PhD Student in Classical Philology, Yale University, CT

Written in: March 2000
The writer wishes to remain anonymous.

I heard about The Fulbright Commission from my university careers service and the Commission became my main source of information and the library proved invaluable. In particular the free handouts were a useful starting point, as was a particular book that discussed Classics at US universities.

I used the Internet for getting more detailed information on the universities, such as lists of faculty and application procedures. As far as finding out about the suitability and reputation of universities is concerned, I began by asking the education advisers. I looked at books that gave rankings of universities, asked tutors and lecturers at my university and two friends going through the same process (but in different subject areas).

I decided to aim high and so was applying to universities that are well-known not just in the US but which have a world-wide reputation. I visited university web sites and found the email addresses of faculty who were active in my specialist area. I emailed them with a general description of myself and asked them whether they thought I should apply. I did this with about 10 universities. Most replied saying I should, with some sounding more enthusiastic than others. A few replied advising me against it - Stanford in particular because of the cost - and some recommended other universities as being more suitable. Everyone I contacted was really helpful and many took the time to give me detailed information. This obviously helped me to narrow down my choice of universities and (perhaps more importantly) made sure that my name and interests were already known at the universities to which I eventually applied. I am so glad I did this. I didn't realise at the time, but later found that on every application form I was asked to list faculty I had contacted.

I decided to go for the "big names" which also happened to be the best Classics universities - in the case of Classics there are few "lesser known" universities that are famous for Classics. I then narrowed down this list on the basis of teaching staff, nature of course, location and cost. I also used the replies to my emails and the advice of the educational advisers and my referees. I finally asked myself, if I had to go to X university, would I really want to? I ended up with a list of three. While it is a good idea to have a short list of universities, because the process is time consuming and expensive, I think three is too small. I was rejected by two of my choices and luckily was accepted by one. With hindsight I would have gone for four or five. But then again, would I have really wanted to go to the one or two extra universities I would put on a list?