Name

Mack Zalin

School

Duke University

Degree Program

Second year PhD student in Classical Studies

Previous Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in Greek and Roman Studies, Rhodes College, 2009; Master of Studies in Classical Studies, Oxford University, 2010

Research Interests

Literacy and orality in antiquity; Roman topography

Advisor

Not yet chosen

Hobbies

Playing clarinet, traveling, watching movies

Graduate School – Application Process

How did you select your graduate school and program?

When I was choosing my doctorate program, I was primarily concerned with the school’s general reputation and its ability to train scholars broadly within literature and philology, which is the relationship between different languages. Therefore, I took a holistic approach and I applied to a wide range of programs with the intention of being a generalist within Greek and Latin literature. Eventually, I selected Duke University because it seemed to best fit the qualifications I had in mind.

What did you do to prepare yourself for graduate school?

I prepared for graduate school at the doctoral level by completing rigorous coursework at the undergraduate and masters levels. For example, my PhD program required me to have a thorough knowledge of at least 4 languages, including Greek and Latin. So as an undergrad I received introductory training in several ancient and modern languages.

I also studied abroad at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, which was an excellent way to prepare myself for the rigors of graduate school. It gave me hands-on experience in both archaeology and philology. And, in my senior year of undergrad at Rhodes College, I wrote an honors thesis to demonstrate my ability to engage in scholarship at the graduate level.

Did your application requirements include standardized test scores?

Yes, I had to take the GRE when I applied to American institutions, but not when I applied to schools overseas. Before sitting for the test, I took a couple of GRE preparatory seminars at my undergraduate institution. I took some practice examinations and I studied for about 3 weeks beforehand on my own time as well.

I did well on the GRE, although I don’t believe that the universities I applied to required a minimum score. Generally, I think any admissions department would like to see a score that falls in the 1300s. However, the GRE is not as critical to gaining admission to a PhD program in Classical Studies as some other factors. Your GPA, academic reputation and letters of recommendation are far more important.

What kind of information did you include in your personal statement?

In my personal statement, I emphasized my desire to study classical antiquity as a generalist. I also wrote about taking a worldly approach to scholarship through my experience studying abroad in the Mediterranean, which I consider an integral part of my training.

How did you choose faculty to approach for letters of recommendation?

I asked my honors thesis advisor at Rhodes to write my main letter because he was also the chair of my undergraduate department. That helped me to have those credentials on my side. I also asked my Greek and archaeology professor from the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies to write me a letter.

Because I went to a liberal arts school for my undergraduate degree, it was very easy to foster the kinds of connections with professors that allowed me to obtain letters of recommendation. My undergraduate department was very small and I worked closely with all of the faculty members, so it wasn’t very difficult to find professional mentors to recommend me.

What types of questions were asked in your admissions interview?

As I recall, the questions I was asked were rather general. Instead of 1 admissions interview, I had separate interviews with all of the major professors at Duke. They asked about my interests, my approach to studying classics and what goals I hoped to accomplish as a PhD student.

Do you have any other tips for a student who is considering applying to graduate school in classical studies?

I would advise students to compare their unique academic interests to the focus of the department to which they are applying. As PhD students, they need to be very exacting about the sort of scholars with which they want to work. Students should thoroughly question their particular research interests and decide whether those interests would fit in with the school’s program.

Graduate School – The Program

How long is your program and how is the curriculum distributed?

My program typically takes at least 5 years. The first 3 years consist of completing coursework and taking exams to assess competency in Greek, Latin, German and another modern language of my choice. The latter half of the program is spent writing the dissertation. Each year of the program is quite different but the one constant is that I will always be very busy up until the dissertation phase, which begins during the fourth year.

What is the focus of your dissertation research?

I am only a second-year student, so my dissertation topic is yet to be determined. But it will come down to what I study for the preliminary examinations next year. Right now, I am thinking of choosing either a special topic in the study of places and monuments in Rome and/or an examination of Herodotus. I imagine one of those will produce a fitting dissertation topic.

How is the dissertation process different from working on a masters thesis?

The 2 major differences between a dissertation and a thesis are the amount of time required and how much the final product affects your future. The dissertation process is much longer, as it takes a minimum of 2 years. In addition, it affects your future more because your dissertation will largely determine the sort of job you get as a professional scholar. That means whatever you choose to write about is going to inform the rest of your research, so you have to make sure that it is something of scholarly merit and interest. Your topic should be a stepping stone to further scholarship that pushes your limits and expands your way of thinking.

What role does your advisor play in your education?

Before we advance to PhD candidacy, we all have the Director for Graduate Studies as our main advisor. He supervises our course selection and makes sure that we are on track with examinations. At this point, he provides a general sort of assistance, but in a later stage, we will work with other faculty members more closely. Then, for the dissertation, we will have a full committee as well as a go-to advisor with whom we will work very closely.

Does your doctoral program require comprehensive exams prior to graduation?

Yes, we have both comprehensive and preliminary exams in our program that focus on Latin, Greek, German and another modern language, such as Italian, French, Spanish or Dutch. For the ancient languages, the examinations contain 6 passages derived from a lengthy reading list. It is important to be familiar with the texts that we’re going to be tested on, but we need the ability to sight-read in these languages too.

Luckily for me, I learned Italian and German as an undergrad, so I didn’t need to take Duke’s supplementary summer courses in modern languages. Still, the exams require a lot of preparation. It is recommended that we spend the summer after our first year preparing for those examinations since the reading lists are substantial.

How does a doctoral program differ from graduate study at the masters level?

Studying at the PhD level is much more difficult than a masters program. It is an especially different experience for me, since I earned my masters degree under the British system at Oxford. I worked very hard for my masters, but I was mostly left to my own devices there. For example, I was expected to have an extremely specific research interest and to spend my time preparing articles that reflected that interest. As a result, I created a tailor-made masters degree that involved very little formal coursework. In the American system, a PhD has many more formal course requirements. We are expected to demonstrate a wider range of knowledge.

Graduate School – Paying for It

How are you funding your education?

Duke provides me with a fellowship and stipend, so I don’t pay anything for tuition or living costs. Funding is not an issue since there are not that many students in my program. We are only admitted by the graduate school if they can fund us, so everyone in our department has full funding guaranteed for 5 years.

Graduate School – Living Life

What are the time commitments for a PhD in classical studies?

My free time is regrettably minimal. I am either in class, studying for class, thinking about my dissertation or sleeping. Even as an undergrad, I worked heavily and consistently, but now it is hard to find time for anything else.

How has graduate school affected your personal life?

Graduate school has definitely taken a toll on my personal life. I have only taken 2 weeks off in the last year and a half since I started working on my PhD, and I spent those weeks studying and tutoring. What little free time I do have is spent preparing for my examinations.

Because graduate school takes up so much of my life, it is important to manage my time wisely. The most important strategy for time management that I can offer is that you should always look ahead. Look at your graduate manual and talk to your advisors as early as possible to create a plan for realistically completing your examinations. I have colleagues who are facing time crunches right now because they will be terminated from the program if they don’t complete examinations by a certain day.

Graduate School – After Graduation

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

When I finish school, I would like to get an academic job. Ideally, I will be teaching classics at a liberal arts school that will allow me to combine teaching with my own research and writing so I can continue to produce my own ideas while helping students.

Job prospects within academia have been pretty grim since the recession, but this fall, things have started to pick up again. Everyone in our program at Duke who has wanted a job has gotten one.

Graduate School - Advice

What insights can you offer a student who is interested in pursuing a PhD in classical studies?

I think my program is wonderful, but you need to be aware of the demands on your time and the nature of the field. This area of research is very small and very competitive, and you have to be prepared for that. But if you are up to the challenge, I think it is one of the most rewarding investments that you can make.

You should also be aware that studying at the PhD level is a lifestyle. The doctoral program you choose is going to be your entire life for the next 6 or 7 years, so you need to accept the fact that you are going to be working very hard. You will need to adapt your work ethic accordingly.