Bryn Mawr vs. Cornell for Classics & Comp. Lit.

College Search & Selection
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<p>So yay me I got in. And now I need to chose. </p>

<p>From a purely academic + future grad school perspective, which school is better/offers more? </p>

<p>I have a deep, aggressive passion for Classics, but also an interest in critical theory, various modern literatures/cultures and the way it all comes together in our thinking. So I'm aspiring for a double major, and a future academic career.</p>

<p>I know Bryn Mawr has a very solid, reputed department + LAC professor accessibility + classes in UPenn.
And I know Cornell is very good. But how good? How good in relation to Bryn Mawr?? </p>

<p>Experience, insights, advice..?? Thank you :3</p>

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<p>How many professors are in the classics dept at both colleges?</p>

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<p>How far have you progressed in your reading of ancient Greek and Latin?</p>

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<p>@jkeil911.</p>

<p>lol nowhere. I will be taking classes during the summer. I’m widely read on works in translation and history, and keen on and exposed to languages in general. So that’s doable. </p>

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<p>BMC is a strong choice for a future classicist focusing on an academic career. You’ll be culturally mainstream there in a way you wouldn’t be at Cornell. Purely academically, BMC is hard to top in this field.</p>

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<p>A cursory examination of course offerings at each school suggests, and you will need to confirm this, that Cornell has a bit more interest in a broader and slightly longer ancient Mediterranean world. There are courses on Augustine, Egyptian culture and hieroglyphics, monasticism, orientalism, sanskrit, and jewry. BMC’s classics is more traditional, but they do have that Penn connection as well as the Haverford/Swarthmore hub. (The Penn museum of archaeology and anthropology alone is worth going to college in Philly, if one is interested in the ancient Mediterranean. It has to be seen to be believed. By the same token, you must train upto the Metropolitan Museum in NYC to see the red- and black-figure pottery collation. It’s to die for.)</p>

<p>Since OP is encountering the languages for the first time, there’s a possibility that OP will de-emphasize the language aspects of the major and choose the Ancient Civ route. To prepare for that possibility, OP should check out those courses at both schools as well.</p>

<p>With an interest in critical theory and modern literature, she could prepare too for the possibility of a double major or classics major english minor by checking out the english departments at both schools. Both schools are strong in English and theory, with the nod going perhaps to Cornell.</p>

<p>Hannah mentions culturally mainstreamed at BMC. That’s probably more a product of the size of BMC than anything else. Cornell simply has more students, more colleges, and more majors. For some people studying the classics among such diversity might be a good thing.</p>

<p>Get to know each program more intimately, OP. Either is a fine choice. Do consider as well the difference of living on a campus and going to classes with only female undergrads. Many people thrive in that situation. My niece was not one of them. I have no horse in this race. Congratulations.</p>

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<p>Bryn Mawr is famous for classics. It’s their “thing.” Philadelphia itself has wonderful resources (museums, libraries, etc.) for classics students that Ithaca lacks. </p>

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<p>Some potentially relevant prior threads:
<a href=“comparing Classics departments - #13 by warblersrule - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>comparing Classics departments - #13 by warblersrule - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums;
<a href=“Cornell vs. Middlebury - #16 by OldbatesieDoc - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/903590-cornell-vs-middlebury-p2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@monydad
Yes thank you, I saw them. That’s how I was making my college lists.</p>

<p>@jkeil911
Thank you. I shall spend more time in the course catalogs. And I’m aware of the difference in environment. Bryn Mawr is a winner here for me, but Cornell’s financial aid is better. </p>

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<p>really? that’s interesting. Cornell usu. is quite stingy to oos students.</p>

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<p>Bryn Mawr has great classics, and womens colleges are known for churning out strong, intelligent, determined female leaders in all fields. Plus, BMC has Haverford, Swarthmore, and Penn. I’ll be attending next year–hope to see you there!</p>

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<p>Neither, necessarily. Both programs are ranked within the top 10 for classics programs. Bryn Mawr is known for having a strong undergraduate classics department. Cornell’s PhD program in classics is top 10, so that means that their classics department is probably quite strong (although how good it is for undergrads may overlap but not completely map onto graduate prestige).</p>

<p>So honestly, I don’t think you should make this choice based solely on academics. Both will offer you an excellent education in this field. So you should pick based on social and cultural factors. Bryn Mawr and Cornell are very different - Bryn Mawr being a small LAC for women in suburban Philadelphia, and Cornell being a large research university in a rural-ish area in upstate New York.</p>