Duke Divinity MDiv

[Donstantine10]

Hey all,

Looking for some advice from Duke Divinity MDiv students.  I am planning to apply to the MDiv program this year to start in Fall 2017 and want to make sure I get as great an offer as possible.  I applied to Duke a few years ago and got accepted but was only offered the Ministerial Promise Scholarship (33% 1st year, 22% 2nd & 3rd years).  As great as that scholarship is, it simply would not provide me with enough tuition assistance to be able to attend. 

So my question is, what does it take to get high % scholarships?  Have you noticed any distinguishing factors in the folks you know with high % scholarships?  My first guess was that they may be seeking ordination in the UMC or something along those lines?

I realize this question is very difficult to answer, but it's worth a shot.

Any insight or advice on my application would be greatly appreciated. 

[neat]

Duke divinity is a great school, and their mDiv program is pretty well regarded. (I'm not an alum, and so can only speak based on information from friends and my own research.) Unfortunately, everything that I've ever heard is that you would do well to get your degree half funded- they just don't dedicate their resources to the mDiv program. And Duke is significantly more expensive than many of its peer institutions. What are your goals? Ministry? Teaching? Something else?

[Donstantine10]

Thanks for your reply @918Philosophizer.  I am actually encouraged by your comments because it reassures me that my previous application wasn't necessarily lacking; it may just be that funding is extremely difficult to get at Duke.  I love the idea of combining teaching and ministry, so I see both of those as great long term options.  I definitely want to be stretched academically wherever I go.  Do you have any recommendations?  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on schools that do generally offer significant funding.  From speaking to a PTS student, I believe their program is very well funded- so that is definitely one I am interested in.

Do you have any thoughts on Harvard and Chicago div schools?  They are two schools that I would like to consider but am hesitant because I've heard they are extremely liberal, and I'm not sure that's necessarily a good fit for me. 

Of course, it's not all about funding, but it would be nice to know that if I do manage to get accepted, I have a reasonable chance of actually being able to accept.

Out of interest, where do you study?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply

[tdwightdavis]

1 hour ago, Donstantine10 said:

Thanks for your reply @918Philosophizer.  I am actually encouraged by your comments because it reassures me that my previous application wasn't necessarily lacking; it may just be that funding is extremely difficult to get at Duke.  I love the idea of combining teaching and ministry, so I see both of those as great long term options.  I definitely want to be stretched academically wherever I go.  Do you have any recommendations?  I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on schools that do generally offer significant funding.  From speaking to a PTS student, I believe their program is very well funded- so that is definitely one I am interested in.

Do you have any thoughts on Harvard and Chicago div schools?  They are two schools that I would like to consider but am hesitant because I've heard they are extremely liberal, and I'm not sure that's necessarily a good fit for me. 

Of course, it's not all about funding, but it would be nice to know that if I do manage to get accepted, I have a reasonable chance of actually being able to accept.

Out of interest, where do you study?

Thanks again for taking the time to reply

I feel like I've done a lot of stumping for my alma mater on here lately, but check out Beeson Divinity School. It's not going to be as prestigious as a Duke or a Harvard, but it's a solid program that does a good job of mixing academic and ministry prep, and we have a good track record of sending students to good PhD programs (like I said elsewhere, I know we have students in PhD programs at Duke, Boston College, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Boston College, and a smattering of UK programs). They also offer every student at least 45% funding and it's not an expensive program to begin with. Shoot me a PM if you want some more info.

[Rabbit Run]

9 hours ago, Donstantine10 said:

Do you have any thoughts on Harvard and Chicago div schools?  They are two schools that I would like to consider but am hesitant because I've heard they are extremely liberal, and I'm not sure that's necessarily a good fit for me. 

Since you're interested in doing an Mdiv, one thing to consider is that Harvard--and I think maybe Chicago--sees itself as a interfaith and pluralist divinity school that trains not only Christians, but Buddhists, Jews, and even humanists. A place like Duke on the other hand has an explicitly Christian identity: Methodist and ecumenical. Assuming you want to do ministry, this will be an important thing to consider. 

On Chicago,  a friend who did his BA there (taking a lot of courses at the Divinity School)  has told me that their Mdiv program is relatively small, say 15-20, and that the MA is the more popular degree. At Duke, PTS or Yale (not sure about Harvard) you'll be around a lot of other Mdiv students. I know Harvard trains a lot of UU and UCC ministers, but I'm not sure how many Mdivs they have.

Have you looked at Emory's Candler School of Theology? 

[neat]

@Donstantine10 it looks like @tdwightdavis and @Rabbit Run both beat me to it- there is a lot of good info in those two messages. For your specific situation, it sounds like PTS, Duke, or Beeson might be your best bet (with an honorary mention for Candler and Yale divinity). All of these schools have at least an implicit (in some cases explicit) Christian identity, but are typically regarded as good schools for their rigorous academics, too. I have also heard good things about Boston College. If you want to narrow it down solely based on financial aid available, PTS is probably your best bet- it's an inexpensive school to begin with, but their financial aid is excellent across the board (even in the mDiv program). Also, I wouldn't spend too much energy worrying about acceptance rates- even at PTS, which is more selective, their acceptance rate for mDivs hovers around 50%.

With Harvard and Chicago, your sense of their place on the theological spectrum is largely correct. As @Rabbit Run mentioned, both schools are pluralistic. Depending on your own faith background and what you're looking for in a seminary, it may not be a great fit. If you are looking for a confessional community, Harvard and Chicago may not be the best places for you. 

[Donstantine10]

@tdwightdavis @Rabbit Run @918Philosophizer thanks for all the advice.  Beeson isn't a school I'd looked at but I am definitely interested to find out more about it; from what you said it certainly sounds like a good fit.  The most important thing for me is striking that balance between ministry prep and academics.  

It sounds like Harvard and U of Chicago would be a terrible fit for me, so I appreciate that input.  I am definitely looking for a confessional community.  I had briefly looked at Emory's Candler but I currently live in Atlanta and I'm not sure i'd like to be here for another 3-4yrs (the traffic is dreadful!).  That being said, is it a school you'd recommend?  Have you heard much about peoples experience there?  

Boston College was definitely a school I came across doing my research, but from my understanding it was primarily focussed on a Roman Catholic perspective- is that correct?  Maybe I need to go and have another look there too.

Thanks again folks; this forum has been REALLY helpful.  

 

[Rabbit Run]

4 hours ago, Donstantine10 said:

 I had briefly looked at Emory's Candler but I currently live in Atlanta and I'm not sure i'd like to be here for another 3-4yrs (the traffic is dreadful!).  That being said, is it a school you'd recommend?  Have you heard much about peoples experience there?  

Boston College was definitely a school I came across doing my research, but from my understanding it was primarily focussed on a Roman Catholic perspective- is that correct?  Maybe I need to go and have another look there too.

Yeah, you'd mentioned living in Georgia so I figured I'd throw Emory into the mix. I think highly of Emory. I've known some people from there and am impressed. I wish they were on my radar when I was applying, but they just weren't really for some reason. They're particularly strong in Ethics (Tim Jackson and Ted Smith) and in Bible (probably one of the top 2 or 3 in OT, and with some big names in NT as well).

If you want to do ministry in a Protestant context I wouldn't recommend BC. If you want either academics or Catholic ministry than by all means apply

[neat]

I really need to do a better job of checking this site- sorry to be so late in my reply, @Donstantine10! 

As usual, @Rabbit Run nailed it. If you already live in Atlanta, you should absolutely do your due diligence on Candler- it's an excellent school, and could be very convenient to your situation (no relocation costs, etc). 

In terms of BC, they do have pretty strong financial aid and an excellent faculty. Suburban Boston is an expensive place to live, and BC is definitely Catholic, although they do accept Protestants (I'm not up to date, but I remember being surprised at the diversity when I looked up numbers on their site a year or two ago). Worth exploring, at least. But it does very much depend on your goals (teaching, ministry, etc. Keep it in mind when making decisions). 

My advice: go check out Candler (at Emory), PTS, and Beeson. I think these schools are the best fit for you, based on what you mentioned so far. Yale divinity is an excellent school, but it's expensive (not as expensive as Duke, but the school advertises that the average mDiv grad leaves YDS with something like $52k in debt). If you're interesting in pursuing a life of ministry, you certainly want to be in as strong of a financial position as possible when leaving seminary, so minimizing your debt portfolio will be key. 

Best of luck to you! Feel free to follow up with other questions you may have.

 

 

[Inemeph]

I agree that financial assistance/funding is absolutely a priority, but wanted to clarify @918Philosophizer's comment about YDS's cost. As part of the school's newest strategic plan, there is an emphasis on "Freeing Students from Debt and for Vocation." In the document outlining this particular goal, they state that YDS students leave with an  average debt of $55,000. However, the same document states that they begin YDS with an average of $28,000. So while the $52k figure cited above isn't entirely inaccurate, it's worth noting that only about $27,000 of that is from YDS student loans.

 

Freeing Students From Debt and for Vocati

[neat]

Thanks for that clarification, @Inemeph. I only saw the high points from that document, so I wasn't aware of that stipulation.