Classics Major

<p>My son is a junior and is just starting the college process. He wants a Liberal Arts College with a strong Latin Program, Div III soccer and/or track, and a suburban campus. He also wants to take Italian, spend his JR year in Italy, and take some pre-law courses. I think he's thinking of using his Latin in a business profession rather than in academia. (Dream job - laywer for the Italian soccer team and they could use one )He's sort of an odd combination of really athletic and nerdly smart particularly in Latin. Any thoughts ?</p>

<p>wrong board.</p>

<p>umm
is he smart?
like whats his gpa and sats</p>

<p>All I can think of is Holy Cross. Great athletics (D1) and great classics program. The "bubble" that surrounds it makes it less of an urban campus.</p>

<p>Amherst*
Bates
Beloit
Bowdoin*
Carleton*
Centre
Colgate
Davidson*
Franklin & Marshall
Furman
Grinnell
Hamilton
Haverford*
Holy Cross*
Kenyon*
Oberlin*
Pomona*
Reed*
Rhodes
Skidmore
Swarthmore*
Trinity (TX)
Wesleyan*
William & Mary*
Williams*</p>

<p>*Particularly recommended</p>

<p>My first thought was Williams ... but I'd consider it rural/small town, not suburban.</p>

<p>Thanks kemet. We just visited a bunch of schoools and he loved Wesleyan . How do you know so much ? And, yes, he is smart.</p>

<p>I'm a Classics/Egyptology major. Back when I was looking for colleges, I doubt there was a Classics/archaeology department that I hadn't examined. I've begun looking for graduate programs, which means searching through them yet again. :eek:</p>

<p>and where did you end up ?</p>

<p>hey! i thought classics is difficult. i mean greek is really really mega difficult (thomas jefferson used to carry a greek grammar books around). if u don't learn greek and latin, ur stuck with translations which is really not cool.</p>

<p>ask ur kid if he knows anything about alexander the great, if he does know substantial amount, then he has the spirit to study this unquestionably deep field.</p>

<p>also ask him this: Diocletian abdicated Rome with which of his three associate emperors? answer: Maximian.
now, if he answers this correctly, then he really has prepared himself for the major. </p>

<p>now, i'm not classics major, but if i know a significant amount on ancient history and philosophy, etc. then a classics major better be able to know ten times more than i. he should be able to write a paper on just the battle of salamis or the conduct of the second invasion of persians on greece.</p>

<p>recommended books:
all of plato
all of plutarch
primary and secondary sources on alexander
herodotus
thuycides
gibbon's the history of the decline and fall of the roman empire.</p>

<p>these readings are just BASIC. a real classist knows greek and latin and reads profusely. in fact, non-classists knows greek and latin if they are serious about learning.</p>

<p>connecticut college is similar to wesleyan, but easier to get into. solid classics, outstanding study abroad options in italy.</p>

<p>Thanks, he liked CC as well and I'm glad to hear the program is good. He's taking AP Latin, so he seems to know what he's getting into. It is known as a pretty brutal course at his school and he's getting A's. (brag, brag)</p>

<p>Have him take a look at the University of Chicago- he will receive an outstanding Liberal Arts education within a world renown research university.</p>

<p>Kemet, same goes for you too- Chicago has one of the best Archeology Programs in the US.</p>

<p>definitely consider Washington & Lee! they have a great Classics department and are D3. Though they only have 4 professors right now (there will be 5 next year, a professor is joining from Harvard), they are extremely passionate and highly qualified. Also, W&L would be particularly appealing because they have an abnormally high acceptance rate to business schools for a school of its size.</p>

<p>We just heard a horrible story about Washington and Lee and would never consider it.</p>

<p>I would echo recommendations regarding Washington and Lee. My daughter is a freshman there and is a DIII distance runner. Her W&L experience, both in and out of the classroom, has been nothing but positive.</p>

<p>Thank you motherdear. It turns out the story I heard was an urban myth.</p>