Transitioning to Divinity School after attending a small Evangelical/Bible university for UG

[Guest]

Hi guys,

Sorry about my many topics but I do have a question that I think will apply to many here.

I'm currently doing my undergraduate work in theology at a lesser-known institution (Andrews University) that could arguably be considered a Bible college akin to places like Calvin college or any lesser-known denominational school. At Andrews, there were indeed some intense academics in certain classes. At the same time, there was often dropped quizzes and some curvature when everyone bombed a test, as well as the occasional offering of extra credit work in certain classes. The scheduling was harder for a married student like myself, since courses met several times a week leaving odd gaps in between classes to study that made it hard to maintain a healthy home life and academic career. I think this is because the scheduling catered mostly to single dorm-dwelling students. In this kind of environment I pulled a final GPA of 3.68, which is reflective mores of my earlier coursework since i now generally achieve 3.8's and 3.9's. I'm basically getting one B now.

With that background in mind, my question is how the coursework intensity compares between an Evangelical Bible college-type place to these Divinity Schools? Do others or I have cause to worry if we do not pull 4.0's in undergrad when making a transition like this? How do study skills gained in such an environment transfer to places like HDS or Vandy? I'm afraid of transitioning and bombing. Chances are I'm over-worrying, but it's a worthwhile question for students like myself who didn't go to similar institutions in our undergraduate and, thus, may have been given certain graces and liberties not found elsewhere.

[11Q13]

Deep breaths, you'll be fine.

[canjecricketer]

Most likely, you will be fine. I came to Yale Divinity School from a small Christian college. While it has certainly been a challenge, the academic standards were not as "insane" as I thought they would be. I've often gotten the feeling that if you get in, they assume you are going to do quality work, and they will make you go through absurd hoops to prove it. But it does vary by class. I would say that the environment in a divinity school is probably very different from a standard department of religion. Because so many students are here for ministerial training, there are different expectations and a different culture than a department or school that is 100% academically focused. Even so, in the courses in the graduate school here that I have taken, the expectations were very reasonable. You should certainly apply and see what happens. By the way, there are quite a few students coming from evangelical backgrounds (both of the "formerly" and continuing variety) at YDS, so that's something to consider.