exegete
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Posts posted by exegete
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1 hour ago, Biblica Studious said:
I want to qualify @exegete's comment above by noting that while Candler saw a few NT retirements recently, Musa Dube is moving into the NT dept this fall, which is a VERY big get for the school.
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.
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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.
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55 minutes ago, CafeConGabi said:
From a friend who majored in Medieval Studies (10 years ago?) and taught at Baylor: it wasn't her favorite place to teach. She thought the schools was too Christian-leaning for her liking, so there's that.
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.
- crossroadsph and amam
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On 1/23/2021 at 11:28 PM, ALT1991 said:
Do I have a chance of getting into any of these schools for NT studies: Duke, Notre Dame, PTS, Drew, Wheaton, Fuller or Baylor?
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.
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5 hours ago, amam said:
Just a question too, if anyone wants to chime in, I'm already wondering which to choose between Baylor (I've already had a first round of interview there) and Boston Uni School of Theology (*IF* I'm admitted at both places). Any thoughts on both schools? My field is Theological Ethics and both schools have fine faculty in the field that I won't mind working with. My concern is about the job market after graduation and how well regarded both schools are. I know I'm getting ahead of myself! lol. But well!
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.
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If you want to send me a PM, I'd be happy to chat about specifics.
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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.
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3 hours ago, NTGal said:
I know this is premature since interview invitations won't be going out for a few weeks....also it's entirely realistic that I might not receive any. But I'm curious whether anyone has gathered any advice about interviewing for PhD programs, and what interview weekends at specific schools are like. I did a search in this forum and didn't find anything. I'm surprised that there isn't a thread just about interviews (or maybe there is but I missed it?)
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.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.
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12 hours ago, turktheman said:
These schools are vastly different in faculty strengths and student profiles. Depending on what you would like to do, some of these would be a waste.
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.
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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!
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17 hours ago, JHubbs said:
Because I have a working spouse, Yale is affordable without loans.
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.
- JHubbs and Boolakanaka
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9 hours ago, JHubbs said:
I do! I hope to be applying out for doctoral programs the fall semester of my second year in either degree, so developing faculty relationships is a huge priority for me.
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.
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On 3/29/2019 at 12:53 PM, JHubbs said:
Harvard gave me more money, but I think the New Testament faculty at Yale might be better suited to my interests. I don't know how much that matters at the masters level, though.
What are your career goals? Do you have aspirations of getting into a doctoral program?
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I was notified of acceptance off the NT waitlist at Baylor today!
- Theobuckeye, KA.DINGER.RA, Kuriakos and 5 others
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19 minutes ago, rejectedndejected said:
Does anyone know if any other top tier schools are still accepting applications/have late app deadlines?
Several ThM programs (e.g. Duke, Candler, PTS) have later deadlines. Probably little to no funding, though. And you have to already have an MDiv or similar for such programs.
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15 hours ago, brokenrefreshbutton said:
Do all waitlists have a ranking system? I wonder if it's too forward to ask where I am on that ranking....
Some do, some don't. I asked one professor if he was able to give me any indication of my chances of admission off the waitlist. He responded that it was impossible to say because they're looking to put together a diverse cohort and thus they will make determinations only after they find out who has accepted their first round of offers.
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Has anyone been accepted off a waitlist yet this cycle? Just curious if there's been any movement, or if it's still too early. (I'm waitlisted at Baylor and Marquette.)
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2 hours ago, rejectedndejected said:
Thanks for the scoop. How/when did you find out that you weren't going to get in off the waitlist? Did they tell you, or did you just assume that you were dinged when April 15th rolled around and you didn't hear anything? Is there anything we can do to influence our chances of getting in off the waitlist? Maybe a little George Washington will change their minds...
They emailed me once all their slots were filled. That was around the end of March. But I wouldn't be surprised if things move more quickly this year. The year I applied, initial offers weren't even made until mid-March.
Good luck!
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On 2/22/2019 at 4:40 PM, rejectedndejected said:
Hey guys--as I've already alluded to, I'm a mixed (PhD and M*) applicant. I got waitlisted to Notre Dame's MTS program (not super high on the list). Does anyone have any experience with ND's waitlist/MTS admissions? Do they often go to their waitlist? If so, how deep? Has anyone been accepted to their MTS this cycle? The M*/MTS/MAR thread is prettymuch dead/moribund.
I was on the MTS waitlist at ND two years ago and didn't get in. All the slots in my area (biblical studies) were filled by the first round of offers. My suspicion is that's fairly typical for ND, since it's an attractive MTS program. However, I can't speak directly to other areas of study, and the dynamics are obviously different from year to year, so don't give up hope yet!
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2 hours ago, Moon River said:
I just received admission from PTS with President Scholarship!
I am very thankful (and even puzzled) to be accepted from my top 2 choice schools: Emory and PTS. It is going to be really hard making a decision between two schools. But I genuinely feel that I received a gift more than I deserve.
Congrats, Moon River! But, since I know you personally, I have to say you shouldn't be puzzled. You absolutely do deserve it. I always thought you would be admitted at PTS!
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It looks as if Duke sent out interview invites yesterday. At least there's a post on the results page indicating such. Can anyone confirm this?
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On 1/11/2019 at 1:05 PM, cr615 said:
Any movement for anybody yet? Interview requests? Anything?
I am currently in a PhD program in a humanities discipline and I am reapplying this cycle to religious studies, so I am unfamiliar with the timeline for the field's application cycle. I applied to UC Santa Barbara, Northwestern, UT Austin, and Iowa.
I'm not sure on the timeline for those schools. I was invited yesterday to interview with Marquette view Skype, and I know of people who have been invited to interview at Emory.
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I believe most ThM programs are fairly flexible, so there are probably many schools where you could tailor your studies toward ministry. Duke and Candler are two options that come to mind.
Seeking for advice on Master of Theology Options(New Testament)
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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.