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Sorry for the delay, I was disconnected from the world for a bit. But thank you for your thoughts! They were super helpful when preparing for the interview. Honestly, I thought it went just okay, not great. But then I received an invitation for an on-campus interview. Oh, and btw, the interview was with the NT faculty at Baylor. I had one Zoom interview and was invited for an on-campus interview at Baylor.

Yeap, you've basically anticipated some of my concerns and/ or questions. Much appreciated!! It was also a bit confusing because, as per the prof.'s email, the faculty was impressed with my application but they "want to further discuss my credentials," which is... interesting. I have no idea whether that's a generic thing, or if they have specific questions in mind. Come what may, it's good to be on the other end of the application hustle.

That's great! I'm happy to know that you're enjoying your program. It would've been a nightmare to put in so much work (both leading up to and during the Ph.D. program) and not enjoy your time there. And good advice about the advisor! A prof. made a similar observation, so that's definitely something good to keep in mind. Any advice for the interview? I received an email today from one of the schools saying they want to meet (via Zoom) and "further discuss your credentials." What are some common things that come up during the interview? What should I leave out/ say as I interact with them? Any input is welcome!

New Testament ? How are you enjoying the program? Is it what you were hoping for?

Hey @TheoQ! A few (probably relevant) details about myself: I come from a conservative background and I did my Th.M. at PTS. I don't know a lot about the M.Div. program at Princeton, but here's some info about my experience at PTS. Because I did the ThM program, I was free to choose my courses. I focused mainly on the New Testament. Both Dr. Allison and Dr. Black were very rigorous! Should one "wing it," have flimsy arguments, and/ or be superficial, both professors will most certainly point it out. They're "old school" and, as a moderate-conservative, you might like that. But both liberals and conservatives can expect to be rigorously evaluated by the two professors (I'm referring to the two of them because most of my classes were with them). The classes I took with them forever changed my view of the Bible, and that's in a good sense! Oh, and Dr. Black's courses are always geared toward the Church. At every step, you are encouraged--indeed required--to "translate" the technical part, and outline the implication(s) for the church. Is PTS "focused on gender equality, racial concerns, and other similar areas"? Sure. But that's not a bad thing. On the contrary, I personally enjoy being exposed to issues that were not addressed in my conservative circle. Nevertheless, I cannot say how much of your M.Div. program will be focused on these concerns. Maybe others might be better guides in this regard. I hope this helps. Should you have additional questions, feel free to reach out.

That’s exactly how I feel about this. Best wishes to you too!

Agree! The application process is quite painful. And congrats on doing this a second time. I respect that! I’m all in now. If I get in, fine. If not, this’ll be the end of the road for me. Especially because there aren’t a lot of jobs out there. I asked one of my professors (@ Princeton) what advice he has for me, as an aspiring doctoral student. His answer? “RUN! Run away.” As in, don’t do it. And then he went on to explain how bad the job prospect is. One reason I still applied is because it might be easier to go through (the upcoming) financial crisis while a PhD student (in that we receive some $, and it’s guaranteed for the duration of the program). Just my guess, but we shall see.

Hey friends! Best of luck to all of you! My background: BTh in Europe, MTS at a school in TN, and ThM at Princeton Seminary. I had to write a thesis in my undergrad, so maybe that counts as research. Although it was optional for the ThM program, I also chose to write a thesis at Princeton. My focus is on the New Testament, and I applied to Yale, Duke, Emory, Boston, and Baylor. And I'm about to apply to UChicago. Regardless of whether I'll get in or not, gosh it feels amazing to be (almost) done with the applications! I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way haha

I know someone who was accepted at Emory on February 10.