Hi! I’m Cordelia, and I’m currently a second year Classics student at the University of Manchester. I always enjoyed studying languages at school, particularly ancient languages, so Classics seemed the obvious option! One of the main reasons I decided to study at Manchester was because of the amazing resources available in the John Rylands library, as I was interested in papyrology and seeing the manuscripts themselves. Not to mention the fact that John Taylor works here!  

The degree structure for Classics is very flexible, so you can really tailor it to your own interests and skills throughout your time here. In your first year, all Classics students take at least one module between Latin or Greek (you can of course do both as long as you studied one prior to coming to university!), and then three from a selection of four modules covering the Aeneid, the Odyssey, constructing archaic Greek History and an introduction to Roman history. In second and third year, you still need one language and one literature module, but there’s much more flexibility. Usually language modules have two or three seminars a week, which are small group classes and super friendly, you’ll get to know the people in your group really quickly! Other modules tend to have two lectures and one seminar a week, with the seminars giving you a chance to go more in depth with the topics covered in lectures that week. On average you will have about nine or ten contact hours each week, so plenty of time to fit in independent study, societies and making friends.  

This year my favourite module has been Biblical Hebrew. In many places, it’s not possible to learn Biblical Hebrew this early in a Classics degree, so when I saw that the University of Manchester offered it I knew I had to seize the opportunity! Another thing I really appreciate about Classics at Manchester, is the fact we are able to take modules from other departments such as Religions and Theology, English Literature and Creative Writing, and History to name a few. We are also super lucky at Manchester to have a wonderful Egyptology department! I’m looking forward to studying Egyptian Hieroglyphs next semester through the Egyptology department.  

The University of Manchester is such a wonderful place to study Classics, particularly with the resources available to students. These include access to the Loeb Classical Library through the main library service, having the Manchester Museum on campus with wonderful exhibitions, and the John Rylands Library. Aside from the academics, it is also a great student city. There is so much to do and see whether your budget is bigger or smaller, and so many different kinds of food to try too! If you can attend an open day or offer holder day, I would strongly recommend it, or at least visiting the city to get a feel for where you could be living! We look forward to welcoming you! 

Written by Cordelia, a 2nd year BA Classics student

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