Ottomania

Oh great. Then perhaps I can PM you sometime if I have any additional questions?

I think it also depends upon being open to the idea of working in different parts of the world. There is a world beyond the US where the humanities are growing in importance, especially in the Middle East where big name universities are opening their second campuses. I think one can improve one's chances of securing a tenure track position if they cast a wider net.

Thank you so much for the reply. That puts me at ease. Are you at UChicago?

Whats the deal with NYU Near Eastern Studies? MA decisions are usually out by now right?

Thanks for the reply, junotwest. No, the site has no roster of current MA students I could contact, nor do I have personal contact with anyone remotely related to the department. But you are right, I could contact my relevant professor there and ask for syllabi. I am not sure what that can tell me grading wise about the department. I am not a grade obsessed student by any standard but when this much money is riding on it, I really want to know.

Ok, so I got an offer of admission at the University of Chicago's MA in Middle Eastern Studies a week or so ago.I have also been offered a half-tuition scholarship which they will extend to full the next year provided I maintain a 3.5 above. As you can imagine, I am completely over the flippin moon. Chicago was one of my top choices and have been told would be a good stepping stone towards a PhD in Ottoman History. Trouble is, I do not know how manageable a 3.5 is there. I am willing to work very hard, give up everything (literally everything; eating, sleeping, bathing.....ok maybe not bathing) but I do not want to get to Chicago and find out that a 3.5 in the MA programme is a purely theoretical grade level (like decent grades are at Utoronto where they deliberately do grade deflation) and that I would have to pay 50 K the next year in all likelihood which I won't be able to afford.

Once again, in the same position as OP. I need training in Turkish and Ottoman Turkish hence I applied for an MA. I would have considered prior training but the non-existence of Turkish language learning facilities where I live (Lahore, Pakistan) and the lack of opportunities for a year abroad in Turkey meant that I would be entering my MA at Chicago with native ability in Urdu and some basic ability in Persian, but little else. I have also been offered a half-tuition scholarship which they will extend to full provided I maintain a 3.5 above. I do not know how manageable that is. I do not want to get to Chicago and find out that a 3.5 in the CMES programme is a purely theoretical grade level (like decent grades are at Utoronto where they deliberately do grade deflation). But OP, I think you should wait it out for a year if no scholarship has been offered.