The Junior Classical League (JCL) club hosted college students Lauren Witmer ’19, Taia Cheng ’19 and Eliza Dean on a panel to discuss Classical studies after high school. The panel was moderated by Chronicle Assistant News Editor Melody Tang ’22 and Avery Konwiser ’22.

Dean is doing a joint degree degree in Classics and French at the University of Oxford, Cheng is joint-majoring in Comparative Literature and Classics at Harvard University and Witmer is double-majoring in Classics and Linguistics at Carleton College.

The panelists shared their insights on studying classics

Witmer said her seventh-grade Latin class was a big part of developing her interest in classics.

“I remember loving it, just loving the experience,” Witmer said. “When I got to college, I took a couple of classics courses, and knew I wanted to do it after college.”

Cheng said she felt the Classics department is a close group and she enjoys the personal connections she has formed.

“[Classics is ] a special niche, and a really vibrant community,” Cheng said. “It’s really special, spending hours on your thesis and getting to know your classmates and teachers really well.”

Dean said it is beneficial to take advantage of events and opportunities college provides.

“There are loads of talks and lectures [at college], and my email box gets spammed every single morning,” Dean said “If there’s a special subject you’re interested in, there’s bound to be a talk you can go to.”

In regards to the college admissions process, Witmer said students should choose a college that would make them happy.

“Classics kids always go for the rigorous academics, so that will be there for you, but make sure the place is somewhere you can see yourself and that you enjoy,” Witmer said. “There are multiple places out there for everyone, and you just have to find the one that’s right for you.”

Mia Karathanasis ’22 said the panel was a helpful way to gain insight on what it’s like to study classics in college.

“It was nice to have a comfortable conversation around how the classics can continue to play a role in my academic life,” Karathanasis said. “I learned that there are more ways to incorporate my love for the classics into my future than I might have imagined.”