Undergraduate Transfer Ideas

[Greenwood16]

Also, I am currently a student at WKU (Western Kentucky) on full scholarship with a Religious Studies and Philosophy double major, a fairly high gpa (3.8-3.9), and have yet to take the GRE. I have decided that I want to pursue a career in academia if I can and am most interested in studying Theology (haven't narrowed it much farther than that though) and would like to eventually get a phd and teach. I like theology, philosophy of religion, and things of that sort. With that in mind, I have a couple of potential ideas that I would like someone with a much better idea of how graduate schools work to help me sort through a few things.

 

Option 1: Stay where I am (WKU), graduate in 5 semesters (5 years total) with a BA in RELS/PHIL, apply for graduate schools for an MDiv/MTS

 

Option 2: Stay where I am (WKU), take graduate courses during my undergraduate (professors have already said I can do this), graduate in 5 semesters (5 years total) with a BA in RELS/PHIL, finish my graduate work at WKU for another year (7 semesters from now; 6 years total) receiving a MA in RELS from WKU, apply for graduate school for a MDiv/MTS or a PHD. Not sure how feasible going MA from WKU into PHD is.

 

Option 3: Finish next semester (spring), transfer in the fall to another institution, finish my undergraduate work there and proceed to graduate school. I have looked into schools like Duke, UNC, USC, UCLA, (have connections to both LA and NC), but I am not sure where else I should look. What schools would be well suited for this? I'll have a 3.8-3.9 with a 33 ACT (most schools use ACT for undergraduate transfers I think). Will I be able to get into a school worth switching for? Which schools tend to accept transfer students well? Which ones fund them well? I am on full ride at WKU and I would have to justify giving that up.

 

If anyone has any insights, constructive criticisms, etc., it would be much appreciated. If an idea sounds stupid/unfeasible, please tell me. If I forgot any information which you need, please let me know. I really do appreciate the help I received in the last thread I made. Thanks for all the help.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Greenwood16

[Kuriakos]

Don't do anything that costs you money. You'll probably be taking on debt at some point and the longer you can delay that the better.

[LateAntique]

I went to a big, though not particularly prestigious state school for my undergraduate. I got into ND for the MA and then remained here for the Ph.D. I think what matters most is what sort of work you do in your M* program. 

[Greenwood16]

Does getting an M.A. from WKU prior to my MDIV/MTS seem like overkill if i can find it a way to fund it?

Edited December 27, 2012 by Greenwood16

[LateAntique]

The question would be: why? I would apply to that MA program as a back-up in case you don't get into Duke/Yale/Harvard/Notre Dame/Chicago/BC/wherever you want to go. Even then, you sort of have to wonder what the M.A. would do for you educationally. Would it give you time to work on language ability? Your GPA is very good, so it's not as though you would need this program to smooth that over. If it were me - and take this with a grain of salt - I would not apply to the MA there at WKU. It seems like a waste of time. You will most likely get into one of the better programs so long as your GRE comes through and you have good letters of rec. 

[sacklunch]

The question would be: why? I would apply to that MA program as a back-up in case you don't get into Duke/Yale/Harvard/Notre Dame/Chicago/BC/wherever you want to go. Even then, you sort of have to wonder what the M.A. would do for you educationally. Would it give you time to work on language ability? Your GPA is very good, so it's not as though you would need this program to smooth that over. If it were me - and take this with a grain of salt - I would not apply to the MA there at WKU. It seems like a waste of time. You will most likely get into one of the better programs so long as your GRE comes through and you have good letters of rec. 

 

Agreed. You will most likely get into one of the 'better' schools. Depending on your goals you may consider doing a second M*, but that is a couple years down the line. Just make sure you start early on the necessary language work (for your field) and you should be fine. If you're doing biblical studies then you may have to get a second masters just to be competitive (as I am doing now). Or you may find getting a second masters in something closely related (philosophy, classics, ect) is helpful/necessary.

cheers 

Edited December 27, 2012 by jdmhotness