achowa00

I had the same experience--it's SO frustrating. I studied for about two months off and on, but focused heavily on the three weeks before the test. On practice tests, I got 640, 690, and 720 and so felt pretty good going into the actual test. I didn't really practice the math because it's not that important for religion programs. On test day,I came out with a 630 V and 710 Q--NOT what I expected at all!! It's been over two weeks and I still haven't gotten my writing scores. Unless those are perfect (not likely), I'll be re-testing Nov. 14. I used Kaplan's book and the vocab cards which were extremely helpful on the practice tests. On the actual however, I still knew almost none of the vocab. So I'm not entirely sure how to prepare for the second time around other than more of the same...

SO helpful--thank you! In emailing my professors to seek advice regarding my list of schools as well as ask for recommendations, one of them suggested I look into the ThD at Harvard and Duke. It does make more sense to me since I'm not all that interested in the comparative element but I was worried that in a job market, a ThD might be looked down upon. Plus, I see that you can apply for both at Harvard and not be penalized, which is great. Thanks for the tips! How are your applications going thus far? Looks like I'm going to try the GRE once more in November. Argh.

A professor of mine suggested to me that both Harvard and Duke have a ThD program as well as the PhD and that I should look into that as well. While I've spent some time on Harvard's web site looking at the program, I can't figure out the real difference between the two programs. Why would one opt for the ThD instead of the PhD? Is it easier to get into that program? Also, can one get hired to teach with a ThD or would that be a detriment? Thoughts?

demondeac, Thanks for the advice--I'm going to wait on my writing scores and if they're not super fantastic, I guess I'll be back at the GRE at the end of next month. Grrr. I have heard some of the same about Union and GTU and unfortunately, I really can't go back to school unless I get funding as I'm already neck deep in student loan debt and realize that my salary in the first few years of teaching won't be that much more than I make in Campus Ministry. So, good to know and be prepared about funding. As for your list, who are you interested in working with at Brown? It's a fascinating place and I've loved working here thus far. We are still working at improving ties between the Chaplains' Office and the the Department of Relgious Studies, but I think we're getting there. Concerning Vandy, I had a fantastic experience there and truly miss the place. Thatamanil is a wonderful teacher and truly cares about his students as much as his own research--he is invested in them and wants to see them do well, which can be an anomaly. I worked extensively with Armour when she came on board in my last year of the MDiv program and she's truly fantastic. Especially in your case, the way she works to tie together constructive theology and continental philosophy should definitely be a draw to that program. I guess I don't think about McFague or Hodgson as being recently retired as they were both long gone by the time I got there. Their legacy is still felt no doubt, but Meeks has quite a name for himself and DeHart, a Chicago grad, is also up and coming in the field. They also just hired Stacy Floyd-Thomas and her husband, bringing on board one of top womanist theologians in the country. Not to gush, but I really think Vanderbilt will be one of the absolute top theology programs in the coming years. I have to tell you, I have absolutely no leg up in getting in there just by virtue of having attended the Div School. In the last few years, Theology has taken 2 students and in my time, none of them were alums. I think both of them were alums just once in the last 8 years or so, so unfortunately, I don't think it will help me this time around.

Hello all, Not sure if this board is active as most of the posts seem older, but I discovered this forum last week after taking the GRE and feeling hugely disappointed with my verbal score. I started Googling my score associated with "PhD in religion" and bam! I spent the better part of the next hour perusing last year's admissions results, learning a lot but also feeling extremely humbled. And yet, I guess I'm still planning on throwing my hat into the ring. I finished my MDiv. Since graduating, I've been working in Campus Ministry in Providence. GRE last week was 630 Verbal, 710 Quant, and TBD on Writing. Input welcome--do I need to retake in Oct/Nov to up that verbal? GPA from Vandy is over 3.8, 3.5 or so from undergrad. Here's my nearly-final list for applications this year: Harvard (Religion Gender Culture) Boston College (Theological Ethics) Yale (Theology) Fordham (Theology) Union / Columbia (Joint Program) Drew (Religion & Society) Chicago (Ethics) Duke (Ethics) GTU (actually thinking this one is too far away and random--probably getting crossed off the list) This will be my first try so I'm more than open to advice and suggestions--do I need more/fewer schools? More safety options? Any programs I might not know about that I should look into? Thanks in advance!