pwe5000

....as long as you scale the Eiffel tower...

I second what the above responders have said, but I'll add: Some programs use the GRE (among other things) to making funding decisions. What I've heard most often about the GRE from multiple sources is that a good GRE score won't guarantee you admission, but a bad GRE score might knock you out of the running (for admission and/or funding) I also advise against automatically planning to take it twice. Take it once, see how you do, and go from there. If you're applying to top-tier programs in History, they will probably expect 80th+ percentile GRE scores. It would probably be good to decide what score (or score range) you are aiming for BEFORE you take it so you can make a better decision about retaking that's not clouded by post-test anxiety, second-guessing, etc. My experience, for what it's worth: I studied for 3 months (~5-8 hours/week), took it once, and met my goal. I used an online service called Magoosh, and no other resources (except for AWA, which Magoosh doesn't offer practice for). You can find out plenty about Magoosh on this forum - it has video lessons, lots of practice questions, and 2 practice tests. General studying advice: hit the practice questions hard (with whatever resource you're using), brush up on your weak spots with content-type studying, and take plenty of full-length practice tests, starting after you've studied for a few weeks.

Wow, LauraR - Accepted at both PTS AND Duke? That's a (pipe)dream for some here. What's your secret?

For me it's the Hebrew Bible, specifically intertextuality, reading the HB as an ANE document, ancient Israelite history, and early apocalyptic.

UCLA is on my list. And way too many others! I'm going to do some culling before app time, but still I'm starting to set aside some money for app fees. It's good to hear that UCLA is considered a good program. I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks for the replies. I've heard similar things about Harvard before, and it's good to get confirmation from a specifically HB/ANE perspective. I'm definitely planning to apply to Chicago and Johns Hopkins, and possibly NYU as well, though I am married with 2 small children, and I'm not sure if Manhattan would be the best place for us to live.

Thanks, Abdelazar, for the high quality information. I talked to a 3rd year U Chicago NELC student recently, and he said that 7-8 years is standard for them (he's doing NW Semitics) b/c of all the languages they are required to take. I'm very interested in studying cognate languages, but I'm not so keen on a 7-year PhD stint. It looks like Harvard's NELC (at least the ANE-HB field) is more of a "normal length" program on average though.

Thanks for that info! The language focus also probably means that the average time to degree is a year or two longer in NELC, but the Harvard NELC website (as far as I can see) doesn't give that kind of info. If every program's website was as forthcoming as those of ND or YDS, I'd have fewer headaches in application prep.

Any insight on the different between the PhD programs in NELC and GSAS for someone interested in a Hebrew Bible concentration? I'd assume that the NELC program requires more languages and is more focused on purely linguistic and philological issues, but the NELC website is pretty slim on details.

I think it depends on what you mean by "welcome." As far as I can see on their website, ACU does not make students sign a statement of faith. The application process itself might contain this step though - I can't tell that without applying. More broadly, though, ACU is obviously a Christian institution committed to Christian values and to training Christian people. In the document "Identity, Mission and the Future of Abilene Christian University" (http://www.acu.edu/aboutacu/documents/acu-mission-identity.pdf) they lay out some core values of the university (among other things). These include "Christ at the center," "The authority and inspiration of Scripture," and "A commitment to prepare students to live as authentic Christians." I assume from your post that your own values do not align with those of the university. I don't think I have to expound the problems and frustrations that might arise inside and outside of class because of this clash of values (one example: ACU undoubtedly requires students to abide by certain values-based lifestyle guidelines. Are you willing to submit to guidelines based upon a set of beliefs that you do not hold yourself?) So, would you be denied admission because of your beliefs? Not as far as I can tell from their website. Would you have a less frustrating experience at an institution that was more in line with your own beliefs? Probably.

I finished my MA 3 years ago, have stayed in (occasional) contact with only one professor, and am applying to PhD programs. It seems like it will be really hard to get a good LOR from a professor who had me in class 3-4 years ago. I had decent relationships with a few profs, but I live in another country now and have not stayed in contact. I can send them my CV, SOP, and writing sample, but they won't be able to say things like, "This student always studies diligently and has original ideas" because they might not even remember me... Any advice? Anyone been in this situation while applying?

Good points about 1 vs. 2 year M* degrees. It does seem like the best option would be to apply for PhD programs as well as a handful of MA/MTS programs.

Besides those I mentioned, any suggestions for strong and well-funded (or potentially well-funded) programs in HB/OT exegesis/theology? I considered Brown, NYU, and UT Austin, but they all seem to be more ANE focused.

Thanks for the replies! Some good things to consider. I'm planning to apply to Notre Dame, Princeton, Duke, Wheaton, and possibly TEDS (though the possibilities for funding seem slim).

Do you still need help with this? If so, I can offer some suggestions.

My GRE AWA score has concerned me a little bit. My writing skills are actually quite strong, but I didn't study for the AWA section as much as I should have (I did 2-3 full practice tests). This caused some pacing issues on the GRE issue task essay. I know some schools "split" scores and consider your best score from each section when you report multiple attempts (Yale's website says they do this, for instance). So I might practice up for the AWA, retake it, and hope that my verbal and quant are still strong the 2nd time. As for GPA, your guess is correct, unfortunately. I could have worked harder in my MA courses. I got the MA in 2012, and I've been a teacher for 2 years now, which has totally changed my perspective on being a student. So for now I have to live with the 3.5 and resolve to work harder in the future (if I get accepted). My MA program was basically a biblical languages degree, so I'm at "high proficiency" (to use CV language) in Hebrew and Koine. I'm planning to start self-study of German very soon and apply for Fall 2016.

I am hoping eventually to get into a well-funded PhD program, but I have doubts about whether that could happen with my current stats. My intended field is HB (Exegesis/Theology), and my stats are: M.A. Biblical Exegesis (Wheaton College) Grad GPA: 3.5 GRE: V:170 Q:168 W:4.5 I am confident I could get good recommendations, and I am quite aware of the importance of "fit" as demonstrated by coursework and SOP, so theoretically those factors could be optimized. I continue to wonder, though, would a 3.5 GPA in a 2-year MA make me competitive enough to get accepted for a well-funded program (for most programs, a 3.5 is on the extreme low end of their suggested grad GPA)? If my PhD chances are slim, the route will probably be an MA in Theology or MTS as further prep for PhD. What do you think?