A Day in the Life: Everyday Life at YDS

One of the easiest ways to get a perspective on what being at YDS is like is to spend a day wandering around the Quad with a student as they go about their day, and absorbing things as they come. This is actually a regular offering of the Admissions Office and we're sure many of you took advantage of it during your search process. But for those of you who didn't have the chance, and have no idea what you're getting yourself into, here's a look at a typical day in Patrick's first semester (specifically September 26, 2011.)

7:30 — Wake up, shower, get dressed, make coffee, head to campus

Prof. Carolyn Sharp

9:30-10:20 — Hebrew Bible lecture with Prof. Carolyn Sharp: the Golden Calf and introduction to Leviticus. Take-home points: golden calf story is a polemic against Aaron (and his progeny, the Aaronide priesthood) and against the Northern Kingdom of Israel (cf. Jeroboam's golden calves in the Samarian temple); also sets up the legacy of the productive crisis between disobedience and forgiveness in Israelite history and theology.

10:30-11:00 — "Harvest" service in Marquand Chapel, all about the abundance of life and the steadfastness of God in bringing forth fruit from seeds. Complete with local apples!

11:00-11:30 — Coffee Hour, catching up with folks about their weekends, discussing the service in Marquand, last minute review of readings from Free of Charge for Systematics lecture.

Prof. Miroslav Volf, in his
element

11:30-12:20 — Systematic Theology lecture with Prof. Miroslav Volf: Volf's theology of God as giver. Take-home points: God is not a negotiator or Santa Claus, but a giver; God's love is to be received in us as a conduit, receiving and passing love along to others as a similar free gift.

Eucharist in Marquand

12:20-1:30 — Lunch meeting in the Common Room with the Chapel Team, planning the LGBITQA Coalition's Friday Community Eucharist in Marquand during coming-out week; picking music, readings, themes, preacher, etc.

1:30-3:00 — Work study with the Office of Alumni Relations, today helping to plan the student worker schedule for Convocation and Reunions, which overlaps with October reading week.

3:30-4:50 — Annand First-Year Spiritual Direction group, today on centering prayer. More on this later, but the Annand program offers small weekly spiritual direction groups during the fall term for all first-year students who want to participate.

6:30-7:30 — Dinner at Thai Taste with friends.

8:00-11:00 — Reading, studying

11:00 — Decompress and bed