aiming too high? Help!

[warblersrule]

Warning: I am highly opinionated about Classics programs.

@ClassicsMaj

thanks! I hadn’t considered Hamilton, though was looking at a number of other LACs including Reed, Vassar, etc

With only 3 full-time faculty and one visiting professor, Hamilton has a smaller classics department than some of the other selective LACs. The limitations are readily apparent – Hamilton doesn’t offer intro Greek in the fall, for example, so new classics majors are forced to start Greek in the spring and wait until the following fall semester to finish the normal first year sequence, hardly an ideal scenario. Additionally, only one course each in Greek and Latin are offered this semester beyond the intro level. (Needless to say, intermediate and advanced students have no business taking the same course.)

@ClassicsMaj

Hi - thanks. A bit more info which might give you a better picture of me. I am a permanent resident with a [British] passport - I lived in Europe half my life.

@ClassicsMaj

I would like a rigorous academic environment and a well-resourced department, particularly for involvement in archaeology and other ways of examining the classics beyond the literature.

Are you considering any universities in the UK? There are no better options worldwide for classics and Old World archaeology than Oxford and UCL, respectively. The deadline for Oxford is in one week (October 15).

UK universities require you to have lived in the UK for 3 years prior to university to qualify for UK tuition, though, so that may be an issue.

@ClassicsMaj

The classics department is meant to be better at UofT but I like McGill better. My college counselor said that the way they administer admissions would make a me a strong candidate on the basis of my test scores / essay

UBC is well worth a look too, as it has arguably the best classics program in Canada after Toronto.

@DHMchicago

When you have a very specialized interest such as classics, what you want is a top tier department, not a top tier college. There is of course a lot of overlap, but many renowned departments reside in colleges that are not too difficult to gain admittance to or are in state flagships.

Agreed. Only the wealthiest and most selective universities have the resources to run obscure ancient history programs in fields like Egyptology and Assyriology, but good Classics programs are more widespread.

The best flagships have superb classics programs (e.g. Michigan, UNC Chapel Hill, UT Austin, Berkeley and UCLA, etc.), but there are many good but not hyper selective public universities with very strong classics programs. Examples include but are not limited to U Arizona, Florida State, Ohio State, U Minnesota, SUNY Buffalo, CU Boulder, UGA, U Kansas, U Florida, and U Cincinnati.

@Midwestmomofboys

While still a reach, Haverford might be worth considering because of the academic cooperation with Bryn Mawr which has strong classical archaeology and classics.

I strongly second this. Haverford/BMC/Penn and Duke/UNC are the standout classics consortiums in the US. Additionally, the Penn Museum is fantastic.

@menloparkmom

And USC’s Classics program is not strong.

I disagree somewhat with this assessment. It is not yet a powerhouse in classics, admittedly, but it has taken great strides in recent years. Last year the department hired a whopping 3 (!) new faculty members; it is rare for a top university to hire even new classicist (i.e. one that is not simply replacing a retiring faculty member). USC’s philosophy program is also quite good.