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Hey guys,
I'm a junior in an undergraduate program in the united states and I figure it is about time that I start looking for schools to apply to for my PhD. Problem is, I can I onlythink of a few good schools that are worth it and I was wondering if you fine teamliquiders could help.
My area is biblical studies and I want to focus on Pauline letters (new testament). Because of my subject matter, I realize that options for secular programs are slim. To show that I have done a tad bit of research into the grad school thing, I have: created an account on princetonreview.com and bought a few GRE resources. I have also become aware of the following universities that I plan on researching more about: drew university, duke university, university of Manchester (international is an option), and claremont.
So i ws wonring if TL could help me with my search for various programs to do more research about. In addition, it would be cool if people could provide tips about applying to grad school or just grad school in general.
Thanks so much!
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Blazinghand
United States25562 Posts
If you specifically want to do a secular biblical study of Pauline Letters as a PhD, I'm not terribly informed, I'm afraid--but regarding grad school, I highly recommend taking your GRE as soon as you're comfortable doing so, and remember that you don't need to go to Grad school right away after undergrad. Your GRE scores count for many years and sometimes having some real-world experience helps your application.
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On September 10 2011 09:19 Blazinghand wrote:
If you specifically want to do a secular biblical study of Pauline Letters as a PhD, I'm not terribly informed, I'm afraid--but regarding grad school, I highly recommend taking your GRE as soon as you're comfortable doing so, and remember that you don't need to go to Grad school right away after undergrad. Your GRE scores count for many years and sometimes having some real-world experience helps your application.
The secular bit is only a preference. My undergraduate study is "faith" based as I am a "faith" based student. However, I realize and understand that the best education sometimes come from outside ofe the church's institutions.
I appreciate your input on the GRE thing :-) I plan on studying and taking it this summer if not before. Perhaps this January.
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McGill, Montreal, Canada!
I actually have no idea if your program is offered here, but I think the religious studies are fairly well represented here.
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Start by looking at university rankings, especially from us news and arwu(humanities).
Also, know that your thesis adviser is a vital part of your phd. If your adviser sucks, you won't get anything out of your education. Since it sounds to me (I don't know anything about your subject though) you know what the heck you want to do, you should not look for sxhools, but for adviser who also study the area you are interested in.
For science fields, at least, this is what you probably want to do. Sometimes you can go into a great school, say Princeton or upenn, but the department is too small and there are no potential adviser for you.... Then things will suck. This is something to keep in mind while you apply.
Now, the best thing to do is to ask your professors.... Tell them your interests, and ask them who you should find. Typically they are more than willing to help you on this and they also know who are the experts in your field. Then you apply to the schools these people are in. Hope this helps!!!
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On September 10 2011 09:48 Sufficiency wrote:
Start by looking at university rankings, especially from us news and arwu(humanities).
Also, know that your thesis adviser is a vital part of your phd. If your adviser sucks, you won't get anything out of your education. Since it sounds to me (I don't know anything about your subject though) you know what the heck you want to do, you should not look for sxhools, but for adviser who also study the area you are interested in.
For science fields, at least, this is what you probably want to do. Sometimes you can go into a great school, say Princeton or upenn, but the department is too small and there are no potential adviser for you.... Then things will suck. This is something to keep in mind while you apply.
Now, the best thing to do is to ask your professors.... Tell them your interests, and ask them who you should find. Typically they are more than willing to help you on this and they also know who are the experts in your field. Then you apply to the schools these people are in. Hope this helps!!!
Very helpful! So would you say th prestige comes from who you study under vs. The institution at which you study?
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On September 10 2011 10:27 imjorman wrote:Show nested quote +On September 10 2011 09:48 Sufficiency wrote:
Start by looking at university rankings, especially from us news and arwu(humanities).
Also, know that your thesis adviser is a vital part of your phd. If your adviser sucks, you won't get anything out of your education. Since it sounds to me (I don't know anything about your subject though) you know what the heck you want to do, you should not look for sxhools, but for adviser who also study the area you are interested in.
For science fields, at least, this is what you probably want to do. Sometimes you can go into a great school, say Princeton or upenn, but the department is too small and there are no potential adviser for you.... Then things will suck. This is something to keep in mind while you apply.
Now, the best thing to do is to ask your professors.... Tell them your interests, and ask them who you should find. Typically they are more than willing to help you on this and they also know who are the experts in your field. Then you apply to the schools these people are in. Hope this helps!!! Very helpful! So would you say th prestige comes from who you study under vs. The institution at which you study?
Who you study under is largely irrelevant when it comes to prestige, unless you manage to lock down a really famous academic. And they are usually terrible thesis advisors due to them being out of state/country so much. Prestige is pretty much derived from the institution you go to, your thesis advisor will very likely be rather unkown professor, especially when it comes to bible studies.
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Take your time on the GRE. Studying up for the math section isn't too bad (a few weeks to get in shape - no calculators so you'll need to add, subtract, and multiply by hand), but the verbal section needs a lot of work. The verbal section isn't really hard, per se, but you need time to learn the vocab words. I used the Princeton Review study book before my GRE (December 2009) and the vocab section was excellent (a LOT of familiar words) - the math section wasn't too great. Then again, I started studying a week before the exam which was reflected in my score (490 verbal, 750 quantitative, 4.5 writing).
Asking your teachers about good places to apply is a great idea. Since your area of study is specialized you may also find some across the world. Is Biblical Studies at all different from Theology? It almost seems like you'd get more out of the seminary classes based on the Bible than future pastors! If you have a number of schools to choose from don't necessarily go for rank - go for the best fit!
Edit: When choosing an advisor to study under choose one who will help you grow the most. My current PhD advisor is a hard man who believes that being a nasty S.O.B. will produce the results he wants. And he's right! He has 150 publications and his most "famous" came from grad school, and it hasn't been cited TOO much. On the other hand, the guy really knows his stuff, has great contacts, graduates his students on time, and teaches me more about working in an engineering lab than anyone else in my department (a famous faculty member included (who, btw, is almost always out of the office.....he's not even that great of an engineer, but he's GREAT at getting HUGE grants)).
Anyway, you'll have time to sit down with each of them and talk. In fact, it's a great idea to email them before applying to ask them questions about their work. Once again, you have to pick the best fit for you and your future. In the future I'm going to be twice the engineer than some of the students of the famous faculty member and THAT makes the daily grind worth it!
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On September 10 2011 10:40 Servius_Fulvius wrote:
Take your time on the GRE. Studying up for the math section isn't too bad (a few weeks to get in shape - no calculators so you'll need to add, subtract, and multiply by hand), but the verbal section needs a lot of work. The verbal section isn't really hard, per se, but you need time to learn the vocab words. I used the Princeton Review study book before my GRE (December 2009) and the vocab section was excellent (a LOT of familiar words) - the math section wasn't too great. Then again, I started studying a week before the exam which was reflected in my score (490 verbal, 750 quantitative, 4.5 writing).
Asking your teachers about good places to apply is a great idea. Since your area of study is specialized you may also find some across the world. Is Biblical Studies at all different from Theology? It almost seems like you'd get more out of the seminary classes based on the Bible than future pastors! If you have a number of schools to choose from don't necessarily go for rank - go for the best fit!
Edit: When choosing an advisor to study under choose one who will help you grow the most. My current PhD advisor is a hard man who believes that being a nasty S.O.B. will produce the results he wants. And he's right! He has 150 publications and his most "famous" came from grad school, and it hasn't been cited TOO much. On the other hand, the guy really knows his stuff, has great contacts, graduates his students on time, and teaches me more about working in an engineering lab than anyone else in my department (a famous faculty member included (who, btw, is almost always out of the office.....he's not even that great of an engineer, but he's GREAT at getting HUGE grants)).
Anyway, you'll have time to sit down with each of them and talk. In fact, it's a great idea to email them before applying to ask them questions about their work. Once again, you have to pick the best fit for you and your future. In the future I'm going to be twice the engineer than some of the students of the famous faculty member and THAT makes the daily grind worth it!
That's some great info! Thanks :-)
Unfortunately myschool isn't the best at placing people into respectabul graduate programs. That's either the fault of low desires for the students who pursue academic careers, or just most students go straight to the pastorate. I don't have a problem with either of those things its just not what I want for myself. I find myself wanting to benefit my church with academic thought, not serving as a pastor. I'm not the most peoplesavy as you might imagine, me being aliquiderand all.
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On September 10 2011 11:01 imjorman wrote:Show nested quote +On September 10 2011 10:40 Servius_Fulvius wrote:
Take your time on the GRE. Studying up for the math section isn't too bad (a few weeks to get in shape - no calculators so you'll need to add, subtract, and multiply by hand), but the verbal section needs a lot of work. The verbal section isn't really hard, per se, but you need time to learn the vocab words. I used the Princeton Review study book before my GRE (December 2009) and the vocab section was excellent (a LOT of familiar words) - the math section wasn't too great. Then again, I started studying a week before the exam which was reflected in my score (490 verbal, 750 quantitative, 4.5 writing).
Asking your teachers about good places to apply is a great idea. Since your area of study is specialized you may also find some across the world. Is Biblical Studies at all different from Theology? It almost seems like you'd get more out of the seminary classes based on the Bible than future pastors! If you have a number of schools to choose from don't necessarily go for rank - go for the best fit!
Edit: When choosing an advisor to study under choose one who will help you grow the most. My current PhD advisor is a hard man who believes that being a nasty S.O.B. will produce the results he wants. And he's right! He has 150 publications and his most "famous" came from grad school, and it hasn't been cited TOO much. On the other hand, the guy really knows his stuff, has great contacts, graduates his students on time, and teaches me more about working in an engineering lab than anyone else in my department (a famous faculty member included (who, btw, is almost always out of the office.....he's not even that great of an engineer, but he's GREAT at getting HUGE grants)).
Anyway, you'll have time to sit down with each of them and talk. In fact, it's a great idea to email them before applying to ask them questions about their work. Once again, you have to pick the best fit for you and your future. In the future I'm going to be twice the engineer than some of the students of the famous faculty member and THAT makes the daily grind worth it! That's some great info! Thanks :-) Unfortunately myschool isn't the best at placing people into respectabul graduate programs. That's either the fault of low desires for the students who pursue academic careers, or just most students go straight to the pastorate. I don't have a problem with either of those things its just not what I want for myself. I find myself wanting to benefit my church with academic thought, not serving as a pastor. I'm not the most peoplesavy as you might imagine, me being aliquiderand all.
Thought of another:
Look up publications in your field. Research all of the authors and see where they work. You're bound to find some academics in there. You can do the same to their references.
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On September 10 2011 12:26 Servius_Fulvius wrote:Show nested quote +On September 10 2011 11:01 imjorman wrote:On September 10 2011 10:40 Servius_Fulvius wrote:
Take your time on the GRE. Studying up for the math section isn't too bad (a few weeks to get in shape - no calculators so you'll need to add, subtract, and multiply by hand), but the verbal section needs a lot of work. The verbal section isn't really hard, per se, but you need time to learn the vocab words. I used the Princeton Review study book before my GRE (December 2009) and the vocab section was excellent (a LOT of familiar words) - the math section wasn't too great. Then again, I started studying a week before the exam which was reflected in my score (490 verbal, 750 quantitative, 4.5 writing).
Asking your teachers about good places to apply is a great idea. Since your area of study is specialized you may also find some across the world. Is Biblical Studies at all different from Theology? It almost seems like you'd get more out of the seminary classes based on the Bible than future pastors! If you have a number of schools to choose from don't necessarily go for rank - go for the best fit!
Edit: When choosing an advisor to study under choose one who will help you grow the most. My current PhD advisor is a hard man who believes that being a nasty S.O.B. will produce the results he wants. And he's right! He has 150 publications and his most "famous" came from grad school, and it hasn't been cited TOO much. On the other hand, the guy really knows his stuff, has great contacts, graduates his students on time, and teaches me more about working in an engineering lab than anyone else in my department (a famous faculty member included (who, btw, is almost always out of the office.....he's not even that great of an engineer, but he's GREAT at getting HUGE grants)).
Anyway, you'll have time to sit down with each of them and talk. In fact, it's a great idea to email them before applying to ask them questions about their work. Once again, you have to pick the best fit for you and your future. In the future I'm going to be twice the engineer than some of the students of the famous faculty member and THAT makes the daily grind worth it! That's some great info! Thanks :-) Unfortunately myschool isn't the best at placing people into respectabul graduate programs. That's either the fault of low desires for the students who pursue academic careers, or just most students go straight to the pastorate. I don't have a problem with either of those things its just not what I want for myself. I find myself wanting to benefit my church with academic thought, not serving as a pastor. I'm not the most peoplesavy as you might imagine, me being aliquiderand all. Thought of another: Look up publications in your field. Research all of the authors and see where they work. You're bound to find some academics in there. You can do the same to their references.
Yeah this is something I've tried to implement! This last Christmas I pretty much gave my parents/friends/girlfriend a book list of professors from Duke that I'm interested in attending. While I haven't got around to reading them all just yet, it's great to see what the people I may potentially be working under have to say about the stuff I'm interested in. That's what's awesome about research in general: it's like talking to other people that care about what you care about. It's fascinating.
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On September 10 2011 10:39 Derez wrote:Show nested quote +On September 10 2011 10:27 imjorman wrote:On September 10 2011 09:48 Sufficiency wrote:
Start by looking at university rankings, especially from us news and arwu(humanities).
Also, know that your thesis adviser is a vital part of your phd. If your adviser sucks, you won't get anything out of your education. Since it sounds to me (I don't know anything about your subject though) you know what the heck you want to do, you should not look for sxhools, but for adviser who also study the area you are interested in.
For science fields, at least, this is what you probably want to do. Sometimes you can go into a great school, say Princeton or upenn, but the department is too small and there are no potential adviser for you.... Then things will suck. This is something to keep in mind while you apply.
Now, the best thing to do is to ask your professors.... Tell them your interests, and ask them who you should find. Typically they are more than willing to help you on this and they also know who are the experts in your field. Then you apply to the schools these people are in. Hope this helps!!! Very helpful! So would you say th prestige comes from who you study under vs. The institution at which you study? Who you study under is largely irrelevant when it comes to prestige, unless you manage to lock down a really famous academic. And they are usually terrible thesis advisors due to them being out of state/country so much. Prestige is pretty much derived from the institution you go to, your thesis advisor will very likely be rather unkown professor, especially when it comes to bible studies.
Not strictly true in philosophy, which is I suspect quite similar to religious studies on that front. The quality of your advisor is generally linked to the quality of the school, but the person who is going to be guiding your work - and writing your most important reference letter early in your career - is probably the most important aspect of your PhD program search.
If you know what you want to do, look at your bibliographies. Is there someone you, and others, cite a lot who you tend to think has a strong perspective on what you do, even if you don't necessarily agree with it? Find out where they work and apply.
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On September 10 2011 14:03 ikl2 wrote:Show nested quote +On September 10 2011 10:39 Derez wrote:On September 10 2011 10:27 imjorman wrote:On September 10 2011 09:48 Sufficiency wrote:
Start by looking at university rankings, especially from us news and arwu(humanities).
Also, know that your thesis adviser is a vital part of your phd. If your adviser sucks, you won't get anything out of your education. Since it sounds to me (I don't know anything about your subject though) you know what the heck you want to do, you should not look for sxhools, but for adviser who also study the area you are interested in.
For science fields, at least, this is what you probably want to do. Sometimes you can go into a great school, say Princeton or upenn, but the department is too small and there are no potential adviser for you.... Then things will suck. This is something to keep in mind while you apply.
Now, the best thing to do is to ask your professors.... Tell them your interests, and ask them who you should find. Typically they are more than willing to help you on this and they also know who are the experts in your field. Then you apply to the schools these people are in. Hope this helps!!! Very helpful! So would you say th prestige comes from who you study under vs. The institution at which you study? Who you study under is largely irrelevant when it comes to prestige, unless you manage to lock down a really famous academic. And they are usually terrible thesis advisors due to them being out of state/country so much. Prestige is pretty much derived from the institution you go to, your thesis advisor will very likely be rather unkown professor, especially when it comes to bible studies. Not strictly true in philosophy, which is I suspect quite similar to religious studies on that front. The quality of your advisor is generally linked to the quality of the school, but the person who is going to be guiding your work - and writing your most important reference letter early in your career - is probably the most important aspect of your PhD program search. If you know what you want to do, look at your bibliographies. Is there someone you, and others, cite a lot who you tend to think has a strong perspective on what you do, even if you don't necessarily agree with it? Find out where they work and apply.
Yeah I'm definitely leaning towards Duke because I like the work of Richard Hays at Duke. However, I believe in planning for the worst, so I guess I need to go about looking for backup programs.
Thanks for all the help :D I definitely appreciate all the tips and any that still come forth!
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Have you considered asking your undergraduate advisors or professors? They will often make good suggestions, sometimes to researchers/professors that they know personally, and can help you with your reference letters.
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Notre Dame is well known for having a top-notch theology department, have you considered us?
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On September 10 2011 15:34 Primadog wrote:
Notre Dame is well known for having a top-notch theology department, have you considered us?
I have not. My only concern is the tradition taught. I don't have much interest in the catholic tradition (well I mean, I'm interested, but not for my work). I'll look into it though :D I'm down for any suggestion.
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On September 10 2011 10:40 Servius_Fulvius wrote:
Is Biblical Studies at all different from Theology?
I figured I'd answer your question ^^ It differs in what you do with it. Theology is what you do with the text. How it shapes your life. Biblical Studies, similarly yet not exactly, attempts to study what the text actually says in its correct political/historical/social/grammatical background. They work hand in hand and often overlap but there are distinct differences. You could think of Biblical Studies as objective while Theology being subjective. I'm really not opposed to theology if that's where life directs.
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EPT
