NT Studies School Suggestions

[aselfmadewinter]

I'm an MA at St. Michael's (TST) at the University of Toronto studying New Testament. I'm looking to start applying to PhD programs in the fall, but I'm at a loss insofar as I have no idea where to really apply. I would like to go somewhere that guarentees funding, or would probably give me funding, but while my MA GPA is 3.88, my undergraduate GPA is sort of mediocre, at 3.4. My ugrad major GPA is much higher, however, at 3.7, and I think I'll have strong references. I have not yet taken the GRE, but I expect to do between 1250 and 1350, since I'm terrible at mathematics. I've got excellent grades in Greek (4.0), and I have Hebrew competency. My undergrad is also from U of Toronto.

Now, here's the question... for someone who has a fairly good but not outstanding profile (such as myself), where should I consider applying? Notre Dame in the US would be nice, if not a bit of a stretch for me, and I'm considering Toronto, McMaster, McGill and UBC in Canada. However, other than Notre Dame, I have no idea where to apply in the US. What would be some good schools in my range? Any suggestions for safety schools?

My main concern is, of course, my mediocre undergrad GPA. I've seen a lot of people posting very high ugrad GPAs on here, and that worries me a bit.

Thanks!

Edited July 28, 2010 by aselfmadewinter

[JonathanEdwards]

I'm an MA at St. Michael's (TST) at the University of Toronto studying New Testament. I'm looking to start applying to PhD programs in the fall, but I'm at a loss insofar as I have no idea where to really apply. I would like to go somewhere that guarentees funding, or would probably give me funding, but while my MA GPA is 3.88, my undergraduate GPA is sort of mediocre, at 3.4. My ugrad major GPA is much higher, however, at 3.7, and I think I'll have strong references. I have not yet taken the GRE, but I expect to do between 1250 and 1350, since I'm terrible at mathematics. I've got excellent grades in Greek (4.0), and I have Hebrew competency. My undergrad is also from U of Toronto.

Now, here's the question... for someone who has a fairly good but not outstanding profile (such as myself), where should I consider applying? Notre Dame in the US would be nice, if not a bit of a stretch for me, and I'm considering Toronto, McMaster, McGill and UBC in Canada. However, other than Notre Dame, I have no idea where to apply in the US. What would be some good schools in my range? Any suggestions for safety schools?

My main concern is, of course, my mediocre undergrad GPA. I've seen a lot of people posting very high ugrad GPAs on here, and that worries me a bit.

Thanks!

There are a number of universities with strong New Testament faculties in the US (Duke, Princeton, UVA, Harvard, etcetera). However, let me suggest that you consider what it is you wish to research, and match that interest to scholars at whose institutions you'd apply to. Your current faculty should be able to point you towards the right people. That approach would make your selection process easier, as well as strengthening your application. Someone can have great grades, test scores, potential, etc., but if they want to become an expert in something that none of the faculty want to supervise, they probably won't get offered admission.

Best wishes on your search!

Edited July 29, 2010 by Westcott

[aselfmadewinter]

There are a number of universities with strong New Testament faculties in the US (Duke, Princeton, UVA, Harvard, etcetera). However, let me suggest that you consider what it is you wish to research, and match that interest to scholars at whose institutions you'd apply to. Your current faculty should be able to point you towards the right people. That approach would make your selection process easier, as well as strengthening your application. Someone can have great grades, test scores, potential, etc., but if they want to become an expert in something that none of the faculty want to supervise, they probably won't get offered admission.

Best wishes on your search!

Thanks! That really does help. Fortunately, my research interests seem coherent with the interests of quite a number of professors at the schools I'm interested in. Hopefully, that'll help.