Fall 2017 Applicants

[hypsipyle]

Hi all! No one had made this post yet (is the Classics corner of GradCafé slowly dying?!) so I figured I'd take the plunge. Who is applying for Classics and Classics-adjacent programs this cycle? What are your fields and interests? What are your hopes and dreams?

(I am not applying myself and am happily ensconced in my own PhD program, but am happy to answer any questions about applications, interviews, or life as a PhD student)

[ciistai]

Just popping in to say good luck to all you new applicants! ~good vibes~

[suntaliquidmanes]

I'm reapplying to Ph.D programs after last year's apps didn't work out. I completed my MA in Classics this year and currently teach secondary school Latin. Interested in Latin literature and ancient gender and sexuality, very broadly speaking. I, like very many of you, intend to further crowd the Classics job market. I know it's not very feasible financially, but I want to do what I love, consarnit. 

Edited December 12, 2016 by suntaliquidmanes

[the gadfly]

Thanks for starting this thread @hypsipyle.  I am an UG senior at Umich (*nods to @ciistai*) and currently applying to classics PhD's (Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Cornell, Toronto, Princeton).  I am interested in ancient philosophy (mostly Plato and Platonism) and am applying to some joint programs, though I am also interested in Greek lit generally, and am writing my senior thesis on genre and subtext in Herodotus I.  I too have my sights set on academia.  Interested in hearing from those who have applied/are applying to these schools and those applying  with an interest in anc. phil.  I've gone back and forth on a couple of other programs, out of the fear that I may be a bit ambitious in my selection...

Edited December 12, 2016 by the gadfly

[ploutarchos]

After recently finishing an MA, I'm another applicant to PhD programs in Classics this season. My interests revolve around the reception of archaic and classical Greek texts, primarily in early Christianity and Late Antiquity. For a few programs I've emphasized my interests in Byzantine studies.

[pro Augustis]

I am glad to see that the sub forum has not perished. Good luck with your apps, everyone! I would be glad to help if anyone has any questions about Columbia, Texas, or just Roman history stuff. 

[OvidInExile]

Senior and a half undergraduate at UofL right now, I keep wavering about graduate school.  I'm not committed to the idea of getting into academia (I scare easily) but really like the idea of getting an M.A. in Classics somewhere.  Currently looking at schools in the U.K. for the time frame and cost, but unsure about my chances of getting in to the places I'm considering.  Very interested in Latin elegiac poetry and Euripidean tragedy.  In states, I'm looking at Tulane, Notre Dame, and Boston College I think.  I haven't finished sorting out U.K. schools yet (late I know, but it seems like they have pretty late application deadlines).

[luisalasnjr]

Good to see this kind of messages! I'm in my finals week (doing double major in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering) so I have been a little absent from the forum during the past weeks. I'm applying to MS and PhD programs in Aerospace Engineering, starting on Fall 2017. I have already submitted 5 applications, and I'm working on 3 more. 

[suntaliquidmanes]

I encourage anyone considering an M.A. in Latin and Greek to apply to the University of Maryland, College Park. Their program is top-notch and one of the few fully-funded M.A. programs in Classics in the US. The location is great as well. OvidInExile, they have faculty there who share your interests if you're interested in an M.A...

Edited December 13, 2016 by suntaliquidmanes

[OvidInExile]

Thank you for the recommendation, I am looking at the program's page now.  A terminal M.A. is exactly what I'm looking for at this time so this program is definitely being shortlisted.  I appreciate the advice!

[anactoria]

Hey y'all, also happily ensconced in my program now after going through this last year. I mostly do Greek things, lit and philosophy especially. Let me know if anyone's got questions about the application process, etc.!

[ciistai]

On 12/12/2016 at 10:37 PM, OvidInExile said:

Senior and a half undergraduate at UofL right now, I keep wavering about graduate school.  I'm not committed to the idea of getting into academia (I scare easily) but really like the idea of getting an M.A. in Classics somewhere.  Currently looking at schools in the U.K. for the time frame and cost, but unsure about my chances of getting in to the places I'm considering.  Very interested in Latin elegiac poetry and Euripidean tragedy.  In states, I'm looking at Tulane, Notre Dame, and Boston College I think.  I haven't finished sorting out U.K. schools yet (late I know, but it seems like they have pretty late application deadlines).

I did my MPhil at Oxford and have a few friends who have done Classics MAs elsewhere in the UK (Birmingham, Cardiff) - let me know if you have any questions! I'm a Classical Archaeologist rather than a Classicist so I won't be tons of help with the nitty-gritty personally, but happy to answer any questions you have/ ask my friends for you. I could especially help out if you have any Qs about going from a North American university to a British one.

[FlosVeterisVini]

Good luck to all! Following this post because I will be going through this process next year. (Umich junior)

@the gadfly I believe we met at the graduate school information session! 

[Spiro Spero]

Hi all! I'm a senior in undergrad applying to US and UK classics programs this cycle with an intended specialization in classical archaeology. ciistai - I might need to ask you a thing or two about the US to UK transition when I hear back from the Brits! 

[ciistai]

On 1/3/2017 at 11:45 AM, Spiro Spero said:

Hi all! I'm a senior in undergrad applying to US and UK classics programs this cycle with an intended specialization in classical archaeology. ciistai - I might need to ask you a thing or two about the US to UK transition when I hear back from the Brits! 

Fire away!  Always glad to see another archaeologist on the board!

[Spiro Spero]

15 hours ago, ciistai said:

Fire away!  Always glad to see another archaeologist on the board!

I actually just got into Trinity College Dublin's MPhil in Classics yesterday - know anything about it/its reputation? It's not quite British but it's nearby, haha. I'm hoping to use the Masters as a springboard into the top/more selective PhDs afterwards. 

[Karou]

27 minutes ago, Spiro Spero said:

I actually just got into Trinity College Dublin's MPhil in Classics yesterday - know anything about it/its reputation? It's not quite British but it's nearby, haha. I'm hoping to use the Masters as a springboard into the top/more selective PhDs afterwards. 

I'm not sure I can be of much help but I just wanted to say hi and congrats on your acceptance!  I'm in the process of finishing up my application for an MPhil in Medieval History at Trinity myself. I initially took a look at the school because I'm an EU citizen applying mostly to schools in the UK and thought it might be safe to apply outside of the UK, because who knows what's gonna happen with Brexit at this point. Of course I wouldn't have applied just for that reason, but I happened to fall in love with the program also!

I don't know much about the school itself to be completely honest but I have a friend who is doing her MPhil in Irish Literature there and she loves it! She says it's a great learning environment with great faculty that is very helpful and encouraging. She also says that Dublin is a great city to live in.

That's about all I got! Where else in the UK are you applying? Sorry for being nosy but not many people on these forums are applying to Masters in the UK, it's nice to see somebody else doing that.

 

[Spiro Spero]

4 hours ago, Karou said:

I'm not sure I can be of much help but I just wanted to say hi and congrats on your acceptance!  I'm in the process of finishing up my application for an MPhil in Medieval History at Trinity myself. I initially took a look at the school because I'm an EU citizen applying mostly to schools in the UK and thought it might be safe to apply outside of the UK, because who knows what's gonna happen with Brexit at this point. Of course I wouldn't have applied just for that reason, but I happened to fall in love with the program also!

I don't know much about the school itself to be completely honest but I have a friend who is doing her MPhil in Irish Literature there and she loves it! She says it's a great learning environment with great faculty that is very helpful and encouraging. She also says that Dublin is a great city to live in.

That's about all I got! Where else in the UK are you applying? Sorry for being nosy but not many people on these forums are applying to Masters in the UK, it's nice to see somebody else doing that.

 

Oh awesome! I've heard they're fantastic in Medieval History. And the Book of Kells is right there!

Not nosy at all! It's exciting to hear from another applicant - there definitely aren't many(/any) at my university. Have you ever been to Dublin? I've only been to London as far as the British Isles go, but I hear it's a nicely-sized city- not too big, not too expensive, but still plenty to do. I just worry about the weather, haha. 

In the UK, I also applied to Sheffield and Cambridge. I was going to also apply to Durham, Edinburgh, and UCL, but I sort of ran out of steam and just stuck to those two + American ones, hahaha. How about you?

[Karou]

@Spiro Spero, yes I know, Trinity's library makes me want to cry! In a good way.

I've never set foot in Ireland! I seem to have met a LOT of people though who are completely infatuated with Ireland and it seems to be a great place. Wherever I end up next year I will make a point of visiting. My friend also said that Dublin is quite inexpensive, which is saying something considering that she's from Montreal which is arguably one of the cheapest cities in North America. And I'm actually looking forward to the weather in a way, I'm extremely over those nasty Canadian winters haha, but I know what you mean! I haven't been to a great many places in the UK either, I'm one of those people who always went far far away when it comes to travelling, I haven't really seen that much of Europe. I should remedy that.   

That's cool! I completely understand, you do have to pick and choose at some point, how many programs are you applying to in total? I'm applying to 7, although there's only 6 that require "real" applications. I'm applying to Uppsala in Sweden and all they want from me are my ID and my transcripts, so that one was pretty easy! Other than that I'm applying to Edinburgh, York, Oxford, Glasgow, King's College London and, as I said, Trinity. Applying to a range of Medieval and Early Modern programs depending on the school/department as I'm interested in the Renaissance, a period which no one seems to agree upon as far as time frame. Are you all done with your applications already? With the exception of Oxford, I found that everyone was super chill about deadlines over in the UK/Ireland. I guess maybe it's different for Internationals though!

I'm gonna stop now because I feel like I'm hogging the Classics thread talking about a bunch of off-topic things, apologies guys! 

 

[Spiro Spero]

Neat. I've got Irish descent and find it kind of funny that my family came to America looking for opportunity yet I might be going to Ireland from America to do the same all these years later, haha. I suppose it's definitely better than the winters on this side of the Atlantic! There's always those sun-lamps anyway during the bleaker spring/summer days if I need them, haha.

Hah, you're not hogging it, but I'll PM you  

[likeavirgil]

Hi everyone! I got tired of lurking and finally joined!

I'm a recent grad (Harvard 2015) hopefully leaving the professional world to get a classics PhD! Hellenistic history is my primary interest, but I'm not too picky.

I've applied to Michigan (IPGRH), Columbia (Classical Studies), Yale (Classics + History), Princeton (PAW), and UChicago (PAMW). So far, no news -- minus an unofficial "I liked your app" from a Chicago prof. Yipes!

Good luck, everyone! I'm afraid I'll be checking this obsessively from now until March...

[terraaurea]

Hello everyone! I just joined, and I'm also so, so anxious about applications. I'm an undergraduate senior double-majoring in Anthropology and Classical Civilization. I'm applying to MA and PhD programs in Classical Archaeology. Some are in Classics, others are purely Archaeology. 

So far I've applied/will apply to: Umich-Ann Arbor (IPCAA, PhD), UCLA (Cotsen Institute, PhD), University of Cincinnati (Classics, PhD), Cornell (Classics, PhD; second choice CIAMS MA), UTexas-Austin (Classics, PhD), Brown (Joukowsky, PhD), Florida State (Classics, MA), Colorado-Boulder (Classics, MA), Boston University (Archaeology, MA), and maybe University of Arizona (depends on if I hear back from anyone before the Feb 15th deadline). 

All of the programs are so selective, and there are so many wonderful applicants, so I feel really overwhelmed. I have a double-minor in French and Latin, will have 4 semesters of Greek by the time I graduate, and will have 2 semesters of German. I've done a field school over a summer in Cyprus, and came back to Cyprus this past summer for a study season. Even then I feel so anxious because I don't have any publications and I only have 5 semesters of Latin total (it seems like many people have studied it since they were in the womb and I am jealous!). I know my profs will write me wonderful letters because I've gotten to know them well, but they are realistic with me and don't lie when they say that even very competitive applicants get turned down or waitlisted...

I'm looking forward to keeping up with this thread and seeing how everyone's grad app journeys go!! I'm going to go twiddle my thumbs anxiously a little more.

P.S. my interests are in mainly Roman provincial archaeology and GIS/spatial analysis. I also still have a sweet-spot for Cypriot archaeology because I've grown attached to it over the last two years. 

[ciistai]

1 hour ago, terraaurea said:

Hello everyone! I just joined, and I'm also so, so anxious about applications. I'm an undergraduate senior double-majoring in Anthropology and Classical Civilization. I'm applying to MA and PhD programs in Classical Archaeology. Some are in Classics, others are purely Archaeology. 

So far I've applied/will apply to: Umich-Ann Arbor (IPCAA, PhD), UCLA (Cotsen Institute, PhD), University of Cincinnati (Classics, PhD), Cornell (Classics, PhD; second choice CIAMS MA), UTexas-Austin (Classics, PhD), Brown (Joukowsky, PhD), Florida State (Classics, MA), Colorado-Boulder (Classics, MA), Boston University (Archaeology, MA), and maybe University of Arizona (depends on if I hear back from anyone before the Feb 15th deadline). 

All of the programs are so selective, and there are so many wonderful applicants, so I feel really overwhelmed. I have a double-minor in French and Latin, will have 4 semesters of Greek by the time I graduate, and will have 2 semesters of German. I've done a field school over a summer in Cyprus, and came back to Cyprus this past summer for a study season. Even then I feel so anxious because I don't have any publications and I only have 5 semesters of Latin total (it seems like many people have studied it since they were in the womb and I am jealous!). I know my profs will write me wonderful letters because I've gotten to know them well, but they are realistic with me and don't lie when they say that even very competitive applicants get turned down or waitlisted...

I'm looking forward to keeping up with this thread and seeing how everyone's grad app journeys go!! I'm going to go twiddle my thumbs anxiously a little more.

P.S. my interests are in mainly Roman provincial archaeology and GIS/spatial analysis. I also still have a sweet-spot for Cypriot archaeology because I've grown attached to it over the last two years. 

Good luck and do not worry about the publications (most don't have any as undergrads) or the Latin - you seem very qualified. Your modern language experience is a serious asset as is your fieldwork experience. Let me know if you have any Qs about IPCAA!

Edited January 10, 2017 by ciistai

[ciistai]

On 1/6/2017 at 1:51 PM, Spiro Spero said:

I actually just got into Trinity College Dublin's MPhil in Classics yesterday - know anything about it/its reputation? It's not quite British but it's nearby, haha. I'm hoping to use the Masters as a springboard into the top/more selective PhDs afterwards. 

I don't know anything about that one sadly! However the MPhil is a great step before the PhD (especially an American PhD) and I very seriously recommend it. I applied to PhDs while still doing my BA and my top choice school told me to go do my Master's and reapply. Did my MPhil, reapplied a few years later, and got in!  #happyendings 

[likeavirgil]

@terraaurea, I'll second ciistai about publications, although with far less authority. Towards the end of undergrad, I was preparing to clean up a batch of term papers in the hopes of getting one or two published by some random undergraduate classics journal as a resume-stuffer, but a prof dissuaded me by explaining that they aren't remotely necessary for admission (and that they can even become a bit awkward down the line in your professional career).