Harvard, Yale Divinity Schools

<p>Anyone here know anything about applying to these divinity schools?</p>

<p>I'm applying to the Masters of Arts in Religion (MAR) program at Yale and the Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) program at Harvard.</p>

<p>I am an '08 ugrad -- so I have little work experience.
3.41 ugrad GPA @ Stanford (English, math majors with an interesting transcript -- I either failed my classes or aced them)
1570 GRE (800M/770V) -- Praise Jesus
Good prof recs and hopefully good essays (as it is my dream to attend divinity school)
Only $10,000 in the bank -- will need lots of need-based financial aid</p>

<p>I graduated from a good ugrad college and have pretty good GRE scores, but my ugrad GPA and transcript are quite iffy. Anyone know about average ugrad GPAs for Harvard and Yale divinity schools? I'd expect them to be a bit lower than the business & law schools, surely?</p>

<p>But my biggest concern is the financial aid. I will require a lot of it. The Harvard MTS website says that aid will be offered on the basis on need AND merit -- which could mean anything. Anyone know anything specific about Harvard Divinity's tendency to offer aid to MTS students?</p>

<p>Same question applies for the MAR program at Yale, I suppose. If I don't get the money I can't go. :-(</p>

<p>I would also be grateful if anyone can shed light on admit %s for these divinity schools. I know my GRE scores are stellar but I haven't got a clue about anything else.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>Two more pieces of information:</p>

<ul>
<li>I am “ethnic.” I have also lived in many different countries.</li>
<li>My GRE Writing score was 4.5. (How I got a 770 in verbal but only a 4.5 in writing beats me. No idea if that matters though.)</li>
</ul>

<p>You should have little trouble being admitted to the MAR and MTS programs, as long as you make a convincing argument as to why you would benefit from these degree programs. They are not extremely competitive in terms of admissions.</p>

<p>Money is another issue altogether. However, if you have demonstrated need, and you come from an underrepresented population, the odds are good that you will get some assistance.</p>

<p>May I ask why you’ve chosen to apply for the MAR and MTS? What career goals will these degrees serve for you?</p>

<p>The straightforward answer is I would like to teach humanities/religious ed in some kind of private school someday. </p>

<p>Another reason is simply interest in the field. I think the Harvard and Yale academic communities would have a lot to offer as far as making me a happier and more complete individual. I look forward to meeting many amazing God-driven and/or nongod-driven people. I am agnostic with strong empathy/sympathies for the mystical Christian tradition as well as a strong inclination toward Eastern religion and philosophy. </p>

<p>There is also in the back of a mind a desire to scope out the environment of professional academia. I don’t know if either program prepares me for a PhD in religion, but if I form the right professor relationships at Harvard/Yale it is possible that I will consider applying to a PhD program in Religion somewhere else afterwards. </p>

<p>Another possibility also in the back of mind is law school. The reason why I am not applying to law school straightaway is because I don’t feel as though I possess any semblance of a radical engagement in or nuanced understanding of politics or ethics. I feel that divinity school is one of the last bastions of academia where matters of ethics and social justice are still held in high regard. I have not formed nearly as many close professor relationships as I would have liked in ugrad, so I hope to correct that at divinity school. This would certainly come in handy as far as recs go for the elite law schools. But beyond that I simply enjoy learning from teh sages more than anything else.</p>

<p>Thank you.
Best wishes to you.</p>

<p>Not to discourage, but acceptance rates at these divinity schools is declining all the time. I have very sharp friends who have been rejected by both multiple times. Yale and Harvard Divinity are both, in fact, quite competitive, and they are getting more competitive all the time in light of the continuing financial crisis. (I have a friend who went there and I am interested also). The 2011 class was one of the most competitive entering classes in years for both schools because of the spike in applications from the unemployment and financial crisis. (~20% more applicants I hear). From what I know, in the early 90s acceptance rates were higher, but since then, acceptance rates have sharply decreased over time. But from what I understand, Harvard is the most competitive (being that they are Harvard), and Yale is second. </p>

<p>Also, again from what I have known, the kind of applicant they both look for must have intellectual firepower of course. For this, they look at grades, essays, recommendations, and prior published works or academic papers. But next, it became clear to me that they look for a “portfolio of exceptional experiences, accomplishments, goals and personal focus” that is different from the normal graduate student applying for say, for example, chemistry, or language. You must show that you have experience and vision to impact the world somehow that creatively references religious studies. Further, the admissions people must be confident that you also have exceptional potential to apply what you learn upon graduation either to the field of religious studies directly, or to the world at large as a practitioner —*or both. </p>

<p>This is something that requires an exceptionally prepared and qualified individual, not only intellectually, but also practically, which implies strong leadership skills, ability to sniff out solutions in real-world scenarios drawing on a wide pool of academic knowledge as well as religious wisdom. This requires a well-rounded individual who has the ability to move in different circles and contexts with relative ease.</p>

<p>–10–</p>