Nicator

I did atrociously on the maths section of the GRE (only prepped for verbal, and when I say atrociously, I mean atrociously) and it didn't impact my applications. GRE results are extraordinarily unlikely to make or break an application. If you do reasonably well on verbal/AW nobody is going to give them a second glance. Concentrate on your statement of purpose and your writing sample – start many months ahead of time – and be sure to get the best references you possibly can. Those are the variables that convince professors to want you as a student, not whether you did well on the GRE. If you only apply to programs that do not require the GRE then you are legitimately shooting yourself in the foot. Cornell has some grad students focusing on queer history & we just hired somebody who specializes in it (Stephen Vider), so you may want to check us out

HBO's Rome

If it is within your means you should definitely be looking at a new one.

The waiting is a nightmare, but it'll be over soon. Fingers crossed for you!

Congrats to those who got into Cornell! Just saw the list of prospective students today. If anybody has any questions about the program or the university feel free to drop me a PM (or if there are any Aussies moving to the US more generally).

I did atrociously on the quant section of the GRE and was still accepted to numerous schools. And trust me when I say "atrociously" I'm not being modest. It was bad - storming the beaches of Gallipoli bad. Don't fret.

It's probably fine either way; what matters is that you demonstrate your ability to work with these sources. I included both translations & the original language(s) in mine as a means of saying "yoohoo, look what I can do" but haven't the foggiest idea whether it actually mattered.

I might be wrong, but doesn't TOEFL just measure your English ability? That isn't going to make up for the GRE/grades. It sounds like you're approaching things the right way in any case. If you are unsuccessful this year, be sure to practice for the GRE so you can retake it before the next application season. When I first took practice tests I did horrifically and really despaired, thinking myself a complete idiot, but a few months of practice fixed up my issues. Finally, if you have a reason for low grades (like you had to work during your undergrad), mention that in your SOP, but market it as a strength, not a sob story. Some people disagree with this - with good reason, under no circumstances do you want the people reading your application to think that you're trying to guilt them into accepting you - but I didn't have great grades and was pretty honest with the reasons why in my application(s), the majority of which were successful, so it can in some circumstances be beneficial. You mention good MA grades though, so place emphasis on that along with your other strengths & your capacity for original research.

Prof. Eric Rebillard at Cornell might suit you - I believe Christianity is his main interest but he has done extensive work on Late Roman North Africa/Late Antiquity in general. He's very friendly, so an email couldn't hurt. He will be on research leave throughout Fall 2020 though. Your Latin will be a disadvantage (but not a deal-breaker), and any intensive programs you are able to take will definitely help. Try to do some independent study on your own as well, being able to state on your SOP that you have been working on teaching yourself (x language) in addition to taking intensive courses can reflect well on your drive, as well as help to alleviate any concerns the reviewers may have. Having some French and German also really helps so be sure to state that. Also, be sure you produce a writing sample in the field you're looking to work in. A research projected advised by faculty may be a good way to do that, but I'll defer to people who actually did their undergrad/masters here in the US and are able to actually speak from experience. If that Prof. Esders bloke is a big name in your field then working with him could be a big boon for you personally & professionally, even if you don't end up doing a PhD with him.

I was able to get 2 peer-reviewed publications out of my MPhil thesis, one of which served as my writing sample for my PhD applications. Obviously speak to your advisor to get their opinion, but from personal experience my Master's thesis did a lot for me personally and professionally and I'd heartily recommend it.

Congratulations on your BA! I had two publications going through the review process when I applied last year and they definitely helped my case a lot, but a) I had a masters and b) as is so often the case publications are just one of many factors that graduate committees take into account (as is, for that matter, your GPA). Your focus should probably be on your SOP and writing sample, along with languages, as TMP suggested. A publication/submission won't have a profound impact but will help to build your case. One important point though: not all publications are created equal. The reputation and ranking of the journal you intend to submit to matters a great deal - in my case the journals in question were either top tier or not far behind, as I'd had time to prepare and plan, while undergrad/grad journals carry far less heft. Some academics I've known even discourage grad students from submitting publications at all until they feel they are ready to go for better journals and I think there is merit to this view. Publications should demonstrate your ability to do high-level original work, and if your work is high-level and original then it should be submitted to a good journal in your field. If it gets rejected just take the feedback on board and submit to another one.

Thanks for all that @DangerDave, very helpful! I'm relocating to Ithaca from Australia, planning to be there August 1st - hope to meet some of you when I get there.

Accepted Cornell's offer. This Aussie is on his way to the US - woo!

I'll ask - appreciate the advice

From what I was told in the initial email they could only offer a certain amount of funding for the travel - nowhere near enough to get me there and back from Australia. Primary supervisor offered to Skype instead, which we'll do soon. Appreciate the heads up/advice though!