LorenzoDow

Hi all, This is my first time ever posting in one of these forums, and I’ve got a few questions so I thought I’d reach out. I’m an MTS applicant. For years I contemplated a career in ministry or academia, but I was derailed for a while. I graduated from undergrad a few years back from a more conservative evangelical college, but I excelled academically (3.83 GPA). My major wasn’t in Theology but in history. After undergrad I went straight to a Master’s in History, at a state school with a pretty decent reputation, hoping someday to do the PhD. After I finished my MA, I decided to take a few years off and try some other things. Now this cycle I’m trying to get back into the hustle, but decided to go for an MTS first. Mainly, I became really interested in theological history during my time in grad school, going through many personal and intellectual periods. I’m particularly interested in American Religious History, and thought that doing an MTS first would help for intellectual and personal reasons. There’s more than simple intellectual interest, or benefit to a future PhD hunt, but that’s a key point here. I didn’t know much about the divinity school game before this cycle, and there’s still a lot I don’t know. I ended up sending out MTS/MA/MAR applications to six schools: Harvard, Yale, Candler, Vanderbilt, Boston U, and Union. So far, I’ve been accepted to Candler, Boston, and Vanderbilt, all with full ride or nearly full ride scholarships (though I can tell I didn’t get the top scholarship at any school, I’ve gotten the second to top at least two of them). Today though I was rejected outright from Union. Personally, I don’t think Union was the best fit for me, theologically or intellectually. I applied because I knew they had decent funding, and that it was in NYC. I also do not feel I put as much effort into the application as I could have, it was my last one and I feel I rushed it a bit. But I’d never been rejected from an institution of higher learning before, not when I applied to undergrad or my first round in grad school. Do you think there was something in particular holding me back in this case (one of things I mentioned), or was it just that competitive? I thought I would throw this out there for some insight, as I’m pretty familiar with the history admissions game but not as well versed in the theology ones quite yet. Especially with pending apps to Harvard and Yale, I’m just a little concerned. I’m fortunate I have three good schools where I have opportunities, but still a little curious. I also wanted to say that I had three really good LORs, including one who is pretty well known in her field, albeit history, who actually encouraged me to apply to Union. Also, any recommendations for where I should head in the fall (depending on my interest in American religious history alone)?