On What To Do After You Get To Seminary

I think in general what he says is good. It is definitely a "Your Milage May Vary" situation though. On #1 for some taking the hardest classes will challenge them, but for others it can simply discourage them. I also really didn't agree with was the #7 distance learning part. I think Online vs In Person a lot has to do with the particular person. I think for introverts online classes can yield a lot more than traditional ones. Online classes :type: allow introverts the time and flexibility to compose answers and questions, where a traditional classroom is more on the spot and can be more confrontational. That being said online classes do require the student to be self motivating as it can be easy to fall by the wayside. I've been in both traditional classroom situations and online and I've seen good and bad classes in both as well.

 

These are important points. "Take the hardest classes" may not be the best method. I say take the best classes for your future goals. Courses in pastoral counseling might not seem to be the most difficult, but they could be very useful for a pastor. While facility in the languages is good, one could perhaps substitute that third advanced Hebrew exegesis course for a ministry-related course, especially when a student has limited experience prior to seminary.

 

This is a great piece. Nothing I've read in it contradicts my experience in seminary. I'll probably forward it to a couple of our students planning on going to seminary.

This is a great line: For some, the most spiritual thing to do before a test, is to go home, take care of their kids, cook for their wives, and not study for the test tomorrow.*

That's absolutely true. I remember some of friends (I was single while at seminary) who neglected their families in the name of studying for something that didn't matter in the long run. A couple of them lost their families in the process.

I do think distance learning has it's place. As I've seen it used effectively it can help the student who might not otherwise have a shot at a good education. Generally it is a lot like residential studies, you get out of it what you put into it. I know that's not an academic position but distance learning does work for some people. Now I think it can be done better, much better (we need online video chats, required lectures via Skype, open dialogue, etc) but it can work well.

Otherwise the piece is extremely good. I particularly like how the author talks about stretching ourselves by taking great profs and focusing on the languages. I'm of the opinion that we need to get back to a classical education to grow stronger graduates and stronger churches.

Thanks for posting it.

 

I also strongly disagree with the #7 point. All evidence is to the contrary.

Also, in terms of the "discussion" I think distance ed. discussion is better. When I have been in conversations with large groups of students in person, inevitably 2 or 3 strong willed people speak, and the rest can hardly get a word in edgewise.

With Distance ed. discussion boards, people are forced to stop and think about their response. It also allows for much deeper conversation, more informed conversation, and allows more participation from ALL...not just the top few in the class.