Vita Passiva
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Posts posted by Vita Passiva
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Not sure if this means I was rejected. Logged into the admission status portal for Princeton Seminary today. It says "Decision letter has been mailed". There is also a portal for "Admitted students who want to confirm". When I try to log into that it just brings me back to the screen that says "Decision letter has been mailed."
I'm assuming that since there are no options for me to confirm, my letter will be a rejection. Is this a safe assumption?
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I am trying to decide between theology and ethics. My primary interests are in political theology, theology of culture, and ecclesiology. How about you?
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Hello,
I am applying to Yale's MAR program. I was curious if there were any students currently attending that would permit me to ask a few questions about the program. Any help would be much appreciated.
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Thanks for the help! I am sort of out of the loop on good History MA programs. Can you please list some top notch MA programs that would have decent funding?
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Hello,
I am currently enrolled in a M.A. program in Theology. I have a B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. I am interested in pursuing a Phd in American Religious History. I am specifically interested in intellectual and religious history in the 18th and 19th centuries. My UG GPA is a 3.4 and my grad GPA is currently a 3.8. Neither are from top tier institutions. I would like to study in a History dept at a top tier school like Yale, Princeton, or Penn. Is it vital for me to get an M.A. in History? If so, what institution would you recommend for my stated goal.
Thanks for any help.
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I would strongly recommend one of the schools of the Boston Theological Institute, because then you can take classes at any of the others. They are very different places, with a very broad spectrum of theological approaches, but that makes it a great place for ecumenical work. And they all have different strengths, so if you went into any of these programs focused on taking classes throughout the consortium in the areas strongest for specific schools, you would come out with an incredible education, probably better than any individual school could give you. There are some individual programs that would be considered stronger than the individual BTI schools, but I think it would be hard to find anything that would compare to the strength of the consortium as a whole.
Of course, this advice assumes that you actively scross-register at the different schools. Too many students don't.
Andover Newton, Boston College, Boston University, Episcopal Divinity School, Gordon Conwell, Harvard Divinity School, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, Saint John's Seminary
That certainly makes sense. There are many great faculty members at all of these schools. Do you know how much of a Master's degree you can divide up among all of these schools (e.g. must one take 50% of classes at the primary institution)?
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So this is a really good question, but I think no one has replied because the question is a bit of a landmine. Someone throws out their opinion about X School, and an X School alum gets angry because that is a generalization, a bias from another theological preference, etc. For instance there was (a year or two ago) a link to a ranking of theological programs on the First Things blog, and calamity ensued with some defending and some slamming.
I'm glad to help, but it might be better to maybe say what topics interest you, and perhaps what authors, because this will drastically change what a strong theology program will be for you. And for anyone else who joins this discussion, lets go ahead and keep it clean. People have different theological interests; some methods or traditions are more intuitively plausible to other people.
My interests in Systematics lie in the traditional loci. More specifically, I am interested in Prolegomena, Soteriology, and Trinitarian theology. I really enjoy "contemporary" theologians such as Robert Jensen, Eberhard Jungel, and Karl Barth. I am looking for a school with a faculty that is interested in orthodox questions, ecumenical relations (inter-denominational), and ecclesial edification. I suppose I would be more inclined to study with a more "conservative" faculty than "liberal", while holding the tension of being intellectually honest and academically rigorous.
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In your opinion, which schools have strong Systematic/Constructive theology departments? I am looking for a Master's program.
A few things to consider:
1. Faculty
2. Academic rigor
3. Institutional reputation
4. Areas of Theology (i.e. traditional loci or liberationist, feminist, etc.)
5. Ecumenical Dialogue
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Don't even worry. I applied with a 3.4 GPA and horrible GRE's and got into Harvard, Yale, Duke and Chicago! They must look at other things. Besides, it is better to apply and not get in than wonder if you could have.
That's great! Did you apply for MDiv or MTS/MAR?
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Any other feedback from those who have/currently attended Duke University (M.A., MTS), PTS (MDiv), Yale (M.A.R, MDIV), Harvard (M.T.S), Candler (M.T.S)? Much appreciated.
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As far as I can tell, graduate programs in Biblical Studies simply look for students who are smart, open-minded, capable writers and researchers. So you want your statement of purpose, especially, to make it clear that you're looking to do rigorous academic research and that you're well trained to do so. Admissions boards might potentially be wary of applicants without a classic liberal arts education, but your writing really will speak for itself. If you can show that you know the distinctions between biblical studies and theology, and between theology and apologetics, and that you know what you want to do and are applying to the right school to learn it, you should be all right.
This probably goes without saying, but languages are key. If you haven't started Greek and/or Hebrew, and are able to take a class or two before you apply, definitely do so--I studied both as an undergraduate just because I thought they'd be fun, and was no end pleased to find that they gave me a real edge in my applications.
My experience as a non-Catholic in a Catholic theology department has been that how you self-identify is far less important than how you treat others who think differently than you do. Even if a school has a strong denominational identity, it shouldn't make you feel like a second-class citizen if you're of a different faith background. Where tensions arise, IMO, is when people lack the patience and courtesy to listen to one another--and both people in the majority faith and those in the minority can be to blame for this. I mean, if the school lets you in, that means the professors think you belong there. From there, if other students (or professors) make you feel unwelcome, shame on them.
BTW, I would recommend at least looking into Notre Dame. There are some wonderful New Testament and Early Church people here, and you get a phenomenal amount of face time with the professors for a master's student.
Thanks for all of your input guys. I really appreciate it. I do have much experience with the languages. I had 3 semesters of Hebrew (amounting to a syntax and exegesis class) and 2 master-level courses in Greek (also completing a syntax and exegesis class). I feel very comfortable with both languages. My GPA, however, is a 3.46, which is not so great. Early on in my studies, i struggled with a few classes. I feel confident in my breadth of reading and my writing skills, so I hope this will be enough.
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I am a recent graduate from Boyce College (the undergraduate school of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary). I received my B.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies. I now have plans to pursue graduate studies with a goal to teach and write in the future. I am now a confessional Lutheran. My interest lie in New Testament (Pauline studies, Historical Jesus, Christian Origins) as well as Historical Theology (Lutheran Orthodoxy). I am looking a few different schools, Duke University (M.A.), PTS (MDiv), Yale (M.A.R), Harvard (M.T.S), Candler (M.T.S), Luther Seminary and Concordia Seminary (St. Louis). I am unsure, though, of what kind of students some of the Universities are looking for. My degree is from a Bible College and lacks a broad liberal arts background. Am I in over my head trying to get into Duke, Yale or Harvard? Plus the theological convictions of the school I attended are very conservative. Will this be a hinderance to my application? Also, I am interested to hear from students who have attended any of these schools. What is the ecumenical and theological environment like? Would a confessional Lutheran be out of place in any of these schools?
Sorry for so many questions. I'm just a little unsure about this whole process. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Advice on M.A. or PhD
in History
Posted
I realize these kinds of posts probably get old, but I could use some advice on applying to History programs.
I have a B.A. in Theology (GPA 3.4) and an M.A. in Theology (3.6) from two different small, unrecognized schools. I'm interested in doing a PhD in Early American History with a focus on religion and politics in the colonial period, as well as, Early modern Europe.
I realize my GPA is not great. This is primarily because I worked full-time during my program and have a family. I need to retake the GRE (my current scores are 155 Verbal, 149 Quant, 4.0 Writing).
I also realize my majors are not in History (though I did have quite a bit of History in both programs).
Should I pursue an M.A. first? Or do I even have a shot at getting into a funded PhD program? Right now I am looking at Baylor, University of Georgia, Vanderbilt, Florida State University, Yale Divinity (MTS), Harvard Divinity (MTS).
Are there other programs I should consider for this concentration?
Thanks for any help you can give.