Jake Colloff
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) graduate Jake Colloff was recently accepted into Harvard’s PhD programme. He chats about his passion for Egyptology, his excitement to join one of the world’s most prestigious universities, and how Auckland’s BA programme inspired him.
Key facts
Programme: Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Specialisation: Ancient History
“My academic journey started with a BA in Ancient History and Philosophy, and a BA (Honours) in Ancient History at the University of Auckland.
“I became interested in Greek mythology at a young age through the Percy Jackson books and when I took Classics are school, I realised I found studying history just as interesting as the story and art themselves. Despite being better at STEM than literary subjects, I followed my passions and enrolled to study Ancient History.
“I intended to focus on Greek history but ended up falling into Egyptology in my second year, thanks to a hieroglyphics class taught by Doctor Jennifer Hellum. The class caught my imagination and started my transition into the wonderful world of Egyptology – without her charisma and dedication I may have never ended up where I am now.
“When I left school my plan was to do a 3 year BA and get into the workplace as soon as possible, but I discovered how seductive university life was – being able to choose your own courses and study them in any way that suited you – and realised there was no place I’d rather be!
“After completing my Honours, I undertook a MA in Classics and Ancient Civilizations at Leiden University in the Netherlands, guided by a particularly helpful advice session from Auckland about the importance of studying varying themes under specialists in different areas. For my thesis, I looked at depictions of griffins in the elite tombs of the Middle Kingdom. I think my PhD will continue this pathway, focusing on the art and tomb decoration, religion and/or the fauna of ancient Egypt – but there’s always the possibility that something totally different will catch my eye!
“There are pretty much an unlimited number of things that I’m looking forward to about my move to Harvard. I can’t wait to join what will no doubt be a fantastic and supportive community and am curious to learn about the digital humanities side of the work they do there – Harvard is extremely modern in its incorporation of digital technologies in aiding Egyptological research.
“I can’t speak about my academic journey without signalling my deepest appreciation for my lectures at UoA. I’ve already mentioned Doctor Jennifer Hellum and also want to thank Professor Anthony Spalinger who was my supervisor during my BA Hons thesis and has been an absolute reservoir of wisdom and has stopped at no lengths in lending me his aid and knowledge in order to help my progression through the discipline. Both Jen and Tony continued to help me even after I left Auckland and were always ready with support and advice over email no matter how long ago my last contact had been.
I absolutely loved my studies at the University of Auckland and the
flexible nature of the BA programme.
“The experience ignited my passion for academia, and the variety of courses on offer allowed me to venture down different rabbit holes each one resulting in a deeper love for the subject and a more thorough understanding of the ancient world as a whole.
“To any potential postgraduate students, I would say to properly exploit the academic resources that remain available to them in the BA. My accomplishments would not have been possible without the high standard of teaching and expertise within the department.”