Kuriakos

Well, you mentioned wanting to apply to second and third tier schools. Funding is a large part of what separates the schools into tiers. If you want full tuition (with or without stipend), that, generally speaking, takes a lot of the second and third tier schools off the table. Many of those schools may be able to provide full funding to one or two exceptional students, so they could be an option given the right conditions.

Since Claremont usually doesn't fully fund (lots of students get 50% tuition IIRC) it is a bit less competitive than other programs.

From what I've heard, brevity is appreciated.

If you have Baylor questions, shoot me a PM.

I'd say BP is right on target.

Funded position in the UK: http://historicaljesusresearch.blogspot.com/2013/09/nt-phd-studentship-at-st-marys.html

The UK schools don't give a rip about the GRE so that is nice, but getting funding is very difficult for Americans. Even if you get to work with NTW at St. Andrew's, it'll cost you. You might be better off at a second choice with little or no debt vs. going what 100K in debt (no idea really)? In light of that, I'd consider applying to a few more US programs.

You can't spell with fiction without fit.

If anyone has Baylor questions, shoot me a PM.

Every prof is different. One prof asked me who I worked with during my MA (I guess he like the prof I named), one asked me to fill out a long detailed petition, and one just wanted to know if I'd ever taken a doctoral seminar before. I had several who basically would let any ThM student into a seminar.

jdm has it right. The prof will let you know what they expect, and if you think you can do that then go for it. If I recall correctly, though, at one point you said you didn't have Latin or Greek. That might be a problem depending on how the class is structured.

I took all my ThM classes at the doctoral level. Best decision I ever made.

Without a specialty it is hard to advise you about Texas options.

Yeah, it really sucks the way they do it.

I love Fuller and the faculty there are great, but no one should go over 100k in debt for a degree in religion. They basically offer zero funding, and Pasadena is one of the most expensive LA suburbs to live in. Unless you are rich, I would cross that off the list. Claremont and GTU both offer some funding, but I've heard it isn't very good. I know a guy at Claremont in systematics who got 50% tuition. That's it. With how scarce jobs are, going even 50k in debt for a PhD is a bad idea. Just think of it this way: It's a hell of a lot cheaper to fly home a bunch from a funded program not on the West Coast than to pay for your own PhD.

They encourage you to apply to both the GPR and the Div School. I was directly told that by a Prof there. The adcoms are different, too.

Have a prof you trust read it. I didn't do that, and I think the SOP is where I blew it on a lot of my apps.

The one you will be affiliated with at the time of the conference.

Latin, for sure. If you get a book, it isn't that hard to beat the GRE.

It's sort of an open secret that UK profs often end up accepting more Americans for the money and consequently end up supervising more people than would be considered acceptable in the US. At least, that is what a former prof who has worked in both countries told me.

#2, especially if it is the new prof I'm thinking of.

Moving, then modern language intensive.

Based on what you guys are saying, I dramatically understated my reading levels. I bet that didn't help my applications.

If you've taken out loans for a M* degree, then you might as well get a funded PhD. At the least it staves off the debt collectors for 5 years and gives you a chance, however remote, at a career.

Baylor