<p>Forgive in advance my cross-posts on this subject. It doesn’t seem to fit perfectly into any category.</p>
<p>My daughter is currently a freshman in college and wants to attend an archaeological field school this summer, one that provides training (college credit is nice, but not essential) not just an opportunity to volunteer grunt labor. Her college has been less than useful (only told her that the longer the better) so I thought if I cast my net widely enough I might find someone with some knowledge.</p>
<p>She has already found a rather comprehensive list of field schools worldwide and links to how those schools describe themselves. What she hasn’t found is --</p>
<li><p>Anyone comparing different schools. The costs vary widely. Is there any reason to pay twice as much for the Harvard school as the Stanford one, for instance? If the training is more extensive, we are willing to pay more.</p></li>
<li><p>Any sense of the admission percentages generally or at different programs. If she applies to a place will she probably get in (she is at an Ivy and has good first semester grades)? Should she apply to 2-3 to be sure, or is 7-8 a better idea? The applications need to be made right now – she wants to do enough, but not to waste time and money being paranoid.</p></li>
<li><p>Any advice on making her application competitive. Her school doesn’t offer the intro archaeology course until spring, so she won’t get a recommendation there or the second archaeology course she is taking beginning today. What source of recommendations would be the most useful? Her first semester classes were two languages, an ancient lit class, and geology, with the highest grades being one language and the lit. I don’t know if this shows aptitude for field work. They always stress how physically demanding it is – should she have her fencing coach certify she can handle it?</p></li>
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<p>So any feedback on any of these questions or about particular programs would be appreciated. Her preference would be to dig in Egypt (she is an Egyptology major) but what few programs are there are too short and her school advises she would do better to go somewhere longer to get a better grounding in archaeology generally. So she is open to digs anywhere, with a preference for older sites. But a strong academic program will trump age.</p>
<p>This is a tough question because such specialized knowledge is required. I also wanted to do this when I was at college, but my interest was in a later period than your daughter's. I ended up going to University College, Cardiff, on a study abroad program and worked with Leslie Alcock on the Cadbury/Camelot dig. I got a thorough grounding in techniques that would be applicable to digging at any site. I have no idea if Cardiff still has a strong department but I do know that many British universities have excellent archaeology programs. I ended up going on for a doctorate in medieval history at Brown, but the archaeology background was a nice plus. </p>
<p>Whether a dig is "strenuous" or not may depend partly on where it is. Things were quite comfortable in Wales. You had to be willing to get down and dirty (and sometimes wet), but I did fine and I was not an athlete. If you are digging in Egypt, things may be different, both due to climate and the fact that Egypt is culturally very different than the U.S. I've heard of young females having minor problems in certain situations.</p>
<p>Has she looked into programs in Israel? I do know some kids who've worked on digs there during the summer and had a great time. I have no idea how "professional" such programs are, although Israel also has some universities that are doing amazing things in archaeology. </p>
<p>Have any of the other majors at her school done programs like this? I am surprised her profs can't help her with more specific recommendations. Sorry I can't be more helpful. Good luck to your daughter! </p>
<p>P.S. When son started the college application process, he was a likely biology/premed major. Now he is making "threatening noises" ;) that he has a growing interest in humanities, especially classical studies and ancient civilizations. He's been accepted EA at Chicago and has an RD application in at Brown.... So I may be looking for similar programs in a few years. If you find out something, please update us.</p>
<p>Oh, my daughter has looked all over the world! I can't remember offhand if anything in the UK is on her list. </p>
<p>She hasn't talked to all the archaeology folks at Brown yet, nor all the Egyptology professors, so she might find some more guidance. All anyone tells her is not to worry until February, when the anth department will open up its files on field schools. But I don't know that there is anything there other than information already on the web. Folks have mentioned where other students have gone, but there doesn't seem to be any knowledge of particular programs being stronger or weaker, other than thinking that longer schools are better.</p>
<p>Regular digs in Egypt probably aren't that bad because they are done during the winter. We just got back from out first trip there and it was moderate for the most part. The only real hot area was in the south away from any shade. The West Bank at Luxor was a lot hotter in January than the guide books claimed!</p>
<p>It seems like the digs in the summer in the mideast like to get folks up before the crack of dawn so they can get things accomplished before the heat gets bad. Seeing the "4:15 -- wake up" line did lessen dd's enthusiasm for those particular schools.</p>
<p>I suspect the field school's now mention how "strenuous" and "demanding" the work is so no one will complain -- or sue if they keel over :)</p>
<p>It sounds like your son might enjoy studying long dead bodies -- a way to combine both interests, perhaps? I think there are some field schools for doing just that.</p>
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It sounds like your son might enjoy studying long dead bodies -- a way to combine both interests, perhaps? I think there are some field schools for doing just that.
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<p>An interesting idea that I'll pass along....</p>
<p>I forgot to mention. For future reference, if you want a listing of field schools, go to the web site of the Archaeological Institute of America. You can search by area, keyword, etc.</p>