SDG2

I got a full tuition Duke scholarship when I entered the MDiv program in 2009, so the field ed money was just a really nice bonus (if you do the math, the pay is absurd... something like $60/hour for church intern work). Many of my friends were on 1/3 or 1/2 scholarships, but used field ed money to shore up the remaining tuition they owed. Some folks still had significant debt, but I didn't know a single person who regretted enrolling. I know I would have gladly paid to study with Jeremy Begbie, Stanley Hauerwas and Reinhard Huetter, among others. I wouldn't blame a soul for choosing to go to Princeton, Yale or some other well-funded school. But if Duke is your top choice and you get in, I highly recommend trying to make it work financially. There is no better theological faculty in the US.

I got an email from Susan Eastman, the director. I'm pretty sure they have notified everyone who has been offered admission, but I have no idea about wait listing or anything like that.

Go after big name references, but only if you've done big time work for them. A bland recommendation from Stanley Hauerwas isn't gonna help much.

I was accepted today into Duke's Th.D. and they ended up taking seven total.