ClassicsCandidate

I have looked at a fair few distance programs in history; do you have a specific concentration in mind? And are you looking for an MA or a Ph.D.? I know a few schools in the U.S. have M.A.s in History online, but I think any distance options for a Ph.D. level study I've only seen offered in the U.K. So, what are the parameters you're looking for? Do you prefer it to be in the U.S., the U.K., or another place? If you're looking in the U.S., here's a list of some M.A. programs: https://www.gradschoolhub.com/best/affordable-online-masters-history/ You can also search on GradSchools.com: https://www.gradschools.com/programs/history/online. It depends on what your definition of a "good" program is, as well. A lot of these schools are good schools but I would dive into some research on whether the program is a right fit for your goals. The only ancient history programs (one of my options I looked at) were all in the U.K.; University of Wales Trinity St. David is where I'm looking to apply if I don't get into my American program because they have a distance option as well. Best of luck to you!

That's what I said!! My first MA program got back to me in five days so I'm gonna try to distract myself with YouTube for now and cross all my fingers.

So, I actually just put the final touches on my application and I turned in my first one. Not 20 minutes after I submitted it, the status moved to "under review." I'm so anxious now!

I've got so many reading lists off sites and now I'm trying to cross-reference them to see how many of them overlap and add in additional ones from other schools to try and get a lot of reading done if I can. I'm preparing to go to my first field school now, so I'm a little anxious about that but resting is always good! My program application isn't due until February, so I'm still tailoring things to the last bit and honestly I'm just trying to bite the bullet and make myself send it already. The UK school I'm applying to allows you up to six weeks before the term starts to apply, so I was going to wait to see what response I got from my American application first. Hey, Bogut! I was a sub-3.0 student and had a 3.0+ major GPA, but some Latin/Greek courses were less than stellar. However, I have done an independent study as an undergrad, professional work involving Classical archaeology (museum identification and artifact provenance), and I'm going to be doing a field school excavation this summer, which I feel like will help my odds against my undergrad GPA. Additionally, my current MA is in Museums and I have a 3.86 (a 3.9 predicted at the end of the semester) and plan on doing an MA in Classical Studies before heading to a Ph.D. program. I have a plan A, a plan B, and a plan C all laid out for myself. I feel that if you have strong experience in the field, it'll boost your chances. Best of luck to you!

Thank you for that information! It's good to know that that's how it'll be for an online course. That seems rather manageable if I'm doing a full-time online course load and whatnot. I appreciate your input!

I've replied :3 Best of luck!

Hello, all! I'm still in the process of editing my writing sample, but the issue I'm trying to figure out is the writing style. The most recent paper I have is from an interdisciplinary foundations graduate course, but the professor required us to use APA. Should I keep it that way if I'm applying to a Classical Studies MA program? I've been trying to figure out if I should make it Chicago before putting it in with my application; the biggest issue I'm concerned about is that the writing sample is what the university uses to judge whether to offer the student funding or not. So, I want to make sure the formatting is done well in addition to the paper being written well. Since it also deals with disabilities studies in my paper, I suppose the APA might be okay, but I'm nervous about it. Any suggestions?

I've been in contact with some professors in the programs I'm applying to, and I've noticed a lot of the people in Classics/Archaeology/Ancient History also come from top programs, but when I look at PhD students at the programs I'm interested in for that degree, there are a few from smaller or "lesser known" institutions. So, I think it's possible! It may be different from school to school and the departments. I'm beginning to narrow my search down now that I know which programs look good and have knocked a few top-level programs off my list because none of the professors specialize in what I would like to do with my dissertation. I don't think you should lose faith - if you do well in your MA and have relevant research - I think it won't be too hard to get into top institutions!

I'll be doing this right now while I finish up my Museum Studies work while I wait to hear back from my Classics programs. I'm working a 9-5 (well, 8:30-5:30, technically) job right now and plan on doing my schoolwork and brushing up in between. Moving always takes the most energy (second after applying!) to me, anyway. But it always helps to know what people did / planned to do vs. what they ended up doing before starting a program.

In 2017, I made almost all A's in my current grad program (one B, curse you!). I got my first full-time job (with benefits!) I was accepted into a field school dig in Bulgaria, too. And I got engaged. A good year for me personally. In 2018, I want to make it into my second MA program before diving into a PhD, so I'll be submitting my applications for them soon. *crosses fingers*

I agree with both @GreenEyedTrombonist and @khigh for similar reasons. Saving money is the only way I would ever live with another person again, and I hate living with people. It depends on how much it may affect my schoolwork, however, if I had roommates. I'm also engaged, so I live with my fiance, and that sometimes makes it harder to find a roommate situation where they'll be okay getting a couple living in the same space. However, I know I'm a difficult person to live with so I never proposition to be a roommate first, and I always warn people I'm not easy to live with (mostly because of my anxiety and my high intensity when it comes to school - like, I need complete silence if I'm studying for big exams, etc.) and I've never found anyone I could live with aside from my current partner that I didn't want to defenestrate. Different issues with all of them but with my Ph.D. programs I know I won't be able to live with other people. It's mostly about knowing yourself and your living/study habits. If they're able to mesh well with someone else, then a roommate might be a way to go for you! I've just never had any luck with anyone other than my fiance. (Our last roommates were not good people, and one of them ended up in jail after he left here, so living with other people has made my anxiety skyrocket more than it had in undergrad). My advice, overall, is this: make sure you talk everything out before moving in together, especially about things like dishes (especially if you have a dishwasher - I had roommates who NEVER did their dishes, even though we had one; I can understand a couple of days maybe but a full two weeks was pushing it for me), laundry if you have a washer/dryer in unit, study habits, are they a morning person or a night person, do they need constant background noise on like music or the TV, etc. If you feel like you mesh well, I'd say go for it. If you don't feel like anyone is gonna be a considerate roommate, I would say the extra dollars for rent is probably worth it.

Oh, alright! I know it lists an intensive course option that doesn't count towards the post-bacc but that I could do in case I needed more training before taking the courses for the post-bacc; it's a shame it doesn't count for anything towards the post-bacc, but it's nice to know that that's an option! I may have to take that route first. I can still read the Greek alphabet, and I know some basics, but when someone puts a sentence in front of me, I feel like I don't know what any of it says. But that might just be my anxiety, you know? I'm going to run amok through my Athenaze and try to make flashcards and work through the exercises in it for a refresher. That's okay! And thank you for letting me know. Sounds doable! Do they expect some of the articles to be read in a research language or are they strictly in English? That's not something I see many people asking often, and I was curious if we end up doing that on our own or if we're expected to read articles in German and French/Italian.

The professors listed on the post-bacc site are Professor Charles Platter, Professor Naomi Norman, and Professor Damaris Corrigan. For the professors you do have experience with, how were their classes? What expectations do they have for their students? Are they willing to accommodate students with mental health issues (if you know, that is)? I'm just curious how that would work, especially for someone who would have to consider how their teaching style may differ when studying at a distance. I don't think I have any other questions yet; thank you for answering mine!

Most of the reason I was focused on this one was the ability to take it online since where I currently live there is no Classics at the graduate level, and I can't afford to move anywhere else right now. Checkpoints are really great for me because I am a notorious procrastinator, but that sounds doable! Are the articles assigned or did you seek out what was interesting to you? (I've been reading some interesting articles relevant to the field so I could stay current and these are the ones I found particularly interesting - one of my favorites was on "ingesting magic" and another talked about the middle-finger gesture being used in the ancient world.) The professors seem wonderful especially after your glowing enthusiasm, but I'm just worried about placing into the program at all and whether there are placement tests once you are in the program - I feel I may need to brush up with Greek and Latin because it's been nearly five years since I have taken it but it seems they have intensive options I might look into as well. I'll have to look up the professors for those courses and get back with more specific questions, but I'm glad to know that someone is familiar with the professors at UGA!

The American school has a funding offer but it's based on your writing sample and isn't guaranteed, which makes me nervous. The Welsh school I would have to pay out of pocket for, but is essentially half of what I would be paying at the American school if I ended up not landing the funding. So, I have been biting my nails during the entire process, you know? Lots of things riding on my little paper. Yeah, I never really understood why we have to pay for the GRE to be sent to schools when you already pay so much to take it in the first place!! Oh, goodness! Good luck with all of your exams Right now, I'm marathoning Myths & Monsters with my fiancé since their field is mythohistorical folklore, specific on vampires and medical anthropology in regards to vampirism, so this show is satiating both of us for now!

I'm applying to one American school and one school in Wales because they offer a distance option. However, I've been making a "PhD Wishlist" that I'm going to have to narrow down in the next year or so by researching everywhere. I've found a few other schools in the UK I would like to consider and I'm going to probably look in Germany and Ireland as well as International options; the cost of moving and living are the only things I'm worried about for that, though. I'm glad that the majority schools I've looked at so far seem to not have an application fee like American schools do, so that's a plus! Good luck with the further applications with all the projects, it does sound rather intense to apply to so many! Honestly, I'm going bonkers with just two applications, so I'm not sure how people deal with 6-16+ in such a short amount of time. I don't know if I could avoid the forum myself, either, to be honest! Do you have anything else to distract you in the meantime?

Best of luck to you too, @anphph! Where did you end up applying to?

Hello all, Since I'm a pretty logical and practical person, I've been trying to come up with backup plans in case I don't get into a program due to my less-than-stellar undergraduate record. In the event that I do not get accepted, I have been knocking around the idea of applying to University of Georgia's Post-Bacc program and wanted to know if anyone has had experience in this program? Not just the application process, but how the program is set up, the difficulty level of the classes, etc. Thanks in advance!

Thank you, @hypsipyle! This is excellent advice. I think I'm going to start keeping an advice journal/document for all the information I've been getting from this forum. All of it has been tremendously helpful.

Hello! I would be happy to look it over for you if you would like to PM me!

I would be interested as well if it is still an option for this season!

Since it was written for a non-Classics program, I did a lot of secondary sources that gave me the information I needed; for the ancient information, these were my sources: Bruce, P. (2010). Constructions of disability (ancient and modern): The impact of religious belief on the experience of disability. Neotestamentica, 44(2), 253-281. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43048759 Echeverría, F. (2012). Hoplite and phalanx in archaic and classical Greece: A reassessment. Classical Philology, 107(4), 291-318. doi:1. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/666924 doi:1 Ustinova, Y., & Cardeña, E. (2014, June 2). Combat stress disorders and their treatment in ancient Greece. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(6), 739-748. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0036461 All of the other sources I had were about ADHD, the quotes from the PJO books, and dyslexia in modern Greece - I'd like to expand on it a bit more in the future, to be honest, and get it published sometime soon, but it was good for what the course required (a graduate level interdisciplinary paper). I honestly couldn't figure out if I was just being overly picky or if I really needed to edit it more. One of my recommenders reassured me that since it's an MA program I will probably be fine but I don't know how to let go of papers when I want them to be perfect! "Done is better than perfect" is something I try to do but when it comes to an SoP that will decide my graduate future, it's a bit harder to follow the mantra! I would love a proofread if you have the time! I'm so anxious, hah. Best of luck to you with all of that!!

I have two BAs - one in Classics and one in Creative Writing. The last two years is where the focus will be, and it will help show that you made an effort and improvement near the end. My cumulative GPA was under a 3.0, but I still got into a Museum Studies program with conditional admission due to my excellent final three semesters (all Dean's list), my work experience, and my SoP. I now have a gGPA of 3.86 and will probably be a 3.9 when I graduate which will hopefully help me with my Classics MA application. I started my undergrad in 2007, and I didn't finish until 2015 because of several things, including being homeless and financial aid being cut off without my knowledge, which worsened my anxiety and depression - a lot of us have been in similar situations as you. I'm 28 and about to finish my first MA. I was 25 when I finished my undergrad. Many students are non-traditional students nowadays, and there's no shame in taking longer to finish school if that's what you needed to do for you. In my opinion, health should come first; I had to retroactively withdraw from an entire semester due to my mental health (and with the support of a very encouraging professor). When I retook the courses I withdrew from (except one that I could not fit into my schedule), I made A's in all of them. I think showing improvement will not hurt your chances. I think your GPA will be fine, especially if you also have relevant research or work experience and good LORs.

This is really good advice, thank you! The ETS says there are only two free tests on there; do you buy the subsequent ones or are any of the other free online practice worth taking instead? Just curious if you have suggestions! I'm planning on studying during this coming semester and possibly take the test mid-May or early June now that I've given it more thought. This way, I have 3-4 months to study but plenty of time to review if I have to take it again. My aims are high for my potential PhD, so I have to score on the higher end of 150s at least. So I'm going to have to do a lot of studying for my quantitative and brush up a bit on my verbal. I'm pretty confident with verbal because a lot of the words I've encountered so far are pretty familiar to me. I'll just have a bit of studying to do for that, I think. All the maths is what's going to be what makes me bonkers while studying. I just downloaded the app, and it seems great! So I'll be giving that a go when I can. I've used Khan Academy before, so I suppose I should delve back into it to review what I'm behind on (mostly everything, it feels like, to be honest). But I'll narrow down what seems to be the most of what I'm encountering with the practice tests. Thank you! I'm going to try my best and see how it goes and whether I'll need to attempt a second go, so I'm crossing my fingers and going to get studying soon!

Thank you for the tip, I really appreciate it! I'm extremely tense about it already and I'm sure if I went in and this happened without me being prepared for it, it would send my anxiety into a tizzy. Thank you for adding all of this in, it helps to know this before going in.