YDS or GTU?

[Tahuds]

I've been accepted to both and I'm torn between the two.

In Yale's favor:

Name Recognition

Excellent Faculty, Name Recognition again

Graduate Placement rate - important as I want to move on to a PhD

In GTU - PSR's favor:

Smaller student body, more interaction w/ profs

10k a year cheaper

More "friendly", actively trying to get me to come there.

Is there anything I missed? I've been accepted to the MAR comprehensive at Yale, and to the GTU's Religions and Ethics concentration.

What would you do in my place?

[Trin]

I've been accepted to both and I'm torn between the two.

In Yale's favor:

Name Recognition

Excellent Faculty, Name Recognition again

Graduate Placement rate - important as I want to move on to a PhD

In GTU - PSR's favor:

Smaller student body, more interaction w/ profs

10k a year cheaper

More "friendly", actively trying to get me to come there.

Is there anything I missed? I've been accepted to the MAR comprehensive at Yale, and to the GTU's Religions and Ethics concentration.

What would you do in my place?

That's going to depend more on your field of interest, I'd think. They're also different geographically -- GTU is well-placed in the larger bay area, whereas my impression is that Yale doesn't have the same kind of urban setting. (I mean, it's in a city, but not in the same way, if that makes sense.) You should also look at living expenses -- *everything* is more expensive here in the bay area -- food, gas, taxes are 8.5-10 percent, dining out costs more. I was sort of in shock when I first moved here, because I didn't realize how fast the larger prices could add up. Oh, and of course, Californians are different from east coasters, too -- they're huggy and often more direct.

I've lived in the bay area for almost 12 years and hope to attend GTU after HDS, so I may be a bit biased.

[Phenomenologist]

If you want to move on to PhD studies, how much more will Yale help than GTU? If only marginally, maybe GTU would be better. But if you really want to get into a PhD (and the market is pretty killer right now--both to get into a PhD, and also to get a job afterward), then you may want to go to Yale.

I haven't researched the job market for theology/biblical studies PhD's trying to get a job. But I'm a philosophy major and hang out in a philosophy department, and when I was looking into PhD programs in philosophy, the job market was absolutely awful. Even people with PhD's from Notre Dame (a top philosophy school) struggle to land jobs, and have to pick up and move their families from one 1-year-position to another, trying to get a proper tenure-track job.

There are so many PhD's out there looking for jobs that institutions can have their choice to pick the best-of-the-best applicants from the best-of-the-best programs. So, just something to think about!

[sublimemonk]

Wait until you get financial aid information. I have it on good authority that most Yale students get at Least 80%-90% tuition reduction. A school like Yale tends to be very generous.

Are you gunning for an ethics phd?

I've been accepted to both and I'm torn between the two.

In Yale's favor:

Name Recognition

Excellent Faculty, Name Recognition again

Graduate Placement rate - important as I want to move on to a PhD

In GTU - PSR's favor:

Smaller student body, more interaction w/ profs

10k a year cheaper

More "friendly", actively trying to get me to come there.

Is there anything I missed? I've been accepted to the MAR comprehensive at Yale, and to the GTU's Religions and Ethics concentration.

What would you do in my place?

[Tahuds]

Wait until you get financial aid information. I have it on good authority that most Yale students get at Least 80%-90% tuition reduction. A school like Yale tends to be very generous.

Are you gunning for an ethics phd?

Honestly I have no idea what I'm gunning for! I applied to the ethics program because that's where the strength of my U-Grad work was, that and modal logic, but I want to teach at a lib. Arts school and as such figure that no matter what specific thing I get my PhD in I'm going to be teaching a little bit of everything.

[Phenomenologist]

Honestly I have no idea what I'm gunning for! I applied to the ethics program because that's where the strength of my U-Grad work was, that and modal logic, but I want to teach at a lib. Arts school and as such figure that no matter what specific thing I get my PhD in I'm going to be teaching a little bit of everything.

Interesting -- for some reason, Tahuds, I had you as more of a "biblical studies" guy than a "theology/ethics" guy. Some posts of yours I read in the past or something.

Cool!

[vega maudlin]

Or maybe because Tahuds sounds like Talmud! I had him pegged as biblical studies too.

Interesting -- for some reason, Tahuds, I had you as more of a "biblical studies" guy than a "theology/ethics" guy. Some posts of yours I read in the past or something.

Cool!