# WSCAL Acceptance



## J. Van Vliet (Dec 24, 2018)

I have thinking about attending Westminster Seminary in California for some time now. I am still in high school and I am going to college next year, but would still like to have some clarifications. I have looked through the WSCAL website and on other websites, but have not found anything explaining the admissions process. The seminary is pretty small and well known as a good school so I'm guessing they have to make pretty big cuts...? My question being, What is admissions process like for WSCAL and is it difficult to get in?


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## Taylor (Dec 24, 2018)

Most seminaries, unless I am mistaken, require at least a bachelor's degree to be admitted into in one of their programs (unless they offer a B.Div., in which case you would have to be a certain age).

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## iainduguid (Dec 24, 2018)

J. Van Vliet said:


> I have thinking about attending Westminster Seminary in California for some time now. I am still in high school and I am going to college next year, but would still like to have some clarifications. I have looked through the WSCAL website and on other websites, but have not found anything explaining the admissions process. The seminary is pretty small and well known as a good school so I'm guessing they have to make pretty big cuts...? My question being, What is admissions process like for WSCAL and is it difficult to get in?


The reality is that most seminaries, even the best, do not turn down very many people on academic grounds. We might turn away a few based on pastoral evaluations. If you are thinking about seminary and have not yet attended college, I have two basic pieces of counsel:

1) Commit to a good local church, both now and while you are in college. Talk to the session or consistory about your sense of calling and listen to their counsel.
2) Take as much Greek and Hebrew as you can in undergrad. Having a knowledge of the languages will greatly help you once you get to seminary, especially at schools like WSCAL (or WTS) where the courses are based on a knowledge of the original languages.

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## mjmacvey (Jan 10, 2019)

J. Van Vliet said:


> I have thinking about attending Westminster Seminary in California for some time now. I am still in high school and I am going to college next year, but would still like to have some clarifications. I have looked through the WSCAL website and on other websites, but have not found anything explaining the admissions process. The seminary is pretty small and well known as a good school so I'm guessing they have to make pretty big cuts...? My question being, What is admissions process like for WSCAL and is it difficult to get in?



Hey John, it is great to hear of your interest in Westminster Seminary California. You can find our general admissions requirements in our academic catalogue. You are also welcome to contact me ([email protected]) anytime with questions. Dr. Duguid's advise above is very helpful. Have you decided on a college?


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## J. Van Vliet (Jan 10, 2019)

mjmacvey said:


> Hey John, it is great to hear of your interest in Westminster Seminary California. You can find our general admissions requirements in our academic catalogue. You are also welcome to contact me ([email protected]) anytime with questions. Dr. Duguid's advise above is very helpful. Have you decided on a college?



Thank you! I am planning to attend Cal Poly SLO, but I won't know if I'm accepted until March. My major will be BioResource and Agriculture Engineering (BRAE). My long term goal is to be well equipped both with a seminary degree and the agricultural and engineering skills from Cal Poly to work as a missionary. While attending Cal Poly, I am planning to attend a PCA church in SLO, Trinity Presbyterian Church. I have also been reading through some of the Recommended Reading List on the WSCAL website. Do you have any other advice for me as I am going through college and preparing for seminary?


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## iainduguid (Jan 11, 2019)

I studied Electrical Engineering in undergrad and worked for a couple of years in industry before spending two years on the mission field as an engineer, after which I went to seminary, so I sense some parallels here. It would have helped me for seminary to have had a bit more grounding in the history of philosophy as background, and you might be able to find one of those courses.

My major piece of advice given your goals is to keep your college debt to a minimum. It's easy to rack up $50k without effort, which then makes seminary and subsequent mission work difficult or impossible. Live cheaply, work when you can (especially vacations), apply for all the scholarships you can find and borrow as little as possible.

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## BG (Jan 11, 2019)

The responsibility of training men for ministry falls squarely on the elders of the local church. If the elders of your church believe that you were called to the ministry it is their job to get you trained and qualified for ministry in that particular church and no other unless they are planning on planting a new church. you should not be a part of the process. If you’re just wanting to attend classes there, just move to the area take one class, pass it and the next semester you will be allowed to take as many as you like.


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## J. Van Vliet (Jan 11, 2019)

BG said:


> The responsibility of training men for ministry falls squarely on the elders of the local church. If the elders of your church believe that you were called to the ministry it is their job to get you trained and qualified for ministry in that particular church and no other unless they are planning on planting a new church. you should not be a part of the process. If you’re just wanting to attend classes there, just move to the area take one class, pass it and the next semester you will be allowed to take as many as you like.



What process do you mean?


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## Hamalas (Jan 11, 2019)

BG said:


> The responsibility of training men for ministry falls squarely on the elders of the local church. If the elders of your church believe that you were called to the ministry it is their job to get you trained and qualified for ministry in that particular church and no other unless they are planning on planting a new church. you should not be a part of the process. If you’re just wanting to attend classes there, just move to the area take one class, pass it and the next semester you will be allowed to take as many as you like.



You're raising some important questions brother, but are they really addressing the original poster's questions? Perhaps it would be helpful to create a separate thread on the best method to train ministers so we don't take over John's thread.


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## Alan D. Strange (Jan 12, 2019)

BG said:


> The responsibility of training men for ministry falls squarely on the elders of the local church.



Not in connectional churches, brother. There is cooperation between the local and regional church. This is why, in the OPC (for instance), the first step in ministerial candidacy is to come under the care of the presbytery, an action initiated and recommended by the man's session, to be sure, but involving the governing body of the regional church, the presbytery. 

Peace,
Alan

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## BG (Jan 13, 2019)

How is that working out?


Alan D. Strange said:


> Not in connectional churches, brother. There is cooperation between the local and regional church. This is why, in the OPC (for instance), the first step in ministerial candidacy is to come under the care of the presbytery, an action initiated and recommended by the man's session, to be sure, but involving the governing body of the regional church, the presbytery.
> 
> Peace,
> Alan


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## jwithnell (Jan 13, 2019)

BG said:


> How is that woriking out?


Are you asking about the mechanics of congregational vs presbyterian government? Or are you asking about relative success? Those of us in regionally-minded denominations would see effectiveness in terms of conformity to scripture, that it is the form of government taught at Westminster, and would be practiced at the opening poster's PCA church.

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## iainduguid (Jan 13, 2019)

BG said:


> How is that working out?


I'm a little confused by your question. Your signature identifies you as part of the RPCNA, which has a very similar process of presbytery involvement in the care of ministerial candidates as Dr Strange describes for the OPC. In addition, under normal circumstances it requires at least one year of attendance at the RPCNA seminary in Pittsburgh (see RPCNA constitution D-13). Could you clarify what you have in mind and how it is different from the normal practice of your denomination?

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