Back
to top
Classics at Uni, Latin/Greek
Watch this threadPage 1 of 1
Go to first unread
Skip to page:
oban12
Badges:
7
Rep:
?
You'll earn badges for being active around the site. Rep gems come when your posts are rated by other community members.
#1
I would really appreciate some advice !
I am looking at Unis for Open Days right now such as Durham and Oxford to do Classics.
As a state school student I never had the opportunity to study Latin or Greek GCSE and of course subsequently could not do the A Levels in them either.
I currently study Classical Civilisation, English Literature and History A Levels, which I love. There are also Latin and Greek clubs being set up at my college which I would love to join and some beginners books I would like to look into reading.
I am worried that my lack of experience with these languages would put me at a disadvantage with a Classics degree, despite the fact I would be applying for the Classics courses that do not require Latin or Greek A Level !
Thank you for any advice
I am looking at Unis for Open Days right now such as Durham and Oxford to do Classics.
As a state school student I never had the opportunity to study Latin or Greek GCSE and of course subsequently could not do the A Levels in them either.
I currently study Classical Civilisation, English Literature and History A Levels, which I love. There are also Latin and Greek clubs being set up at my college which I would love to join and some beginners books I would like to look into reading.
I am worried that my lack of experience with these languages would put me at a disadvantage with a Classics degree, despite the fact I would be applying for the Classics courses that do not require Latin or Greek A Level !
Thank you for any advice
0
reply
euphrosynay
Badges:
15
Rep:
?
You'll earn badges for being active around the site. Rep gems come when your posts are rated by other community members.
#2
Report
#2
firstly, your a-level combination sounds wonderful. i imagine that those three humanities work so well when you're studying them in depth: classical civilisation and history both enhancing your ability to relate and judge sources, classical civilisation and english both shaping how you see literature in relation to the society that influenced it, and all of them helping you craft critical and evaluative judgements based on both the tangible and abstract.
in other words, those options will no doubt be valued! parts of the classics course such as philosophy, history and archaeology would already be open to you - it's simply that your study would be enriched by using sources in the respective languages.
it's recognised that not all schools have the opportunity to study latin or greek, and so intensive tuition in one or both of the languages is offered at the start of the course. meanwhile, successful candidates going to oxford are encouraged to go to a JACT summer school, to see how well they get on with learning the language(s).
if you can't join the summer school for whatever reason, that's also fine! doing lots of reading and joining clubs should be enough, as long as they satisfy your interest and help you look forward to further learning.
best of luck!
in other words, those options will no doubt be valued! parts of the classics course such as philosophy, history and archaeology would already be open to you - it's simply that your study would be enriched by using sources in the respective languages.
it's recognised that not all schools have the opportunity to study latin or greek, and so intensive tuition in one or both of the languages is offered at the start of the course. meanwhile, successful candidates going to oxford are encouraged to go to a JACT summer school, to see how well they get on with learning the language(s).
if you can't join the summer school for whatever reason, that's also fine! doing lots of reading and joining clubs should be enough, as long as they satisfy your interest and help you look forward to further learning.
best of luck!
0
reply
connormc199
Badges:
15
Rep:
?
You'll earn badges for being active around the site. Rep gems come when your posts are rated by other community members.
#3
Report
#3
Hi, I just completed my A-Levels and am awaiting results in August. I applied for Classics/ Classical Studies (more interested in the latter) and although my school has produced some of the most infamous classical scholars; when i was selecting my GCE's i wasn't particularly interested in Classics and therefore studied neither Latin or Greek at AS/A2 level. However during visits to Oxford and listening to Boris/ Mary Beard debating on the subject of Rome vs Greece, i became infatuated with the subject, language, history and culture. Therefore i set about (with aid from my school) completing the Cambridge Latin Course (gave me a basic understanding of Latin) and name-dropped it in my Personal Statement which seemed to be satisfactory.
I agree with the preceding comment that Universities won't judge your application as inferior due to your lack of opportunity to study the languages at secondary level as witnessed in my experience, rather be prepared for an intense period of learning when you enter!
Your A-Level choices are ideal for studying Classic's and best of luck with your application!! It makes me happy to see others applying for classics as its often presented as a 'dead subject' but labor omnia vincit improbus :P
I agree with the preceding comment that Universities won't judge your application as inferior due to your lack of opportunity to study the languages at secondary level as witnessed in my experience, rather be prepared for an intense period of learning when you enter!
Your A-Level choices are ideal for studying Classic's and best of luck with your application!! It makes me happy to see others applying for classics as its often presented as a 'dead subject' but labor omnia vincit improbus :P
1
reply
oban12
Badges:
7
Rep:
?
You'll earn badges for being active around the site. Rep gems come when your posts are rated by other community members.
#4
(Original post by connormc199)
Hi, I just completed my A-Levels and am awaiting results in August. I applied for Classics/ Classical Studies (more interested in the latter) and although my school has produced some of the most infamous classical scholars; when i was selecting my GCE's i wasn't particularly interested in Classics and therefore studied neither Latin or Greek at AS/A2 level. However during visits to Oxford and listening to Boris/ Mary Beard debating on the subject of Rome vs Greece, i became infatuated with the subject, language, history and culture. Therefore i set about (with aid from my school) completing the Cambridge Latin Course (gave me a basic understanding of Latin) and name-dropped it in my Personal Statement which seemed to be satisfactory.
I agree with the preceding comment that Universities won't judge your application as inferior due to your lack of opportunity to study the languages at secondary level as witnessed in my experience, rather be prepared for an intense period of learning when you enter!
Your A-Level choices are ideal for studying Classic's and best of luck with your application!! It makes me happy to see others applying for classics as its often presented as a 'dead subject' but labor omnia vincit improbus :P
Hi, I just completed my A-Levels and am awaiting results in August. I applied for Classics/ Classical Studies (more interested in the latter) and although my school has produced some of the most infamous classical scholars; when i was selecting my GCE's i wasn't particularly interested in Classics and therefore studied neither Latin or Greek at AS/A2 level. However during visits to Oxford and listening to Boris/ Mary Beard debating on the subject of Rome vs Greece, i became infatuated with the subject, language, history and culture. Therefore i set about (with aid from my school) completing the Cambridge Latin Course (gave me a basic understanding of Latin) and name-dropped it in my Personal Statement which seemed to be satisfactory.
I agree with the preceding comment that Universities won't judge your application as inferior due to your lack of opportunity to study the languages at secondary level as witnessed in my experience, rather be prepared for an intense period of learning when you enter!
Your A-Level choices are ideal for studying Classic's and best of luck with your application!! It makes me happy to see others applying for classics as its often presented as a 'dead subject' but labor omnia vincit improbus :P
Thankyou so much for the advice and good luck with your results!
)
0
reply
X
Page 1 of 1
Go to first unread
Skip to page:
Quick Reply
