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NTAC321

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  1. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Athanasius in Reaching out to potential PhD advisors?   
    Hi there,
     
    These are good questions to be thinking of at this stage. Here’s an article that I found useful when I was preparing to apply for PhD programs:
     
    https://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor/
     
    Hope it helps, and best of luck.
  2. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Luchnos in How does the rigor of Duke Divinity compare to other top schools?   
    Hi Barker,
     
    You have three good options, I think, and each of the three offers a unique school culture and set of strengths/weaknesses. I’d make your decision based on those factors, alongside financial aid offers, and not terms as abstract and ultimately meaningless as “rigor” or “reputation.”
     
    Divinity school is a kind of choose-your-own-adventure experience. You can go by the path of least resistance or you can intentionally challenge yourself, taking advantage of good professors, doctoral seminars, and directed readings. As others have said above, the experience is what you make of it. You’ll find good conversation partners and faculty mentors at any of these schools.
     
    You might be interested to know something of the academic and religious environment at each of the three. Others can weigh in here, but I’d characterize Harvard as a mostly post-Christian, inter-faith school with lots of folks interested in further academic study and/or activism of one kind or another. Yale, I think, is made up of mostly mainline, liberal Christians seeking ordination into the priesthood and people looking to do PhD’s after divinity school. Duke appears to have a broader mix of (mostly) Christian students (reflective, I think, of the diversity within the United Methodist Church). Duke has a more theologically conservative reputation than either Yale or Harvard. Others should feel free to jump in on this point if my quick and dirty summary seems off.
     
    If you have interests in particular fields of study within a divinity school (e.g., systematic theology, the Ancient Mediterranean, religion and art, etc) or in other university departments (e.g., Classics, History, Environmental Studies, etc), these things might also be factors in your decision, and I’m sure folks could weigh in on the strength of each school with respect to a given area of interest if you want more detailed information. This is only marginally important unless you’re thinking of further study after the M.Div.
     
    My advice: student loans are bad. Go to Duke.
  3. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to sacklunch in advice for NT PhD apps?   
    Well, it's a bit more complicated, I think. From the perspective of other (emerging) subfields, they are not really 'lowering' the bar, just changing it. They are, in some way, 'lowering' the bar for the number of years one needs to study x or y before one can be successful at getting into a good doctoral program. But it's a more fundamental shift of how people, scholars, perceive a discipline, and the disagreement usually stems from whether that shift is appropriate or not. To take an 'extreme' example: is it 'appropriate' to accept doctoral students in NT without any ancient language training? Most traditionalists would say no and on the assumption that NT scholarship is this or that, but always with an ancient language text of the NT as the base text of that discipline. But what about someone interested in studying, say, how Americans read the NT (in English) or how Japanese speakers do so, and so on. Many of the traditionalists would say, no, the latter belong in other subfields of religion/religious studies or in other disciplines entirely (English, linguistics, etc.). These kinds of debates happened long ago for many disciplines/departments in the humanities, at least in the US. The reason, I think, why they are so slow going in religion and especially subfields of biblical studies is because of the relative number of students in them compared with other subfields of religion, historic reasons/inheritance of tradition at US schools, and the 'energy' surrounding them (not to even speak of the money!). I count myself as one such 'traditionalist', so I lament this shift in some way. But, regarding the field of biblical studies, it has been bloated for so many decades (centuries...), it is time, I think, to put those resources to other use. 
  4. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from ChristoWitch87 in Reaching out to potential PhD advisors?   
    Hi there,
     
    These are good questions to be thinking of at this stage. Here’s an article that I found useful when I was preparing to apply for PhD programs:
     
    https://theprofessorisin.com/2011/07/25/how-to-write-an-email-to-a-potential-ph-d-advisor/
     
    Hope it helps, and best of luck.
  5. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to marXian in Cambridge vs. Oxford New Testament/Ethics   
    Your second point needs a modification. The programs are shorter not necessarily for the reasons you state but mostly because there is no coursework and no qualifying/comprehensive exams in these programs. You're just researching and writing the dissertation. The lack of coursework/exams is also one of the primary reasons it's difficult to get a tenure track job in the U.S. from a U.K. program. U.S. departments don't trust that U.K. programs produce thoroughly trained scholars who are prepared to teach a wide range of undergraduate and/or graduate courses. Courses/exams don't guarantee that, but they make it more likely. That's not to say there aren't great scholars with U.K. Ph.Ds--but they've had to prove themselves through publishing.
    One more thing: The lack of oversight and support, arguably, makes the dissertation process actually a bit longer than it would be in a U.S. institution, where someone writing a dissertation in theology/philosophy of religion, usually takes ~18-24 months start to finish for the dissertation give or take 6 months. A diss requiring substantial archival research or field work could take a bit longer, but I think about 24 months is probably the average in religious studies.
  6. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to sacklunch in Cambridge vs. Oxford New Testament/Ethics   
    As pathos said, you are aware of the potential, or perhaps inevitable problems, so I suppose you can apply and see what happens. Your best bet is to find current US students/recent alums in both programs and ask them; beyond actual specifics, you will get closer to the reality than here. Either degree will get you high fives in a local cafe, but, as already said, neither has much hope of getting you a tenure track job at many (most?) research universities (including those well outside the R1) in North America.
  7. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to sacklunch in How does the rigor of Duke Divinity compare to other top schools?   
    These are fair worries; but really if you have studied religion/religious studies/history/classics/et sim. at a good (rigorous) undergraduate school, I think you will find that all US divinity schools are a bit lacking in this regard. Because many of the students have no background in this and related fields, the courses may necessarily feel too "introductory." Mileage varies, of course, and depending on what courses you take (dependent largely on requirements that may/may not let you opt out of certain courses) you may have a very different opinion on the "rigor" of your school vs others in your program. Speaking purely from the gut (so others please correct me if you feel differently), I think many students interested in pastoral ministry do not, generally speaking, share your concern (or at least not as much?), which leads me to think you may be somewhat disappointed with the level of challenge no matter where you go. But I may very well be wrong about this. MarX may have some good insight.
  8. Upvote
    NTAC321 got a reaction from exegete in PhD Applications Fall 2019 Season   
    Blindobserver111,
     
    You are unlikely to be a good fit at all those institutions. The profile of an admitted student at Harvard, Chicago, or UT will look rather different than that of an admitted student at Princeton Seminary or Baylor.
     
    DO you have specific faculty at each of those 10 schools with whom you’d like to work? Do they publish on the Historical Jesus/synoptic gospels?
     
    Are you aware that Yale’s NT faculty are all junior at the moment? Have you reached out to Laura Nasrallah or Karen King to ask if they have any interest in advising dissertations on canonical texts? What about at Princeton U or at UT Austin? I don’t know many faculty/grad students from these schools whose work concentrates on canonical gospels, and I know even less who work on Historical Jesus, though this might be owing to the fact that I don’t work in these fields.
     
    At the risk of adding even more schools to your list, I’d recommend University of Toronto if you want to work on Historical Jesus. Perhaps also UNC Chapel Hill, though I hear Ehrman is all but retired at this point.
     
    ON an unrelated note, does anyone happen to know what’s happening with Yale’s senior search in NT?
  9. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to turktheman in Another "Stats Needed for PhD Admissions" Query   
    A year of Latin might be enough for Marquette's program, but CUA and ND are heavy on languages. For liturgical studies, you'll be stacked up against candidates who went to Catholic school and did Latin for most of their primary and secondary schooling. They knew they wanted to do something in Religious Studies, so they took Latin in college and grad school. In the least, they have several years of Latin on their transcript. It isn't unheard of for liturgical studies applicants to have a year or two of Greek or Syriac as well. 
     
    Ultimately, the process is far more subjective than anyone ever let's on. It happens all the time that an applicant with minimal language training gets into top programs. It also happens that students with just a BA get into top doctoral programs. After all, the US program is built with 2 years of coursework before exams in part to beef up your languages before the dissertation phase. As for the GRE, yours is probably good enough for any program to admit you if they want you. The TA position isn't likely going to help or hurt your application. In short, I'd apply if you have the money and are fully aware of the incredibly slim chances of getting in.
  10. Upvote
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Rabbit Run in Southern Baptist Sinkhole   
    Okay, that info is helpful. Here’s a revised plan:
     
    First, If you’re going to be in the DFW area for the next couple of years, you should apply to either MA or ThM programs at both Baylor and TCU this round (the deadlines are typically in late December/mid January, so there’s still plenty of time for a Master’s app). Rabbit Run mentioned Perkins at SMU, which might also be a good option (I don’t know anyone there, but I’m sure they have a couple HB folks). Especially if you’re applying to an MA program, you’ll likely get in, since divinity schools appreciate the money. I’d be in contact with current students and some prospective faculty to get their input on which degree you should be pursuing.
     
    When it comes time for scheduling next semester, take the heaviest possible dose of language classes you can handle. Language skills are perfectly transferable, and that has to be the best use of your time while you’re still at Southwestern. Language skills are make or break in biblical studies, and you should be preparing now so that by the time you’re applying to PhD’s, your letter writers can proclaim your vast knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, etc.
     
    Regarding recommendation letters, you should be able to use a mix of professors from prior institutions alongside maybe one professor at your current institution that can testify to your language ability, writing skills, or something basic like that before you submit your application file in December.
     
    Regarding the evaluation of TCU vs Baylor, I think TCU has a stronger reputation. You can work closely with Ariel Feldman, Will Gafney, etc while also learning from good NT scholars like Shelly Matthews and Patricia Duncan who can round out your knowledge. Baylor, moreover, is seen as a pretty conservative institution, so in your particular case TCU might give you the opportunity to show some distance from your SBC past. But I think either one is going to be good enough for lots of schools. Baylor, Emory, Duke, and Princeton Seminary seem to have a good deal of mutual respect for one another, in particular.
     
    I don’t think a reputable online Master’s program exists, to be honest. And I’ve never heard of anyone going from an online degree to a legitimate PhD program.
     
    One last note: I don’t know whether this would work or not, but you might email admissions offices at Baylor and TCU to see about transferring and beginning in the spring. Masters admissions is honestly not all that rigorous, and I think, if you explained your situation and your desire to go somewhere that’s more in-line with your values, they might allow you to enter in the spring, perhaps as a provisional student, then admit you officially a couple of months later. The worst they can do is tell you that you’ll need to wait until fall 2019, which is what you’d have to do anyway.
     
    Rabbit Run, Southwestern may very well be the most moderate SBC school (I have no idea), but I don’t think John Collins at Yale or Michael Fishbane at Chicago is going to appreciate that nuance. SBC seminaries are associated with inerrancy and misogyny, despite Russell Moore’s best efforts, and most PhD admissions committees are going to want to see that an applicant has moved on.
  11. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Spejo_Rolub in Southern Baptist Sinkhole   
    Okay, that info is helpful. Here’s a revised plan:
     
    First, If you’re going to be in the DFW area for the next couple of years, you should apply to either MA or ThM programs at both Baylor and TCU this round (the deadlines are typically in late December/mid January, so there’s still plenty of time for a Master’s app). Rabbit Run mentioned Perkins at SMU, which might also be a good option (I don’t know anyone there, but I’m sure they have a couple HB folks). Especially if you’re applying to an MA program, you’ll likely get in, since divinity schools appreciate the money. I’d be in contact with current students and some prospective faculty to get their input on which degree you should be pursuing.
     
    When it comes time for scheduling next semester, take the heaviest possible dose of language classes you can handle. Language skills are perfectly transferable, and that has to be the best use of your time while you’re still at Southwestern. Language skills are make or break in biblical studies, and you should be preparing now so that by the time you’re applying to PhD’s, your letter writers can proclaim your vast knowledge of Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, etc.
     
    Regarding recommendation letters, you should be able to use a mix of professors from prior institutions alongside maybe one professor at your current institution that can testify to your language ability, writing skills, or something basic like that before you submit your application file in December.
     
    Regarding the evaluation of TCU vs Baylor, I think TCU has a stronger reputation. You can work closely with Ariel Feldman, Will Gafney, etc while also learning from good NT scholars like Shelly Matthews and Patricia Duncan who can round out your knowledge. Baylor, moreover, is seen as a pretty conservative institution, so in your particular case TCU might give you the opportunity to show some distance from your SBC past. But I think either one is going to be good enough for lots of schools. Baylor, Emory, Duke, and Princeton Seminary seem to have a good deal of mutual respect for one another, in particular.
     
    I don’t think a reputable online Master’s program exists, to be honest. And I’ve never heard of anyone going from an online degree to a legitimate PhD program.
     
    One last note: I don’t know whether this would work or not, but you might email admissions offices at Baylor and TCU to see about transferring and beginning in the spring. Masters admissions is honestly not all that rigorous, and I think, if you explained your situation and your desire to go somewhere that’s more in-line with your values, they might allow you to enter in the spring, perhaps as a provisional student, then admit you officially a couple of months later. The worst they can do is tell you that you’ll need to wait until fall 2019, which is what you’d have to do anyway.
     
    Rabbit Run, Southwestern may very well be the most moderate SBC school (I have no idea), but I don’t think John Collins at Yale or Michael Fishbane at Chicago is going to appreciate that nuance. SBC seminaries are associated with inerrancy and misogyny, despite Russell Moore’s best efforts, and most PhD admissions committees are going to want to see that an applicant has moved on.
  12. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Spejo_Rolub in Southern Baptist Sinkhole   
    Gah, this is tricky.
     
    How far along are you in the ThM? If you’re still 4 semesters away from finishing, I assume you’re not very far along in the program, in which case it might be wise to transfer or drop out. That might very well be terrible advice, but I’m not sure, so you should certainly ask around. Try talking to some former SBC folks (they’re everywhere) about your options. From what I know, it’s very tough to go from a seminary like that into a funded PhD program. Also, keep in mind that getting a PhD from a less than great program creates new problems once you’re done with the dissertation, since the job market is tough for everyone, even folks with unblemished CV’s.
     
    Here’s what I might offer as a suggestion: transfer/leave Southwestern ASAP for another masters-granting institution. If you do an MA/MTS/MAR from a legitimate HB program like Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Duke, etc, you have a chance to go to a really good school after that degree. I know several folks who’ve gone this route after doing an M.DIv at places like Southwestern.
     
    Honestly, I just don’t know if there’s a direct path from a SBC ThM to a legit PhD program, so the quicker you can get out of there, the better. If you need to stay local, you might even try transferring to TCU or Baylor.
     
    Hope this helps. Best of luck.
  13. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to turktheman in Southern Baptist Sinkhole   
    You've got some excellent advice here. It would be unlikely that someone from an SBC seminary would land in a top tier PhD program. PTS has in the past taken students from SEBTS, so that might be an option. You do have options though, and each one depends on your determination.
    If you decide to finish out the ThM at SWBTS, you can apply for doctoral work outside of the US. This is where the majority of confessional students will land from conservative seminaries. Funding is almost non-existent unless you have GI Bill, willing to take out massive loans, or get your local church to back you. I wouldn't do it, personally. You can, however, find programs in South Africa and New Zealand that are funded and accept US Students. Oslo in New Zealand is one for sure. I'd check out Stellenbosch, Pretoria, and North-West University in South Africa. Canada might also be an option, but I am not as aware of their funding situation. 
    You can also aim at more open-minded evangelical places like Fuller, TEDS, Wheaton, Westminister Theological Seminary, RTS, etc. SBC doesn't have an overly negative connotation at those places. Funded in these schools is not tremendous, but you could maybe hope for tuition to be covered. You might also consider some Catholic schools that may not be as concerned about the SBC sinkhole. Marquette could be one. 
    If you decide to jump ship, you are still not guaranteed to land in a funded doctoral program. It is a gamble--probably financially and emotionally. I do know that Brite Divinity School (associated with TCU) has great funding for their ThM program. Vanderbilt just launched it's ThM program (https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2018/09/18/vanderbilt-divinity-to-offer-master-of-theology-degree/). It also promises guaranteed funding for it (who knows how much though). Do not do a ThM and pay much for it. (This game isn't worth it. Become a librarian or something else if you like university culture).   
    You can also apply for MA degrees at various places. Again, Vanderbilt has good funding for their MDiv and the 1 year MA in Jewish Studies program. Yale Divinity School also makes attractive offers for their MA and MDiv programs. Notre Dame can offer full tuition plus a small stipend. So there are certainly options for you to take advantage of that might not cost you anything. 
    In the end, it comes down to doubling down or doing something else. This is true for everyone of course, but if you are in a sinkhole, it might not be as easy for you to get out as someone who isn't in one. You can do a ThM or MA somewhere else, perhaps with little out of pocket cost. Apply for doctoral work, get in. Or you could bust and have wasted likely 2 years chasing a funded program. 
    Not knowing your situation's full details, I would nonetheless say apply to PTS, Marquette, a funded foreign PhD program (or two), and a couple of those evangelical places (if you are still broadly in that category--SBC is hard right, so anything to the left would be better) for doctoral work. I'd also submit applications to Brite and Vanderbilt Divinity School for the ThM since they have funding. In addition, I would apply to YDS's MA in Bible or Second Temple Judaism, ND's MTS program, and Vanderbilt University's MA in Jewish Studies (wide program, but they do let people specialize in HB/Rabbinic Judaism). See what happens with acceptances and funding and go from there. 
  14. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to Onthenahar in PhD Applications Fall 2019 Season   
    UT or Princeton probably matches your interests the best. Between Luijendijk and Pagels at Princeton, all of your interests are matched. UT has Geoff Smith whose Coptological work is impressive, and I've heard he is very easy to get along with (this goes an unbelievably long way in a student's overall enjoyment of a program). Add to Smith's expertise in papyrology and Coptology, Friesen's interests in Asia Minor and Revelation and White's work in mystery cults and you've got one of the strongest (maybe THE strongest) program for someone wanting to study early Christianity in its Hellenistic context. I have heard that White is nearing retirement. I don't know specifics, but it is a rumor that started floating around recently--it might be worth e-mailing current students there to see if there's any truth to it. Yale is still undergoing its transition. Attridge is as a matter of fact retiring and would likely not be available to incoming students to work with--he is set to retire at the end of the academic year and will remain available for 3 semester's per the University's policy. There's a podcast around that details these plans. You would still have Sterling, but I have heard he is more or less strapped to his job as the dean of Yale's divinity school. Their last two NT hires (Dinkler and Lin) have done little to make the program attractive to people with your interests. Stephen Davis is tremendous and his work is stellar, but his interests are in Shenoute, which might align with what you like within Coptic Christianity, but Attridge is the one who teaches the Nag Hammadi corpus every other year, which seems more in step with what you do. Doerfler also doesn't align with your stated interests. 
    Unless Yale is a must apply for some reason, I'd put that application money towards Harvard. You'd have Bazzana, King, and Nasrallah who all in some way fit your interests. Be sure to look into UNC. Ehrman and Plese can certainly oversee a dissertation in your stated interests, and Magness adds an additional component to the program that would enrich your time there considerably. Fordham has Fiano who is highly regarded in both Syriac and Coptic studies. There is also Peppard and Larry Welborne who do Greco-Roman backgrounds to early Christianity. If you do look into applying, you'd need to look at Arts and Sciences and not through Theology for the doctoral program in early Christianity.  Maybe Notre Dame? I think much like Yale, they are in the awkward years of trying to recover from retirements and whatnot. Fitzgerald is tremendous if you are wanting to do Hellenistic moral philosophy in early Christianity. BUT the rest of their Christianity and Judaism faculty are irrelevant for your interests. Amar retired a few years ago, and they have had his Syriac classes covered by a visiting instructor (not unusual, but also not great practice). Personally, I was keen on ND when I applied and my interests are in 2nd and 3rd century Christianities, but I ended up elsewhere. It wasn't a good fit for me, but maybe it is for you. 
    I wish there were more programs that align with your interests. Most programs are ultimately theological in orientation, so Greco-Roman backgrounds and Coptology gets sidelined by the token Gospels and Paul scholars. Those programs might have some type of module or something occasionally to fill gaps for their students, but no one is there to oversee a dissertation on Nag Hammadi or Hellenistic influences on early Christianity. With your interests, I would seriously avoid settling for places that would require me to do something within the NT, not out of formal restrictions within the program, but on account of the lack of faculty with those competencies. On the other hand, if your interests are more general than the above description you give, then the places you could apply lengthens dramatically. 
  15. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from KA.DINGER.RA in Advice on M.Div Programs   
    Hi there,
     
    I’m no theologian (I work mostly with New Testament/Second Temple Judaism), but I have quite a few friends in the theology world, especially post-liberalism. Two quick pieces of advice:
     
    1. Make sure there are senior scholars working within your interests with whom you can take several courses and from whom you can eventually get a recommendation letter. This is crucial for PhD applications generally and especially for you, I think; those lines on your CV from Jerry Falwell’s institution will take strong endorsements from respected scholars to ease the anxieties of faculty at top-tear PhD programs.
     
    2. Visiting schools and meeting with prospective faculty is a really good way to get a sense for the program. I’d also recommend meeting with junior faculty who might have a better sense for the school’s culture (they’re often the profs teaching the most courses anyway). Ask them about where their recent grads go for doctoral work (i.e. are they going to regional seminaries or to Yale, Duke, etc?)
     
    In terms of particular schools, I’d also recommend Duke, though you might wish to read another forum post on this site about some troubling issues with its divinity school. Yale has three of the most influential systematic theologians (Volf, Jennings and Tanner) in the country, so I’d strongly encourage you to apply there, as well. Other options: I think there’s a seminary in Louisville that gives full tuition waivers to all its applicants. Princeton Seminary gives good tuition rates, especially to Presbyterians, though I’m not sure how rigorous the program is these days. Other schools people in theology seem to like: Vanderbilt, Chicago (good funding here as well), Notre Dame (funding + evangelical-friendly), Cambridge (a different kind of thing here, but Sarah Coakly is very highly respected in theology circles), Union Seminary in New York.
     
    Hope this helps. Best of luck!
  16. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to Rabbit Run in Advice on M.Div Programs   
    Princeton Seminary would be a good fit for you given it meets criteria 1 very well in particular. Theres also a natural connection w/the Presbyterian church, although I don't know how important that is to you/its a PC(USA) school anyways.
    Union Presbyterian is a fine school in a nice city, but it would not be as easy to get to a PhD program from there. 
    The rest of the list is good, but you might want to consider Duke Divinity or Wake Forest, especially since you're in NC.
  17. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to marXian in What I wish I had done in M* - PhD Application Advice   
    At the risk of dragging this out more than it should be, I do think it's helpful for early grad school career people on here to know that some distinctions should be made between the kinds of publications we're talking about.
    As far as I can tell, sacklunch and I were both only talking about trying to publish full articles in smaller, lesser known journals--that's what you should avoid doing. If you can get something published in the JAAR as an MA student, then 1) I want to meet you because you're probably some kind of genius or prodigy and 2) that's great, and it most likely will only help you. If, however, you publish something in a tiny denominational journal or obscure philosophy journal or something similar, chances are articles that are not of the highest quality will get through. Those kinds of journals are a bit hungrier for content, so their standards sometimes are lower than more prestigious journals. Frankly, there is a ton of absolute garbage that is published out there. Getting past a peer review doesn't necessarily mean it's good. Publishing in a highly selective top tier journal, however, means that there are other established scholars who think your work is important and should be read by others.
    A blog post, dictionary entry, or book review simply isn't in the same ballpark as a full length article in the respects explained above.
    Blog posts: I actually wouldn't list a "blog post" on my CV unless it goes through some kind of peer review process, and even then, I'm not sure I would--but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't agree to posting something that was peer reviewed to a journal's electronic "blog" format (and I have). If you have a personal blog, even if you only post on academic subjects, it should be nowhere near your CV--don't even mention it.
    Dictionary entries and book reviews: There's really very little risk I think in publishing a dictionary entry and definitely very little in publishing a book review. Book reviews written by MA students and early career PhD students are a dime a dozen. No one is scrutinizing the quality of those once they're published. Listing them on your CV is also pretty standard for students/scholars who don't have a peer reviewed publication yet. But once you get one or two of peer reviewed articles under your belt, I think you can take the other stuff off because, frankly, peer reviewed articles and a book contract for your dissertation are the only publication lines that really matter for the job market--i.e. the only publication types that will improve your chances.
    NTAC321 is right that you shouldn't pad your CV with things that won't improve your chances on the job market or PhD applications. Hiring committees and adcoms can spot that from miles away. But that's not the same thing as simply not pursuing those opportunities. You should pursue them because, as has been said above, they get your feet wet with the academic publishing process which is daunting. You should also be willing to hear from people like your advisor that they need to come off the CV when it comes time for that as well. 
  18. Upvote
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Almaqah Thwn in What I wish I had done in M* - PhD Application Advice   
    I’m holding to the traditional line of thought here, but I really don’t see an advantage to publishing *anything* until you can reasonably expect that your training is sufficient enough so as not to embarrass yourself in a few years. Consider this:
    Imagine you’re on the job market. You’ve published in one of your field’s top journals, you have your beautiful new salutation, Dr. Whoever, and you’ve got a real shot at a great tenure-track job. All your dreams lie before you. But, alas, before offering you a very competitive position (all TT positions are at this point), someone on your search committee hunts down that dictionary entry or blog post of yours from several years back, and it’s filled with the kinds of mistakes one associates with non-specialists and less than nuanced thinkers. Your application, already comparable to several others, goes down a notch if only because there are a myriad of similar candidates with no such blemishes upon their resumes. You’ve potentially missed out on a good opportunity because someone took seriously the thing you wrote to earn cheap lines on your CV before your doctoral training. 
    Regarding the suggestion that you should publish with a small journal or dictionary, you are far more likely to write something you regret when submitting to a low-stakes journal without peer review or very high standards. IF you submit bad work to a flagship journal, the only damage is that done to your ego when it gets rejected by the peer review process. I don’t think there’s a necessary “embarrassment phase”. When you want to submit something as a doctoral student, your advisor(s) will have read it beforehand (assuming they’re decent mentors) and your mistake won’t make it past these safeguards. 
    At the risk of repeating what I and others have said elsewhere, the things that matter most in an MA program are pretty similar to those which matter for your BA: learning relevant skills/methods/languages as they relate to your field, showing you can do thorough, sound research, earning the respect and intellectual admiration of your faculty who will write glowing letters on your behalf, and having a record of interesting work which shows that you are an interesting person who’d fit well in an elite PhD program.
    I’m neither an Americanist nor a theologian, but I suspect that, in your case, languages are less important. Take a grad course in philosophy/American History/whatever at PU, identify the senior faculty in your subfield then  make sure to take at least two (preferably small) classes with them early enough for them to write on your behalf in a couple of years, and, when it comes to selecting courses, keep asking yourself and your advisor “will this class help me advance my goal of getting into that dream PhD program?”
    The best advice I can give is to identify and befriend the people who are a few years ahead of you, doing the things you want to be doing at that stage. If that’s being a doctoral student at Duke, contact grad students at Duke and ask them how they got there, what you should b taking at PTS/who you should be working with, etc. Hope this helps. I loved my M* program and learned a ton, and I hope the same will prove true for you.
     
  19. Like
    NTAC321 reacted to sacklunch in What I wish I had done in M* - PhD Application Advice   
    I disagree with this. Such advice is usually given by (hopeful) graduate students and not faculty. I have never heard a faculty member say it's good to publish early; usually it's the opposite. The only time you should even consider publishing at this stage is in a seriously well-respected journal. Still, it's unlikely one will have the necessary training before the PhD to secure such a publication. 
  20. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from sacklunch in Should I transfer from my undergraduate institution to better my grad school odds? (CROSSPOSTED)   
    These are good questions, and your concern for them at this stage in the game shows me that you’re on the right track. I’d like to add some advice from my experience and knowledge of the field that may be of use. I also want to push back on some of the above opinions, and one in particular.
    You should not publish. Anywhere. This remains true until you’re an advanced M* student with some reason to think your perspective is well-enough informed so as not to embarrass your future scholarly self. This is advice I’ve heard from several profs from various top tear schools, and I honestly don’t know of an exception to the rule. Publishing as an M* student is one thing, but publishing before your BA is a mistake. Ask your own faculty and ask PhD students in your field at the schools you want to one day attend.
    I’ve been on admissions panels and have heard what senior faculty at top schools are looking for in their M* students: relevant language/field work experience (whichever is applicable for your subfield), a solid foundation in the discipline (evidenced via a clear personal statement and sound writing sample) and, more than probably anything else, strong, strong letters of recommendation from faculty (preferably well-known faculty in your field if possible). As mentioned above, directed research projects with such faculty are very valuable here.
    Ask anyone on the job market in RS and they’ll tell you that one’s undergraduate institution counts, and likely more than it should. I’ll curtail the rant here, but it’s ridiculous to put such a high value on one’s undergraduate institution when the process of undergraduate admissions is so hopelessly determined by one’s social location. Of course it’s better for an applicant to have an AB from Harvard not a BA from UMass, but when two applicants are equally qualified, choosing the Harvard alum will almost always mean choosing the one whose parents paid for several SAt tests, a admissions coach, private lessons, rides to and from extracurriculars, not to mention elite secondary school. 
    In your case, I’d say that transferring from, let’s say, a regional school ranked #200 to another school ranked around #150 won’t really move the meter in one direction or the other. Take the cheaper option as long as you can get the relevant training necessary for your subfield. Volunteer somewhere that shows you care about humanity, become a teaching assistant if you can, learn a hard skill like manuscript editing, get another language on your transcript, help the world and work on digital humanities projects, things that make the case for you being an interesting person with interesting ideas and a record of hard work.
    Best of luck!
     
  21. Like
    NTAC321 got a reaction from Shmandy in PhD Applications Fall '18 Season   
    Along with all of you, I suppose, I'm no authority on the matter, but regarding program "rankings," there is no definitive list. The disappointing news is that, depending on your interests, goals, strengths, and a million other things, the "best" program will likely be different for many of us. There are, however, some good things to keep in mind when deciding between multiple offers:
     
    First, make sure your department is not a one-person show. They could leave, retire, or be a terrible advisor/teacher/person.
     
    Second, if you're in it to get a job, go to the program out of which people are getting jobs. There are lots of recent PhDs from fancy schools being tossed from post-doc to post-doc, while some schools that don't impress your friends back home quite as much are doing a really good job of placing people in TT positions.
     
    Finally, because I'm a sucker for lists like everyone else, here's a *very* subjective list of top programs for people interested in academic study of Ancient Christianity (i.e. the New Testament, Christian Origins, whatever) in alphabetical order by group:
     
    Group A: Chicago, Duke (GPR), Harvard, Princeton University, University of Texas at Austin, Yale.
     
    Group B: Boston University, Emory, Fordham, Notre Dame, NYU, UNC Chapel Hill.
     
    I may be forgetting one or two, but I'm not sure if there are many more that are placing people in jobs. If you want to work in a confessional institution, maybe you can go to DDS, PTS, Boston U, or Baylor, but the field is flooded enough that it's probably wiser to go to a place named above that'll allow you to play the confessional game (Emory, Duke GPR, even Yale). 
     
    Also, no one should pay a dime for a PhD; you're contributing labor to the school and they need to pay you for it. 
     
    Happy waiting, friends. 
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