Seminary Options

[caitlinhanna]

Hello!

I'm a current junior at a small private school, and from my research, it seems that it may be easier to get into some "top tier" seminaries than I anticipated. I had set the bar a little lower, but reading some other posts has made me optimistic. I'll list some of my stats, and I'd love to get an opinion on my chances.

GPA: 3.478

Majors: International Affairs and Religion

Minor: Greek Studies

Language Proficiencies: Four semesters of Greek, primarily Hellenistic

Research: I am currently in the process of developing a curriculum for short-term mission groups to use which focuses on healthy service and improved intercultural interaction. I will be teaching this curriculum to a mission team and researching the impact the curriculum makes.

Extracurriculars: Missions intern for my campus ministry, student leader for service in my campus ministry, small group leader, vice president of an anti-trafficking organization, participation and awardee in Model Arab League, member of my university's service oriented honors program, former virtual intern for the U.S. Department of State, former intern for an international anti-trafficking organization, and two summer study abroad mission trips in Greece and South Africa, which both involved research and working with oppressed populations.

Ministry Experience: I did a gap year with YWAM, which provided six months worth of international mission work. I also have done a summer internship working for a youth ministry. This may be too long ago, but I was also a children's ministry intern for two years during high school. I have worked in a wide range of ministry, from preschoolers to the elderly, from prison to the slums. This summer, I will be interning with a church that works on the Mexico/U.S. border and working with various issues that come along with that. 

Denomination: Non-denominational, but I lean pretty liberally in both my politics and theology.

Schools I am considering: Duke, Emory, Harvard, Mercer, Princeton, Union, and Yale (maybe others, still in the research process)

I have close relationships with many of my professors and people I am connected to in ministry, so I have no doubt I could get some fantastic letters of recommendation.

My greatest strength is my experience, but I worry that my GPA is too low to be considered for many of these schools. I also haven't taken the GRE yet, so I'm not sure where I would fall there. Any tips or information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

[xypathos]

Stats and experience, you're fine.

Are you looking for ministerial training (primarily) or simply wanting to use this degree as a stepping stone into a PhD? That will help with deciding between some schools. You won't be accepted into any of these schools for a PhD without a M* in some religious studies/theology field. I think you already know this and are interested in a M* though.

Another major issue will be finances. MDivs are largely better funded but some schools fund better than others. Harvard and Yale tend to fund very well, with graduates leaving with little to no debt. Duke and Union, you can probably expect something around 30-50% barring something in your app that you didn't tell us about. Princeton caps at 80% for non-PCUSA or at least did, I still believe that's the case. I imagine the rest would fall in line with Duke and Union but I can't be sure.

Of your list, only Harvard requires the GRE. It's waived if you already have a graduate degree.

[caitlinhanna]

9 hours ago, xypathos said:

Stats and experience, you're fine.

Are you looking for ministerial training (primarily) or simply wanting to use this degree as a stepping stone into a PhD? That will help with deciding between some schools. You won't be accepted into any of these schools for a PhD without a M* in some religious studies/theology field. I think you already know this and are interested in a M* though.

Another major issue will be finances. MDivs are largely better funded but some schools fund better than others. Harvard and Yale tend to fund very well, with graduates leaving with little to no debt. Duke and Union, you can probably expect something around 30-50% barring something in your app that you didn't tell us about. Princeton caps at 80% for non-PCUSA or at least did, I still believe that's the case. I imagine the rest would fall in line with Duke and Union but I can't be sure.

Of your list, only Harvard requires the GRE. It's waived if you already have a graduate degree.

Excellent question! I should have included that in my original post. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, but I do know that an Mdiv is my next stepping stone. At the moment, I'm not really considering a PhD. I intend on working somewhere in the world of social justice and compassion, whether in a pastoral role, for a non-profit, or in some other capacity. I'm also particularly interested in missions reform, but that may just be a hobby rather than an academic pursuit.

[marXian]

1 hour ago, caitlinhanna said:

Excellent question! I should have included that in my original post. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, but I do know that an Mdiv is my next stepping stone. At the moment, I'm not really considering a PhD. I intend on working somewhere in the world of social justice and compassion, whether in a pastoral role, for a non-profit, or in some other capacity. I'm also particularly interested in missions reform, but that may just be a hobby rather than an academic pursuit.

You'll be a competitive MDiv applicant at all of those schools.

[sacklunch]

Your GPA is fine. Divinity schools, even those at the top, regularly accept students with such grades, especially for the MDiv. I don't know the stats, but I would say you have a better chance at getting into Duke or Harvard's MDiv than, say, a religious studies MA at University of Kansas. Last stats I saw, MDiv acceptance at such schools wavers between 40-60% year to year.

[Kuriakos]

Many schools offer dual degree programs like MDiv/MBA, MDiv/MSW, or MDiv/JD. These are often springboards for non-profit work and worth considering.