Never Stop Networking

Now that I have graduated, it's more important than ever to keep in touch with my established contacts and to keep networking. I don't know my future and I don't know when the next great opportunity might come about.

Yesterday I met Dr. Sam Meier of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at OSU. I followed up on our great conversation with this email:

Hi Dr. Meier,

It was very nice meeting you and your family yesterday at David and Katie's wedding. Thanks for talking with me about my favorite topics!! Working with the National Parks Service has been such a wonderful job. I love it so much and want to stick with it, but I'm beginning to realize that I don't want to be the one giving the archaeological tours where I explain research and new findings-- I want to be the one doing the research. Now that my senior honors thesis is done, I am beginning to get antsy knowing that there are tons of research projects out there, not only in the Korinthia, but also across the Mediterranean and even right under my nose within the park.

You see, what I didn't get a chance to tell you is that I applied last year for graduate school. I was sure of myself and went after all the big name Classical Arch. schools--6 in all, including OSU. Tim Gregory and the history department declined my admission because there was an expectation that I would get in elsewhere with funding.

I was only accepted at Boston University without funding. As for the other schools, despite having 2 years of Latin, and one year of ancient Greek, it wasn't enough compared to those who have 3 languages under their belt.

I was lucky enough to get the job at Hopewell Culture because of my interpretive skills and working with kids through the Ohio Historical Center. Come the fall then, I'm planning to continue taking Latin and Greek here at OSU while still working part time at the park.

Basically, I feel burned by the history department here and don't know if I'll reapply. I'm going to try to pick a couple of schools that really fit me and try and go after them. Other than that, I'm not sure what else to do. I feel like I'm going to miss out on a whole year of research and digging experience. If you have ANY advice, I would really appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Laura

It's important for me to seek advice from as many people as possible. Everyone has had their own experiences with applying to graduate school and everyone has left me with a unique piece of knowledge. I have no doubt Dr. Meier will be any different.