cicero63
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Posts posted by cicero63
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Isn't there a way to talk about my journey with the languages in a positive way? In Latin, I felt everything this semester start to click and I feel really confident in my abilities. In Greek, I'm getting there. I want to communicate that learning both of the languages has enhanced my abilities as a future scholar and because I've had to work harder to understand and be good at reading the languages, I would be a better professor because I can relate to students.
Certainly, you can do that. But in the end, I would suspect that the committees want to see that you reached an A standard by the end of the standard Latin or Greek progression you took.
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I have barely a 3.2 overall GPA due to some crummy grades in gen ed classes. I have a B average combined in the classical languages (3 years of Latin and 2 years of Greek). I am at the point in Latin where things are really starting to click, and I'm proud of my progress. In Greek I am not quite there yet but I feel positive that things will only go up. These things are causing me some anxiety about being admitted into my dream program at U of AZ - both of the staff members who I want to work with are interested in what I want to do my thesis on, but I still have to win over the rest of the department. I do however, have a lot of research experience, perhaps more than a lot of other applicants (2 independent studies, 3 paper presentations at undergrad conferences, field work, which included a special project with the director and lab supervisor duties), leadership positions in classics and archaeology clubs, and a grant from CAMWS for my fieldwork this past summer. I for sure have two, possibly three solid recommendations. Do you think I still have a decent shot of getting admitted into the program?
Hi there - first thing is first: I don't think any program would offer you funding for the incoming summer in an MA program, unless under exceptional circumstances. Second, a B average in the languages is not going to look promising to graduate committees. You need at least an A- average in the languages. Here I would suggest a post-bac program to bring those up to speed and have some better grades under your belt. Your research and field experience is excellent, but that needs to be backed up with philological surety--at least in the eyes of programs such as UoAZ. Perhaps UPenn's post-bac vel sim. might be a good option to pursue.
best wishes--
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I too have been told that Harvard is in a ditch. They have lost several good Professors to other universities (e.g. Krebs - Stanford; Luraghi - Princeton), and they only have one ancient historian. So, judging by the recent APA job advertisements, they are trying to buttress their ranks (3 ads or so this past season). I know a few people who turned down Harvard for other schools, primarily because of their lack of Professors and reputation. But now that someone on here has posted (today) that they are offering stipends of $35,000 p.a. to PhD students (please clarify if that's incorrect), I think that will be hard for most applicants to reject--it's $8000-10000 more per year than a few other Ivy league programs are currently offering (and should be offering--god knows that they can afford to do so...). So I wonder if we'll see Harvard on the up and up in the next few years...indeed, as pointed out above: they still have great placement power.
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Hi there ciistai,
I was in a similar situation this past application season. I had not taken any mathematics courses during university, and dropped my maths classes in my final year of high school --in favour of history and english subjects. Maths was never my strong suit.
I studied for the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section quite a bit, yet I did not score that well. However, my scores in the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections were quite good.
I received offers for PhD programs in Ancient History/Classics/Classical Studies (with full funding) from two Ivy league institutions, and Oxford (for an MPhil, with scholarship), and might have received another two offers from US universities (1 Ivy, 1 other pirvate institution) had I not told them I had accepted another university first.
Not once was the GRE mentioned in any of the emails I received from the Professors running the US programs, nor did it come up in the interviews or on-campus visit. Many Professors do not seem to think it relevant--but their insitutions require applicants to take it. I've also heard that some Professors do not know how to interpet the test scores and what they might reveal about an applicant's suitability for their program--because let's face it, you're applying to a pretty specilaised discipline which rarely has contact with algebraic formulae or Pythagorean theorems.
I suspect the clinching aspect of my application was my GPA, writing sample, ancient/modern language proficiency, references, research assistant work/publications/presentations, and awards/previous scholarships (in that order of importance, based on what was mentioned in my interviews). But it is hard to say if this is entirely true for every program. I believe Departmental/Faculty politics will always play a role too.
Either way, I would not stress too much--especially as you are coming from outside of the US system, where I suspect (?) most undergraduates have exposure to a broader curriculum in their early undergraduate years.
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Most definitely take as much German as possible. As someone familiar with late antique and early christian scholarship, you will run into German scholarship all of the time - and it is usually quite dense, academic German. Graduate programs appear to look most favourably upon a practical knowledge of academic German - so focus on taking "German Reading" courses. Arabic would obviously very useful - and it may give you an edge when applying to some of the best Graduate programs.
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I'm still looking out for JHU's rejection letter. I am also looking for advice
.I am history major (minors in German and philosophy) at a small university which lacks a Classics department. As a result, I was able to take only two years of Latin (which, luckily, were composed of upper-division classes, since I had a great high school Latin teacher) and one year of graduate, albeit intro, level Greek as an undergraduate. This, I believe, was a significant detriment to my applications to ancient history programs, despite my writing sample, which demonstrated my ability to work with both languages at an advanced level.
I now have seven rejections (assuming that JHU will eventually send my letter/email) and an offer of admission to what is, essentially, a dying Classics program. I visited and loved it. The students are intelligent and friendly and the professors are accomplished and charming. I was informed, however, that I would likely be the last student admitted to their graduate program, in the absence of an economic miracle. Two of the programs eight tenured faculty members are being forced to retire within two years. Funding was originally highly probable, but I received an email several days ago informing me that funding was now quite uncertain.
My question then, is this: given my painfully-obvious lack of "formal" training in Latin and Greek, would it be a wise decision to obtain an MA in Classics (my BA will be in History) and then re-apply to Ancient History PhD programs? How common is it to receive a master's and a PhD from different institutions?
Nota bene: Money will not be a deciding factor, although it is perhaps worth considering.
Can I ask which university and dying classics program you are referring to?
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Just letting everyone know that I'll be declining the offers from Princeton (PAW) and Oxford (MPhil Ancient History). Hopefully that opens up two places!
[chose Columbia CLST]
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Ok great, thanks! I have noticed that one of the Greek historians hails from the Berkeley program, and two others from University College London.
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Hi all,
I am just wondering whether you have heard of anyone getting a job at Oxford or Cambridge after going through the US graduate school system (Ivy league), or is it true that they only really hire their own graduates?
Many thanks!
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Hey,
I just wanted to know when did the notify you about the Ertegun Sholarship. I applied for this too but haven't yet heard from them.
The weekend just passed - via email from my Faculty DGS (official letter to follow I am told). I think it is done a Faculty by Faculty basis, as one of my friends has also applied from Egyptology and hasn't heard anything yet.
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Wow, congrats on all your wonderful options!
Out of purely selfish curiosity, what Oxford scholarship? I was accepted to the university a few weeks ago, and am awaiting further funding information. I've been getting anxious!
Hi rawrachu,
It's the Ertegun scholarship in humanities. (The "new Rhodes" according to my prospective supervisor - but that is probably pushing it).
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Cicero,
First off, congrats at such an amazing application season!!
Where are all your choices, if you don't mind me asking?
Not too sure what your particular focus is, but off the top of my head I'd say go for Princeton. It was my top choice (I do imperial Roman history), and they have the trifecta of Roman historians there; Edward Champlin, Harriet Flower, and Brent Shaw. Plus you can take courses at UPenn, Columbia, NYU, CUNY, and Rutgers. I also think that Princeton has one of the best placement records of US programs in Classics.
Thanks Veilside1! I'm also interested in Roman history (Republican mainly) and Latin literature (but also Greek papyri and epigraphy as secondary interests). My choices are Princeton (PAW), Columbia (CLST), and Oxford (MPhil in Ancient History). I only really applied where I thought there was a sufficient pool of supervisors to work with.
Yes, Princeton does seem amazing: faculty, funding, and library; but the main drawback is the inflexibility of their program. For some, this may have an appeal; for me the flexibility of Columbia's CLST program (and the location) has greater appeal (I think - I'm still thinking about it). Oxford is obviously an entirely different kettle of fish, and has its own merits (and where I come from, people would gawk if you were to decline a scholarship to Oxford).
I also applied to JHU (withdrew my name) and Harvard (wait listed).
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Hi all,
I was just wondering what everyone's opinion of the following might be?
Oxford (MPhil Ancient History) vs. US Ph.D. programs (Columbia Classical Studies; Princeton PAW)
Princeton PAW vs. Columbia CLST
I've received several offers (full 5-year fellowships in the US; amazing scholarship for Oxford) and I think I know which one I want to accept, but it is still a hard choice. I am also unfamiliar with both systems, and I have found the pressure each program puts on you to accept their offer quite unnerving (emails every week!)!
Anyone in a similar situation?
I have also been wait listed for Harvard (not my first choice in any case--it's too philologically centred). I have also withdrawn my name from Johns Hopkins (who were going to make me an offer this week, but sounded me out first; they've been slow in giving offers, apparently due to funding issues - FYI for anybody still waiting to hear back).
Fall 2015 applicants
in Classics
Posted
Let me second what Anonclassics just said. Even if you really, really, want to become a Classics/Archaeology Professor, you really need to consider some brutal facts about yourself and ask some brutal questions of your academic mentors:
1) Am I good enough to get into a "good enough" program? (i.e. look at the placement records of the places you are applying to--look at who is successful, look at the CVs of recently appointed VAPs or tenure-track APs). This is serious: I see way too many MA students being given false hope by their own programs that they will get into a PhD program, when in reality, the program just wants their tuition fees, and the students will need much more work to get to the required level than the 2 year MA can provide, or, quite bluntly, the students just aren't good enough. Classics isn't for everyone--everyone would be wise to ask themselves whether they are really good enough.
2) Do I have the endurance to survive the demands of the program?
3) Am I willing to sacrifice a lot of emotional energy, physical energy, TIME, and other goals (making a family, etc.) for the program and career?
4) Am I willing to be financially poor for 5+ years? (that is, if you don't come from a place of means).
5) How many people are getting jobs? (the answer is already there: usually a smaller proportion than the number of accepted applicants to a program each year--Berkeley Classics probably bucked the trend last year, but that was exceptional. Basically, universities have been flooding the academic job market with newly minted PhDs; self-regulation of admittance numbers is needed across the board, but for now, there are too many job seekers out there and not enough jobs.)
Just my 2 cents, as someone currently in a PhD program--a top 5 program, if you want to call it that.