RD_Paul

I also just got accepted to PTS and have until the February 20 deadline. I also share your dilemma. I have also already been admitted to Duke Div., and have until next week to respond with a yes or no. Duke has said that they will withdraw my app. if I don't mail in the deposit. So, I am just going to do that and hope I get funding from Duke AND PTS. Also, drechie, I don't think PTS will let admitted students know about scholarships until at least March 1 (at least that is the case with the scholarships covering full tuition).

Well, I have applied to several schools, so it will all come down to funding. Preferably, I will be at either Duke or Princeton, though.

I didn't get a call either. It was pretty disappointing, but I we will still be eligible for funding the next two rounds (January and March, I think). I have a good friend at Duke now who wasn't awarded full funding until the third round. There is hope yet!

O_Porcupine, did you hear back about scholarships?

I was told we would hear within a week of the 15th if we are awarded a scholarship.

Did anyone else hear back from Duke yesterday?

O_Porcupine, I have very similar interests to what you listed. In fact, My wife and I began to affiliate myself with the Mennonites in college because of what we read of Yoder and Hauerwas, among others. I did a lot of work with Yoder's theology in college, and I just recently visited the Mennonite Historical Archives in Goshen, IN on a visit to Notre Dame. It was amazing! They let me dig through several boxes of his old letters, unpublished manuscripts, lecture notes, etc. I highly recommend visiting if you ever get the chance. Have you gotten the chance to visit ND or Duke yet? I just visited both last month, so I'll relay my impressions about each in the hopes that it might help you. In some ways, I was really encouraged by my trip to ND. I met with a guy who had just graduated from the program, and he said Yoder and Hauerwas were really popular with the students while he was there. Obviously, this might be different with each new class, but it was still encouraging to me. On the other hand, I was really discouraged when I met with a New Testament prof. She was actually quite rude and unapproachable. Then again, she could have just been having a bad day. Overall, ND seems like a great place to engage with a lot of different perspectives, especially for a Yoderian. And Duke was amazing! There are a lot of Mennonite (read, Yoderians!) at Duke. And since Hauerwas has exerted a tremendous influence there, the question of violence is a major one right now. I liked the feel of Duke because I could tell that there are many there who deeply sympathize with the Yoderian/Hauerwasian stream of thought and many who don't. That will no doubt make for great dialogue. My wife and I actually got the chance to go out to a bar with a group of the Anabaptist-leaning Duke students, so I was able to get a really good idea of how I would fit in at Duke. I left Durham really excited about the prospect of Duke. Anyway, you may have already visited and thus didn't need my insight at all. If so, sorry about the rambling. Regardless, best wishes!

I am also applying to PTS and had an interview last month. It only lasted about 15 minutes, and it was very low-key. It certainly isn't anything to be worried about. There were mostly questions that had to do with diversity, favorite theologian(s), why PTS, etc.

So, I am attempting to finish my Duke Divinity application by the November 1 deadline. I am curious if anyone knows if admissions decisions will be made earlier for those who apply by this deadline? I am assuming that is the case, but I've found nowhere that the website or the online application says that outright.

I debated for a long time to which program I wanted to apply before deciding on the MTS, but I now I'm curious what you mean by "We are also able to explore our various research interests in ways that students in the MTS program cannot." The primary reason I am interested in Notre Dame is the possibility of further language study (including German & French), so both of these programs naturally excite me. My interests are mostly New Testament and Early Christianity (especially early Christian ethics). How would that fit into the MA program?

I am an MDiv applicant. I apologize for somehow neglecting to mention that in the first place.

Would anyone currently at Yale Divinity be willing to read through the current draft of my personal statement? I'd like to know if I am doing the kind of work that is going to set me apart, or if I am just way off with what i have so far. Thanks

Well, you all have helped me decide. I was mostly trying to gauge whether or not VDS is on par academically with the rest of the schools on my list. Like I said in my first post, I had just gotten different perspectives on VDS, so I just wanted some more thoughts. I have had one former professor encourage me not to apply, but I suspect that she may have some sort of personal issue with the school. Anyway, it sounds like VDS could be a really nice fit for me. I guess it depended on who you talked to, but I was usually the "liberal" guy theologically in college, especially among the mostly conservative campus ministry with which I interned. The political environment isn't as much of a concern for me (I am loosely Anabaptist/Mennonite, so I tend to stay out of/not care much about sectarian politics), but it does help me to envision the overall feel of the school. It is also nice to know that Vanderbilt has good possibilities for funding. I have pretty good "stats" from college and beyond, so I am hoping for/anticipating substantial funding.

Thank you both. I appreciate your thoughts!

Hi all, So, I am applying to Duke Div., Yale Div., Notre Dame, Candler, and Princeton Theological Seminary, and I am thinking of adding Vanderbilt to the list. However, I have found mixed reviews online and from some of my undergraduate professors. I am wondering if anyone knows anything at all about Vanderbilt that would be helpful in deciding whether or not to apply. I am just looking to apply to one more school, preferably on par with the rest, in order to increase my options a little. Just to give an idea of where I am coming from, my interests are mostly in Biblical Studies and Ethics, specifically ecology and violence within the Christian tradition. I will probably end up doing an M.Div. (or an MTS at Notre Dame, as I am not Roman Catholic), but am planning to get a PhD. Any thoughts would be beneficial! Thanks

Thanks for the advice. That was my assumption, but I wanted to make sure. YDS looks great. How was the visit?

Hello everyone! I am finishing my undergrad degree this semester from a fairly prestigious liberal arts school in MO. I am thinking of applying to a number of graduate programs in Religious Studies (specifically New Testament) or Theology, but I am getting married in June and taking a year off before going off to school. Here are the schools where I'll be applying: Yale Divinity Duke Divinity Princeton Theological Seminary Yale's PhD in NT (admittedly a long shot without the master's) Candler Notre Dame (Early Christian Studies) I am also applying for the Marshall Scholarship to study at the Univ. of St. Andrews in Scotland Here my "stats:" Major: Philosophy & Religion; Minors: Classics, English UG GPA: 4.0/4.0 Phi Beta Kappa, PKP, Eta Sigma Phi, Theta Alpha Kappa, Departmental Honors, Who's Who, UG Religion Student of the Year Two year intern for my campus ministry LoR: I've asked the four profs who know me best, so they should be pretty good. GRE: yet to be taken, though I am doing so in August Languages: two years classical Hebrew, two years Greek (will have three by the time I enroll in grad school), one year of Latin Honors Thesis: a detailed exegesis paper on Romans 13.1-7, which will be my writing sample And I will have been published research on Menno Simons in two undergraduate journals Though my top choice is YDS MDiv or ConcMAR in Biblical Studies, I am very intrigued by Yale's PhD. But I don't think my chances of getting in are very good, especially without French or German under my belt at all. I would appreciate anyone's thoughts. How rare is it to be accepted directly to Yale's PhD program directly from UG? Is that even recommended? Or should I slow down and get my Master's first? This seems like the most logical/beneficial choice. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.