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Majors who contemplate graduate work in any of the disciplines represented by CAMS or related fields should consult with a CAMS faculty member as early as possible about preparation for and application to graduate programs. A few suggestions and guidelines may be useful.
Application to a graduate program is normally made in the fall semester a year before entering graduate school. Graduate programs have different final application dates, ranging from mid-December to mid-February. Plan to apply before the end of the fall semester.
The graduate admissions process is very different from that of applying from high school to an undergraduate school. To start with, your application materials will be read and judged not by some anonymous admissions office or committee, but by the faculty with whom you hope to study. Therefore, your application will be judged competitively on the bases of your preparation and aptitude for a specific discipline.
A typical graduate application consists of
— One to four letters of recommendation from faculty in the discipline with whom you have studied.
— Graduate Record Examination scores. (DO NOT sign up for specialized field examinations unless the graduate program to which you apply so requires.) Information on where and when the GRE is given is available at the information desk on the ground floor in the Kern Graduate Bldg. You can also contact Educational Testing Services directly: www.gre.org or 1-800-GRE-CALL
— Undergraduate transcript
— Application, including a statement of purpose/ interest (why do you want to study this discipline? why at this school?) andBif requested--a writing sample. Give some thought to the latter. A 400-level term paper or an honors paper, in the general field in which you wish to study, is appropriate.
Selecting a graduate program
Inform yourself by studying the specific graduate dept./program information available from specific schools. Look carefully at the seminars and courses that are actually offered (as opposed to the broad fields of interest a department may list). Keep in mind that no one graduate program offers specialized study in all areas of the ancient world. Graduate programs have specific strengths (which change over time). Additional information and comparative details can be gleaned from publications such as the American Philological Association=s Guide to Graduate Programs in the United States and Canada : visit the Scholars Press Web Site ATELA@[1]: http://scholar.cc.emory.edu. and check the AAPA@ on-line book-list.
Above all, before you apply, consult with faculty here in the areas in which you are interested.
