hanbran

I wonder if some sort of "international law" degree or "third world development" degree might be more useful. Why do you need a PhD?

Consider German in Review, if you have some experience with the language. If you're a native English speaker, you should easily pick up German grammar. Some universities allow students to take classes in lieu of exams, and many universities allow the use of dictionaries on exams, so, like TMP said, don't stress about it unless you want to study German history.

I would email professors whose work interests you and discuss your goals, interests, and any current endeavors. Generally speaking, if you're polite, to the point, and specific, most professors will respond with kindness, interest (which may or may not be feigned), and honesty. Don't ask "Will I be admitted to your program?" But you could ask if professors think that you would "fit" in their programs, if you are prepared for the program and if you could grow to meet your goals through the program. This will, of course, not tell you if you're going to get in. Admissions decisions are based on countless factors, including current funding, current student numbers and interests, the overall quality and number of applicants, the quality of applications throughout an entire graduate school (large state and less wealthy private schools generally divide funding at the graduate school level, so applicants who are competitive within a department may not be competitive enough to gain access to school-wide funding, which will influence admissions decisions), the interests, thoughts, feelings, moods, etc. of the individual members of admissions committees, writing samples, interviews, etc. Numerical stats are too vague to be of much use in the humanities. My GRE Verbal was roughly the same as yours and I was admitted to several highly respected schools and rejected by several "safety" schools. As an applicant, your goal is to convey your interest in and ability to produce thoughtful, original research. Personality is, actually, becoming ever more important, and many history programs now do interviews and visitations before granting offers of admission. I do apologize if I've simply "explained the obvious" to you, but I know that my undergraduate professors (who were not members of graduate school admissions committees) did a terrible job of explaining the intricacies of graduate admissions in the humanities. So I thought that I would share what I learned the hard way.

I ran everything through www.typegreek.com and then uploaded all writing samples, typed in MSWord, as .pdfs, with the fonts preserved as .jpgs (or whatever), and everything worked out for me. Macs tend to display the Greek from that site in a really screwy (albeit legible) way, so maybe consider another option if you're a Mac user.

The GRE is incredibly important for purposes of funding. Many departments will not admit you if you are not able to compete for funding among the entirety of a university's applicants (in all disciplines). The precise measure of its importance as an element of an application is, of course, infinitely debatable. It is, nonetheless, something to approach with forethought and preparation.

Last year, Johns Hopkins was among the latest responders, but the department apparently made offers secretly before sending out rejections, so I wouldn't wait for them.

Does either department offer information on placement rates of graduates?

Yay!!! Congratulations!

Can you--either here or in a PM to me--describe your background and goals at greater length? How much Latin and Greek have you had? To which programs did you apply? Is time and/or money an issue?

I'm super surprised that I haven't heard anything from them, since I had an interview in the middle of January. I've already accepted an offer elsewhere, but, nevertheless, I'm a bit nonplussed from their lack of communication (positive or negative).

Do you know why the paper was given a 'B' by your adviser?

What are your goals and interests?

Does your research require access to scarce resources? If not, that's plenty of time. And you could always go back and use paper #1 if you don't like/finish paper #2.

It basically comes down to time and money. If you're willing to spend both, you can become very competitive.

Absolutely! It's all important XD, though I'm sure that different departments weigh things differently.

It's possible that your recommending professors weren't "competitive," either within your field or within the discipline as a whole.

Pittsburgh has a very highly respected Classics, Philosophy, and Ancient Science interdisciplinary program (http://www.classics.pitt.edu/classics-philosophy/), though you'd have to enter the philosophy department, since the classics department's graduate funding has been axed completely. It did just hire a new Platonist though. And, of course, if Aristotle is your man, it's one of the best philosophy departments in the country. Sadly, the best schools are also the most competitive .

I was in a similar situation, and went from a history department to a classics department, although I had neither majored nor minored in classics, and I will tell you straight up: it's difficult. Not only are you competing for admission with classics majors, many of whom have had two to three times as many classes in Latin and Greek as you have had, but, once you gain admission, you're required to take reading classes on texts outside of your field of interest. For example, I'm mostly interested in Roman history, but only two of my eight MA level reading classes have focused primarily on Roman history. Then you have MA and PhD comps which you will have to take as a graduate student in a classics department, meaning that you will have to be able to read Homer, Virgil, and Sophocles with as much ease as you will need to be able to read Aristotle, Plato, and Seneca. Joining reading groups is, of course, a fantastic idea, BUT it is not as impressive or as indicative of your ability to read Latin and Greek as courses on a transcript would be. Even if you're more interested in philosophy than philology, you will need to be a philologist to succeed in a classics department. I do apologize if I seem too harsh. I certainly do not mean to be. But, I know, from experience, that it's a rough field to break into, and most schools only accept and fund about 5-10% of applicants every year. And the job market is such that, in order to find a job (let alone a tenure track job) you MUST graduate from a top tier school (assuming, of course, that your goal is to work in academia). I recommend entering a Post-Bac or certificate program. Your writing sample should contain as much proof as possible that you can read Greek and Latin, and you should have at least two (if not three) letters of recommendation from professors who can vouch for your language skills. Again, this is assuming that you want to move into a classics department. You could also email a few professors who work in the departments which interest you, and ask them, frankly, what sort of an academic background a student would need in order to be successful in their programs.

Thanks! I met a few of the current Archaeology students and professors during recruitment weekend, but I do not believe that I met any prospectives. I very well may meet them, however!

Congrats, everyone! It looks like I'll be heading to Brown. Did the department say that there's a possibility that funds will become available for your first year? Paying (even for one year) for a Classics PhD is a very risky investment. I'm finishing up an MA, and it would have been impossible to finish on time if I hadn't been funded. I can't imagine paying tuition and trying to find a way to support myself. I'm certainly not trying to rain on your parade, and I'm sure that you've thought long and hard about it, but, as a current graduate student, I feel a certain obligation to warn other prospective students of the trials and tribulations of the trade.

I'm sure that boring is better than obnoxious or insane ! I heard some great stories about past visiting students who were...not nice to be around.

Visiting weekends are weird. Some professors will ask question after question, while others will simply shoot the breeze with you during an "interview." I have yet to figure out if there's a reason for this. Perhaps some professors have already decided whose applications to support, or they have no say in admissions, or, maybe, they're mostly interested in personalities at that point in the game. At any rate, be prepared for anything .

I do know that my current school's administration takes a department's ranking into consideration when allocating funding.

If you're worried about placement, ask. In my experience most schools will tell you what their graduates do. If they have a good record, they'll brag about it.

That's ok. It's probably a better idea to be able to talk about your own research and interests to a greater degree than those of your POI.