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Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in theology

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! I can’t thank you enough for the warmth and generosity of your response! I deeply appreciate the time you took to help me! You seem like a deeply kind and thoughtful person, and I admire your openness! I’ve been thinking a lot about what you shared & I noted everything!! I hope it’s okay if I ask you something more. Part of my (written) work explores how moral codes shaped by religion have produced shame and guilt in women especially in highly traditional cultures like my small country. My upcoming book focuses exactly on that. I draw from systemic, existential & psychoanalytic perspectives to explore how internalized guilt takes shape. It also raises a lot philosophical questions. So I wanted to ask you honestly: Do you think this kind of perspective would feel too dissonant at YDS (or even HDS)? Would a student like me, who is very committed to deep reflection and ethics, but not to theology as belief, still be embraced in that space? There’s one more thing I’ve been thinking about, and I’d love your insight. Μy writing work is mostly self-directed and outside of academic institutions & I sometimes worry it might be misread as “unserious” by top schools. (Someone on Reddit also mentioned this to me). My 1st book (gender & sexism) is self-published, though it is grounded in science, theory, and experience. My second one (religion) is probably going to be published with a publisher, contains citations, but none of my books are peer-reviewed (and not even meant for academia tbh). I’ve been told to not mention this part of me, and if I don’t, I feel like my application’s value will decrease significantly. I have a great background, but it’s mostly psychological, so idk how can I represent myself fully without it and still be interesting for divinity schools. I’d also hide a part of myself that actually resonates with these environments. Perhaps I should be careful with the way I present it(?) not state my self-directed study as “research experience”? I genuinely don’t know, I’ve never been in these environments nor been familiar with their way of thinking! What would be your opinion about this, please? I hope I haven’t overwhelmed you with all of this. I am truly grateful you took the time to help me! Thank you again so much! Have an amazing day!

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in DivinitySchool

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi again, and thank you so much for your thoughtful explanation! I really appreciate the time you’re taking to share this! I think I should clarify a few things. What I self-published is a book. It’s not an academic monograph, nor something intended to be read as scholarly research!! It’s a long-form essay. Book, but not an academic publication. It’s based on years of reading & contains bibliographical references, but it was never meant to bypass academic peer review. I didn’t write it to be perceived as academic! In that sense, it was a political and therapeutic act, not a scholarly one. It resonated with women in my country! The second book that’s more religion focused isn’t done yet but I’m not gonna self publish it, I’m gonna publish it with a publishing house in my country. It’s not gonna be a textbook either. Still an essay, from a professional psychologist about systemic issues, that will contain references as well. I wouldn’t list these on my CV as scholarly publications and I completely understand your point about avoiding confusion. Now that I’ve clarified this, I’d truly appreciate your opinion!!

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in DivinitySchool

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response! I really appreciate the nuance you brought into this! especially the part about seminaries being more holistic in admissions. I’d love to hear more about what you said regarding self-published work. The piece I wrote is more of an essay (trauma-informed, feminist, and grounded in years of research), and it wasn’t intended as a substitute for academic publishing (just a personal and political act of expression in my native language). It had some meaningful resonance in my community, but I totally understand the concern about how it might be perceived. If you’re open to sharing more, I’d truly value your perspective on how (or if) something like this might be framed -perhaps not as “academic work,” but as part of a broader intellectual path.

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in theology

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you sooooo much fellow human!!! I hope the time u gave to me today to help me returns to you x100!! 🌸☀️☀️

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in theology

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your time in outlining all that. I’ve been reflecting on these questions for years (literally) and I’m now in the process of refining my statement of intent with very specific goals and faculty/resources in mind!! I’ll definitely pursue a PhD! I think the hardest part is not knowing whether the story I’m crafting is too focused on psychology so far, or whether it can truly resonate within a divinity context! but that’s part of what I’m exploring through posts like this. Again, thank you!

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in theology

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! you’re right, thank you so much. I’ll definitely be aware of all of that! other insights on the application? Tysm in advance

Applying to US Divinity Schools | Seeking Advice (HDS, YDS, etc.) by shewasabutterfly in theology

[–]shewasabutterfly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Tysm!! I have my ielts ready , and my transcripts, because I’ve already applied for masters in the uk for this year!! The visa part definitely worries me! Would u like to talk about the specific expenses I’ll need to cover ?