Classics PhD Programs

[emmaclassics19]

Hello everyone! I have a bit of a predicament. I could apply to graduate school this year and graduate early or I could graduate on time. Right now my Classics GPA is a 3.7 (civilization is not my thing; I get As in all language courses and seminars though) and my cumulative GPA is a 3.5 (I had a really nasty non-Classics course), I've held four research positions, been awarded two research grants, presented at two conferences and am presenting at couple more (in addition to the normal undergraduate conferences), been published in an undergraduate Classics journal, and my professors say that my writing is exceptionally good. One of my professors said that I am a remarkably talented scholar. I have taken Latin and Greek every semester in college and I've always taken the highest level of Latin and except for my freshman year, I have done the same with Greek. I really want to go to University of Michigan (PhD or Masters in Classical Studies, maybe Ancient Philosophy) and University of Texas. Will I have a chance at those or should I wait a year and raise my GPA a bit (I'd be able to have a 3.9 Classics GPA and a 3.7 normal GPA since I overload my schedule and am now only in Classics courses)?

Edited August 14, 2018 by emmaclassics19

[dr. t]

There's nothing to be gained by rushing into this.

[suntaliquidmanes]

On 8/14/2018 at 3:03 PM, telkanuru said:

There's nothing to be gained by rushing into this.

This x100. Admissions committees may interpret your early graduation as more rash than precocious. More language experience will only help you.

[promethea]

In addition to the prior comments, GPA is far from the most important thing that admissions committees look at. As long as it's relatively high, it doesn't seem like it's given a second glance; the most important things are the research experience and the languages. However, I would also advise to just graduate on time (unless you're looking to graduate early to save money, which is totally understandable and important!) You still have to take the GRE, and more experience is always better. More time to work on writing those applications helps too-- mine took me about a year and a half.