JonathanEdwards

So I am in a Ph.D. supervised jointly by two different schools of a university. It’s very cool in principle to have interdisciplinary perspective, but the more noticeable day-to-day reality is that I get left off of two email distribution lists! Anyone else experience this?

I read lots of agonizing on the board, so I hope these suggested criteria are helpful to someone out there. Based on advice from others and my own experiences, I would suggest the following list to those of you in the decision phase: 1. The scholar(s) who can provide the best supervision for your particular research 2. Faculty reputation in your subfield 3. Resources to support your research (primarily libraries/labs, but also funding) If you want to break into university teaching, your thesis had better hit like a hammer. It won’t if you don’t find the best possible supervision for your research. I also understand hiring panels frequently view this area as a future indicator of your dedication to ongoing research. They want to see that you are interested in making a genuine contribution to your chosen field, and giving higher priority to other items like convenience, cost, name cachet, etc. suggests that you’ll have the same attitude towards your research if hired as faculty. Best wishes!

I appreciate TheologyGrad providing both their personal experience and what they have heard from others. Sharing such information is what forums like this are here for. Having said that, I disagree regarding Gordon-Conwell (the other schools I don’t have personal experience with and would rather not speculate). Like Kalnds, none of this is to claim that GCTS is the perfect seminary (such doesn’t exist) or to denigrate others’ choices, just to add another person’s perspective. On the relational side, I found Gordon-Conwell a model for respectful behavior among Christians from very different backgrounds. Coming from a previous seminary which had a very boisterous approach to anyone of a remotely different tradition, it was a breath of fresh air. I lived on campus and saw that gracious demeanor exhibited by faculty, staff and fellow students. That same affirming attitude was extended to students, Christian and non-Christian alike, who took classes while registered at one of the other BTI schools, which brings me to the academic side of things. Gordon-Conwell is part of the Boston Theological Institute, eight schools which allow their students to cross-register for courses at each other. That is a level of recognition which is rare for an evangelical seminary - GCTS is the only one I’m aware of which enjoys this broader relationship. The other schools (Harvard Divinity School, Boston University, Boston College, Episcopal Divinity School, Holy Cross, St. Johns, Andover-Newton), have a good relationship with GCTS because of demonstrated student ability and mutual faculty respect. One proof of this on the student side is in GCTS’ record of placing M.A., M.Div., and Th.M. grads into the best Ph.D. programs in the world. The year I graduated, everyone that I was aware of that wanted to go on for a Ph.D. was able to do so, and at universities like Oxford, Toronto, Cambridge, Harvard, Edinburgh, London, UNC, Queens, etc. On the faculty side, many of the GCTS professors were trained at the same places as their peers at the other BTI schools.

Unless of course the position one is applying for is in ecclesiastical history... in which case the hiring panel will likely find it a rather critical area. Just having fun - cheers!

1. Moving! For some this is easy, but we sold almost everything and moved our family to a new continent. 2. Application. Managing reference letters were the bane of my existence for a while there. 3. Waiting. Deciding was the only easy part - I got my first choice. I suppose that's a nice part to have work out, so after all of the top three aggravations I have no complaints.

I hate to sound dogmatic, but I’ll expand on what I said before: You should consider it mandatory to contact them and ask if they’d be willing to supervise your specific research proposal. Looking back at this thread, I realized that in my previous post I left out the why - it improves your chances at universities you’re a good fit for, and it excludes schools you’re not a good fit for. If a professor is interested in your proposal, they can wave their magic wand over your application and say, “I want this one.” I read many people here obsessing over their application package - GRE’s, grades, prestigious undergrad program, etc. Those things aren’t unimportant, but it doesn’t matter if there are other applicants with incrementally better packages if those applicants want to study things that don’t interest a member of faculty. For example, the admissions wheels were grinding slowly at the (unnamed) university I am a candidate at now, but once I contacted the scholar I wanted to study under and shared my research ideas in some detail, she not only jump-started the admissions process, but also arranged for (very beneficial) joint supervision with another department. This may also save you time and anxiety by cutting out those schools that appear good on the surface but wouldn’t work. For example, I was going to apply at a particular university, but when I emailed the scholar that I wanted to study under, he let me know he was actually retiring shortly. The school hadn’t made that clear publicly, because he was still going to be teaching part-time as an emeritus professor, but he wouldn’t be able to supervise research. Since his replacement had different research interests, I struck that (very fine) university from my list. The same kind of benefit would come from finding out that a scholar in that field isn’t interested in that particular question/area, or that they have a two-year sabbatical planned during the time you’d need supervision. The worst that can happen is that a professor might think you’re overeager. Talking to peers and profs now that I'm on the inside, my understanding is that in the Commonwealth nations, it’s actually considered proper form to contact a potential supervisor and ask if they'd welcome such-and-such research proposal. Best wishes, Westcott

Contact them and ask if they'd be willing to supervise your proposed research question which falls under their area of expertise.

To be fair, I wouldn't categorize them as weak in any regard. While their librariies aren't up to the high standard their faculty sets (as Oxbridge & London are), they are significantly better research centers than most other unis. Best wishes on your search!

Hmm. Since that’s not my area, your current/past faculty will likely be much more help than I, especially on the American unis. The best places to study classics in the UK are probably Cambridge, Oxford, and London (both KCL and UCL). Edinburgh and Durham have great faculties, but not nearly the support from library and other resources. Once you have in mind a specific research topic within a field, you can mate that to a supervisor at a school more specifically. Best wishes!

Before answering, what is your research interest? What subfield of ancient history do you want to emerge an expert in?

At Perseus, hosted by Tufts Uni., you can parse tricky forms from hard copy books you’re reading, and also work through numerous texts online. At Textkit you can find a number of older grammars and annotated texts.

You might want to look over a basic Attic primer like Abbott & Mansfield, then dive in and read, read, read, returning to the grammar to check what looks odd through your Demotike lens. Yes, grammatical rules have changed, and so has much vocabulary, but Greek is one continuously spoken language. There’s a fascinating volume by Chrys Caragounis on that subject if your library has it. Some typical ‘starter’ texts with repetitive vocabulary would be Diodorus, Xenophon, St. John’s Gospel, and St. John’s First Epistle. Short Attic texts like Plato’s Crito and Apology will stretch your vocabulary once you’re comfortable with the grammatical rules. Homer is awesome, but the artificial construct of ‘Epic Greek’ will have enough exceptions to make your head spin. Since you don’t have the leg up on Latin, you might want to go through a basic primer like Kennedy first before too much inductive learning. Hopefully, you can find a tutor in your area. Best wishes on your summer reading!

Whew! Glad to hear it. Best wishes on your journey to the UK!

Are you having trouble getting a loan verification letter from FAFSA or Edinburgh?

There are a number of universities with strong New Testament faculties in the US (Duke, Princeton, UVA, Harvard, etcetera). However, let me suggest that you consider what it is you wish to research, and match that interest to scholars at whose institutions you'd apply to. Your current faculty should be able to point you towards the right people. That approach would make your selection process easier, as well as strengthening your application. Someone can have great grades, test scores, potential, etc., but if they want to become an expert in something that none of the faculty want to supervise, they probably won't get offered admission. Best wishes on your search!

There was much that was helpful and interesting about the original well-intentioned post. Nevertheless, I think it would be nice for the poster to return and explain his or her criticisms. I am not rejecting TheologyGrad’s opinions, but it’s not only a bit more fair to explain - potential students might also want to know whether the details apply to them or are related to the o.p.’s personal opinions, theological standpoint, etc. What are the perceived problems on multiple levels with Gordon-Conwell? How exactly is Princeton narrow? Who at Asbury is politically conservative and how is that made a problem for the students? Where is HDS’ lack of rigor? Language requirements? Coursework? The dissertation phase?

Because magazines and newspapers have popularised this terminology (‘league tables’ in the UK, ‘tiers’ in the US), that tends to be how potential students frame the discussion as well. However, something to bear in mind is that university strengths can vary depending on what subfield one is looking at. For example, a university can have the top program in church history, but not so in theological studies. Even within say, church history, scholars will know which universities have strengths in different periods. Church Mouse, I’d encourage you to talk about your research interests to your current faculty and ask them where you’d find the best supervision for that. The answers will usually involve what most people would consider the ‘top tier schools,’ but may include a few surprises. Once you get into that level of subjectivity and specificity, you’re not going to be able to find published ‘tier’ rankings, but I’d suggest the advice will likely be considerably more valuable.

No conclusive answers here, just food for thought. I’ve no personal experience with Emory, but am given to understand it is ‘eclectic’ in regards to the categories you mention. While there are advantages to taking ministerial formation classes from someone in your own tradition, understanding what you believe is really enhanced by classes from another perspective. Learning that doesn’t challenge one’s preconceived notions, well, isn’t. I’m a committed Christian, but the best and most thought-provoking classes I’ve had were actually from outside that perspective. I’m not encouraging deliberately seeking an entire program taught entirely from a radically opposed point of view, but perhaps to avoid pigeonholing based on denomination or liberal/conservative political or even theological affiliation.

I suppose the short version is ‘Building credibility in a variety of areas of expertise’ is very much a positive, while ‘making your resume look more diversified’ is rather not. (I’m not suggesting you’re merely looking to do the latter, just that how you put this is critical.) The long version is, be prepared to articulate the ‘why?’ of such a move. I’d urge you to consider that where you go to study can have a variety of benefits, but primary among these should be who you are going to study under. If you go to Yale (a fine choice) because they have a particular scholar you wish to conduct research under, that’s a great reason. If your goal is ultimately to return to Duke as a stronger candidate, you may need to explain how your research interests changed (and you’re not some kind of dilettante). Perhaps you’d be able to say you went to Yale to explore a particular research interest within New Testament that a scholar there specialized in, but decided to return to your potential supervisor of choice at Duke because that was your ultimate interest. Best wishes wherever you wind up!

A previous poster had a good point regarding the difference between a degree from the very well-known Boston College and the unknown-outside-the-field GTU. I'd encourage you to look at the schools and their resources that make up the BTI and the GTU (which also favors BC).

BDB isn't the most recent, and the way it's organized can be difficult. I actually think the best basic lexicon for a balance of recent scholarship, ease of use, and coverage is Holladay. If BDB is what the prof wants, though, then don't be the only student in class without it.

Bear in mind that if you get into any of the Boston schools that participate in the 'Boston Theological Institute' (HDS, BU, BC, Andover-Newton, etc.) you can take classes at any of the others. If you don't get into HDS, but can swing one of the others, load up on BTI cross-registration courses at Harvard and impress your professors with your abilities. You might then be able to transfer to HDS or pull out with an M.T.S. from one of the other schools and apply again to go into the HDS M.Div. Hope it works out...

What are your research interests? Which school has the scholar you'd most like to eventually do your thesis under?

Many MDiv's don't include a substantial thesis component, but the high quality STM/ThM's will. It's your chance to demonstrate research ability, as well as to demonstrate research interests that line up with potential faculty members.

As far as a general recommendation, I agree that Gordon-Conwell is excellent. Top-notch academic standards, ethical & caring faculty, access to elective courses at Harvard and the other B.T.I. schools, and a reputation as a “feeder school” to the best doctoral programs in the world. More specifically, different schools have different strengths. It would help if you could share if there's a particular expertise you’d like to develop.