Monday, February 27, 2017

A Day in the Life Of: A Classics Major

Meet Ben Carroll!!!

Welcome to the first of many Senior Profiles that I'll be posting over the next several weeks. I hope this will help you get to know students at St. Mike's while learning more about specific clubs, majors, and career paths.


Ben is a senior Classics major with minors in Literary Studies and Medieval Studies.

For people that don't know, what exactly do you study as a Classics major?

I study Latin and Ancient Greek texts and some history and cultures of those civilizations. The major includes reading the epic poetry of Homer and Virgil, the letters of Pliny the Younger, and the New Testament in Ancient Greek.

What made you choose to be a Classics major?


I had taken Latin for four years in high school and I found that language is something I particularly excel in, so it seemed pretty clear to me. Most of the other majors I might have otherwise chosen weren't quite practical, so I figured I might as well complete a major that I really enjoy.

What's your favorite part about your major?

My favorite part is how small the major is. There are only three or four majors in the whole school. All of my classes have either been one-on-one or in small groups, which I much prefer to sitting in a lecture hall with 100 other students.

How do you balance studying three disciplines with your social life?

It came very easily as there's a lot of overlap between Classics and Medieval Studies, and the Lit Studies minor happened almost accidentally because I gravitated towards those types of courses for my free spots.

Why do you think studying Latin and Ancient Greek is important?

It's a lot of the same reasons as why people would say studying history is important. It's fascinating to look back at how humanity has evolved and how far it's come, and it's important to keep track of humanity as a whole and on a cosmic scale.

Do you know what you want to do after you graduate?

I don't. Not a clue.

Thanks Ben!

Want to learn more about the Classics department? Check it out here!

Ben is also the President (Acapapa) of Mike Check, the all-male a cappella group at SMC! Check out their Facebook (link above), check us out on Twitter or Instagram, or on Snapchat at MikeCheckSMC!

Is there a particular major, club, or person you want to know more about? Contact me:

Email: cholloway@mail.smcvt.edu
Twitter: @thebeardedchris
Insta: @christhebeard

3 comments:

  1. Ben got second place in a spelling bee in elementary school once

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    Replies
    1. and first place the next year!

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    2. Wait, was that the year he did Spider-man webs with paper and tape on stage?

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