Alumni Profiles

What do alumni have to say about Penn's Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies Program? They tell us the program honed their language skills, gave them the flexibility to explore related fields of interest, and helped them determine their career directions.

“While the primary purpose of the program is to increase a student's understanding of Greek and Latin, it also affords the opportunity to study in other areas. In my case, I took courses in Religious Studies and French. The seminars, lectures, and even the occasional dissertation defense available to students are also a strong addition to the program. Moreover, students are working with a uniformly strong faculty, and one that seems to care for the students without compromising their individual and collective standards.

Does this program guarantee admission into a graduate program? Absolutely not. However, it provides students an excellent context within which to explore graduate work, and the kind of support and guidance to give students a reasonable expectation of acceptance. On the other hand, for those students who attend the program as a "terminal" degree, for instance those who may go on to teach in public or private schools, it is a wonderful way to strengthen one's language skills, while also learning more about the classical world.

I have completed a master’s program in Religious Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and am considering a Ph.D. program.”

Peter Petite
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 2005

"Penn's Classical Studies program was what I needed in between my B.A. and graduate school. It kept my languages up to speed while I was applying to Ph.D. programs and exposed me to graduate school life. I think the best thing about going to Penn's program was that the Latin and Greek courses were taught by Penn faculty. The classes were informative and interesting, and it let you get to know some great resources in the field.

I am now a fourth-year student in the Classics Department at the University of Southern California. I am currently writing my prospectus on the the intersections of Roman law and philosophy regarding slavery."

Nicole Giannella
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 2007

"I only had one year of Greek and Latin and desperately needed more language experience to study ancient history. I'm glad I was admitted into Penn, and I feel lucky to have been admitted. Five semesters later I left feeling like an intellectual juggernaut. My goal was to go directly into a Ph.D. program after my post-bac days. I got into two terminal M.A. programs, but that turned out to be for the better. After receiving my master’s in Classics at Colorado, I entered a Ph.D. program in history at the University of California at Santa Barbara."

Jason Linn,
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 2005

“Participating in the post-bac at Penn helped me confirm that I wanted to pursue an academic career in Classics. The faculty were enthusiastic, accessible, and full of useful advice about how and where to apply to grad programs. And now I'm right where I want to be—working on my Ph.D.!  I’m in my first year at King’s College London. ”

Gillian Bentley
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 2009

"When I entered the post-bac program, I thought I would pursue a Ph.D. upon completion. Through the advising offered I discovered that teaching at the secondary level would be more rewarding.

I am a high school Latin teacher at Bedford North Lawrence in Indiana. I took my MAT from Indiana University and immediately found a position at the school where I did my student teaching."

Chelsea Jensen
Post-Baccalaureate Classical  Studies 2006

"I had not majored in Classics as an undergrad and needed to do language preparation before applying to a Ph.D. program. The Penn post-bac program was invaluable in providing a smooth transition from my undergraduate experiences to understanding and meeting the expectations of a full-time graduate degree program.

I earned a Ph.D. in Classics from Princeton University and am currently the Visiting Assistant Professor in Classics at Drew University in New Jersey."

Meredith Safran
Post-Baccalaureate Classical  Studies 2001

“I greatly enjoyed the flexibility of the post-bac program. It allowed me to explore my interests in linguistics and comp lit in addition to training me in Greek and Latin. The program helped me realize that I was more interested in pursing comparative literature than Classics, since I loved Greek but found Latin extremely boring. Comparative literature with an emphasis on the reception of Greek antiquity was a much better fit for me than traditional Classics programs. I am very grateful to the program for this service!

I am currently a doctoral candidate in the German department at Yale University, where I landed after receiving a Master’s in Eastern Classics at St. John's College, Santa Fe. I am writing a dissertation on Aristotelian anagnorisis from Homer to Heiner Mueller.”

Ellwood Wiggins
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 2002

"The time I spent at Penn allowed me to develop both intellectually and personally. It was an essential foundation for my career.

I am now Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Drew University."

Louis I. Hamilton
Post-Baccalaureate Classical Studies 1992