tuesday, so I’m feeling kind of shocked and overwhelmed. I keep looking at the acceptance letter to make sure it still says “Congratulations.”