oikodendron

So how did it affect your financial aid?

I'm an aspiring New Testament PhD-student: How much does denominational affiliation affect chances of admission? At what schools does it matter the most, for what kinds programs? Does anyone have any experiences?

Vive la flamboyance! (or whatever) Thanks for your explanation braun_braun, very helpful! Of course America takes better care of the European tradition than Europe does... I have thoroughly enjoyed Derrida, but when I study the NT, there are other things I'm after. Since you're European (or studied there), I want to ask you another question: Do you have any feeling yet how your European education/background is serving you when applying here?

By the way, how much does denominational affiliation affect chances of being admitted to top tier schools? I would assume it matters more at, say, Catholic than Methodist schools?

Thanks for your comments! They're all very useful. I understand "best" is a very subjective term, and a PhD from a certain school will be assessed differently depending on where I apply for a position. What I am after here, is the general prestige a school will have with NT professors around this country. I thought once I have some kind of a ranking, I will go on to look at each school and faculty more in depth to see which would suit me the best. The rankings that I have found are either out-dated or overly biased. (And neither Yale, Drew, or GTU score high - all mentioned by you.) Your distinction between traditionalist and postmodern/critical is interesting, braun_braun. The traditionalists are more likely to study the New Testament with historical methods, and interested in the broad scope of NT issues and theology, while the postmodern/critical are more likely to do reader-response stuff, and interested in gender-, queer-, and liberationism-issues? Help me out here, I'm European and not too familiar with the academic or theological landscape over here. :oops: My interest in the NT has been historical, and the methods I favor are pretty traditional. As long as traditionalism, does not imply confessional "clinging" and unwillingness to be critical, I don't mind being a traditionalist.

What schools are in your opinion the best places to do a PhD in The New Testament or Early Christianity? Which schools would most likely secure a future university-level teaching position?

Does anyone have any knowledge of foreigners being accepted to top-tier schools in the U.S.? With English as a second language, I know my verbal GRE score would be relatively low, although I assume my background would be taken into account. Worse, probably, is having my BA and MA from an obscure (for an American, that is) Norwegian academic institution. My letters of recommendation are pretty pale too, compared to those often written by U.S. professors. Scandinavian professors are traditionally not as involved with their students, and when "praising" somebody, it is a very modest and formal affair. Does anyone know of any cases where foreigners did get admitted, even with disadvantages like mine?