Looking into a career in either law or academe (need advice)

[Anonymous]

Undergrad prestige matters. It improves your chance to get into a prestigious grad school or law school. Yeah yeah it is not impossible to get into Harvard after attending Begonia State, but it is harder than if you went to an elite undergrad.

[Anonymous]

Huge difference between MA and PhD admissions at a place like Harvard -- student typically pays for the former, but gets paid (stipend/teaching fellowship) to do the latter. A terminal MA program isn't a path that leads to academia. Could be a great credential for a HS Latin teacher who wants to work at a prep school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PaleoCon here
Why would attending a religious school put me at a disadvantage for PhD school? I spoke with the admissions director at New St. Andrews, and he told me that 1 student who graduated this May got into a Classics MA program at Harvard. Now I know there's a big difference between an MA program and a PhD program, but it seems like Harvard is fine with NSA. Hypothetically, let's say Sewanee doesn't work out for whatever reason and I attend NSA. If I get excellent grades, take several years of Greek & Latin, and get excellent GRE scores, would Classics PhD programs seriously look negatively at my application because I attend a religious school?

Remember, for a PhD program, the real issue is not admission but funding. No one should enroll in a PhD program without a fellowship that covers tuition and a significant part of living expenses. They are selecting students based on the recommendation of their professors and the reputation of those professors as much as grades and test scores. There are plenty of well-connected, well-known faculty at non-elite schools. For example, one of Harvard's star young faculty and a MacArthur genius grantee was trained at Wisconsin after graduating from Arizona State University. So you need to find out whether there are such faculty sponsors at your preferred schools. BTW, I don't think Harvard's classics department even has an MA program, though they give it (it's called an AM at Harvard) to students after they finish their coursework.

[Anonymous]

Harvard's School of Continuing Studies offers (though they are in the process of phasing out) a "Masters of Liberal Arts" in Foreign Literature, Language, and Culture which might enable you to focus your coursework/thesis on Classics -- but it's just an adult-ed money-maker for the University and not affiliated with the Classics Department.

[Anonymous]

since you're not at college yet, focus on what thingS interest you now and again when you're actually in college. My DC changed his mind about a million times on what he planned to major in college and that changed entirely when he got to college. Don't limit yourself.

There is no real pre-law path for undergrads. Get good grades, go to a good school for undergrad, and study your ass off for the LSATs.

I went to law school. I was an art history major undergrad.

You have many, many years ahead of you if you are thinking about academIA. Do not narrow yourself too early.

[Anonymous]

If you want to be a corporate lawyer, you need to major in the easiest possible subject so you can have a high GPA and get into a top 10 law school. Really, the only way to guarantee that you won't be working in Starbucks after law school is to go to a top-5 law school. For that, all that matters is your undergrad GPA and LSAT score.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would look into St. John's in Annapolis or Santa Fe if ED doesn't work out. They are a non-obscure great books school. I will be honest with you: going to an undeard of Christian college won't help you unless you plan on going to get your PhD or EdD at a religious institution. Secular schools will raise their eyebrows at it. St John's is a good school for anyone considering law or academia. If St. John's doesn't work out--better to go to a big state school with a classics Department if you are unable to get into a small liberals arts college with a classics program.

PaleoCon here
I know very little about St. John's. I've hard it's a small Great Books college with two campuses. What's the social environment like? Is it tolerant to conservative views? Dr. Charles Murray (a man I have great respect for) has said that St. John's is a great school, so maybe that says something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huge difference between MA and PhD admissions at a place like Harvard -- student typically pays for the former, but gets paid (stipend/teaching fellowship) to do the latter. A terminal MA program isn't a path that leads to academia. Could be a great credential for a HS Latin teacher who wants to work at a prep school.

+1 Frankly, that the admissions folks were bragging about placing someone in a non-terminal MA program at Harvard is concerning, and suggests they themselves don't know the difference between a prestigious PhD program and a revenue generator for the university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Undergrad prestige matters. It improves your chance to get into a prestigious grad school or law school. Yeah yeah it is not impossible to get into Harvard after attending Begonia State, but it is harder than if you went to an elite undergrad.

I would quibble with this a little, but only a little. You can go from Begonia State to Harvard, but you usually need either some sort of outstanding hook or an intermediary experience. Military service, Peace Corps, a really good series of internships....something.

I went to a prestigious graduate program and there were lots of folks from big landgrant universities and lower-tier LACs, but every one of us had done something impressive in between undergrad and graduate admissions.

If you attempt to go K-JD with a lower tier undergraduate institution, you'll be hard pressed to land at the type of law school you would need to attend in order to be a fancy corporate attorney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Academia?

Clearly you are not in the academy or you would recognize OP's absolutely acceptable form of academia. They are used interchangeably. OP, please take a look at the website 100 reasons not to go to grad school and think long and hard about all the money you will not be making (and saving for retirement for and compounding with interest) while you are in grad school. Get in and out in the quickest time possible whatever you do. A master's with a clear career track is not a bad thing.

Signed,
Humanities Phd who would be on welfare if she had not married well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If you don't have a 4.0 GPA and GRE scores in the 99th percentile, humanities academia is a fool's errand for you.

And those aren't guarantees, either. Hiring committees have their own specific needs unrelated to GPAs and GRE scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: If you don't have a 4.0 GPA and GRE scores in the 99th percentile, humanities academia is a fool's errand for you.

And those aren't guarantees, either. Hiring committees have their own specific needs unrelated to GPAs and GRE scores.

This deserves a plus one million. OP wants what probably half of undergraduates want. It's incredibly competitive, and, if we're honest, it sounds like OP did not fully leverage his HS experience given the colleges where he believes he will be competitive. He'll have to turn that around fast, and graduate at the tippity top of his class, because there are tens of thousands of kids who want to do the same thing, and who will be at better colleges next fall.

[Anonymous]

There's a tremendous amount of luck in addition to top notch academic abilities that will land you a tenure-track job in the humanities. Classics has openings in the single digits annually. FYI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't want to hear this, but where you go to undergrad matters a lot for both. That is because you need to get into an elite grad school or law school. Without that, you have very, very little chance for a viable career as either. Definitely re-evaluate your idea once you have applied to grad school or law school. If you're not in a top 5 grad program or top 5 law school, don't go down that road and waste a lot of time and money.

Wrong regarding law school. Good grades and a great LSAT will get you into a top 25 school. That's all you need to succeed. The LSAT is incredibly important. Start prepping right after HS graduation.

[Anonymous]

What happened to your plan of running for office in Texas?