Noelani

Hello! I was wondering if anyone on here might have experience simultaneously studying divinity and public policy. I am very interested in the dual degree from Harvard Divinity, and would love to hear more about what the experience of pursuing both entails. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone who feels comfortable doing so could tell me about their financial experience at any of these three schools: Harvard Divinity, Yale Divinity, & Princeton Seminary. If you could include what kind of scholarships you were offered/applied for, what the cost of living in the area was, and what the experience of your peers generally seemed to be (were any/many of them being aided by scholarship funding?) that would be very helpful. I know that most seminaries/div schools have a generally good reputation in terms of graduate funding, but I was hoping to get some more details from people with first-hand experience. Thanks!

Thank you so much, it comes as a great relief to hear that I'm not crazy for thinking Harvard could be an option for me! Would you mind telling me a bit about your experience at HDS? I'm especially interested in gaining a better idea of the kind of community they foster; a friend of mine is studying at a small seminary and has told me that having a close, tight-knit community has made all the difference for her. Would you say you found a comparably supportive and close community at HDS?

Thank you both so much, I really appreciate the feedback! Would you mind if I asked what kind of information these schools are generally looking for in the personal statement? I have seen quite a few people post about writing a 'good story,' and I was hoping someone could elaborate on the criteria, or direct me to some samples. Thanks again!

Hello! I hope I'm posting this in the right place, I'm not very familiar with this site or how its forums are organized. I was hoping I could get some feedback on the chances I have at Harvard Divinity School, so below I've listed off some core information that I thought might provide a good frame of reference: I am currently a junior at a small, private liberal arts school in the southern US, where my GPA is 3.8. I am double-majoring in English and History, and will be graduating a semester early (Fall 2016). I am currently an exchange student studying abroad at the University of Wuerzburg in Wuerzburg, Germany, where I have conducted an intensive 6-credit German course (in addition to the year of German language coursework I took prior to studying abroad) and am currently taking an independent study and three other classes. My co-curricular activities include serving as Student Government Vice President last academic year (my second year of undergrad), serving as the first-chair and co-chair to two different SGA committees, serving as president of a campus club, working as a paid research assistant to two of my professors, leading and coordinating a summer youth group with an emphasis on service and social justice at my home church (a United Methodist Church), and involvement as a member in a number of other clubs/organizations (including an environmental sustainability club and a Catholic student fellowship). Additionally, when I return in the Spring, I will be founding my college's chapter of International Justice Mission, an NGO which works to build up justice systems and protect the poor from violence in a number of nations in the developing world. I was invited to IJM's headquarters this past summer in order to discuss the arrangements for the chapter, and I'm very optimistic about it. I have just been accepted into national leadership society Omicron Delta Kappa, and I meet the requirements for three other national honor societies, all of which I will be applying to in the spring with a high probability of induction. I was awarded my college's first-ever women's scholarship, Woman of Vision, this past spring. I have a great passion for service and social justice, and would like to translate that passion into my studies in Divinity School and become better equipped for subsequent work and leadership. I am very apprehensive about all of the ambiguity surrounding Harvard Divinity's admissions. While the information on their website answered a number of my questions, the fact that the average GPAs of those accepted is really setting me on edge. Is there anyone on here who has been accepted to Harvard Divinity School, or anyone who was rejected? If you could provide any details that you think might shed some light on the candidates they're looking for, I would appreciate it enormously. I am not attending an ivy-league undergraduate institution (although I earnestly believe that the quality of my undergrad education has been fantastic; my professors are some of the finest people I will probably ever meet, and many of them have taken sincere interest in helping me grow in my education), and I don't know if this will hinder my chances of admission. Sorry this post was so long; thank you in advance for any information you can provide, I'm looking forward to your feedback!