<p>Hello! The study of ancient Greek and Roman civilization isn’t as widely studied as say math or the sciences, but I am in need of some assistance from those who have knowledge concerning my following inquiry. Basically, how do the following universities fare in that department: UVA, WM, VT. Of course there is a general consensus about what each of those universities specialize in, but I’m hoping to gain some knowledge from those who have first-hand experience. Thank you!</p>
<p>Trinity College and Georgetown, for example, but there must be many more. University of Chicago. The University of Virginia is much better academically than the University of Vermont, so if you have the stats to get in there it seems like you wouldn’t consider the University of Vermont even if someone claimed that the classics department is good.</p>
<p>Given that the other two schools listed were in Virginia, I would assume that “VT” is Virginia Tech, which does have Classical Studies.</p>
<p>UVA has the best reputation for classics, followed by W&M. Either would be fine for undergraduate classics. </p>
<p>Virginia Tech is not particularly known for classics, and the course offerings appear to be pretty sparse.</p>
<p>I answer this as a parent of a similar major- and wife of related-area prof. We started with a hard look at the prospective colleges’ department descriptions online. Some touted how great they were -but too many faculty were really from other depts, had their degrees in other areas- eg, the person teaching Greek philosophy was from the religion dept and specialized in something way out of Greek/Roman. (It’s not uncommonn to combine classes, for many solid reasons- but you watch for a pattern. Especially where too many profs are not really G/R specialists.)
Next, we looked at the professors’ own academic backgrounds. Sorry, but we were more impressed by faculty who themselves had strenuous academic backgrounds. We looked at the proportion of PhDs to “lecturers” or part-timers. We looked at the variety and range of classes offered. And on and on. Very quickly you get an impression of how strong that dept at that school really is.</p>
<p>Maybe you should give a try to St. John’s College (MD/NM)…great program called “great books” for someone who wants to study classics…you won’t regret…check it out…
[St</a>. John’s College](<a href=“http://www.stjohnscollege.edu%5DSt”>http://www.stjohnscollege.edu)</p>
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Actually, the OP probably would. There are much, much better places than St. John’s for classics.</p>
<p>The feedback and discussion provided has been very helpful. While I do appreciate the suggestion of St. John’s, my plan has been to remain in VA for my schooling. I must say though, lookingforward, your tip on looking at the degrees held by the teachers is really valuable advice, of which I will be applying. Again, thank you all for contributing!</p>