Aletheia Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I am applying for Princeton Theological's MDiv program and am stuck on the essay ps/sop. The give some guidance but I was hoping someone else could add further guidance and possibly some general do's and dont's. Below is their description. Thanks in advance. Princeton Theological Seminary seeks to enroll students who (1) are committed to Jesus Christ and to Christ’s church, (2) have gifts, previous education, and experience that indicate potential for leadership, and (3) have the capacity to undertake serious academic preparation for the ministries of the church. To assist the Admissions Committee in its task, we ask you to write an autobiographical essay addressing those experiences, academic pursuits, and areas of involvement that have brought you to considering this vocation. In preparing this essay, you may wish to reflect on your religious experience and development , your sense of call to ministry, your significant relationships, your style of leadership, academic areas in which you have had particular interest or difficulty, your vision of the future, or other factors that you think relevant. Your essay should be between 750 and 1000 words in length, but should not exceed three typewritten pages and will be most useful if marked by selectivity of relevant data, conciseness of style, and careful preparation. We recommend preparing the essay in an separate program beforehand, be sure that you submit your best work, and copy/paste into the field below. TheHymenAnnihilator and Febronia 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD_Paul Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I just got my acceptance to PTS last week, so if you want to PM me what you have so far, I'd be happy to help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drechie Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Do you think the M.Div is exclusively for people who intend to pursue church life. Would someone drawn to a totally different professional field, but who is interested in theology and the serious training of the M.Div program be discouraged to apply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Lex Pax Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Do you think the M.Div is exclusively for people who intend to pursue church life. Would someone drawn to a totally different professional field, but who is interested in theology and the serious training of the M.Div program be discouraged to apply? The M.Div. isn't only for people who intend to go into church ministry; people with M.Div.'s go into other kinds of ministry or manage non-profits, etc. If you know for sure that you don't want to go into ministry and are interested in a completely different professional field, I'd recommend doing an M.T.S. or M.A.R. They're usually two years long, more academically oriented, and give you the training of the M.Div. without all the training in preaching and pastoral theology and the extra field education. Lux Lex Pax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletheia Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 This is true; however, it depends on the school. PTS, for example, uses their MDiv as the prep degree for PhD studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletheia Posted January 29, 2012 Author Share Posted January 29, 2012 Ryan D, thank you for the offer but right after posting I was offered proofreading by one of my profs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Lex Pax Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 This is true; however, it depends on the school. PTS, for example, uses their MDiv as the prep degree for PhD studies. As a PTS alum, I can say that this is not necessarily true. It's viewed as preparation for ministry, with a select few going on to do Phd's. When I was there, many students made a big deal of the clear division between future Phd students and those headed for ministry. Also, the M.Div. at PTS is unique in that it doesn't offer a two-year degree like an M.T.S. or M.A.R., so the M.Div. plays that role by default. But the question still stands, why do a three-year degree when a two-year degree is just as good if not better? Unless one really wants to study at PTS or go into ministry, doing an M.Div. to go into a completely different professional field doesn't make sense. Lux Lex Pax 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sacklunch Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Not sure how true it is, but a woman I know in the BC doctoral program, also a recent PTS alum, told me PTS was in the process of creating an MTS/MAR equivalent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjdin06 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm presently in enrolled at PTS in the M.Div. program. I have to ditto what Lux Lex Pax said about the division between students who are headed to parish ministry and those headed on to PhD's. If you want to get in I would emphasize interests in Barth, Bonhoeffer, Tillich, Augustine, or Newbigin in your interview and essays. Those are all pretty popular subjects here on campus. As always each seminary has its strengths. PTS far outweighs Yale and Duke in terms of financial aid and particular resources. When I was applying, Yale was my first choice, but it was going to be immensely more expensive even with one less year so I chose PTS. Our two biggest competitors are Yale and Duke. Each school is the best in particular ways, i.e. academic sub-fields, so your choice may have a lot to do with that. Best regards. And if you have any questions about PTS let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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