Classics 2010

[spozik]

I thought that this would be good to start. I know some applications are due in mid-January and early February (particularly MA programs and some international ones), but the bulk of the deadlines for most US schools are quickly approaching or have already passed. Any last words? Anticipations or hopes? General Classics discussion? Let's share it all here rather than having a bunch of tangential threads. It looks like these have been successful in previous application seasons, anyway.

As for me, all 9 of my applications are out! I'm just sitting tight and playing the waiting game.

[Joe001]

I still have a few things to do, but I'm mostly done! And then its the waiting game for a month and a half

[LateAntique]

All of my applications are out. I just have to mail a copy of my GRE scores to the department at Iowa, but they aren't due until Jan 15th. I've been told that I should hear back from Duke by early February, so I'm getting excited.

[caputmundi]

Hi guys! I feel behind the ball. I still have two (mid-Jan. deadlines) left to submit. I thought staggering would be wise but I'm starting to regret it. I feel myself getting sloppier with these later applications! I'm just ready for it to be OVER.

LateAntique--That's fabulous news about Duke! As you know, I applied there too. Did someone from the program let you know they would have your decision by then? Not to jinx you, but hearing early is probably very good news. It seems admits and rejects go out early, with all of the other in betweeners not getting word until later in the season.

[LateAntique]

Hi guys! I feel behind the ball. I still have two (mid-Jan. deadlines) left to submit. I thought staggering would be wise but I'm starting to regret it. I feel myself getting sloppier with these later applications! I'm just ready for it to be OVER.

LateAntique--That's fabulous news about Duke! As you know, I applied there too. Did someone from the program let you know they would have your decision by then? Not to jinx you, but hearing early is probably very good news. It seems admits and rejects go out early, with all of the other in betweeners not getting word until later in the season.

It's just Duke's style - one of my friends in the program told me that.

[LateAntique]

I have an entirely hypothetical question. On the super slim chance that you don't get in anywhere, what are you going to do? I was thinking about it: I have a double major in Religion and Classics from a state school. Who in the heck is going to hire me? I don't have enough Latin to teach it (I have 18 hours, one needs at least 24).

[Joe001]

I think I'm going to go to law school eventually (3-5 years) and do business law and make a ton of money xD In the meantime, gosh, I don't know. Oy.

[spozik]

I'm not sure what I would do if I get rejected everywhere, to be honest. I've worked in a few different areas since I got my BA a few years ago, so I imagine I'd just go back to doing one of those things. If I were just coming out of undergrad and had all of my future-eggs in this basket, I'd feel really crushed if I didn't get in. Some time and distance has given me some better perspective though, I think.

[LateAntique]

I'm not sure what I would do if I get rejected everywhere, to be honest. I've worked in a few different areas since I got my BA a few years ago, so I imagine I'd just go back to doing one of those things. If I were just coming out of undergrad and had all of my future-eggs in this basket, I'd feel really crushed if I didn't get in. Some time and distance has given me some better perspective though, I think.

What have you been doing? I need some ideas!

[ClemSnide]

I know someone who got rejected every place she applied (but then she only applied to three programs I think). This was right after her BA. She was devastated but she enrolled for a terminal MA at her alma mater, did one year, applied again and is now at a really good school.

In the past whenever I`ve needed a little bit of money I did freelance writing for local arts magazines. They`re always looking for people to do reviews, previews etc and because these tend to be small independent publications, they don`t care that you don`t have a journalism degree, as long as you can decently enough. The pay, of course, is crap, but that sort of work is always an option.

But I`m sure you won`t have that problem LateAntique.

Just thinking about not getting in is giving me terrible heartburn, and I`m applying for 2011 entry!

[Joe001]

PHEW I've finally finished all my apps. Huzzah! Now all I can do is wait. This will be fun.

[LateAntique]

PHEW I've finally finished all my apps. Huzzah! Now all I can do is wait. This will be fun.

Excellent! Do you know which school you will hear from first?

[Joe001]

I really don't know. UNC had the earliest deadline but I'm sure they get a lot of applications.

[spozik]

I really don't know. UNC had the earliest deadline but I'm sure they get a lot of applications.

If it's helpful, I got an e-mail from UNC's admin. saying that my application was complete and that letters should be mailed in late February. I applied to Wisconsin -- they decide really early (their admin. said end of January). It will be a good litmus test early in the decisions process, I think.

[Joe001]

Oh god my retard last recommender STILL hasn't sent in his letters! All but 2 will be late. Gee, that's going to look just great when they are reviewing my app. WTF is he doing? He hasn't checked his email or anything in like 3 weeks. So frustrating.

[LateAntique]

Since this is our catch-all thread, I'll post my question here. With the humanities on the decline and with Classics being in a minority position within that shrinking category ('Gone are the days when all men who had claim to education and who in their various spheres moulded the current of events had a common background and training in the classics'), would you be willing to teach somewhere other than a 4 year university? What would be your Plan B if you receive a Ph.D and cannot find a job? Considering that the days are gone when "Harvard" or "Brown" written on your degree would secure your future, what are those of us who are going to second tier programs going to do after we graduate?

My plan B would be to teach at a private high school/college prep OR adjuncting at a couple of universities until I get tired of it. My SO and I will probably get married and she's getting her Ph.D in the sciences from a prestigious program. If we're still together, I can probably manage to work out something with the university she ends up at (and I would not be ashamed of that at all). If we're not together, then I've only got myself to worry about and I am the most frugal person I know (aside from my book budget).

[johndiligent]

Since this is our catch-all thread, I'll post my question here. With the humanities on the decline and with Classics being in a minority position within that shrinking category ('Gone are the days when all men who had claim to education and who in their various spheres moulded the current of events had a common background and training in the classics'), would you be willing to teach somewhere other than a 4 year university? What would be your Plan B if you receive a Ph.D and cannot find a job? Considering that the days are gone when "Harvard" or "Brown" written on your degree would secure your future, what are those of us who are going to second tier programs going to do after we graduate?

My plan B would be to teach at a private high school/college prep OR adjuncting at a couple of universities until I get tired of it. My SO and I will probably get married and she's getting her Ph.D in the sciences from a prestigious program. If we're still together, I can probably manage to work out something with the university she ends up at (and I would not be ashamed of that at all). If we're not together, then I've only got myself to worry about and I am the most frugal person I know (aside from my book budget).

I'm only applying to one Classics programme, but since I'm remaining on the periphery of Classics, may subsequently pursue a Classics PhD, and Religious Studies is in similar circumstances, I'm going to reply anyway.

I've not only heard horror stories but I've seen several close-up. One of my dearest friends got an ivy league PhD and has never managed to get a permanent position. It's not for lack of brains, teaching ability, publishing, or anything that he can control. He's simply never emerged the successful candidate and the further away he's gotten from his graduation year, the harder it's been to even get work as an adjunct.

Because of that, I'm fully conscious of the fact that I might as well be embarking on a mission to become a famous actor as a tenure-track Humanities professor. It's always going to be my first goal and in lieu I'd always want to adjunct but I get that it's a long shot.

I've got a series of back-up plans, in no particular order:

B: Teaching in high-school/CC

C: Working in a museum

D: A second PhD in a more employable field

E: Working in archaeology at some level (including managing archaeological collections)

F: Tour guide for a historic site related to my field

G: Host a History Channel, Discovery Civilization, etc. show

H: Consultant for History Channel, Discovery Civilization, etc. programming or movies set in antiquity

I: Writing popular books on historical, religious and classical themes

J: Travel writing

K: Found and own an eco-tourism company or wilderness survival school

L: Move to a kibbutz in Israel. Stay there.

M: Antiquities dealer (I'd have to check some principles first).

N: Antiquities forger (OK, a LOT of principles)

O: Edit/publish popular books on historical, religious and classical themes

P: Do the game show circuit, making money with my trivia(l) skills.

Q: Open a cool coffee shop in a high-traffic graduate student area so that I can essentially be the Barman Tom who serves as their confidante, unofficial dissertation advisor, and warning. I'll frame all the acknowledgments and put them on the wall and eventually it'll be that famous place where Hip Young Scholars wrote their dissertations.

R: Stand-up comedian. It's essentially the professorate, just people pay less (or more, depending on how you look at it) to listen to you ramble.

S: Become a professional adventurer.

T: Use the winnings from P to support myself while I crack Linear A. (Unlikely, but what the hell)

U: Write a book on how to secure a tenure-track position. If it sells a single copy, feast off of the irony for a lifetime.

[ClemSnide]

Sarah Ruden is an example of someone who has a PhD from an Ivy but is not in academia. She, among other things, writes translations of classical works (her translation of Satyricon is pretty good).

My Plan B is:

1) Working for a university press

2) Becoming a librarian (I wouldn't do a second degree though; I heard something about a presentation at the APA meeting on successfully going into the library field with "just" a Classics PhD).

3) Going into journalism, writing for something like the New York Review of Books.

4) Becoming an elementary school teacher. Yay kids!

5) Teaching Latin, Greek, French at a posh private school like Boston Latin (if they'll have me).

6) Editing (i.e. grammar glosses etc) intermediate Latin and Greek texts - because all the ones I've used suck.

Edited January 9, 2010 by ClemSnide

[ClemSnide]

John: Are you applying to U of Toronto for fall 2010 admission? I'm applying there next year. And who are you planning to work under at U of Alberta? Just curious; I know several people who did their MAs there. If you need any information about their program, I'd be glad to give you the dirt! I know way too much about the gossip and program there.

[johndiligent]

John: Are you applying to U of Toronto for fall 2010 admission? I'm applying there next year. And who are you planning to work under at U of Alberta? Just curious; I know several people who did their MAs there. If you need any information about their program, I'd be glad to give you the dirt! I know way too much about the gossip and program there.

I'm studying early Christianity so I'm applying to a mix of Religious Studies programmes and interdisciplinary Classics/Religious Studies/Near Eastern studies programmes. I'm applying to Religion at U of Toronto to work with Bryant, Kloppenborg, Newman, etc. and at U of Alberta I'm hoping to work with Willi Braun. I imagine I'll be a frequent lurker of the Classics departments at each institution, though, since my topic does require the insights of amenable classicists on occassion.

[ClemSnide]

If you do end up going to U of A, Chris Mackay would be a good guy to talk to due to his interest and work in medieval theology and medieval, scholastic Latin.

[caputmundi]

Slightly off-topic... but an acceptance is an acceptance, so congrats to LateAntique on Teach for America! Do you know where they placed you/what grade level?

It must be nice to have gotten some good news in the midst of all this waiting!

[LateAntique]

Slightly off-topic... but an acceptance is an acceptance, so congrats to LateAntique on Teach for America! Do you know where they placed you/what grade level?

It must be nice to have gotten some good news in the midst of all this waiting!

It's nice to know that I won't be asking people, "Is 2% okay?" (that's a coffee shop reference...). Things haven't been finalized yet, but it looks like Eastern NC or Charlotte, NC. I would prefer HS History, but we'll see what comes my way.

[caputmundi]

It's nice to know that I won't be asking people, "Is 2% okay?" (that's a coffee shop reference...). Things haven't been finalized yet, but it looks like Eastern NC or Charlotte, NC. I would prefer HS History, but we'll see what comes my way.

That's great! As far as back-up plans go, yours is tops. Here's to continued success.

[Joe001]

Oy. Final recommender's rec letters have been received. Now I really get to relax and wait a month. I wish I could find out sooner if I get denied/accepted with funding. Ergh.