29 Friday Aug 2014
Posted in Considering HDS
Tags
Diversity, Events, Faculty, Lectures, Muslim, Noon Service, Open House, Prayer, Prospective Students, RSL, Staff, Student Life
Harvard Divinity School students come from an array of different ages, ethnicities, and religious and secular backgrounds. When I first visited HDS on Admitted Students Day, I was delighted to find a diverse student body and especially excited to find a Muslim community here, to call my spiritual home.
22 Thursday May 2014
Posted in Student Life
The prestigious award given to the winner of the annual HDS Bake Off. Photo by Aisha Ansano
There are a lot of words I would use to describe the people at HDS: passionate, caring, enthusiastic, studious, silly, impressive, well-rounded…the list goes on and on. But after attending the annual HDS Bake Off this year, I have to add another descriptor to the list: cutthroat. Continue reading
30 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Transitioning to HDS
Tags
Classmates, Faculty, Family, Law, Libraries, MDiv, Midcareer, Ministry, Open House, Staff
“Mommy, I need to go to the potty.” That was the statement our four-year-old daughter made repeatedly throughout our eight day journey across the country in August 2012. She resisted leaving Seattle, the only home she knew, and all of her close friends, especially her best friend from across the street. The only thing that motivated her to get to Cambridge was the brand new Curious George store that had just opened in Harvard Square. Continue reading
02 Wednesday Apr 2014
Posted in Why I Chose HDS
Tags
Career Services, Catholic, Classmates, Community Organizing, Community Tea, Faculty, Field Ed, Harvard, HGSG, HKS, HMS, HSPH, MTS, Noon Service, Opportunities, Public Health, Staff
Photo credit: Chris Alburger
Congratulations on your acceptance to Harvard Divinity School! Discerning program “fit,” in light of my scholarly and personal interests, was easy for me. I entered HDS with personal conviction, very much in alignment with the HDS mission, to foster a global culture of mutual understanding, respect, and goodwill—a culture in which people of every religion and culture coexist and work together in peace. I knew that the MTS program would help me to critically engage my understanding of my Catholic faith and learn more about powerful and interdependent cultural, political and social forces, as I endeavor to help implement empirically and cultural-linguistically based policies and programs centered on access to equitable health care and education for all.
21 Friday Mar 2014
Posted in Why I Chose HDS
Tags
Clubs, Community, Community Tea, Faculty, Friends, Noon Service, Open House, Prospective Students, Staff, Ultimate Frisbee
Mosaic. Photo by Katelynn Carver
To be honest, when I came to HDS for admitted students day I was looking for excuses not to come here. I had just graduated from Emory and received a job offer to stay there and work. I was afraid to leave my comfort zone filled with friends, relationships, and work. But I knew I couldn’t just turn down Harvard without a good reason, so I decided to come to the Admitted Students Day and find a reason why HDS was not for me. The quickest way to do that, I realized, was to discover that there was no real community here and, thus, it was not a place where I could be successful.
19 Wednesday Mar 2014
Posted in Why I Chose HDS
Tags
Classmates, Clubs, Community, Diversity, Faculty, Friends, Libraries, Noon Service, Open House, Staff, Ultimate Frisbee
Library courtyard. Photo by Chris Alburger
GRE scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, lectures and presentations…many things go into making a candidate look good on paper. Yet the personal statement and the letters of recommendation really bring an application to life. They show the admissions committee a bit of who you are. Now, having been accepted to Harvard Divinity School, and perhaps several other institutions, you are on the flipside of the admissions experience.
12 Wednesday Feb 2014
Posted in Graduating
Tags
Academics, Alumni, Career Services, Classes, Community, Faculty, Field Ed, MDiv, Staff, Student Life, Study Abroad
Looking at the HDS Green from the Andover lobby. Photo by Katelynn Carver
Monday, January 27th, 2014 was my last first day of school. I woke up, wished my roommate and fellow-3rd year MDiv a “Happy Last First Day of School!”, and prepared myself for a whirlwind progression of events: a phone meeting with my future employer, a class I was shopping on Apocalyptic Literature, work as a Graduate Assistant in the Office of Career Services, class at the Graduate School of Education, a quick break for dinner, and a live webinar conference course jointly offered through HDS and the Harvard Extension School. Continue reading
25 Monday Nov 2013
Posted in Student Life
Tags
Buddhism, Catholic, Clubs, Community, Community Tea, Evangelical, Faculty, Friends, Hear & Now, Humanist, HUUMS, Interfaith, Jewish, Ministry, Muslim, Noon Service, Retreats, RSL, Spirituality, Staff, UU, WomenCircle
Walking the Labyrinth during the HDS Fall Retreat. Photo by Chris Alburger
I see Harvard Divinity School as a spiritual community, within which there are many distinct spiritual communities. HDS is full of kind, caring, altruistic people, because that’s who the school attracts. Classmates, faculty, and staff have all ministered to me and supported me through difficult times. I often have conversations with people that inspire or challenge me to be my best self (like a good sermon). The Divinity School, like we say at my church, is “a place where we practice being human.”
Community Tea on Tuesday afternoons is like “Coffee Hour” at church to me. It’s when Continue reading
29 Wednesday May 2013
Posted in Student Life
Tags
Diversity, Faculty, Noon Service, Religious Pluralism, RSL, Staff, Theology, Work
“So, are you religious?” This question is a perpetual one for any person who decides to enroll in Divinity School. Unlike our peers in, say, English literature, who can pursue their field of study without question even when they are not novelists in their own right, people often wonder why a person who does not explicitly identify as religious or spiritual would choose to study religion. Or, if one does study religion as a faith practitioner, one’s ability to critically engage the study of religion without bias may be called into question. Thus, we find ourselves in something of an academic Catch-22: you can’t study religion if you aren’t religious, and you shouldn’t study religion if you are religious.
Fortunately, HDS has provided me with a fantastic community of peers, faculty, and staff who are committed to breaking down these assumptions. Continue reading
