So, I’ve been asked by a couple people over the past few months what kind of advice that I would give someone who is either going or considering going to seminary. I honestly wasn’t entirely sure what advice I would give them. I think that I had to make it through a semester and then have time to reflect on what I’ve learned or wish that I would have known before starting. On the other hand, some of this is just good advice that I was given as I was getting ready for seminary myself.
1. Sift everything through the Bible. Seminary is a very interesting educational atmosphere. When you go to a state college, you expect to have to take everything that your professor gives you with a grain of salt. After all, state colleges make no claims to Christianity. What makes seminary so interesting is that you will encounter at least one professor who at some time or another will stop teaching Bible and start teaching his opinion. For this reason, you always have to be on your guard, even in seminary. Not to down play the offense, but it helps to remember that professors are human beings not God.
2. Recognize which hills are worth dyeing on and which hills aren't. Most professors that one encounters in seminary are professors for a reason. In other words, they know their stuff, and they know it well. They know exactly what they believe, why they believe it, why others don’t believe it, and how to disarm someone who disagrees with them. If a professor says something that you don’t agree with, and you feel compelled to either do the highly "unsmart" thing and outright challenge them or the smarter thing and start asking key questions that allow others to know and see your viewpoint without attacking anyone, be prepared to die. The extent and harshness of your death will largely depend on just how directly you challenged the professor’s view. It’s usually a loving death, but a death none the less. However, there are hills worth dyeing on, and it's important to recognize which hills those are.
3. Don’t compromise your personal growth. Sure, attending classes everyday means that you are constantly (or should be) digging into the Bible. Sure, going to chapel on a regular basis feels a lot like going to church, but its not. Just because your doing work for class and attending chapel doesn’t mean that any personal growth is taking place. You have to set time aside everyday for your personal quiet time, and you have to make church a priority. A seminarian gathering such as chapel is no replacement for church involvement. No, the Sunday school teachers may not be as good as your professors, but listen to their heart. Even though they may not do it well, they are trying to teach you something.
4. Get a good set of commentaries or get ready to spend a lot of time in the library. Actually, a third option is to be really nice to your roommate who happens to own said set of commentaries. I’m coveting the Expositor’s Commentary set right now. Maybe I’ll get it before my roommate moves out. Here’s hoping… Commentaries are probably the most expensive investment for students, but actually, it's good to have a wide range of resources such as theological dictionaries, concordances, and background and hermeneutical books.
5. Make a schedule and stick to it. The word seminary should be defined as a place where students get overloaded with work. lol. It has been my experience that every class has tons of reading and a minimum of two papers (aka 10-20 page mini books). Set aside a predetermined block of time everyday to work. Trust me, if you don’t work on it everyday, it will never get done. I usually average about an hour a day per a class. Since I’m taking five classes this semester, I usually study about five hours a day, except on Sunday.
6. Don’t panic after the first week of class. Everyone that I've talked to always gets very overwhelmed after that first week of classes. They've been assigned more reading than they've ever thought possible, they' ve been warned about all upcoming papers and projects, they've sat through at least one class where they have no idea what the professor was talking about, and it’s only the first week of school. It seems to me like most first semester students including me come into the seminary with a huge handicap. There’s a learning curve here unlike the one that was in place in the undergraduate program because everyone starts behind it. Hang on for a month or two, and things really do get better as you start to get a handle on both the work and terminology. Seminary has a language all its own.
The best advice that I can give though is just enjoy the ride. A seminary campus has an atmosphere that is unique from almost any place that you will go in life. There may be lots of ups and downs along the way, but just the opportunity to be a part of that atmosphere is well worth all the aggravations that it may create.
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