Fuller and Asbury

[Big Al T]

Hi All

I am looking at my options for PhD study in US and have been looking at Intercultural Studies programs of both Fuller and Asbury.

Was just wondering if anyone here had experience of either program or who knows of anyone who has done one or the other.

I like the look of both programs so am really just asking about the study and living environment at both (for a family).

Thank you,
Al

(Would also appreciate prayer support about this decision as also have a local program and 2 UK ones that are very interesting - much to decide on!!!)

 

[bliz]

The living enviroment for a family will be much kinder, gentler and less expensive at Asbury. It's in a small town in the Kentucky horse country. Fuller will be by far a more intercultural experience, just living there in LA, but the enviroment for a family will be more, shall we say, challenging? and things will be much more expensive.

 

[Big Al T]

Hi bliz,

Thnx for the reply. Just wondering how small is small?

Asbury itself seems to have a decent staffing level, and wide range of programs but I have no idea about the surrounding area. Have you been there and are you able to describe it?

A lot of questions I know but research from New Zealand is a wee bit difficult in terms of getting a feel for what a place is like.

Thnx

 

[All4one]

A friend of mine attends Asbury and as far as I know she enjoys it. She set her goals to that school only out of ALL the options she had... She is very smart and could have had any college but she chose Asbury.

Her name is Felicia,
In Love,
All4one

 

[bliz]

I have been to Wilmore Kentucky and the campus of Asbury Seminary, which is right beside Asbury College. Wilmore is a town of around 6,000 people, 93% of them are white - I did a little research, too! Wilmore is 16 miles from Lexington, KY which has a population of 50,000. Median household income in Wilmore is $31,000. Average house value is $104,000. Wilmore is small town America... but not very far away from a progressive city. It's very pretty country around there!

A good friend of mine debated between Asbury Seminary and another seminary in Chicago. There was more prestige and probably a better all-round academic reputation to the one in Chicago, but there was something about Asbury... and she is very glad she went there. Compared to many seminarians she met, she felt there was less spiritual "dry-rot" among the students at Asbury. As they learned, their spiritual lives remained vital and continued to grow. She felt that the faculty cared about her personal spiritual growth as much as her mastery of the academic subject.
To be fair, a former colleague of mine now teaches at Fuller and it is a very exciting place and a fine place with a well deserved reputation.

The main issue, of course is: where is God calling you?

 

[Big Al T]

Hi Bliz and All4one,

Thnx for your responses. Where God is calling me is indeed the question, though past history indicates to me that I will find out at the last moment. Oh well.

In the meantime I aim to be as informed as possible, so I really appreciate your replies.

One further thing I have been thinking through is that it would be great to have, from first hand account preferably, a comparison of the Intercultural Studies PhD programmes offered by both Fuller and Asbury? By this I mean the main emphases they have, what makes them distinctive from each other and what makes them the same.

My main interest is in the relevance of intercultural missiology for Western culture - in the vein of Lesslie Newbigin and GOCN.

I realise this is quite a request but who knows, maybe there is someone out there who can help me

Oh, and I guess I would appreciate chatting with anyone who has gone through, or is going through, a US PhD programme as I have never studied in the US and it seems completely different from the UK based system I am used to.

Thnx all

 

[bliz]

To deal with such a question as this... work through the admissions office at the two seminaries. Ask them if there is a professor in each department that you could e-mail and discuss these matters with. You could also ask for referrals to a couple of current students in these programs. The admissions offices should be glad to help you.