ClassicsCandidate

Hello, all! I'm going to be applying for PhD programs (Classical Archaeology and interdisciplinary Classics/Art History/Archaeology) for Fall 2021 and I'll be taking the GRE for the first time this summer. My MA programs did not require it, so I didn't bother worrying about it until now. I hold both an MA in Museum Studies (3.89 GPA) from the University of Oklahoma and I'll be graduating with my MA in Classical Studies (Civilization concentration, which means my translations were optional rather than required) from Villanova University (3.88 GPA, which will hopefully go up after this semester ends) in May. I'm extremely nervous for the GRE because I'm horrendous at math (I'm okay with math I need for archaeology, but still not great) and I'm not the best with standardized tests. Any advice about the GRE before I head in? Or should I not be as stressed about it because my graduate record is promising? (I also have quite a few years of both archaeology and museum experience that would be relevant to the programs). The schools I'm applying to are Brown, UPenn, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, Bryn Mawr College, and NYU, so y'all can gather why the GRE is making me so anxious. Thank you all in advance!

Hello, all! I'm not sure if it's better to put this here or in another forum, but I was wondering if there was any education training that anyone would suggest (preferably online or distance learning with a possibility to do in-person experience locally) I get before going into my PhD program (it wouldn't be in Education) because a lot of people have been saying that they're thrown into the classroom without much experience or training and I'd like to make sure I have a little bit of an idea of what I'm doing. One thing I've found is the Harvard Higher Education Teaching Certificate (https://online-learning.harvard.edu/course/higher-education-teaching-certificate), but I wasn't sure if anyone knew anything more about that or how it would compare to other programs. Thanks in advance!

Thanks, @ravenclawace! That's good to know. The person I work with did her MLIS at San Jose, so I'll ask her about their offerings, too. I'll have to look for more programs that have a better archives selection. I really appreciate the feedback!

Thank you for your response and I apologize for not replying sooner! It sounds like it's a pretty calm area.

I've been looking into some other credentials possibly before going for my PhD and I've been considering the M.Ed. in Higher Education from PSU online and I wanted to know if anyone had any experience with the program, from just applying to attending to completing the program. What was the best part about the program? What made you decide to consider this program? Were you able to secure enough funding to do it? Any other information you're willing to share with me would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hello, all! I have been considering pursuing an MLIS degree for some time now, and I wanted to come and possibly pick the brains of those who have already applied/begun their programs (or finished, if they're still floating around here!) As you probably gathered from my handle, I'm in the Classics-side of graduate school at the moment but because I have been considering going into Classics libraries (yes, I know there are not a lot of these jobs! It's the same issue I have with my current fields, anyway), for which I would need an MLIS from an ALA-accredited program. I work full-time in a museum at the moment and assist the Curator of Manuscripts/Librarian in the Research Library from time to time, which is why my interest has grown to archives, rare books, and special collections. I know there are some people who have multiple degrees before they get their MLIS, but I wanted to check and see where everyone else stood before they applied/that it wouldn't count against me for already having two advanced degrees when I apply (don't want them thinking I'm a "degree-collector," I suppose?). I already have my Museum Studies MA from the University of Oklahoma (which I would have done an MLIS with a Museum Studies or Cultural Heritage concentration instead of had I known they existed before I applied) and I'm going to graduate with my MA in Classical Studies from Villanova University this May. I pretty much have my heart set on UIUC for the MLIS, but if anyone has any other programs that have Archives/Special Collections/Rare Books pathways that they would recommend, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts! Thank you in advance.

Congrats, that's excellent! I've heard really good things about their Classics program (I did my undergrad in Delaware, so I was close by!). Good luck with the interview!

Congrats to everyone who has gotten acceptances/interviews! And for those who are still waiting to hear back, hang in there!

Oh, that's awesome! I hope more schools offer funding for their MA programs. I was lucky with Villanova and got the Tuition Scholarship, but I'm not sure how many spots they offer per year, but as a Tuition Scholar, it's only 7 hours per week and tuition/fees are waived. Still paid for books and materials but a majority of the resources they use are free, I just liked having physical copies of certain works. Yes! He actually helped me reformat my CV for Fall 2021 PhD applications; he's super! Best of luck with your application!

I just saw this on Twitter the other day; I can point to a few scholars who got their degree from Rutgers on Twitter who know about the program if anyone is interested in talking to them about the Classics department! The main alum I would point out is David J. Wright: https://twitter.com/rmavirumquecano - I talk to him a lot on Twitter and he's super cool! There are a lot of other folks, too, but he's who I talked to the most about this program.

Hello, all! I am prepping for my PhD applications and I want to get started on my statement of purposes/interest/personal statements early since I'll be applying to about 5-6 schools and want to have everything ready for them, so I thought I would focus on these first. Would anyone be willing to share theirs with me so I can get an idea of what you said (either here or message me, if you want to not have it out publicly). I have quite a few years of museum work under my belt, one season of dig experience, and I have an MA in Museum Studies & I'll be getting my MA in Classical Studies in May. The programs I'm applying to are the following: IPCAA at the University of Michigan, Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, ISAW at NYU, and PAMW at the University of Chicago. If anyone has any general advice about writing these as well that's not mentioned in previous forum posts, I'm all ears!

So, I discovered this program(me) recently because I tend to just look around at other universities for fun because I compile resource pages for aspiring Classicists and thought some of you might be interested in the program(me). It's entirely online and the courses they have on offer include ancient Egypt, which I think is a great thing. Another great thing about this program(me) is that it can be taken as individual courses, a Postgraduate Certificate, or a Postgraduate Diploma if you don't want to pursue the full Master of Science with the dissertation. I've put the link below for folks who might want to check it out. It's relatively new, as I was hunting around for a program like this in 2018 when I finished my other MA. Enjoy! https://www.ed.ac.uk/history-classics-archaeology/graduate-school/programmes/masters-degree-programmes/classics-programmes/ancient-world-online

Well, since everyone is anxiously awaiting their results, my only wisdom is find distractions!! I am certainly guilty of consistently refreshing my e-mail to see if I have any good news, but that'll drive you bonkers. Find something you really like and try to distract yourself with it so it'll keep you occupied while you wait for the results. I watch a lot of TV & knit, so I have something to do with my hands while I watch it (although if I'm re-watching something, I tend to play mobile games on my phone), so you're not constantly thinking about results. My next application session is Fall 2021, so I'm going to be busy prepping for that myself. Other things too, if you can't keep your focus off school, is reading blogs about things you should bring with you, get active on Academic Twitter because there's a really strong Classics/History community on there, etc. Other than that, if anyone just wants to vent their anxieties about apps at me, I'm always down to talk! I hope y'all get good news soon!

Good luck to everyone applying this season! I hope you all get your responses swiftly!

You're welcome! And if you have any questions about anything, feel free to message me or address me here :3

Thank you! I'm super excited about my upcoming classes. We're doing a Gender & Sexuality in the Ancient World course, so I'm really anxious to start the Fall semester!

Hello all! Since I am considering a few different places for my Ph.D., I was curious about the culture of the colleges/universities you're attending that you enjoy there. Bryn Mawr College is currently my top choice for my potential Ph.D. program, so I'd be extremely interested in that school in particular. I figured it would help if everyone shared their current institution's community/culture on-campus so others can get an idea of how the schools are; I'm interested in both inside and outside of the academic aspect. For example, what's the library situation like? What are the housing options like? Is it easy to get around? Is it loud/quiet at night? Can you walk to places easily or do you need to have a car to get around? Do you interact with graduate students from other departments often? What are some of the school traditions that you enjoy partaking in and why? What's around that you do for fun that has nothing to do with academia? Are there extracurriculars you do on campus, or is it all off-campus? How close are you with your cohort? Did I miss anything? Overall, I just want to know about everyone's experience at their campus and in their program, especially in the following programs: Bryn Mawr College (Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology), Brown (Archaeology and the Ancient World), UC Berkeley (Ancient History & Mediterranean Archaeology), UPenn (Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World), NYU (ISAW), University of Michigan (Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology (IPCAA)), and the University of Chicago (Graduate Program in the Ancient Mediterranean World). I'm interested in everyone's current experiences. What do you like best about the program and the interaction of profs/students, etc.? I just want to hear a little bit about each of the kinds of cultures because I want to make good decisions on which schools I'll be deciding on and I want to hear the perspective of students who are there already (and if you want to send me a message about anything, in particular, you don't want to discuss publicly on the forum about your program if it's one of the ones on my list, please do!). I've looked around and haven't seen much about BMC in particular, but I figured it would be good to start this thread to discuss how the cultures of graduate Classics programs are at different schools. Sorry if this is a bit ramble-y, but I am going to visit some of these schools and think it's important to get an idea of how everything fits together before I even do that. Thanks in advance!

I would love to contribute under the categories of 2 and 4!

Hello, all! I just saw this, so I wanted to say hello! I'm doing my VU degree by distance (Classical Studies), but it's still good to (virtually) meet everyone!

I'm not in your field/school, but I completed my MA in Museum Studies, and I'm 50% done with my second MA in Classical Studies, both of which I did/am doing while employed full-time at a museum. (Additionally, I have Tuition Scholar duties through my graduate school that I complete in order to get my funding, so that's another 7+ hours a week of commitment). Since you've always worked full-time through school, that's an advantage because you already have the time management skills you'll probably need. The only thing that differs for me in my current program is that I use 3-9 days of vacation time for finals (whether they're exams or papers) just to give me time to focus on only my schooling around the time that those things are due. (It's doable without taking off as well, but I have found that this improves my work). I hope this helps!

I completed my Roman Drama summer course, which means I'm officially 50% of the way through my MA in Classical Studies ?

Hello, all! I was considering Bryn Mawr College for a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology, and I was wondering if anyone could give me any insight into what it's like to live in the area? I'm originally from Delaware, so I'm used to small/quiet places, so if that's the vibe, I won't mind it as much. I've lived in Las Vegas for the last couple of years, and I'm unsure if I want to keep living in loud/bustling areas. So, if I attend BMC, what's around that would be walkable from off-campus housing, or would I need to have a car? (I have one but want to make sure I can walk if necessary). What's the community around the campus like? What do you like/not like about it? Any and all information would be appreciated! Thank you in advance ?

I'm a little late to this thread, but congratulations to everyone on their acceptances and best of luck on beginning your programs in the Fall!

I agree with Marcus_Aurelius; I had an even lower overall GPA (below a 3.0) and managed to get into my first MA program (Museum Studies) as a conditional admission, ended with a 3.89. I had no issue getting into Villanova (I even received a Tuition Scholarship!) and my current GPA is a 3.92. I think you'll be fine! Just address anything that you're concerned about in your SoP, and you should be golden.

Hi there! I'm not an ANE student, but hopefully, I can help guide you to what might help you. (Also, have you tried asking this in the general history thread? There might be some historians there that might be helpful for this!) I think that you're set on the languages front, but you might want to see if you can do anything to bolster the "general education" part of it. Have you looked to see what different undergraduate programs require and compared it to what you have completed for your undergraduate? For example, UCLA requires their Ancient Near East and Egyptology majors to take general coursework for Ancient Near East Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Near Eastern Languages and then required courses in these areas: Archaeology and Art, History, Languages, Literature, and Religion (https://nelc.ucla.edu/ancient-egyptology/undergraduate/). If you find a graduate school where you seek the Ph.D., see what they require for their undergraduate program (if they have one) and see where the gaps are in your studying. One of the things I mentioned when I applied to Villanova is that while I was out of Classics for three years, I kept up with learning about it through MOOCs. And, luckily, there's a lot of different colleges and universities that offer online or distance learning options if you need to fill in gaps. For example, Oxford University offers undergraduate online courses in Ancient Egypt (https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/ancient-egypt-an-introduction-online), Mesopotamia (https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/the-first-civilization-mesopotamia-online), and Biblical Archaeology (https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/archaeology-of-the-bible-lands-online). What does your "cultural" or "civilization" coursework look like from your BA and MA? If you're missing a few things, filling in the gaps might help. However, having said that, I would go to the universities that you are most likely to apply for a Ph.D. and send an e-mail to the head of the ANE program with your inquiries. Sometimes they do give some advice on what would make you a competitive candidate. The worst I think will happen is you might have to take some undergraduate coursework or survey history courses about the Ancient Near East before you can apply and be competitive. I would weigh your options of trying to apply before you have filled in all the gaps. Also, you might find that volunteering or interning in a museum with a relevant collection might help you stand out a little bit as well. You could send out feelers to see if there are any museums/galleries that might be looking for people near you. I feel like if you were going specifically for Biblical or Judaic studies for a Ph.D., you might be alright, but again, I think you might want to see if there are ways for you to be able to fill the gaps with self-study or formal continuing education before applying. Again, I'm not an ANE student, but I did have a similar dilemma to you with Classics because I came late to the game, too. Going to my MA program before I tackled a Ph.D. was probably what was best for me because I got a lot more focused coursework. I will probably go after a Post-Bacc in the languages, too, to refresh myself before I apply for the Ph.D. in Classics because I know it's my weakness, on top of my rusty French and non-existent knowledge of German. You have a good GPA and decent GRE scores, so what I would think would be best is trying to find ways to get relevant research or practical work under your belt if you've filled the gaps or the professors in charge of the Ph.D. programs you're aiming for say that your coursework is satisfactory. Let me know if you need me to clarify anything! I hope this helped :3