I know in the USA that some states are starting to pull back on their self-isolation orders but Please, I’m begging you to listen to the science.
This isn’t over.
We need to continue to flatten the curve.
STAY AT HOME.
__________
Summary: Peter Parker is a man... well, teenager of action. Therefore he and 'social distancing' don't exactly mix and he's about to drive Tony up a wall. The good news is he's able to come up with a plan that will undoubtedly wear his kid out.
Tags: social distancing, Pandemics, Peter Parker is Going Stir-Crazy, Tony Stark is Being So Patient, Superhero Tag, Raising Morale, Staying Positive, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure... ...
Word Count: 3202
Warnings: None Rated: G
Link to Post on AO3[2020-3-21]: Just Sit Down-happyaspie
From the moment the virus, the pandemic, hit the United States, May immediately started talking precautions. One of which was making sure that Peter was being careful while on his patrols. No diving into crowds, cleaning his hands regularly and washing his suit after every single use. Peter complained that she was being overprotective. Insisting that they had no proof that he could get sick at all but being a nurse, she didn't relent. They didn't know enough about his immune system to be sure that he couldn't catch this particular virus and even if he couldn't, he could still spread it. Being cautious was the best course of action.
Later when things began to spread, the local and national governments decided that social distancing was the best way to slow the progression and prevent the healthcare systems from being overwhelmed. That meant that events were being canceled, the schools were being closed and businesses were beginning to move towards a 'curb-side pickup model'... it not temporarily closing their doors altogether.
At that time, May was the first to volunteer to take on extra shifts at the hospital. Especially as some of her co-workers began having to navigate through a sudden need for child care or had fallen ill themselves. She didn't mind the extra work, it was hard but it was also fulfilling. The problem was that it didn't take long after the first major influx of patients for the hospital's supply of personal protection equipment to begin to run frighteningly low. That didn't stop her from pressing forward. She knew she was part of the frontline. People's lives were in her hands. That wasn't to say that she wasn't worried. In order to prevent the possibility of bringing the virus home to Peter, she did the next most responsible thing she could think of. She sent him to stay with Tony and she knew she was extremely lucky to have that sort of an option for her nephew. Many families didn't.
Having Peter stay at the tower actually eased most of May's major concerns. Not only did it reduce the possibility of her passing the virus on to him, should she be directly exposed, it also meant that he would be well fed. Getting enough supplies to properly feed an enhanced teenager during a time when people were buying in bulk out of fear was difficult. That wasn't a problem for Tony. He always had a large supply of everything stocked up at the tower. It came from housing several heroes, including a super-soldier. However, she also relieved to know that the man would be available to make sure that Peter didn't try to sneak out as she knew he was itching to do.
Tony was, as expected, quick to accommodate. He even made sure to have May's kitchen stocked for her. She tried to refuse but he simply waved her off. Saying that he'd already made several large donations to various community food pantries and created a few helpful programs of his own to support the at-risk communities. Supplying her with two weeks' worth of frozen dinners and canned goods that he already had laying around was nothing. "Besides, you're really helping me out. The team is sort of spread out across the country, Pepper's stuck overseas for the time being and the penthouse is entirely too quiet.", he said, not really knowing at the time, what exactly he'd signed up for.
~o~o~o~o~o~
By day five of being completely banned from Spidering at both May and Tony's insistence, Peter was starting to go a little bit stir-crazy. He'd not used his web-shooters or any of his spider-powers during that entire time and he had so much pent up energy that he could feel himself vibrating. "I need to get out.", he randomly jumped up and announced after having been jittering in place for the past twenty minutes while Tony watched the news.
"No, you don't. Sit down.", Tony casually stated before flipping the channel to something a little more upbeat.
"I can't sit down. There're... things I could be doing out there.", Peter retorted as he began to pace.
Tony hummed in response. "Like what?", he asked despite knowing the answer. He knew the kid was going nuts from sitting around. A daily jog at the nearby park wasn't enough. Not when he was having to go at a leisurely human pace.
"I don't know! Things!", Peter snapped but felt instantly sorry for having done so. Taking a deep breath he looked longingly out the window and sighed. "Stopping crime. The usual."
"There's nobody out there, kiddo. ...and the police are already taking precautions to help handle any kind of mass panic.", Tony helpfully supplied but the boy didn't look convinced, instead, he went back to pacing the room and periodically sighing.
Eventually, Peter paused in front of where his mentor was sitting and began to chew on his thumbnail. "Maybe I could help buy groceries for the elderly or something.", he suggested because that sounded reasonable. He could swing around the city and deliver necessities to people who otherwise shouldn't be out. That would allow him to really move while helping the community.
"Stark Industries funded an emergency drone delivery service for that very purpose. It's free, highly advertised and my understanding is that it's getting a lot of use.", Tony replied and steeled himself for an argument that never came. Instead, the kid when back to pacing. Then, the pacing turned into digging around in the kitchen and before he knew it, the boy was back in front of him.
"We're out of pudding, Mr. Stark. I should go out and get some.", Peter stated matter-of-factly, shifted his weight as he spoke.
"Pete... I have enough food to feed me, you, May and a small army for the next three months, you'll be fine for the next two or three weeks.", Tony said in exasperation. A lack of pudding was not even slightly on his radar. Lack of coffee might have gotten his attention but he knew better than that. The coffee he liked was delivered to his door, in bulk, on a monthly basis. Not to mention the backup supply he kept in the back of the freezer. "Don't you have some homework you can sit down to do?"
Midtown had turned to digital learning for the duration of the preventative period and posted assignments daily. Extensive ones. Yet, Peter had managed to blow through them in record time. "I finished it already.", he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Throwing his hand up in mild annoyance, Tony rolled his eyes. Of course, the kid was done with his homework. "Well, call Ned or do that Discord gaming thingy that you do. Just sit down, kid!"
"We did that already today", peter complained as he began to absentmindedly bounce on his toes. "You can only play so much Minecraft, Mr. Stark."
Tony huffed a laugh. "Really because it wasn't that long ago you were all, '...but there are bees now, Mr. Stark...', when I asked you put the game down for ten minutes to help me with something in the lab.", he playfully mocked. He really didn't understand the fascination with the game and this was coming from a man who's entire generation had thrived on clunky plastic cartridges and boxy eight-bit characters.
Crossing his arms in front of him, Peter, sighed and then reluctantly plopped down into a chair only to then relentlessly tap his foot on the hardwood floor. "I have a short attention span, Mr. Stark. The bees are no longer of interest.", he proclaimed and then immediately stood up to continue his aimless wandering.
"Do you want to go down to the workshop?", Tony asked next. Even if they had run out of things to do as far as Spider-suit updates go, there was always an abundance of half-finished projects down there to look at. He sort of hoped that he could get the kid's brain working and that would, in turn, temporarily cease to the whining. "We can do whatever you want as long as you stop pacing. You're going to wear a hole in my carpet. Sit down!"
"Why can't I go out as Spider-man, Mr. Stark?", Peter pleaded, not really expecting any kind of surprising answer. He'd already asked that question multiple times over the last few days and the response wasn't likely to have changed.
"You know why, kid.", Tony warningly returned causing the boy to grunt in frustration and then turn back towards the large windows. It was as though the sly line was calling his name. No screaming. The skyline was screaming his name.
"What if I just swing around for like, an hour and then back. No direct peopling.", Peter begged, hoping that was enough of a compromise. While he missed talking to his many neighbors, shaking hands and playing with all the children in the streets but he did understand. He was just aching to get out. Like he would suffocate soon if he didn't.
Rolling his eyes, Tony sat up taller in his seat and pointed an accusatory finger towards the pouting teenager. "Right. Do you think you can just sit there and lie to me like that? I've met you and there is zero chance of you going out in that suit and not talking to every single person you come across."
"I promise, Mr. Stark!", Peter nearly shouted but his mentor remained placid.
"Nope.", Tony causally countered but when it looked like the kid might actually start to cry he relented. Just a little. It wasn't that he had any real problem with Spider-man going out to swing the afternoon away. The problem was he didn't trust the teenager behind the mask to not dive right into the middle of the first crowd he spotted. He required supervision and he supposed that technically he could offer that. "What if I go with you?", he proposed.
Narrowing his eyes, Peter tried to decide what the man had meant by that. "Like... as my sidekick?", he asked, feigning confusion.
"Iron Man is nobody's sidekick, Spider-boy.", Tony impassively asserted. "I'm going as your--"
"--Equal?", Peter pipped up with a wide smile. He knew that was definitely not what the man was going to say either but he was sure his mentor's reaction would be nothing less than entertaining and he desperately needed some entertainment.
"That's cute, Pete but no.", Tony said with a smirk. "I'm going as your Superhero mentor or what have you.", he flippantly declared before turning the television off completely. Apparently his spider-child required another, more vigorous walk.
Peter stood by the window and quietly contemplated the offer. It didn't really take that long for him to decide that the plan, though vague was good enough for him. If it meant getting to use his web-shooters, that was all he needed to hear. That didn't make him any less curious about what the man had in mind, though. "That's cool. What are we going to do?"
"Oh, I have a few ideas.", Tony said with a grin.
Within the next thirty minutes, the two for them were suited up and on top of the building. While Peter hopped in place Tony stood there rapidly typing something into his phone. "What are you doing?", Peter asked as he tried to see over the man's shoulder. "I thought we were going to actually do something."
For several seconds the man didn't dignify the question but when he did he was smiling triumphantly. "There we go. ...Now you can swing around and get your crazies out while doing something nice.", he stated before turning his phone so that Peter could read his latest tweet. 'Bored inside? Spider-man and I are about to hit the skies for some practice. Enjoy the show from your windows.', it read and tagged several specific locations including the nearby children's hospital.
"That... is a really cool idea, Mr. Stark!", Peter giddily exclaimed.
"It was one of my more genius plans.", Tony said with a flourish of his armored hand. "Now, let's get going, that's a lot of ground to cover.", he added, engaging his faceplate and then subsequently shooting a mild repulsor beam directly between the kid's feet calling out, "Tag, you're it!", before taking off into the sky.
"Hey! I wasn't ready, Mr. Stark!", Peter laughed as his mentor hovered tauntingly above him. Though, before he had the chance to gather his thoughts or shoot a web towards the nearest building the man was swooping back towards him.
"You coming or what, Spider-kid?", Tony said, holding out his hand with the intention of taking another shot but before it could go off, Peter managed to get his wits about him and shot a web towards the man's outstretched hand. Completely undaunted by his now web covered palm, Tony didn't change his position. Instead, he raised his face-plate and smiled. "Nice try, Spiderling.", he calmly replied right before the repulsor went off, burning right through the webs and hitting peter right on the heels as he had already begun to run towards the edge of the rooftop.
They continued to soar through the city, playing their superhero version of tag while people cheered them on from their windows and balconies. Some of them wearing their hero of choice's colors while others held up signs to show support. Although, Peter's favorite part of the entire chaotic outing was climbing up the side of the children's hospital and waving to the kids as they sat up in their beds giggling whenever Tony would zap him in the rear. It was probably the most fun he'd had in a really long time.
By the time they had hit all of the spots that Tony had promised they would appear in, Peter was actually tired. Not exhausted but comfortably worn out. So, when the man told him it was time to head back to shower and eat he was more than willing to go.
"That was really awesome, Mr. Stark. Like, I can't remember the last time I've ever been able to play with anyone like that.", Peter sighed out as they sat together at the kitchen counter eating dinner. After the spider bite, any and all rowdy antics had come to a rapid halt. It wasn't like he could wrestle around with Ned. He had super- strength and didn't want to hurt him. Yet, it had never crossed his mind that maybe Tony or even Steve would willingly rough-house with him. Sparring, jogging, team practice, those could be fun sometimes but they weren't the same thing.
"Yeah? Well, I'm glad you had a good time, Buddy.", Tony said. He'd not really considered that end of the exercise. His goal had been to allow the kid to wear himself out using his spider-powers without putting himself or others at risk. He'd had no idea that when he'd chosen to turn the whole thing it into a game, that he'd be filling a hole that he never knew existed. "I think the people watching had a good time too."
Nodding his head, Peter smiled. He thought about all the families that had come outside to see what the ruckus was about then stood on their balconies laughing and yelling, back and forth towards each other as they watched the action. He thought about how they were enjoying each other's company without going against any social distancing suggestions and how happy everyone looked while doing so. "It was sort of cool to see everyone being excited together even though they were still apart.", he mused between bites of spaghetti.
"We gave them something fun to focus on for a little while.", Tony acknowledged. He'd not expected the impromptu air show to go over quite as well as it had but then again people had been confined to their homes for a while at that point. No school, no concerts, even the libraries were off-limits. They'd needed a pick-me-up beyond a computer screen. An excuse to interact with their neighborhood at a distance.
"Can we do it again, Mr. Stark?", Peter asked as he began to clear the table. He wasn't sure exactly how much longer they would have to all be inside but he hoped to have the chance to lift the city's spirits again. That and the game had been fun. Laughing, goofing off and scuffling without having to worry about hurting anyone had been amazing.
"At some point.", Tony agreed with a smile. He could handle that and honestly, he had already decided that after everything had settled, that he would occasionally take the kid out just to play around as they had. Peter had made it very clear that having someone to horse around with had been something he'd been missing and it had been fun for him too. It would also come off as good publicity. Two superheroes working in tandem to brighten the lives of the people around them but mostly the former. "In the meantime, what do you want to do now? Lab or movie?"
"Movie.", Peter readily replied as he darted across the room and flipped solidly into the large chair beside the window. "They released some new ones to digital early since the movie theaters are closed. Like Onward, Frozen Two and most importantly, the newest Star Wars movie."
"Of course, Star Wars.", Tony replied with a roll of his eyes but settled down on the couch all the same.
They sat on the sperate pieces of furniture for the duration of the first movie but by the time they had started into their second, Peter was growing tired. Eventually, he got up from the chair he'd been curled up in and wandered over to sit directly beside Tony on the couch. That way he could stretch out a little more. Though as more time passed he found himself leaning more heavily into the man's side and his head resting snuggly on the man's shoulder.
Looking down at the kid who finally seemed to be more at peace than he had been for the last several days, he smiled. "You know we're supposed to be practicing social distancing.", teased said while nudging Peter's head with a shrug of his occupied shoulder. It wasn't that boy had never sat with him like that before or that he really minded, so much as he just wanted to give him a hard time. It was fun.
"I live with you.", Peter reason, without bothering to move an inch. He was comfortable and sitting closely beside someone that you were actively sharing space with was to be expected.
“You live with your aunt.", Tony counted with a chuckle. Though he did realize that the kid spent more than a good bit of time living with him as well. Even before the short term change in his primary residence.
Peter looked up and grinned. "Not right now I don't.", he sing-songed before pulling the blanket off of the back of the couch.
"Whatever.", Tony returned with a fond roll of his eyes. "At least your sitting down."
I figured I should let you know some background on me first since everyone has different experiences. My name is Jessica, I’m a cis woman and I was 21/22 (I had my birthday while I was there!) when I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain through an exchange program. I am from New Jersey, USA. I was a Psychology major with a minor in Spanish. While there I lived with a homestay (a local family).
Disadvantages
I don’t have many so that’s why I’ll talk about this first.
Personally the number one thing that should and will concern many people is the money. Living in another country just doesn’t sound cheap, and sometimes it’s not. I was going to a private college in the states and that was expensive and the program I was in required that I still pay my home university’s tuition (so it was a lot haha).
As a woman, I felt that I needed to be more cautious than say the male students. It was a new environment, new culture, I didn’t know anyone, and just different expectations for women then I was used to back home. I would say that the world seems safer for men but while I was abroad, I noticed a lot more female international students. I think as long as you keep aware of your surroundings and make some friends, this disadvantage to women would almost zero out.
All of my classes were in Spanish which I am not fluent in, that’s on me but this really could mess someone up. I did fine though because they had us take a placement test and put us at a level we would be ok at. It’s just something to be aware of when you are looking to study abroad in a country that doesn’t speak your language.
So I was older when I went so a bit more mature (even though I would have loved to have been their earlier or longer). I was in good physical and mental health when I went but this could definitely pose a problem for someone else. I had to take the metro/subway to school and I did a lot of walking all over Madrid and other cities. Also, there will come a time during studying abroad where you just break mentally. It could be the stress or frustration of living in a culture so different than your own or it could just be you miss friends or family even if you love your host country. I think knowing that it is bound to happen and being prepared for when it does was super helpful. It is so common and it was nice to know that I had made friends at my host university that would totally and whole-heartedly understand what I was going through.
Advantages
Learning a language (Anyone who goes to a country that doesn’t primarily speak their native tongue will start to learn the language no matter the level you start out on. Being immersed into that culture and only hearing another language will only bring your skills in that language up)
Back to money real quick. So yes I said that my tuition was high but because I chose to live with a homestay, I saved a little money. The homestay was actually way cheaper than the room, board and meal plan at my home university.
My host family was amazing! I learned a lot through them and since they only spoke Spanish it gave me even more practice with the language. I don’t know if this is common but my host mom cooked 3 meals a day for me (sometimes more haha she was a great woman), she did my laundry and would change the sheets on my bed. I really didn’t have any house duties and that was great considering I had homework to do in another language.
Other international students offered me a chance to learn about other countries (I met a few girls from south korea and a girl from england and many others) but also it gave me a chance to reminisce about the states and take a break and talk English.
Time - Management and Organization skills go through the roof. There is a lot of paperwork that goes into studying abroad and you need to make sure you get everything approved on time. It felt a bit like I was running around campus to get all the signatures I needed but it really paid off in the end. Once you are in the new country those skills come in handy to do assignments and explore the new country. I was traveling almost every weekend and that took a lot of time to plan with friends or to plan transportation.
Seeing the World! Coming from the states to Europe was huge! It wasn’t the first time I had been away from home or even been to Europe but it was the first time that I would actually be living in a new country for an extended amount of time. Traveling was my main motivator. So Spain is split into 50 autonomous communities kind of like the 50 states in a way, each has a history, culture and atmosphere all their own. I had the opportunity to visit 11 of those communities! That’s one fifth of the country, I can’t even say the same for my own country lol. I also got to visit Morocco and Portugal while I was there and man I wish I had gone to more countries. Flights were so cheap, once you’re in Europe that is.
How could I forget the food! Amazing new foods to try! I am not a picky eater in the slightest and I was always down to try the local grub. I think food really opens your eyes to what the culture holds as important. Do they value heartiness and comfort over nutritional value? Do they value taste over presentation? Are the foods mostly to take away or are they sit down meals? There is a lot to be learned about a culture through their foods. Spain had some bomb food!
Adjustment Back Home
Ok the food adjustment coming back was hard. I had eaten all these fabulous dishes and then I came back to the dining hall. It’s not that the dining hall was bad but it wasn’t Spanish or cooked by my host mom. It was sad when they would try to serve paella and I had eaten paella in the city where it had originated, Valencia.
Also the language adjustment. I had gotten so used to thinking and speaking in Spanish that I had to reboot my brain to English. I found that since my time in Spain I have been forgetting English words for things. Lol now I sound like an idiot when I can’t remember what something simple is called in English. I did take one more Spanish course when I came back to my home university and I was happy to be using my skills but since then I feel like my skills are slipping because I don’t have anyone to practice with.
My friends had to adjust. I just wanted to talk about my experience and they got bored of it quickly. I applied to be a study abroad ambassador at my school so I could talk with prospective students about my time and answer questions they might have. This really helped give me an outlet for talking about my time in Spain because I loved it and I wanted to share that love with others.
The travel bug has bitten and there is no cure. I want to see more of the world. I got a small taste and now i want more. It’s like the more you see of the world the more you know that there is so much more to explore, I think there is a quote like that, but it is true. Since my semester abroad, I went to Peru to do some service work and I got to see Machu Picchu, I just recently went on a trip where I visited Prague in the Czech Republic, Munich and Berlin in Germany and London in England. My next goal is France.
It was sad not seeing my study abroad buddies anymore but thanks to social media we can keep up with each other’s lives. I have actually met up with one of my friends from studying abroad since I have been back since she lives kind of close. We all bonded over being in Spain at the same time, learning and exploring together, those kinds of friendships are for life.
none of this information belongs to me but belongs to @jbens1017 they did me a wonderful favor by giving this information to me and I feel as though everyone can benefit from this! Thanks again for the wonderful information!
hey there, some seminary questions for you! How did you choose which seminary to attend? Could you please talk about the application/acceptance process? What's the average week like as a seminarian?
Oh gosh, you sent this ages ago, I’ve been meaning to answer!
How I picked a seminary:
I looked only at seminaries in my denomination, PC(USA), that were at least sort of near my area of the USA and that seemed like they’d be LGBT+ friendly. I visited two of them, McCormick in Chicago and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in the fall of 2015 and applied to them both the spring of 2016. Both seemed like excellent choices, I selected LPTS because I liked the housing situation, the campus in general, and the students and teachers I talked to seemed like a better fit for me. And indeed, I am extremely happy here!
Applications and Acceptance:
So yeah, the two seminaries I applied to both had applications due for the following fall in early spring, and I think that’s fairly standard. When looking at various seminaries, check their website for info on that. I highly recommend looking into seminaries a year before you want to attend one, so that you have plenty of time to visit, gather recommendation letters, reflect on your decision, and apply.
Note that the vast majority of seminaries require an undergraduate degree before you can apply, since it is a masters program – but that undergrad degree can be in anything. See this post.
This is the admissions page of my seminary. LPTS offers several degrees, the most popular of which at the masters level are the Masters of Divinity (MDIV, what I am doing) and the Masters of Family Therapy (MFT). To apply to these programs, there are forms that request general info and also ask that you undergo a background check, write some essays, and three letters of recommendation.
The last of those things, the rec letters, might sound overwhelming, but it’s doable. One of them needs to be from a pastor, so if you don’t currently have a pastor in your life who knows you well, that’s something to think about before applying to seminary – how can you get active in your current church so that your pastor can write you a good letter? The second letter must be an academic reference and the third must be a “personal or professional reference” – see this webpage for more. Note that these were the letters my two seminaries of choice required, and while I think it’s fairly typical, other seminaries may do it differently.
I’m pretty sure some sort of interview was required too, but it’s super informal and you can do it via skype if you can’t get to the seminary in person. I do recommend checking out the seminaries you’re interested in person though, if at all possible – they let you tour, talking to various teachers and students and possibly sitting in on classes.
On to the acceptance process: if the two seminaries I looked into are any indication, if you get all the application stuff turned in, you’re very likely to be accepted. The big thing is financial stuff they’ll offer you – the more impressive your application is, the more likely to get academic scholarships. My seminary also had me fill out some forms explaining my financial situation, so that they would know to offer me more financial aid as needed. The amazing thing about my seminary though is that they offer full tuition to everyone who gets in! And all seminaries as far as I know are pretty great about helping with financing their students’ education. See this post for more on financial stuff.
An average week in seminary:
Okay, the average week at any seminary is likely to be different. Note also that I’m going to describe the average week of a first-year student – it changes for second and third year students.
Oh yeah, to mention that: at my seminary at least, the MDIV takes three years and the MFT program takes five. You can also be a part time student which means it’ll take longer. For MDIVs, you have to take Hebrew and Greek and you also have to intern for a year at a nearby church to graduate. I’m doing my church placement my second year. And if you are pursuing ordination, you likely want to be working on whatever your denomination requires for ordination while you’re at seminary – you don’t magically get your ordination when you graduate, just your masters. For my denomination, for instance, I have to do some work as a chaplain in order to be ordained, so I’m likely doing that next summer.
Let’s start with classes and homework in an average week:
I take four classes, and workload-wise they remind me a lot of undergrad. Most classes meet either two or three times a week, and are either 50 minutes or an hour and 15 minutes each time. Some classes are primarily lecture, most involve lecture and discussion, and some are primarily discussion. They all involve a lot of reading. Many students get away with not always doing all the readings though, haha. Fall (September through mid-December) and spring (February through early May) are the main two semesters, but there are also short classes available in January and summer.
Along with reading, homework varies; I’ll describe my typical homework for my four current classes:
For Black Church Studies, we basically read one book and have one 1000-word essay due every two weeks.
Scripture II (New Testament) is sort of bizarre in that there are no major essays due and we only have one textbook (well, plus the Bible). Homework is to read a chapter of the textbook and write a 300-600 word summary on it for each class meeting. Each chapter is on a different book / letter of the New Testament. For this coming Monday, my summary on Ephesians is due. (On a side note, at the end of this semester I’ll probably share a google doc of all my summaries if anyone is interested; they’re good for quick overviews of the content and contexts of the Gospels and letters!)
History of Christian Experience I (the first century CE through 1453) has us write three 1200-1400 word essays throughout the semester. For each class meeting, a fifty-word sentence answering a question about the reading is due. This class has the heaviest reading load – seriously, some nights I don’t actually get to read everything thoroughly; I try my best to, but every now and then I have to skim instead.
Hebrew Exegesis (my fave!!) has five papers throughout the semester (that counts the final). For each paper, we translate a short passage from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and provide historical context, talk about literary structure, do word studies on it, and so on. There were also several (6 I think) translation exercises due throughout the semester, in which you have to translate around 10 sentences from Hebrew. This class also involves reading, but not as much as the other classes. You have to read commentaries and look through dictionaries in order to write the papers.
I had a good number of quizzes and some tests for basically every class last semester; this semester, I have literally zero tests or quizzes in any class, just a lot of papers (all my finals this time around are take-home essays).
It’s hard for me to really explain how fun the classes are? but I love them. They teach so much, and challenge you to think.
Moving on to worship at seminary:
We open every class meeting with a prayer. And on Thursdays and Fridays, there are chapel services led by either a teacher or a student (usually seniors). Because so many different people lead the services, you get a really wide variety of services, which I think is really cool! Not only Presbyterians attend this seminary – in fact, I think it’s something like 50 or 60% of students and faculty here are not Presbyterian. I love seeing how different traditions worship.
And community life here:
Classes are small and therefore tight-knit. I love my class; there are around 30 of us in total I think and around 20 of those are MDIV like me. We all joke around and support and pray for each other, and study together and help one another out when needed. When you need anything, whether it’s notes from a class you missed or a ride to the airport or some groceries because you’re low on cash, someone will help you out.
There are so many groups on campus you can join. We’ve got students in governmental positions, for instance, and students in various committees, from the Faith Life committee to the More Light (LGBT) committee, and from the Worship committee to the Gender and Ministry committee. I do a lot to help out with the community garden. There’s also a grassroots group for environmental stuff – I am assigned to take out the recycling in one of the school buildings to do my part with that. My seminary’s “big thing” is racial dialogue, so there are many classes, workshops, and other events that deal with that. Unfortunately the More Light group isn’t all that active this year, but when there are events I go to them!
If there’s an issue you care about that is not already addressed by a group on campus, it’s possible to make it happen. I just gave a workshop on how to make ministry more welcoming to transgender people. And a classmate and I plan to hold some workshop type events on accessibility and ableism this coming fall.
Conclusion:
So yeah, life in seminary involves balancing schoolwork with participating in the seminary community, your own life (many students here have jobs and/or kids), worship / your faith life, and doing the “field ed” aspect of seminary – church placements and chaplaincy for MDIVs, counseling/therapy for MFTs.
I personally find myself exhausted pretty often thanks to the ol’ mental illness and neurodivergence, so it’s important to take care of yourself. Teachers for the most part are very understanding and willing to give extensions on papers and the like, so that helps. And like I said, when you need something, classmates have your back.
I cannot emphasize enough how enriching the classes are, how intelligent the teachers are, or how warm and family-like the students are. It’s all wonderful.
If you have more questions about seminary, let me know!
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