LateAntique

Thank you for bringing this up - I'm definitely on the poor end of things. I'm on my own financially, the first to graduate from college in my family, etc. I had to borrow money to retake the GRE because another 150 dollars killed my budget. I had originally planned to go to a conference to do some schmoozing this fall, but application money ate through my budget for that. It seems a bit ridiculous for schools to charge 75-100+ dollars *just for their application fee*. Considering a lot of people in my position have attended more than one school, that's usually an extra 10-15 dollars in transcript fees per school, on top of sending another GRE score (20 bucks), etc. If one wants to be competitive and give themselves the best chances, they have to apply to a lot of schools. There were several programs that I wanted to apply to but could not because of financial reasons - I had to narrow down my choices based on what I could afford. The whole process priviliges those who have money in a significant way.

Also, nothing shocks a first year Latin class quite like a recitation of Poem 16.

I love Catullus. I've had the good fortune of studying with Peter Green and his translation of Catullus is very funny. I think he channeled Catullus when he wrote it.

Wow, that's fantastic.

Depending upon the school, I mentioned 2-4.

I don't think any two people can actually be 'equally matched'. The reasons for choosing between two people may be arbitrary (they liked someone's font more than another's), but I imagine it's more than just a coin toss.

I'm 25 now and will almost be 26 when I finish my BA in the Spring. I've had a few hiccups along the way. I have a few friends who are currently doing Ph.Ds after having gone through law school and having successful careers. I'm also not too worried about my graduate studies translating into a vocation, so those kinds of questions don't really go through my head.

GRE Twice = 300 bucks. That plus applying to 7 schools (having attended one community college and two four year institutions, I have at least 3 transcripts to send to every school, sometimes two copies) means I've spent more than I'd like to think about. "It's an investment" I tell myself.

I haven't really given much thought to the geography of my choices. I'm pretty happy where ever I end up, although Iowa is definitely out there. One of the selling points from a grad student I know there was: "We're only like 3 hours away from Chicago." Only three hours.

Those German names cracked me up. And, unfortunately, we've got the whole pomo literary criticism going on in Classics circles as well. I don't really get into it (not smart enough, I just want to read Greek and Latin) - but, even we aren't immune from Schmuckmanheiserheimhausen's theories (though I've always been a fan of Farfenflaubengeiserschnell's work).

My Latin final is tomorrow as well. I always freak out and think that I'm going to go completely blank on something simple like noun endings, so I spend the day before cramming really simple stuff into my head. Good luck to you on yours!

I fall asleep listening to Between the Buried and Me, so RATM is easy listening for me. It depends on my mood, though. Sometimes I like something a little more melodic when I translate.

Considering I only know a few lawyers and they're all now doing Ph.Ds in other fields (mostly religion), I have no desire to go into law school. I'll just cut out the middle man and go straight to religion.

Oh yeah, how could I forget? I should email all my peers and wish them the best of luck. Surfing + Governator = grad school success (and it didn't even take a calculator to figure that out - thanks, GRE math!)

Oh, so you're one of them!

This is totally fair. Although this obviously isn't your case, I've spoken with some peers who have simply said, "Yeah, I'd like to go to school on the west coast so I can go surfing." That seems like a pretty bad idea and hopefully those people get weeded out.

I'm too lazy to remember everything, but here are a few off the top of my head Greek: New Testament (virtually the whole thing) Philostratus, "Life of Apollonius" Sophocles, "Antigone" Aeschylus, "Agamemnon" (next semester....this is going to be tough) Homer, "Odyssey" (various books, but not the whole thing) Martyrdom of Polycarp Ignatius' Epistles (all 7) Latin: Sallust, "Bellum Catalinae" Cicero, "First Catilinarian Oration" and his personal letters Virgil, "Aeneid" Pliny the Younger, various letters Some Catullus Romans (in the Vulgate)

+1 - I hate seeing people whine about scores in the 700's.

I'll join in here. I have thought the exact same thing. I'm a pretty average guy (3.9 GPA, 1120 GRE, a few small awards, but nothing huge) and when I look at those posts, the cynic in me says, "They just want attention." If you have a 1300+ GRE and a 3.98, you're gonna get in.

+1 - I feel like it could take some suave words, but you could definitely make this work. If the fit is really that good, the professor will be happy you've contacted them.

+1 on not being annoying. Don't email articles and stuff to them unless you consider yourselves friends.

Is this an admission on ETS' part that their test is bonkers? Do you think adcomms will take this into account this year or will it be business as usual? Is a flawed test better than no test?

Job markets aren't what I'm really concerned with. I'd be happy teaching high school Latin if it came to it. I just really want to put as much of that good stuff into my brain as possible.

I'm a bit of a "fake Classicist". I want to learn the Classics but only because I'm ultimately interested in how they shaped the thought world of early Christians. The ECS program at CUA is a joint venture between Classics (they still call it 'Greek and Latin' there) and Theology, so it's already geared towards that kind of thinking. I just want to sit around and read these awesome texts - if it translates into a job, all the better.

I have most of my applications completed. I've figured out what I would do in nearly every single possible permutation of acceptances/rejections. However, one that I can't figure out is this: what if I get accepted to both Duke (for a Ph.D in Classics) and Catholic University (Ph.D Early Christian Studies). I'm not accepted into either, so this is unprofitable speculation - but I wonder if anyone else has this dilemma: what if you get accepted into what is seemingly a more 'prestigious' program, but for whatever reason you think the other program would be better for you? One thing that's particularly attractive about CUA is its long history of dealing with the late antique and early Christianity. Also, I'm Catholic, so the Catholic culture on campus would be rocking. Likewise, I don't think it would be too bad to live in D.C. for a few years while I'm young. On the other hand, Duke is amazing. They have tons of resources (a great papyri archive that I'd love to get into), great professors, good ties with the Religion program and with UNC's Classics program. Plus, my girlfriend is currently doing her Ph.D there (in the sciences...she's smart). Anyone else having to consider stuff like this?