xypathos

What's your background? By that, personal and/or academic involvement with Islamic Studies? That might help others suggest programs and offer more specific advice.

I can more or less also vouch for what @ם but my interview was in 2017 so things could've changed by then. Four were invited to campus with another 1-2* that were interviewed but not invited (backups). All of the initial acceptances came from those invited but a number of them declined to enroll. *Some subfields didn't identify backups and instead opted to run short, or have no incoming students, because they didn't like their slate of candidates.

In the case of being in the UK and not being particularly interested in ministry work, I'd say try to find scholarship circles that welcome undergraduates to present their research. Most of them have a fairly low bar for undergraduates to present - it's more about tipping your toes in the water. There's also academic journals. It's more so to show that you're thinking about this work beyond simply what you're being taught, you're making your own connections to things. I love to bake and so one of my attempts to merge this was working on a paper that looked at the history of bread (recipe composition, shape of the bread, etc) and the role that played in various locations when it came to temple worship. Beyond that, just pursue your passions and develop yourself as a person. UK PhDs are only 3 years (usually) but in the US it's not uncommon for religious studies/theology programs to be 7+ and many of the lower tier ones are averaging 10-12 years now. So, faculty are making a commitment to you as a person too. Have interests outside religion, it'll keep you sane.

Get it over with and behind you, so that you can move on with your life and not have them hanging over you.

What degree are you eyeing at Vandy? Their acceptance rate for the M.Div is really high. A 3.1 isn't that bad, I attended Vandy with classmates with much worse GPAs from online diploma mills. If you're also Latinx it might be open you up to some diversity scholarships. VDS, and Nashville, is extremely expensive and even 50% funding is quite rare. I think you'll equally be competitive at Iliff and Candler. Yale is hard to pin down since GPA matters more but I'd say you have a 33% shot at worst.

It's school dependent. Enough schools get enough applications that they refuse to read an application until it's complete, often their website will specify if this is their policy. You're always welcome to email/call the school and inquire about your situation. When I was applying for M.Div programs I had a similar situation. They let me submit a "backup" recommendation and once my straggler submitted, I told them who to drop and they deleted the spare recc from my application.

This is school dependent. Generally, no it doesn't need to be a direct fit as far as paper = field, BUT! it needs to showcase skills that are relevant for your field. So, if you're wanting to propose something language intensive, you'd better show skills there. There's no harm in writing a new paper if you have the energy to do it, but you need a trusted mentor(s) to provide feedback. Ideally, your paper is at least tangentially related even it's a little bit of a creative stretch. Most of your programs are going to expect MAR/MTS applicants to submit three academic references but might not require it. That said, don't submit a lukewarm recommendation to hit this. Check what the schools want. Generally you'll only have detailed requirements for M.Div. If your three best are two academic, and one professional - go with that, unless a school says it must be three academic. You can find more about the MTS application here - https://divinity.duke.edu/admissions/how-apply#mts. Its been well over a decade since I applied to Duke but I think the personal statement is what they used to show that commitment.

Is everything else equal? That is, more or less financial aid package (if any). In another thread you were just applying to M* programs to start this fall, guessing that changed? I believe from past posts that you're an international student, right? By that, not a US citizen? If so, I can't really speak to your job prospects outside the US. It's going to be exceptionally hard to get a job in academia with a UK degree, except for conservative, mostly Baptist and Reformed schools. It'll still be hard with them too, just slightly easier.

Are you a US citizen? If so, scholarships are going to be ridiculously hard to secure. The UK schools that are approved for federal loans would much rather you take out loans than receive scholarship money. The US citizens that get scholarships tend to be the ones that had such competitive applications that they're also applying to HYPetc. A UK school will also limit your ability to come back to the US and teach. Many of the UK schools have a reputation for doctrinal bias, so it's more important to focus on who would be supervising your work. Oxford and Cambridge skirts some of this, but again it comes down to who your supervisor is. No idea what this is meant to mean, but scripture had doctrinal purposes, even by its writers.

Are you using Anglican in the sense that a Canadian or someone from the UK would? (I doubt it but I want to check). It depends on what your goals are. If you're Anglican but not pursuing ordination, just about every mainline seminary and divinity school will have an Anglican/Episcopalian on staff, probably many of them. If you're Anglican in the sense of ACNA and want a classical but conservative education: some non-Jesuit Catholic schools if more high church. If more evangelical, there's a number of Methodist and Lutheran schools. Perhaps Catholic schools like SLU and Marq, too. You can get a solid classical education at places like Yale and Chicago, but it will be a bumpy ride if your conservative boots are dragging in the mud.

You're overthinking almost all of this. Your GPA is going to be better than some of your potential classmates, and you bring a perspective that will be unique. Take a deep breath. Write your essays and personal statements that speak to your passions, how HDS/Chicago/etc will help you explore them, and the trajectory you see yourself going, etc. Drop this talk about burdens, things being too late, etc. A 3.6/4.0 GPA is not a burden. Applying to graduate school at 25 is not too late. My advisor once said to me: We reach a crossroads when we graduate college. One can go to therapy, or one can go to graduate school and force our problems on others. Don't be the latter, granted most of us did that.

I agree with @sacklunch in that very few seem to leave the Christian faith. Denomination hopping definitely happens! Per the tension - divinity schools and seminaries generally start from the basis that "God exists." If they belong to a denomination/movement they might get more specific. Religious Studies departments are a bit more historical and cultural analysis, so you're looking at this "Other" and talking about what they believe/do (over simplication). I entered VDS intending to be an academic (go get a PhD and be a professor) but my MDiv pushed me to ordination with The Episcopal Church. I did eventually go get a PhD and teach some, but it's church work that pays the bills.

If you go to seminary/divinity school and your faith isn't rattled, you did it wrong. That said, if your faith is destroyed, that's a different thing, though maybe not bad - context matters. Part of school, living, and just being a human being is that you grow and change. Yes, seminary made me stop and think more about things like the Nicene Creed, but I think that's a good thing. It also helped me understand that I valued some things more than others, which is also good. Vandy was good about shaking up people's faiths and challenging them to think bigger and better. That said, they were really bad with the rebuilding that came afterward. In fact, the dean at the time was even emphatic in saying that's not their job. I did hate that part of VDS while there and I disagreed with it. I disagree with it a little less, because I better recognize that rebuilding is 1) personal work I need to do, 2) takes time, and 3) sometimes it must be a different community than the one that inflicted the trauma. That's part of the tension between seminary/divinity schools and religious studies in general. The classroom (and student-teacher relationships) have the capacity for beautiful life-building but also profound trauma. If you're going to be a teacher within this field, part of you needs to be pastoral. You certainly don't need to be confessional, you could very easily be atheistic and an amazing teacher, but you have to carry the weight well that your words and how you use them can kill someone's soul.

Many of my Vandy classmates that got an M.Div went into non-profits, teaching (private secondary schools), and quite a few got into political work - volunteered on campaigns and ended up working for Senators, Reps., and/or Governors. There are chaplaincy options, but I'm not sure where you're drawing the line at pastoral work.

It's an uphill climb, but it's a climb for anyone. Age will be a factor, though they'll beat around the bush with their questions. Also - it's field and school dependent. Your top schools rarely take anyone older than 30. Your state schools, like Indiana and Iowa, are much more flexible. If you're thinking a PhD in a more "practical" field to church work like liturgy or homiletics, these students are often older. Maybe not late 50s from my anecdotal experience, but I've certainly seen mid-to-late 40s. This is also another reason why three year European PhD/DPhil route is popular among older students. Funding is an issue then. I think a former Episcopal bishop of Washington (maybe Oregon?) was 45 or so when he started a PhD in Theology at Notre Dame. Granted, he wasn't the bishop then.

@steadygaze108's advice is spot on. Broadly and generally speaking, Theology/Religious Studies and Philosophy departments at secular schools don't play well together. If you want to be a professor of philosophy, get a PhD in Philosophy. If you want a PhD in Philosophy, almost universally, you'll need a MA in Philosophy. People who get a PhD in Religious Studies (or Theology) with a concentration/focus in Philosophy of Religion (PoR) can get hired by a Religious Studies department (job market is a different concern). BUT! A philosophy department won't touch you for a myriad of reasons. Get a PhD in Philosophy with a focus in PoR, you're employable by religious studies AND philosophy. There are exceptions at places like Boston College, CUA, etc., but we're talking about 1-2 faculty members.

I would fully expect that they've read relevant application material. When I worked in Admissions, we provided personal statements, and when relevant, writing samples to interviewers. Interviewers generally didn't have access to transcripts, anything marked sensitive, or things that might bias them going into the interview. I don't know PTS' policies though.

Back when I interviewed, it was short - 15-30 minutes. They asked me questions about my favorite theologians, anything I found on the website that I was especially interested about, what I hoped to accomplish post-PTS, etc. I didn't attend PTS but I can tell you they were interested in getting a sense of my curiosity. From others that have posted here, it's mostly learn more about you questions and try to get a gauge of how you think.

I second @sacklunch here in that I suggest you finish out your MD, likely residency too, and wait a little bit for the divinity school degrees. The job market for us (PhDs in Theology/Religious Studies) is atrocious and brutal. Too, you'll be starting clinicals soon so that will be a different experience from the classroom. I had three classmates while doing my M.Div that were MDs (well, I think one was actually a DO but same thing). Two were taking classes part time (surgeon and a pediatrician), and one took a break from medicine to completely focus on their M.Div. I think they were a psychiatrist. I also had a classmate that did a joint MD/MDiv and then did a joint PhD in Religious Studies while doing his general surgery residency. But, he was a %*$#ing rockstar like I've never seen before. I think he's at Yale or Harvard now. Which is to say, and I don't recommend it, but you could look at 1) transferring to a school with a joint MD/MDiv (or MA) program or 2) speaking with your school about taking a break from medical school to pursue the MDiv/MA and coming back. The second option isn't all that uncommon but it's usually for research leave, MPH, or MBA students.

You can try but I don't think it'll go anywhere. The Dean of Faculty/Academics will likely pop them on the wrist and warn them that it sounds like they didn't do any actual teaching and got paid for it.

There's not enough information to say. I think you'll stand a good chance. If you're PCUSA, your chances at PTS will be even better. I had classmates with much lower than a 3.4, so that's not really a deal breaker. The MPhil will certainly be looked at, and your success there will help offset much/all the concern of a 3.4 (which I don't think there will be much anyway). Union (Are we talking the one in NYC or Virginia?) Union in NYC isn't that competitive anymore since they're quite strapped for cash. Don't expect much, if any, financial aid from them though.

I don't know your stats (GPA, major, extracurriculars, etc.) so what we can offer in the way of advice is a bit limited. That said, the admission rate for the academic degrees at Harvard, Yale, Princeton Theo., and Duke is lower than their M.Div rates but likely still around 25-33% based on conversations I've had with staff in those schools. Covid has impacted these numbers some but every school is being impacted a littler differently. Some are seeing an uptick in the number of applications but candidates that are deemed actually viable is going up only marginally. Others are receiving less applications. MTS applicants are viewed through a more academic lens than M.Div applicants, who are viewed more holistically. It's not a terrible difference or anything but most M.Div students are looking to go into ministry, non-profit, teaching, etc. If you're a MTS student the presumption is that you want to do a PhD so the question before the AdCom is: Can we, reasonably, get this student prepared to enter a PhD program in two years? If the answer is absolutely no, you certainly won't be admitted. Most MTS students never end up in a PhD program, though but that's a different question/issue. I can't speak to the Dominican House of Studies. As an episcopal priest, I can speak to Sewanee and Nashotah. Both will give you a broad overview of the Christian Church (liturgy, theology, NT and HB, and history). Neither, on their own, will have you ready to enter into a reputable PhD program. So I think you should absolutely expect doing a second M* where you then intensively focus on the NT. Nashotah is deeply traditional in how they view the world. I'm still quite young but in my lifetime, Nashotah didn't allow female candidates for ordination to study there. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, while Bishop of North Carolina, forbid postulants from studying at Nashotah due to their stance on women and LGBT+. This has relaxed quite a bit but there are still a number of bishops that refuse to send students there. I bring this up because if you attend Nashotah, or any evangelical school, you will have to wrestle with the weight of that school's name on your application. Someone on your committee, given the prevalence of Religious Studies faculty that are Episcopalian, will absolutely know about Nashotah. What they will wonder is: 1) Is this student a traditionalist? and 2) How has/might their beliefs impact their scholarship and their ability to critique and pursue hard questions? Sewanee is more progressive but still considered traditionalist. Your real problem here is that Sewanee's seminary student body is all of like 40 students. School's of that size really can't offer much in the way of electives, and driving up to Nashville to take classes at Vanderbilt isn't reliable. It can be done but Sewanee puts a cap on it and restricts what you can study at Vanderbilt. If you want to maximize your chances of ending up in a reputable NT program, your list should be: Harvard Div. Yale Div. Princeton Theo. Chicago Div. Vanderbilt Emory Duke and that's probably about it.

So I know Thomas Worcester personally. He's a racist. Low key, but a racist none the less and doesn't take kindly to the influx of Asian students in Toronto. So, here's how you handle this: Hit 'Reply' BUT add Pamela Couture (pamela.couture@utoronto.ca), she's the Executive Director of TST. You're also going to want to CC, and probably individually reach out, to the ARCDO office (antiracism@utoronto.ca) at the University of Toronto (https://antiracism.utoronto.ca/resolution/). Write what you want in the email but call out Thomas. This isn't the first complaint against him. He'll apologize profusely, likely want to buy you a meal and "mend wounds." If you decide to accept, don't give in. This is what he does.

Your profile says you're at Yale, so I'd reach out to your advisor and/or a dean about securing funding for a STM. I don't know how prevalent they are, but I've had friends get one funded by being a research assistant or a GA'ship. Outside of Yale, funded one year M* degrees are rare. Western Theological Seminary has often funded Th.M. students.

I want to stress this one. My wife is a tenure-track professor in Education. Her extracurricular work is only sitting on the Curriculum Planning Committee. Otherwise she has a 2/2 load and advises 12 upper-level students that she might see for an hour 3 times a year. Her salary? 85k The adjunct pay for the professor teaching the same exact course as her? $3,500 EDIT: Adjunct also has a Ph.D.