Fall 2016 Applicants

[Pius Aeneas]

On 11/23/2015, 8:03:41, ciistai said:

Sorry for the double post - in need of some advice! I emailed two POIs a couple of weeks back. It's obviously a busy time of year. I've not heard back from either yet though and I'm starting to get a little worried about what the silence means. Am I worrying for no reason? The deadline for one of these programs is next week and I would have liked to have some sort of mutual interaction with a faculty member that might even yield some extra inspiration for my statement of purpose (which is basically finished anyway) but I don't know if I should actually take this as a bad sign... now I'm wondering whether I should apply at all!

I've met the other person before and I know they're frightfully busy basically all the time, so I'm really not worried about that one - the app's not due til later anyway...

Don't worry about this. I've heard that odds are 50/50 as to whether or not faculty will reply to prospective students. Most are, as others have mentioned, just busy and others probably have a personal policy of not responding for whatever reason. It shouldn't hurt your chances of being accepted to programs so long as your application is well put together and you have a good fit in the department.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Pius Aeneas

[ciistai]

Happy December everyone, and good luck with the final application push!!

[Pius Aeneas]

Well, there have already been some application deadlines, and the big December 15th deadline quickly approaches! How is everyone holding up?

[ciistai]

11 hours ago, Pius Aeneas said:

Well, there have already been some application deadlines, and the big December 15th deadline quickly approaches! How is everyone holding up?

5 down, 2 to go for me... hope yours have been going well!

[meangreen]

Hey Guys!

I am new here, just decided to join after lurking for a while. I hope your applications are going well.

I wanted to ask a question about the school rankings for Classics department. Is there a list of Classics programs that are supposed to be considered top-tiered? Would the Ivy League schools in America considered "top-tier" for classics programs? Is there even a ranking for Classics graduate programs?

I ask because I am applying to a bunch of programs, but I have been told that unless I get into a really good top-tier program, it will be really hard to get a job if I graduate. So essentially I would just be wasting my time unless I attend a good program, like an ivy-league school.

Is that true? What constitutes a good Classics program? I was wondering if any of you have heard something of this sort?

[ciistai]

14 hours ago, meangreen said:

Hey Guys!

I am new here, just decided to join after lurking for a while. I hope your applications are going well.

I wanted to ask a question about the school rankings for Classics department. Is there a list of Classics programs that are supposed to be considered top-tiered? Would the Ivy League schools in America considered "top-tier" for classics programs? Is there even a ranking for Classics graduate programs?

I ask because I am applying to a bunch of programs, but I have been told that unless I get into a really good top-tier program, it will be really hard to get a job if I graduate. So essentially I would just be wasting my time unless I attend a good program, like an ivy-league school.

Is that true? What constitutes a good Classics program? I was wondering if any of you have heard something of this sort?

So, firstly, I'm an archaeologist, not a philologist or an historian, so I can't say much about how good any specific Classics departments are. I did however remember this thread... it has some good perspectives not only on the usefulness of ranking at all, but on which programs are viewed as the strongest. There are some arguments about some personal opinions on that thread! And of course, some situations have changed based on very recent faculty changes over the last few years.

I'm personally of the opinion that a better fit in the department (in terms of your research) + good funding is more important than where a school is ranked on a list, but admittedly it is best to try for the top schools if you have the requirements for them (grades, language prep, etc). There are a number of non-Ivies that are pretty high up there too, Ivy League status isn't everything...!

Edited December 15, 2015 by ciistai
some clarification

[Pius Aeneas]

17 hours ago, meangreen said:

Hey Guys!

I am new here, just decided to join after lurking for a while. I hope your applications are going well.

I wanted to ask a question about the school rankings for Classics department. Is there a list of Classics programs that are supposed to be considered top-tiered? Would the Ivy League schools in America considered "top-tier" for classics programs? Is there even a ranking for Classics graduate programs?

I ask because I am applying to a bunch of programs, but I have been told that unless I get into a really good top-tier program, it will be really hard to get a job if I graduate. So essentially I would just be wasting my time unless I attend a good program, like an ivy-league school.

Is that true? What constitutes a good Classics program? I was wondering if any of you have heard something of this sort?

Definitely check out the thread that Ciistai posted, but if you want the quick-and-dirty, you'll generally need to attend an Ivy or one of the non-Ivy universities with a strong reputation in your particular area of Classics. That said, not all the Ivies are equal for everything Classics--for example somewhere like Harvard wasn't even a consideration for me as someone interested in Classical Archaeology. The usual suspects outside the Ivies are Stanford, Berkeley, UChicago, UMichigan, UNC Chapel Hill. I've also seen UCLA, UT Austin, UCincinnati, Duke, and Bryn Mawr included. Then there are programs which are tops in very specific areas of Classics, but not necessarily Classics more broadly.

Also, keep in mind that even once admission to one of the 'top' programs is obtained, you're a long ways away from facing the job market. So while you'll want to consider the best programs, you'll need to decide which, if any, have the best fit for your interests. Then you'll want to look at the financial support offered and the academic resources both the department and university have at their disposal.

[meangreen]

Thanks for the responses. I wish I had heard about this earlier, I thought that in applying for Grad school, what was most important was the fit and people you wanted to work with.

I didn't realize that the School's name carried so much weight for your future prospects.

Oh well, you live and you learn I suppose.

[clock]

With regards to program strength, I was given an interesting piece of advice when I applied to graduate school. It is this: look at/ ask about what types of dissertation research and dissertation writing fellowships and grants graduate students are receiving. Most top programs only guarantee 5 years of funding (although many have possibilities of additional year(s) from internal fellowships), but obviously many people in our field take more than 5 years to finish a PhD. So, strong programs have ABD grad students receiving competitive external fellowships with some regularity. This is particularly relevant for archaeologists and some types of ancient historians, who tend to apply to external fellowships and grants to fund fieldwork more than philologists, I think. 

Finding out about at dissertation fellowship recipients is not an easy thing to do. For one thing, isn't a compilation of such fellowships-- and there are a lot of them, depending on geographic research area or topic or temporal frame. Furthermore, not every department provides up-to-date grad student bios, and not every fellowship makes public the list of recipients. But, nevertheless, it's worth at least noting what fellowships the dissertation-phase students are receiving, when that information is available. External fellowships, particularly the more competitive ones, can be one telling indicator of how well a department is preparing its students for the wider world in their final years of grad school. 

[pro Augustis]

I just got a (Skype) interview request from Michigan's Interdepartmental Program in Greek and Roman History! It's a nice note to start the responses on, even if it means that I should probably take down the Alexander the Great poster from my wall, lest it come off as a bizarre attempt at ingratiation. 

[ciistai]

 

4 hours ago, pro Augustis said:

I just got a (Skype) interview request from Michigan's Interdepartmental Program in Greek and Roman History! It's a nice note to start the responses on, even if it means that I should probably take down the Alexander the Great poster from my wall, lest it come off as a bizarre attempt at ingratiation. 

Congratulations and good luck!!! That certainly was fast! When did you submit? I know their deadline was not that long ago! (I've not applied to IPGRH, but to IPCAA, so this has piqued my interest...)

Edited January 8, 2016 by ciistai

[pro Augustis]

I submitted on December third. The phrasing of the email, and the way that they offered a bunch of different interview slots, seemed to pretty heavily imply that this was sent to the present group of IPGRH folk* rather than one at a time. It was specifically addressed to IPGRH rather than all of the programs, though, so here's to you getting similar news in a few days!

*Or at least the group of people that they want to interview first for whatever reason

[anactoria]

Thought I'd de-lurk at last, since I'm officially getting antsy waiting to hear back (yes, I know, we've got a long way to go..).

I'm applying to PhD programs in Classics, hoping to focus on Greek lit and philosophy. I have a recent BA in Classics and English and am working on a one-year master's degree in English right now, so my major concern, application-wise, has been maintaining my languages in the time off/justifying my change of field in my statements of purpose/looking at all coherent. But, nothing to do now but wait!

Nice to meet you all, and good luck!

[Ruis27]

Sooooo does anyone know anything the classics ma at NYU? I applied and just got an email about how they'll send out interviews in late January if they're 'interested in moving forwards'. I wasn't aware they did interviews and now I'm a slightly hot mess. Are interviews a normal part of the application/admissions process, or are interviews given to those who may/may not be good enough to get in, and an interview is the way by which they decide?

 

I'd appreciate any answers! Thank you

[pro Augustis]

I think it's the opposite. You get an interview request if they are thinking of saying yes, if it is a school that does interviews. Why would they waste time interviewing people who have no chance? 

[ciistai]

Now that I have spent around 6 hours freaking out... got a call from IPCAA today & invite to recruitment weekend next month.

[pro Augustis]

Congratulations! That is so interesting that the different programs at Michigan handle whether to do the interview over Skype or in person differently...

[ciistai]

It is indeed a little strange! I also interviewed for IPCAA 2 years ago when I was about to finish my BA (didn't get in, obv) and I know the IPGRH people were also in town for recruitment weekend then, but maybe IPGRH has changed their strategy? Could it also be distance? Are you very far from Ann Arbor? I'm quite close - realistically it's only a short flight or an annoying Greyhound away for me.

Edited January 13, 2016 by ciistai

[pro Augustis]

I'm in NYC, so it wouldn't be that bad a trip. IPGRH will actually have an interview weekend, too: toward the end of the Skype interview, the interviewers mentioned that they would be meeting next week to discuss the interviews and that the next stage (for those who passed this one) would be an in-person meeting. 

[ciistai]

9 hours ago, pro Augustis said:

I'm in NYC, so it wouldn't be that bad a trip. IPGRH will actually have an interview weekend, too: toward the end of the Skype interview, the interviewers mentioned that they would be meeting next week to discuss the interviews and that the next stage (for those who passed this one) would be an in-person meeting. 

Ohhh so they have a two-step process! That makes sense!

Edited January 14, 2016 by ciistai

[Pius Aeneas]

Good luck to the two of you with interviews at Michigan! I ended up not applying to IPCAA because it isn't a great fit for me, but I have a friend who is there and he likes it. I also know two people in the ancient history program as well and they don't have any complaints either.

[ciistai]

On 1/14/2016 at 9:13 PM, Pius Aeneas said:

Good luck to the two of you with interviews at Michigan! I ended up not applying to IPCAA because it isn't a great fit for me, but I have a friend who is there and he likes it. I also know two people in the ancient history program as well and they don't have any complaints either.

Thank you! I have a few friendly acquaintances at IPCAA too and they seem to love it there. I'm thinking of reaching out to them for tips on the interview but not sure that would be the best idea... definitely nervous about it!!

[ciistai]

Congrats to the person who has just posted an acceptance to Classical Archaeology at Oxford! I went there for my Master's - feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

[pro Augustis]

Over the past few days I have gotten invites to the UT Austin and IPGRH interview weekends! ciistai, when is your visit? I wonder if all of the classical something or other programs will go at the same time. 

[ciistai]

15 minutes ago, pro Augustis said:

Over the past few days I have gotten invites to the UT Austin and IPGRH interview weekends! ciistai, when is your visit? I wonder if all of the classical something or other programs will go at the same time. 

Yayyy good on you!! Congrats!!! I applied to UT Austin last time around and they didn't answer me even after they had sent out a load of rejections so I withdrew my application in anger LOL

last time I interviewed at IPCAA the IPGRH and Classics people were there too, and we mingled a couple of times. IPCAA's weekend this year is Feb 18-21 - my flight is all booked! Hope it's the same weekend, would be cool to see you there! ?