Hitting a wall with college choice/major for archaeology; plan on going to grad school

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hello all,</p>

<p>I would really appreciate any advice anyone has for me, as I'm not quite sure how to go about this. I would like to become an archaeologist, though I am currently unsure about what particular specialization--I've considered classical, medieval, and Near Eastern/African, with my greatest interest probably falling in the latter two. I am pretty sure I don't want to specialize in the archaeology of the Americas (of course, not 100% against it.) In regards to college choice, I am definitely planning on attending grad school (possibly in the UK, though that's a pipe dream), so my main motivations are a) cost and b) strength of department(s)</p>

<p>With b), however, I run into problems. Everything I've read online gives a very broad basis of what one should major in, and that makes sense, depending on what one wants to specialize in--I've heard Anthropology (concentrating in archaeology), Classics, History, and a broad variety of majors centering around the study of a particular region/time period (Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Medieval Studies, etc.)</p>

<p>The schools that I've been admitted are: Oberlin, McGill, Pomona, Reed, University of Chicago, Fordham. I've looked into Pomona and Chicago the most, as they are my top choices based on "soft" factors (student body, fit, etc.). </p>

<p>With regard to cost, I am not yet sure about Chicago as I have not received my financial aid package. As it stands, McGill is relatively inexpensive, Pomona is manageable (I'd have anywhere from 20-30k coming out, for a low and high estimate. Fordham is essentially the same cost as Pomona. Oberlin is about 3k more, and Reed is, as it stands now, the most expensive option, by about 5,000. As it stands now, I would probably not attend Reed, due to cost, and (please correct me if I'm wrong,) from what I've read, Reed is most ideal for those pursing Archaeology of the Americas. Again, I am looking to graduate with a manageable amount of debt, but will not automatically pursue the cheapest option, this again dependent upon the amount of aid I receive from Chicago.</p>

<p>Essentially, Chicago seems like it would be the most ideal based on the sheer amount of resources available and the overall strength of the department and professors. I've done some research about Pomona, particularly their Late Antique-Medieval Studies major, and while I do love the college, I am not sure if it would be able to compare to Chicago as far as grad school admissions go (as well as the "prestige factor"/connections, in that respect.) </p>

<p>I'm aware that Oberlin offers an archaeology major, and has a lot to offer in that respect as well as in field work opportunities. I know little to nothing about the strength of Fordham or McGill in these areas.</p>

<p>Sorry for the super long post, but I'd really appreciate any insight anyone has for any of these schools, as well as suggestions for what the best possible major might be. Thanks!</p>

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<p>Based on this post I think you know more about these schools in comparison then anyone else. I would probably speak to professors and hear what their school and department have to offer.</p>

<p>However, I do know a bit. UChicago has a very strong department in classics and classical archaeology. In fact, I think they offer the most courses specifically in classical archaeology. This is their site: <a href=“http://classics.uchicago.edu/prospective/classical-archaeology”>http://classics.uchicago.edu/prospective/classical-archaeology&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>UChicago is also great when it comes to helping students find opportunities around the globe to pursue their interests.</p>

<p>And of course, cost is very straightforward with which one is better.</p>

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<p>Undergrad is for breadth, not specialization. While you do want to check and make sure that the department has interesting classes and the appropriate languages for admission to an archeaology program, both Pomona and Chicago are top schools. They’re unlikely to differ very much in graduate school admissions. WHAT you do in undergrad is much more important than where you go.</p>

<p>A SLAC like Pomona has fewer professors in the department, yes, but also fewer students competing for their attention. Chicago would probably be a great place for you to go for undergrad; you’ll probably get what you need there, and the resources are abundant. But don’t assume that Pomona doesn’t offer you those resources as well. Pomona’s an elite SLAC - one of the top 10, for sure. Professors who work there at the time of their hiring were probably competitive candidates for top R1 positions as well; they are hired on the strength of their research, but are ALSO hired because they love teaching and mentoring undergrads and feel that is their top priority. Pomona has a Middle Eastern studies major and minor (<a href=“Asian Studies Program | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College”>http://www.pomona.edu/academics/departments/asian-studies/index.aspx&lt;/a&gt;), an intercollegiate department of Africana studies shared amongst the other Claremont Colleges (<a href=“The Claremont Colleges Services – The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) is the central coordinating and support organization for a highly regarded cluster of seven independent colleges known as The Claremont Colleges located in Southern California.”>The Claremont Colleges Services – The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) is the central coordinating and support organization for a highly regarded cluster of seven independent colleges known as The Claremont Colleges located in Southern California.), and what looks like a pretty decent classics department that includes studies of classical antiquity as well as late antique/medieval studies (<a href=“Classics Department | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College”>http://www.pomona.edu/academics/departments/classics/index.aspx&lt;/a&gt;). That pretty much covers everything you’re interested in.</p>

<p>So it just really depends on the environment you prefer. Pomona is a very small school - only 1600 undergraduates - in warm, sunny southern California. The other three undergraduate Claremont Colleges have a combined 3,000 students, bringing the total student population to around 4,600. Claremont is near but not in a city, so you have access to a world-class city (and the beach!) while still having a pretty suburban campus. That also means relatively close access to UCLA, in case you wanted to do some archaeological research there.</p>

<p>But that’s still far smaller than Chicago, which is has about 6,000 undergrads and 10,000 graduate students. Chicago’s a research-focused university, and the environment is famously quirky. It’s also in cold and windy Chicago, but some people prefer that to LA, and also Chicago’s more urban as it’s in the middle of the city. Chicago also has that rigorous Common Core - which I think is a good thing, but some students would prefer to avoid.</p>