exegete

You're absolutely right that your chances of getting into a top tier (or any funded) PhD program are very slim if you go to an SBC school for an additional master's. Have you considered the ThM program at Candler School of Theology? Their final deadline is July 1, so you still have just a bit of time if you want to apply this year. I have a friend (who happens to be Korean!) who went through that program; if you're interested, I could probably put you in touch if you send me a PM.

This is a good point. My comments were based on hearing from friends that course offerings in NT have been quite limited the past couple years due to a convergence of retirements, sabbaticals, etc. But I expect that will change. Musa Dube is a fantastic hire and should be a big draw to Emory, particularly for someone interested in NT and postcolonialism.

I'm a Candler alum (though I went for the MTS, not the MDiv), and I'm currently in a PhD program. I absolutely had a positive experience at Candler overall! In terms of your specific questions: 1. I think Candler is considered quite reputable. As far as I can tell, it would be on the same level as Duke Divinity and PTS. 2. As I said, my degree was an MTS, but I know of at least as many MDiv colleagues who have been admitted to PhD programs (multiple folks each year, I think). While there are a number of required courses, there is also considerable flexibility in Candler's MDiv that enables one to focus on a specific area in preparation for PhD applications. You'd want to take a class or two from Emory's GDR (Graduate Division of Religion). 3. Faculty at Candler are generally approachable, so you should be able to connect with professors fairly easily. I felt like I didn't get great mentoring from my advisor in terms of the PhD admissions process, but that was largely because he and I just didn't connect well on a personal level. A number of folks I know felt that they got excellent mentoring, as they describe in this blog post: https://candler.emory.edu/news/blog/2018/06/for-phd-bound-grads-faculty-mentors-matter.html 4. I can't think of any red flags or things I would warn people about, other than I might not recommend going to Candler at the moment for someone who's particular interest is New Testament (my field), as some prominent NT faculty members recently retired. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want to chat further about Candler.

Baylor probably does have a more Christian "feel" than most other universities considered by people in this forum. That's something to consider for sure. But it's not at all as conservative as one might expect just from hearing that it's a Baptist school in Texas. And the religion department is definitely more liberal than some other departments and than the university as a whole.

I would say your stats are definitely strong, but to have a chance at some of those schools (at least the first three you listed) you'll almost certainly need an additional masters such as a ThM from that type of school (i.e., a "top tier" divinity school or similar). You probably have a shot at Fuller without an additional degree, but funding is terrible. Also keep in mind that at some of these schools (at least Wheaton I think), NT is paired with HB/OT as a cognate field so strong Hebrew is a must. You mentioned Greek but not Hebrew so I'm not sure how you are in that area. I imagine you know this, but remember that your stats are only what opens the door for your application to be considered, and that what's ultimately crucial for admission is how the committee perceives your fit with their program. It's possible you'd be a good fit for all the schools you listed, but you might not be. Be sure your research interests match with what a school offers before wasting time and money applying.

I don't know the stats comparing job placement between those two schools, but my guess is that the reputation would be similar (other than how denominational factors might play a role). Another important thing you might want to consider is cost of living. It's much easier to live on a stipend in Waco than it is in Boston! All else being equal, this is something worth giving thought to. Of course, you also need to think about where you would prefer to live for several years, and Boston is probably more desirable than Waco for many folks, haha. But grad school is stressful enough, so not having finances as an additional worry can be huge. Feel free to send me a PM if you're interested in chatting further about Baylor and/or Waco.

If you want to send me a PM, I'd be happy to chat about specifics.

Based on the type of school it sounds like you're describing, my guess is you'll hear back sometime in February, although March is possible. If you mention the school's name, I might be able to give you a better estimate. Feel free to PM me.

I interviewed with Baylor and Marquette, and I'm in the NT program at Baylor now. All the best to you!

Last year I interviewed at two schools and was waitlisted at both and then eventually accepted at both. So I wouldn't consider myself an expert at interviewing, but here's some of the most helpful advice people shared with me: Be yourself Make sure what you say in person matches with what's on paper See each question as an invitation for conversation Frame answers to questions as stories when possible Draw connections (with previous questions, with application materials, etc.) There are some websites with lists of common questions for grad school interviews in general: https://www.gradschools.com/get-informed/applying-graduate-school/graduate-school-interview/graduate-school-interview-questions https://www.gradschoolheaven.com/grad-school-interview-questions.html I found that many of these questions (or variations of them) were asked, but there were also some random questions that would be impossible to prepare for. That's where it's so important to just be genuine (and that can include admitting that you hadn't considered something or aren't completely familiar with an issue). Most interviewers will value genuineness.

This comment is spot on. It's really hard to offer advice about where to apply without knowing more about your specific interests, NTGal. Tell us more about what you envision working on.

The Hebrew you took in undergrad will probably be sufficient for the purpose of doctoral applications, but just be sure you keep using it so you retain your ability to use it. See if you can take a Hebrew readings class at some point during your MTS or at least join an informal group to keep practicing reading and translation. I took Hebrew in undergrad but then barely used it during my master's because I focused on NT classes. Now I'm in an NT PhD program but taking an OT seminar this semester, and it's scary how much Hebrew I'm having to relearn!

Since you can make Yale work financially, I would say there’s no reason to go elsewhere. I know Harvard’s financial offer is alluring, but I’m fairly confident Yale will set you up best for doctoral studies.

Then I would strongly advise choosing Yale, if you can make it work financially. I am personally aware of multiple people getting into good NT doctoral programs with a YDS master’s both this year and last year. YDS has a really good track record for that. And with Laura Nasrallah moving from Harvard to Yale, the NT department at Yale is getting strengthened just that much more.

What are your career goals? Do you have aspirations of getting into a doctoral program?