(no subject)

[bedlamsbard]

Having received a letter from my university that firmly instructed that as a rising junior, I must start thinking about life after graduation RIGHT NOW, I am looking at graduate schools again, just trying to build up a general list of universities that I can take to my departmental advisors and winnow down to an applicable list. Of course, the slightly difficult part is that I still have decided exactly what period I want to focus on, which becomes something of a problem as that happens to be the difference between a Ph.D program in Classical Studies and a Ph.D program in History. I'm looking specifically at schools that have programs in ancient history, which kind of bridges the gap by loosely covering Late Antiquity. I am favoring the programs where the classics department and the history department actually talk to each other.

General thoughts: I would prefer not to be in a major city (I am definitely not applying anywhere in New York City or Los Angeles), I don't really want to go to the Northeast because of the weather (although I could probably handle it; I am definitely going nowhere near the Midwest; my ancestors left Minnesota for a reason), I would kind of like to be closer to home, I don't really want to go abroad (just about the only place I would go would be the UK, but I want to be closer to home because of the travel time), I'd prefer a smaller school, but I'm not sure how likely that is.

So far on the list:
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island)
University of Washington - Seattle (I don't want to go to Seattle, but it's close to home)
Stanford University (Palo Alto, California)
University of British Columbia (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Harvard University (Cambridge, Massachusetts -- man, for some reason I really don't want to go to Harvard, though I doubt I'd get in)

*gloomily* Well, at least I chose a field that really narrows down the schools I can look at.

Huh. I appear to have picked up a slight shiver of distaste in regards to the Ivies, which is probably a result of going to a university where the students compare rejection letters from the Ivies. And we have more fun down in the South, anyway. I wish it wasn't frowned upon to do all your degrees at the same school, I wouldn't mind staying at Tulane another five or seven years.

Comments

[harpers_child]

i'm not sure what the grad programs at UAB (University Alabama at Birmingham) are, but it was on both my sister's and mine final list of universities to go to. neither of us attended. (my housing fell through. she's going to Millsaps.) it's a medium to large uni with a nice campus and decent cheap housing. worth a look at the very least. they have a separated honors program that operates out of an old church that may have a grad school version.

[bedlamsbard]

Sadly, they do not have my program of study, but thank you for the rec!

[harpers_child]

no problem. sorry it didn't work.

[dogstar]

All the family I have who has gone to UNC has been really happy with it. And it's a great part of the country.

[bedlamsbard]

I looked at both UNC and Duke for undergrad, but Duke said no and UNC seemed too big for my tastes, but it looks really good for grad school. And I really like the program.

[aella_irene]

Huh. I was noodling around on the website for King's College London, and it says they're a partner of University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, and do exchanges for a semester, so Chapel Hill might let you come to the UK for a semester.

...Also, Birmingham have an MPhil in Late Antiquity, but you want to stay at Tulane for that, don't you.

[bedlamsbard]

That would be cool! I want to do a summer program at one of the Roman digs in the UK next summer, if I can get in and if I can get a grant from Tulane. (I have never been to the UK! Unless you count the airport, which one does not. I have been to Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, and Thailand, but I have never been to the UK!)

...I was very confused for a moment there, because harpers_child was talking about the University of Alabama - Birmingham up above. *googles* Huh, so they do. (Classics and Ancient History, too!) If I don't get into 4+1 at Tulane, I might try for that -- I'll talk with my advisers and find out what the options are about graduate school, and studying abroad. I think I heard somewhere that U.S. universities don't think very highly of PhDs from the UK because they take less time to get? And we don't actually have the MPhil degree at all.

[aella_irene]

Come to the UK! Just warn me first, so clanwilliam and I can sort out our plans to kidnap you and take you to the Eagle and Child, and sit you in C. S. Lewis's seat.

I think the MPhil is the equivalent of an MA, but is seen as more of a stepping stone to a PhD.

I have no idea about the PhDs thing, though I do know that in the UK, a copy of your thesis goes into the British Library, so anyone can look it up and read it, while in the US only the university have it, and you have to have permission from the writer.

[bedlamsbard]

I want to! I am considering my options! Does this mean I cannot suddenly appear on your doorstep on a rainy day?

*googles* It looks like it is slightly more advanced than the MA? Anyway. *shrugs*

[aella_irene]

Where are the digs? And you could, but it might be nicer if I met you at the airport and guided you into London. (Assuming you come in at Heathrow. I think most of the big flights do, unless you're landing at somewhere other than London.) You know. If you do.

[bedlamsbard]

There are a couple of them. One's up by Durham (this one), and the other one I know about is in East Dorset. Although those were for this summer, I'm sure there will be other ones for next summer.

[aella_irene]

My reflexive reaction is that East Dorset is awful for public transport.

[aella_irene]

Let me unpack that: if you want to be able to get to the rest of the UK easily, East Dorset is probably a bad choice, though it could be worse. It could be West Dorset. Or Cornwall. I know it's not your first priority, but it's something to consider.

[bedlamsbard]

I'm going to do some investigating later on in the year to find out what programs are available -- there are probably more than the two I mentioned. I do like the Durham one, though; it's up by Hadrian's Wall!

[highlyeccentric]

Have investigated.

Have a serious case of WANT w/r/t UNC Chapel Hill's Comparative lit program. Let's go to UNC, Bedlam!

[bedlamsbard]

Let's do it! And it is south of the Mason-Dixon line, so there are no ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE winters.

...I really, really like their history program.

[highlyeccentric]

I really really like the idea of no terrible winters!

[bessemerprocess]

Raleigh-Durham is a really nice town. I miss the food, but everyone I know who went there for grad school really loved it.

[bedlamsbard]

I like the idea of staying in the South -- I'm very fond of the atmosphere.

[sporky_rat]

UNC is a nice place and Raleigh Durham is a great town. Also, have you looked at Belhaven or Millsaps?

[bedlamsbard]

I keep hearing good things about UNC! I looked at it for undergrad, but decided it was too big.

Neither Belhaven nor Millsaps has my programs, but thank you for the recs!

[jeanniemactavish]

I have an MA in history from the University of British Columbia! My area is/was 19th century Britain and Europe...and, while I had good teachers and was happy overall with what I got out of the program, I had the impression that the History department was not actually super strong on that part of the world, regardless of period. It was definitely THE place to be if you were studying Canadian history (especially of the West) or Asian-Pacific stuff...but at the time, the really prestigious place for British and European history (in Canada at least) was the University of Toronto. That was ten years ago though, and things may have changed a lot in the interim. And of course I have no idea what the Classics dept. was or is like...

In my mind, the two biggest things UBC has going for it are
1) Vancouver - SUCH a beautiful city, and definitely a very bearable climate as long as you don't mind quite a lot of grey/raininess in the winter
2) Green College - a graduate residence at UBC that is targeted at folks who are doing interdisciplinary work (any field): I lived there for the duration of my degree, and it was two of the most intellectually inspiring and socially stimulating years of my life. If you're considering UBC I totally recommend checking it out: www.greencollege.ubc.ca

[bedlamsbard]

*nods* I have heard the Toronto has the best medieval studies program in the western hemisphere, but I also heard it is also the hardest program in the western hemisphere. And...I do not think I could handle Toronto weather.

The main reason I am thinking about UBC is pretty much the same reason I'm thinking about the University of Washington: it's close to home. (I'm from central Washington state.) The weather sounds like it's pretty similar to Seattle or Portland. (Or Victoria. I've been to Victoria a lot more than I've been to Vancouver.) But I am thinking about it!

Thank you for the advice!