Life As A Graduate Student

Just this past Monday, I embarked on a journey I wished I would have started some years ago, and that was my first day of class as a graduate student.   I am currently enrolled at my old alma mater, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in 1996, but I am now in what is called the Master of Arts in Theological Studies, or MATS, program.   Basically, it is a degree that would allow me to either teach in a church setting, an academic setting (provided I pursue a doctoral degree afterward), or to prepare for ordination.   It is very intensive - a lot of reading (I am currently completing almost 172 pages of required reading for just the first class session!), a lot of Greek later, and a lot of writing.   Therefore, over the next 18 months to two years I may not be writing these articles as much!

Despite initial challenges though, I am enjoying being back in the classroom again, as I sure did miss it.   However, even at the college I went to, a lot has changed - the attitude of the professors for one thing has its positives and negatives.  As a positive, they are definitely more approachable as human beings, but on the negative it almost seems as if everything - including cardinal beliefs - is all of a sudden up for grabs and debate.  Perhaps the professors are doing that to challenge us to be stronger in our beliefs and convictions, I don't know, but it can be a little unsettling at times.  What must be remembered though is that any higher education setting is meant to equip the student with the tools necessary for the vocation for which they are preparing, and absolute concurrence with a professor's views is neither required nor expected, not even from the professors themselves.  So, despite the rather "new Evangelical" position of many of the instructors at the college I am attending, I can still remain a staunch conservative traditionalist and don't have to compromise my convictions.  I am there to learn how to be better-equipped to carry out my calling, and not to be indoctrinated (thankfully, many of the professors will substantiate that, as they are not there to indoctrinate you anyway and will readily tell you), and if you are a student reading this now, take comfort in what I have said, because it is something you can benefit from as well.

That being said, I know God ordered my steps in pursuing this graduate-level degree, and it has been long in coming.  For a long time, I actually wondered if it would ever happen, but here I am, three days later after my first class!  It is a lot still to get my head around, being a graduate student now, but it promises to be a rewarding experience.  I bring with me something too now that I didn't have before as an undergrad - I am older, more realistic, and being it was a challenge to do it, I feel more committed to the endeavor than I did as an undergrad.   Those factors, I personally feel, will make this experience a lot more fruitful and worthwhile as well.  An interesting case-in-point is my first class, which is called "Biblical Exposition and Faith Integration," and basically what it is in lay terminology is a graduate-level hermeneutics course.   Back when I first had Hermeneutics (the science, if you will, of interpreting the biblical text by reading out of  {hence the term exegesis} rather than reading into {also known as isogesis} a given text or passage) as an undergrad over 20 years ago, it was one of the dullest, driest, most boring classes I had ever had, and although I passed the course, it was a challenge!   And, I didn't have near the workload with that class that I have with this one.   However, this past Monday night, the class I am in was smaller (we have about 14 I believe total), and the professor is very down-to-earth despite his impressive credentials, and he shows a genuine interest in his students and their success.   That really impressed me from the beginning, because in the past I have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with professors who often came off as aloof, pompous, and "it's your money and your fault if you fail" attitude.   I don't see this at all with my current professor, who actually took the liberty and effort to get to know each of us, and that right there is something that is motivational, because a professor that cares about his students will get good results from his teaching.   It is only the first step on a lengthy journey to walking the aisle and getting the degree, but it is off to a good start thankfully.

That being said, let's see where I am at a year or now, to be realistic.  Will I still have the same enthusiasm for my studies?  Or, will it become routine?  Let us hope to retain that initial passion, because my duty is to finish the course set before me, and I will revisit at times here to let you all know how it goes.   Thanks again for reading, and will be seeing you.