Divinity School Applications

I have convinced myself there is no way I can get into Harvard, let alone get the required massive financial aid to go (not to mention get the part-time student status required, which will require a special exemption). In case I get the courage to apply, I woke up in the middle of the night the other night and scribbled out a first draft of a "statement of purpose," one of the items required for admission to Harvard's Master of Divinity program.

It felt really genius at the time, but as with most "2:00am writing," if I use anything from it at all, it will need a lot of work.

Meanwhile, I thought I could do myself a favor by putting out an initial request for my letters of recommendation, even though the school does not yet have its recommendation letter forms (which it specifies it needs) online for next year's applicants. While I was online looking for the forms, however, I read something I apparently missed previously: "At least TWO of these letters must be solicited from college, university, or seminary professors who have taught the applicant and are therefore well acquainted with the applicant's academic qualifications." Ah, shit.

I graduated from my most recent school experience in 2001, if memory serves. Since that time, the program I was in underwent a serious overhaul, and I just went searching online to discover that *none* of the faculty from my days in attendance are with the university anymore. So now I have to go hunt them down, and hope that I can find them, and then hope that they are doing something that will look good to freaking HARVARD on letterhead. And THEN hope that they actually remember me (I was an outstanding student of course, LOL, but who knows...their names have since faded from my own memory, so I wouldn't blame them if the same was true for them in regards to me).

Not only that, but suddenly I am starting to wonder if I was supposed to send a thank you note to the Harvard professor who allowed me to sit in on his class (oops!). And if I shot myself in the foot with my inability to attend more classes than I did.

Cold feet time. I am feeling really defeated, and I've hardly begun. My goal was to work through most of the application materials (as well as FASFA materials, etc. for financial aid) over the summer, so that in the fall, when the application is published, I can focus on that. The fall is an immensely busy time at work in any case, and I figured I was doing myself a favor.

But I am terrified, and that makes me simultaneously obsess and procrastinate. Not a good combo!

I think it would help if I could get my self to stop imagining all the other grand candidates. I am who I am. But suddenly the statistics I referenced a few months ago look different. Before I saw:

Applied 677
Admitted 253
Incoming 160
MDiv 50
MTS 100
ThD 6
ThM 4

...and thought, "hey 253 out of 677 isn't bad at all. And since most of the incoming students are MTS students, there probably weren't that many MDiv applicants."

But now I look at it, and think, my chances of being admitted could hover somewhere in the 60-70% range, and probably plenty of those admitted last year didn't get necessary financial aid, because of those that were admitted, about 40% aren't going. Besides, what if there were plenty of MDiv applications, but they just don't accept as many into the program so my chances are even less. Or what if they gave out less financial aid for those studies or...(ad nauseum).

By the way, if you are curious, all the application materials are listed about 1/5 or 1/6 of the way down this page: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/afa/apply/requirements.html.

(I am assuming if I prepare all these materials, I'll have most everything I'll need for the other school to which I am applying as well.)

The big question is, will I apply or won't I?

Maybe I am an old woman in a youngish body...

...but at 30 I am already a curmudgeon. I don't like some emerging social norms, and they make me have that old worry of "what is the new generation coming to?"

If you own a cell and use text messaging, please keep in mind that while you think a big benefit to texting is that you can quietly and discreetly message others while in a meeting and so forth, you are not as discreet as you think. Though some may accept it, it can be highly distracting for some. And yes, no matter how much you participate in the discussion at hand, it sends a clear message that the people you are with do not deserve your full and undivided attention.



Edited to add that interestingly, right after I published this post, I saw this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/26teen.html

Visting Harvard Divinity School Classes

Cool! I just found out I can visit Harvard Divinity School classes this spring! I've now scheduled time in my calendar to visit these classes:

• Unitarian and Universalist History in the United States
• Introduction to the New Testatment: History and Interpretation
• Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
• Judaism: The Liturgical Year
• The First Epistle to the Corinthians

I'll be visiting classes through April.

Comforts

Lest I appear to be full of only despair right now, I thought I would share a couple of things.

First, as painful as it is to be moving before my wife and children are able to move, I am very much looking forward to my new ministry. It is truly, truly, truly exciting, and I feel blessed to be partnering with this congregation. I also believe the time to get settled in my work there without the usual, daily family obligations will give me better roots.

Second, there are some things bringing me comfort at this time. I think a lot about the men and women in the military who go through indefinite periods of being apart from their families all the time. It is difficult, but none of us are alone. My wife and children and I do not know when we will be reunited, but I am blessed, as I am not facing combat, but rather making an exciting and positive move in my life. Over the long haul, this move is one G and I chose because it will be good for our family. And while we do face the possibility of loss during this time apart, if we are unable to adopt K, we have to believe that in all likelihood, the system will allow her to be with her birthfamily only if it is safe. We want an ethical adoption. We pray we are correct in our belief, and moreso, we pray that the judge will rule with not only her safety, but with her best interests in mind.

Another comfort is this:

I had the pleasure recently of listening to the Rev. Meg Barnhouse (http://www.megbarnhouse.com/). Her song, "All Will Be Well" (http://www.megbarnhouse.com/gpage.html) touched my faith deeply. She described the song as a conversation she has had in her head with the 14th century Christian mystic, Julian of Norwich. For an interesting sermon about Julian, check out: http://www.gracecathedral.org/church/sermon/ser_20070506.shtml. In any case, the song is tremendously comforting to me, and I have ordered the CD.