<p>My initial plan is egyptology but because only top schools offer it I plan on falling back on doubling art history and archaeology. My top schools for art history/arch are really hard to get into as well. Any suggestions for safeties in this area? Thus far I have Hampshire College and Fordham but tbh I don’t even know if Fordham has these things. </p>
<p>Are you looking at Fordham’s Rose Hill or Lincoln Center campus? Although it is small, and might not offer everything you want on campus, you would have opportunities for internships at NYC museums. They have Art History and Classics majors, but not an Archaeology major. They also have an excellent study abroad program. </p>
<p>If you’re serious about the field and want to pursue it at the graduate level (not really advisable, in my opinion…), then you really need to look for colleges that offer Egyptian at the undergraduate level. Unfortunately, that mostly limits you to a select few top private universities (Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Brown, NYU, Penn, Yale, maybe Cornell and Emory) if you need a lot of financial aid. </p>
<p>Failing that, spend a year abroad, either at the American University in Cairo or one of the numerous places in Europe or Australia/New Zealand that offers Egyptology. </p>
<p>A few options for less selective schools…</p>
<p>-- Arizona
– Barnard
– Boston U
– Bryn Mawr
– College of Charleston
– Indiana U
– LMU
– Michigan
– Penn State
– Toronto
– UBC
– U Hawaii
– U Washington</p>
<p>There’s a few others, depending on what you can afford and what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, all but a small handful of LACs are very weak in archaeology. Aside from Bryn Mawr (indisputably the best), Colgate, Oberlin, Wesleyan, Dickinson, Beloit, Lycoming, Franklin & Marshall, and Hamilton are arguably the most notable. </p>
<p>This is a field where only the best of the best who come from top schools (UChicago and Ivys) have any hope of finding employment in the field. Even then, it is difficult to find employment. Choose a school that offers the languages necessary. For Egyptology you need to study modern Arabic as well as the ancient languages. You also need to be able to read literature in the field, written in German and French. Interview the departments at these schools and see what their graduates are doing now. Chances are you will not get a solid answer.</p>
<p>Would you be willing/could afford to go abroad? That would open up a number of Egyptology courses including some which would be easier to get into.</p>
<p>Of course, you may want the traditional US liberal arts breadth, in which case ignore my suggestion.</p>
<p>If you are serious about Egyptology, a better place to start at the undergraduate level would be Classics. Make sure to get serious language training in Greek and Latin, not some watered down “Classical Civilization” degree. Try to get archaeological fieldwork over the summer, not necessarily in Egypt, but anywhere you can participate on a dig (such as the Southwest U.S.A.). Be sure to take German and French, using one or more summers, if needed; these are important languages for Egyptology (and Classics). Arabic isn’t needed and would not be a good use of your time at this point. (You can always take this in grad school if it proves necessary, which is unlikely. Most Egyptologists just have a sprinkling of colloquial Arabic to speak with fellahin. See <a href=“ACOR: "Arabic for Archaeologists" Publication”>A Day in the Life of the TWLCRM Initiative - Acor Jordan) An art history course or two beyond the survey level, in ancient art of some kind (not necessarily Egyptian, which, as you note, is rarely taught), would be nice. Don’t feel bad if you don’t take a single course in Egyptology per se, because few schools offer this and your undergrad years are better spent building a strong foundation in interpreting antique texts and material culture, rather than becoming overly specialized. If you are a strong HS student, I’d suggest applying to Johns Hopkins (which is flooded with premeds and likes humanities applicants) and, if female, to Bryn Mawr College (which, as a previous poster notes, has a long tradition in Classics and archaeology). Apart from these, you’ll want to aim for a selection of top liberal arts colleges and private universities, according to fit, financial need, and your HS record. U. Chicago, Penn, and Brown aren’t bad picks from the list someone gave you above. BU is also a possibility, if you can get past the often juvenile social atmosphere and high tuition: good archaeologists and classicists. Avoid public universities (you’ll get lost in the crowd) and NYU (a huge rip-off at the undergrad level, except for Tisch).</p>
<p>Where to Study Egyptology</p>
<p><a href=“Universities that Offer Egyptology Degrees”>http://www.guardians.net/egypt/education/egyptology_universities.htm</a></p>
<p>Bryn Mawr</p>