greenlam

I would wager that few serious academics (or serious academics-in-training) in biblical studies view "ivy league and famous names as somehow better than other schools based simply on name," as this post implies. "Better" schools such a those listed above are not "better" because of their names. They are often "better" because they offer students access to quantifiably better resources, such as funding, library holdings, and a larger faculty, which are quite scarce and fundamentally necessary for success as a graduate student. Furthermore, my own experience has shown me that senior faculty members at "better" schools are typically, but not always, better connected on a personal and/or professional level with other scholars, publishing houses, editorial boards, grant agencies, etc., which can benefit their students enormously early in their own careers. And let's not forget that "better" programs are or at least historically have been incredibly incestuous; "better" PhD programs tend to hire faculty from perceived peer institutions, which ensures that the situation continues largely unchecked. It might not be "fair," and it might not have any basis in scholarly competency or promise, but it is simply the way it is. (A similar situation exists in doctoral admissions.) Finally, let's be honest: American hiring committees do consider the "names" of the institutions where applicants earned their PhD's, particularly at schools where committee members from other disciplines (or even within "religious studies") might know little to nothing about the current quality of a given program and faculty at a particular university. The advice to seek a mentor not an institution might be noble, but it is rather unrealistic and decidedly short-sighted, and it suffers from the grand delusion that graduate education in America is primarily, if not entirely, about research, and for that matter, individual research with a single mentor. In reality, it is not. The sooner we all come to grips with that sad fact the better off we all will be.

I graduated from PTS last year and could probably offer some advice. PM me if you want to get in touch.

Notification of PhD acceptance at PTS has gone out via email, presumably to those who provided an email address on their applications. PTS does not normally notify those who have been either waitlisted or rejected via email. That will come via snail mail only. The rejections posted thus far are probably from those who have on-campus mailboxes at PTS, as letters are typically sent out the second-to-last Friday in February. I have heard from various applicants on campus that PTS is taking fewer PhD students this year. Good luck to all still waiting to hear!