Postbib Yeshuist

I did something like this last year, but without being so explicit about it. The rules of the post are simple: 1. Use the referral link in the post above yours to sign up for a free 2Gb of storage on DropBox (see below for details). Use a .edu address if you can for more space. 2. Download and install the small software package (easy to do, and it's not spyware or anything like that). This gives them up to 500Mb of space, and gives you an extra 250Mb. 2. After doing so, get your referral link from DropBox and paste it in a reply to this post so the next person can use your link and help boost your storage (up to 500Mb for each referral). I'll begin. here's mine: http://db.tt/2i64eSu OK, what is DropBox? The easiest way to think of it is an internet "flash drive." On signing up with dropBox, you get 2Gb of free storage. DropBox downloads a small (safe) program to your computer (Mac, PC or Linux) that creates and then monitors a folder. If you save something to the folder, DropBox copies it to their servers. If you log into another computer you own (say a desktop) and install DropBox, it will automatically download that file to the second computer. If you make changes on the desktop (say it's a thesis paper) and save, dropBox uploads the changes and then downloads them to your laptop next time you're on it. You can watch a short video at www.dropbox.com here are my semi-clever responses to good questions that might crop up: "But isn't the cloud potentially risky? I mean, hello, Amazon?" True, but DropBox is not the only place files are stored. They're stored locally on your computer as well as "the cloud." For instance, I have 3 computers linked to my DropBox account. As a result, i have 4 copies of the paper I'm working on right now. Talk about redundancy. "OK, that's kinda cool. But I still need a flash drive if I go to print at the library." Not so, You can log into www.dropbox.com and access all your files through their web interface. "But 2Gb seems kinda small." For the average grad student, if you just keep papers there, it's more than enough to store and secure your important docs (imagine never having to worry that your dissertation is lost if someone steals your laptop). Still, if you sign up with a .edu address and then get your friends to do the same (using referral links), you can get more storage in 500Mb chunks. They also have a few easy things you can do on their site to get a quick 1Gb extra. "Anything else cool I should know about?" DropBox saves 30 days worth of iterations of your docs. If you accidentally delete a document and don't realize it until 2 weeks later, it's still there on the DropBox website. Just login and restore it. DropBox has an iPhone app! DropBox will guarantee that you finish whatever degree you're working on, or refund you 237% of your tuition. One of the above is a lie.

In a program with a Duke grad, and his word is that they accept one applicant every other year. (PhD on the other years). Applying for both ThD & PhD = rejection. Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but I have little reason to doubt his gnosis.

Generally, it will make you more competitive during the application process, but ghost6 is 100% correct that it will not override other core weaknesses. As for funding, it depends. I received ~70% of tuition at Brite Divinity School. I would suggest a Th.M. if you're still not sure what your Ph.D. project will be. The kiss of death during the Ph.D. app process is not have a specific, thought-out project. A Th.M. goes a long way to helping with this, and also pushes you to start doing work at the doctoral level (so official doctoral work is not a completely new experience).

This.

Sparky asked the important question: what do you want to do. For me, as an example, Arabic is critical since I'm doing a critical approach to Christianity's involvement from an Islamic perspective. I think Sparky's suggestion work as a general rule of thumb, but if you could give us more to go on, that would certainly be helpful.

The reality is that it comes down to your competition. If you're up against applicants with a PhD, you can basically forget it. If you Do wind up getting a job, the chances of a tenure track are somewhere between nil and non-existent. This means that all it takes is a few missteps, and then the dept. chair starts looking for a new hire. An MS will give you a solid shot at Community College teaching (which can be a very noble pursuit, imho) and you'll be set for high school teaching positions. If you're serious about a 4-year college, however (private or not), you'll really want something beyond an MS to be competitive in the interview process and to stay competitive after you've been hired. The reality is that non-PhDs are, for the most part, "looked down upon by the research professors, [can't] advance much in their careers, and [have] difficulty getting the courses they wanted." That being said, there are ALWAYS exceptions. Here's hoping that's you

My understanding (from a professor I had who taught at Cambridge and now here in the states) is that British schools tend to want a more "deliberate" focus (i.e. learn the big names, learn them all and learn them well), whereas she said U.S. schools allowed for a "less focused" approach. Basically, she thought that the U.S. allowed a student to innovate in their research at the expense of depth and breadth, whereas Cambridge gave immense depth and breadth at the expense of innovation. Of course, this was based on a 10-minute conversation where the Cambridge comment was a "for example" type statement. I never followed up on it, so hopefully someone else will swoop in and either confirm or correct my comment. PS She had NOT taught at an Ivy League, so her comment might have simply been a "Tier 1 compared to the rest" statement (I was NOT at an Ivy League), and she mistakenly cast it as U.S. vs Britain.

And yes, your Jewishness will "help." Diversity is key in programs like this, so applicants are screened for what backgrounds they can bring (along with many other factors).

You should have a chance to explain Moody in your statement of purpose. It might even help, as schools like Yale like some diversity in their program. Recommendations, grades, writing sample and statement of purpose are where you'll shine. Go ahead and take the GRe too. FInally, contact someone at Yale, like, tomorrow. Start making contacts early.

Is Claremont the school where funding sucks? I've heard stories about 30% being a high offer. Or is that GDU?

It's also worth adding that it's rare to move "up" the academic ladder school-wise. For most people, the rule of thumb is that you teach at the same level or lower as the place where you got a PhD. Yale grads can teach almost anywhere. Drew grads can teach at Drew and "lower," but will have a harder time teaching at Yale. etc, etc, etc. Of course, nothing is impossible, but the reality is that, aside from some amazing publication or a really critical area of research (i.e. NOT church history), where you graduated from is the type of school (at best) where you can expect to teach.

To give a completely oversimplified answer: no. A PhD in Theology pretty much tracks you in the direction of seminaries, Div schools, etc. Most Religious Studies departments aren't going to want someone with a confessional bent to their studies (i.e. you weren't "objective." I know, I know, but it's what they believe). What's more, will you be able to teach Islam? Buddhism? Teach them well? A Rel Studies department doesn't want someone to teach Christianity. There are Schools of Theology for that... My advice (and it's kind of what I'm doing) would be to go for a PhD in Rel Studies and try to go to a school where you can get some theology. My understanding of the market is that a PhD in Religious Studies with 12 hours in theology can cross over much more easily than a PhD in theology with 12 hours in religious studies. There will always be exceptions, of course, so I'm speaking more as a general rule of thumb. But in a tight market, the reality is that you won't stand a chance against someone with a PhD in Islamic Studies or Religious Studies, etc. (and why should you? You certainly wouldn't want them to be competitive in a theology atmosphere, right?) Hope that helps.

Aside from confessional schools, as mentioned in the post above, it will be hard to get academic positions. D.Mins in schools of theology, div schools, etc tend to be those with many years of experience, and even then they typically supervise the practical ministry component. Given an incredibly tight job market at the moment, I think it's safe to say that D.Min. will keep you out of far more jobs that it will get you into. If you're fresh out of D.Min., I wouldn't even waste the time applying. Ten years later, you'll be in much better shape imo.

Nope, it's pretty intense. In fact, I'll take my first comp next summer, as well as my second language exam (which I'll probably fail, so thank God for retakes ).

I third or fourth or fifth the Papers suggestion. It has its weaknesses, but it's great for organizing PDF's. Combine it with Dropbox and you can have one database shared across multiple computers...