Classics Ph.D.

[whydoiloveLatin]

χαιρε!

I stumbled across this website a while back and bookmarked it thinking it would be useful when I start to pursue my Ph.D. and I'm really glad that I did. As you may have deduced from the topic title and my first sentence I would like to pursue my Ph.D. in the Classics, but first let me give you a bit a background information about myself.

First off, let me apologise for any spelling/wording differences. I'm American but I've been living in London for almost two years and I've adopted the British vocabulary and spelling for my dissertation and my numerous essays and haven't reverted back to the American system yet. My first degree or bachelor's degree is in engineering, but I minored in the Classical Studies taking the following modules: Intermediate Latin, Greek Tragedies in Translation, Ancient World to 180 BC, and Ancient Greek Civilisation. Since then I have obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in the Classical Studies with Intermediate Latin, Beginners Greek, Performance Literature, and History of the Byzantine Empire as my module choices and I'm currently finishing up my M.A. in the Classics with Intermediate Greek, Greek Epigraphy, and Pompeii and Herculaneum as my modules. Naturally the next step is the Ph.D. but since I did not have a heavy exposure to Classics prior to my minor I am uncertain as to what I'd like to specialise in/concentrate on for my Ph.D. (i.e. linguistics, philology, epigraphy, papyrology). I really enjoyed my intermediate (and beginners) language courses but I also have an interest in epigraphy and possibly papyrology although I haven't had any exposure to papyrology.

My main concern is that I won't appear to be an ideal Ph.D. candidate since my first degree is in engineering with an overall B- GPA and my exposure to the Classics is only two years in length, excluding my minor. I also feel that I'm at a disadvantage because my exposure to the ancient texts are limited as well. (Beginners Latin and Greek was based off of Wheelocks and Athenaze respectively; in Intermediate Latin we covered Catullus, Livy, Cicero and Virgil and a few stories in Fabulae Graecae; in Intermediate Greek we mainly covered Lysias' On the Murder of Eratosthenes and a little Xenophone).

I will not be pursuing my Ph.D. immediately after my M.A. because my brain could really use a break and I need some time to reflect on my courses and to plan a course of action. During this 'time off' I'll be teaching English in Asia but I will also use my free time to prepare for the GRE and to familiarise myself with the remaining Greek and Latin texts that I've not been exposed to. Prior to making a Ph.D. application I plan on applying to a post baccalaureate program to strengthen my previous knowledge of the languages.

I'm a planner and I like to plan things in advance (but in this case, waaayyy in advance). What advice do you guys have? Am I trying to make a mountain range out of a grain of sand? (which I have a tendency to do. I know the expression is a mountain out of a mole-hill, but I'm a bit extreme. lol.)

[sacklunch]

Classics is not my primary field, though as someone who spends a lot of time studying languages (including Greek), I would advise you to keep working on your languages once you're out of school. We all know how fast you loose language skills, especially if you are considering continuing on with more graduate work.

I'm not sure how common it is in classics, but in my field (religion) it is EXTREMELY common to acquire two, and in some cases three, masters to be competitive at top schools. You may consider another masters in the states at some of the more well-known funded programs (UA, WASHU, ect).

cheers

[whydoiloveLatin]

Classics is not my primary field, though as someone who spends a lot of time studying languages (including Greek), I would advise you to keep working on your languages once you're out of school. We all know how fast you loose language skills, especially if you are considering continuing on with more graduate work.

I'm not sure how common it is in classics, but in my field (religion) it is EXTREMELY common to acquire two, and in some cases three, masters to be competitive at top schools. You may consider another masters in the states at some of the more well-known funded programs (UA, WASHU, ect).

cheers

Thanks! I had not thought about a second M.A. I'll most definitely give it some thought!!

[Pius Aeneas]

It sounds like you're already doing everything right. Since you plan on doing a post-bac and will already have an M.A. in Classics, in addition to teaching abroad (I assume this sort of thing can only strengthen your app), I don't know if I'd recommend doing another M.A...doing the post-bac will strengthen your languages if you're concerned about them and you can do other courses as well. I'm not even sure if schools would accept you to do an M.A. in Classics as you will already have one.

[whydoiloveLatin]

It sounds like you're already doing everything right. Since you plan on doing a post-bac and will already have an M.A. in Classics, in addition to teaching abroad (I assume this sort of thing can only strengthen your app), I don't know if I'd recommend doing another M.A...doing the post-bac will strengthen your languages if you're concerned about them and you can do other courses as well. I'm not even sure if schools would accept you to do an M.A. in Classics as you will already have one.

Thanks for responding Pius! After giving some thought about a second M.A. I have come to the conclusion that it may not be the best financial move. I think I'm just worried that I won't appear to be an ideal candidate since I haven't breathed the Classics all of my life and since I plan on teaching English abroad.

[Pius Aeneas]

No problem! I don't think that it's necessary for Classics to have been your passion since day one (it wasn't mine either, initially). It does make things easier, however, mostly because you have more time to work on the languages and build relationships with Professors, who can point you in the correct direction when you choose graduate programs and write strong letters for you. Also, I feel that having an M.A. is beneficial when applying to a PhD program, in that it shows potential programs that you have the ability to do graduate-level work.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Pius Aeneas