toastoyevsky

Thanks, that's a very helpful way of thinking about it. It'll probably come down to visiting all of them and talking to more folks.

@marXian do you also think BC isn't up to the level of HDS or YDS?

Thanks, sent a message! For anyone who might be reading this thread still, I would like to end up in a doctoral program focusing on the philosophical sources of early Christian theology. I'm very interested in a few people/topics: religious commentators on Plato and Aristotle, including Neoplatonism; Pseudo-Dionysius; the Alexandrian school, especially Philo and Origen; and the Cappadocian fathers. A few other interests that I have less acquaintance with are early Islam, and medieval philosophy and theology, especially Aquinas, Maimonides, and the Islamic philosophical tradition. By no means would I expect one topic or program to cover all of this, but hopefully this gives a fuller picture of my interests. Syriac doesn't fit neatly into these, but I think it would provide a lot of interesting avenues.

I'm in a difficult (if enviable) situation. I was admitted to three programs, all with roughly the same (~75%) scholarship: MTS at HDS and Boston College, and the MARc in philosophical theology at YDS. Since the financials are similar, I think it comes down to the fit of the program with my interests and goals and doctoral placements/program reputation. I assume HDS and YDS are equally strong but don't know about BC's MTS. I would like to end up in a doctoral program studying some mix of philosophical theology, late antique religions, and Greek fathers -- probably religion/RS, but open to something else if it's a better fit. I have a year of classical Greek and a solid reading knowledge of French. I've heard from folks here how important languages are, so I plan to take more Greek and would also love to take Syriac. Here's how I see it: BC: Pros - I'm Catholic so the atmosphere is a good fit, patristics courses here and at Holy Cross. Cons - strict requirements, less room for electives and languages. HDS: Pros - flexible program, classes at Harvard grad school and Boston consortium. Cons - I think my religious beliefs would be out of place here, which isn't a dealbreaker, but may get annoying after two years. YDS: Pros - flexible program; focus on philosophy; Yale religious studies and philosophy courses look to align very well with my interests; lower cost of living. Cons - not sure how well Greek fathers are represented. Is there anything I haven't considered? Does anyone have any insight, esp how doctoral admissions will look at these programs? Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I wanted to make my own post because I'm in a unique situation. I'm currently thinking about applying to divinity school, six years after finishing undergrad. My situation is a little unique, I think. My degree is in math, from the University of Chicago, but I took a very wide range of courses. I didn't do college in a very intelligent way--I didn't have much contact with professors, my grades weren't spectacular (~3.2 GPA, but improving 3rd and 4th years), and I was held back by a lot of anxiety and depression. My time at Chicago did have a big effect on me though: since graduating, I put together a chronological reading list of all the great books I could think of and spent the last few years reading through it; I've probably read around 200-300 books, basically anything you can name pre-1900. This was a personal project that I undertook for my own edification. I'm glad I've had the time to do this, even if I have regrets about undergrad. Through my reading, I've come to think more deeply about philosophy and theology. I grew up in a Presbyterian church, remained religious all my life, and have lately begun the process of entering the Catholic church. In the meantime, I've been working at a software company, doing technical writing. My parents are both academics, so I've been expected to eventually go to a PhD program. The thing is, I don't think I actually want that. I've never wanted to become the master of one narrow subject, and I don't think I have the patience for the work. If I ask myself whether anything I've read or learned is worth a lifetime of deep, careful study, the only thing I can honestly answer is the Bible and religion. Hence I've been thinking of divinity school as it seems able to offer me a good opportunity based on my interests: (1) if I choose a suitable program, I can spend 2-3 years studying ancient languages (I took Attic Greek in college when I considered majoring in classics), learning about the Church fathers, and thinking in a structured environment about faith and religion; (2) if I choose a suitable program, I can use this as preparation for further study in either religion or philosophy... I think this might be the most disputable point, but I am okay regardless of whether this works out or not; (3) any amount of pastoral training, in counseling or apologetics or whatever, would be amenable to me even though I do not currently feel called to becoming a minister or priest. I want to know if what I've said makes me a good fit for divinity schools, whether for an MDiv or something else. I know that this is highly dependent on the program, so I'm limiting myself to academically oriented programs at top-tier universities: Notre Dame, BC, Chicago, and HYP. Duke and something like KU Leuven might be up there, too. Though the opportunity to further my studies is a consideration, I think it's ultimately immaterial to me what *career* divinity school could land me. I think I'd just really enjoy spending some time learning things. I have a good job that I can return to, but I would feel better about that if I could do this. I don't know if this makes sense any more, but any input or advice people have would be very, very welcome. Thanks.