How to Prepare for Seminary

In seminary, a single class day could include wrestling with Greek tenses, taking notes on a lecture about missionary work, and watching professors pray over students. Needless to say, attending seminary is an altogether unique experience.

In this article, we want to give you some practical advice on how to prepare for seminary, especially when it comes to reading, meeting professors, and learning the biblical languages.

You will do more reading in seminary than you probably ever have in your life, so begin preparing now! This may sound counterintuitive, but when you are doing a lot of reading,, take a lot of breaks. When you sit down to read, remove all distractions, and consider setting a timer for twenty to thirty minutes or longer if you can. Once your timer goes off or once you reach a good stopping point, take a break.

You will be tempted to spend your break on your phone, but this does not give your eyes and mind the break they need. The best breaks after a reading stint are active breaks. Take a walk, or work on a chore like folding clothes. Physical activity will help your mind reset, so you can return to your reading as fresh as possible. After you finish reading, quiz yourself on the book’s content, and try to summarize what you read. This act of remembering will help solidify the book’s content in your mind and will make discussing the book easier.

Stop reading when the words stop making sense. There will come a point in the semester when you are reading late into the night, and you can no longer make sense of what you are reading. When this occurs, put the book down and rest. There is no point in reaching the page count when you are no longer absorbing the information. As Christians, we recognize that as creatures, we have limits. We honor God most when we live inside those limits. Seminary will stretch you. It will cause you to grow, which is a good thing, but when the words you are reading stop making sense, set the book down and rest.

Learn the alphabet before you go to seminary. Most students enroll in an elementary Greek or Hebrew course for their first semester. Language courses are some of the most intimidating and demanding courses in seminary, so do yourself a favor by learning the alphabet before the first week of classes.

The first week of school is always intimidating and overwhelming with the dreaded “syllabus shock,” but you can offset that by learning the basics of a language course before the first day of class. Numerous Christian educators have uploaded alphabet songs for the Greek and Hebrew alphabets onto YouTube. Watch these videos to learn the alphabet, and try writing out the characters. You will be amazed by how quickly you can learn an alphabet and this confidence will help offset stress during the first week of classes.

You can also prepare for seminary by getting to know your professors before the first week of classes. Start by reading their bios on your seminary’s website. Find out what fields they have researched and what books they have written. This information will help you decide what professors you would like to get to know and take electives from. Chances are, you will never be in such close proximity to preeminent biblical scholars again, so take advantage of this blessing while you can.

Consider introducing yourself to all of your professors during the first week of classes. Some students will express their desire to meet up with each professor at some point during the semester for coffee, a meal, or just a chat. This is a great practice and professors are more than happy to meet with students. If you are an online student, do not let your distance deter you. Start an email chain with your professors, and be sure to attend all the live syncs you can in order to get to know your professors as much as possible.

Seminary is incomplete without meaningful church involvement. The beautiful normalcy of the local church and the evidence of changed lives and love for God displayed there can remind you why you enrolled in seminary in the first place. Even if you only plan to attend the church for a handful of years, meet people in your church, serve in any way needed—whether that is teaching or holding open a door—and let people without a degree to their name school you in the things of God.

1 John 5:1 says the presence of love in our lives helps assure us of our salvation. 1 Cor. 13 tells us the addition of knowledge and extravagant acts of spirituality without the addition of love is a net gain of zero. So, as you read more than you ever have in your life, as you learn from brilliant scholars, and as you master Greek and Hebrew, grow in love for God’s people. And put that love on display in a local church.

If you are interested in attending seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, apply now! Learn more about the programs that TEDS offers and find the perfect fit for you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our admissions team.