Thinking about divinity school 6 years after undergrad

[toastoyevsky]

Hi all,

I wanted to make my own post because I'm in a unique situation. I'm currently thinking about applying to divinity school, six years after finishing undergrad. My situation is a little unique, I think. My degree is in math, from the University of Chicago, but I took a very wide range of courses. I didn't do college in a very intelligent way--I didn't have much contact with professors, my grades weren't spectacular (~3.2 GPA, but improving 3rd and 4th years), and I was held back by a lot of anxiety and depression. My time at Chicago did have a big effect on me though: since graduating, I put together a chronological reading list of all the great books I could think of and spent the last few years reading through it; I've probably read around 200-300 books, basically anything you can name pre-1900. This was a personal project that I undertook for my own edification. I'm glad I've had the time to do this, even if I have regrets about undergrad.

Through my reading, I've come to think more deeply about philosophy and theology. I grew up in a Presbyterian church, remained religious all my life, and have lately begun the process of entering the Catholic church. In the meantime, I've been working at a software company, doing technical writing.

My parents are both academics, so I've been expected to eventually go to a PhD program. The thing is, I don't think I actually want that. I've never wanted to become the master of one narrow subject, and I don't think I have the patience for the work. If I ask myself whether anything I've read or learned is worth a lifetime of deep, careful study, the only thing I can honestly answer is the Bible and religion. Hence I've been thinking of divinity school as it seems able to offer me a good opportunity based on my interests: (1) if I choose a suitable program, I can spend 2-3 years studying ancient languages (I took Attic Greek in college when I considered majoring in classics), learning about the Church fathers, and thinking in a structured environment about faith and religion; (2) if I choose a suitable program, I can use this as preparation for further study in either religion or philosophy... I think this might be the most disputable point, but I am okay regardless of whether this works out or not; (3) any amount of pastoral training, in counseling or apologetics or whatever, would be amenable to me even though I do not currently feel called to becoming a minister or priest. 

I want to know if what I've said makes me a good fit for divinity schools, whether for an MDiv or something else. I know that this is highly dependent on the program, so I'm limiting myself to academically oriented programs at top-tier universities: Notre Dame, BC, Chicago, and HYP. Duke and something like KU Leuven might be up there, too. Though the opportunity to further my studies is a consideration, I think it's ultimately immaterial to me what *career* divinity school could land me. I think I'd just really enjoy spending some time learning things. I have a good job that I can return to, but I would feel better about that if I could do this. I don't know if this makes sense any more, but any input or advice people have would be very, very welcome. Thanks.

[rheya19]

I applied to Religious Studies programs about 6-7 years after my undergrad. I majored in Asian Studies, spend 5 years in Asia learning Chinese and teaching, and then applied to early Christian history master's programs with no applicable languages, and I got in to a top-tier program. It's all about showing that you understand the field and what you want to study within it and paint your background as a story that has prepared you for this new challenge in unconventional ways that make you a unique and insightful scholar. Basically. Feel free to ask me any questions that you have. I'd be happy to help in anyway I can. 

[sacklunch]

You're right, your situation is not typical, but I think in ways that benefit you. You have the rare advantage of having gone to a top 5 school for undergrad. If you do some skimming through profiles of doctoral students at TT programs in religion you will find that most did not go to highly ranked schools for college (or at least rarely in the top 10-20). Regardless of its truth, there is the notion that such students are exceptional and thus they can easily catch up/move beyond their peers with degrees from less impressive institutions. Moreover, the field of religion/religious studies has been increasingly pushing interdisciplinary methods and your background in math will help you to that end. As for divinity schools, I would urge you to apply to religion/religious studies programs as well. Funding is a large factor for applying to divinity schools, but there are a few very well-respected religion/classics MA's that I think will much better prepare you. What comes to mind is Notre Dame's Early Christian Studies (ECS) program, which is fully funded and as far as I'm concerned much more rigorous than any MTS from the usual suspects (e.g. HDS, YDS, Duke). Such programs are very small and are much more specialized, while most MTS programs will demand a number of required courses that quite honestly will be wasted time if you hope to secure a spot in a good doctoral program. You mention that you have some interest in ministry. That's all fine and well, but if you don't plan to go on in that world, then you should not spend the time (and likely money) taking classes on pastoral counseling rather than language courses. Oh, right, speaking of languages. You mentioned you have some coursework in classical Greek, which is great. But you will need more Greek (not just koine...!) and depending on your exact interests other languages as well. It has been said on this forum time and again (much by me), but it's worth repeating: without the required language coursework you will not get into a decent doctoral program in biblical studies. This is why I also urge you to consider programs such as Notre Dame's ECS because they will allow you to focus on languages, while most MTS programs will only allow a certain number of them to count toward your degree. Again, it's been said many times, but the requirements of seminaries mean that students often go for another M* (or ThM) afterward since the MTS rarely allows the necessary focus. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. cheers