Masters SOP prep

[lemonadetea]

Hi!

I'm midway through the 2nd year of my undergrad (BA in Theology and Religion) and absolutely love my course. I'm keen on going onto a master's afterwards, with a particular focus on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. So far, I have performed comfortably well, consistently receiving high grades, and I am currently at a very good university, so I am keen to attend another prestigious institution. I'm currently looking for things I can do linked to this area to help prepare for further study and to put on my PS/SOP, but it's hard for such a niche area. If anyone has any suggestions I would really appreciate it! 

Must add, I'm not religious, so things like helping out in a local church is not something I would feel the most at ease with - although I have looked at volunteering with a local humanist society. Also, I'm from the UK, looking to stay in the UK. 

TIA

[xypathos]

In the case of being in the UK and not being particularly interested in ministry work, I'd say try to find scholarship circles that welcome undergraduates to present their research. Most of them have a fairly low bar for undergraduates to present - it's more about tipping your toes in the water. There's also academic journals. It's more so to show that you're thinking about this work beyond simply what you're being taught, you're making your own connections to things. I love to bake and so one of my attempts to merge this was working on a paper that looked at the history of bread (recipe composition, shape of the bread, etc) and the role that played in various locations when it came to temple worship.

Beyond that, just pursue your passions and develop yourself as a person. UK PhDs are only 3 years (usually) but in the US it's not uncommon for religious studies/theology programs to be 7+ and many of the lower tier ones are averaging 10-12 years now. So, faculty are making a commitment to you as a person too. Have interests outside religion, it'll keep you sane.