lelick1234

I guess I always considered a PhD an opportunity to learn as many as languages as possible. I figure if I am going to suck at math, the only way I could justify my pursuit of humanities would be if I could market my language skills outside of academia if, indeed, I failed to establish a career in academia.

Just quit my job teaching social studies in Egypt. I will be returning to the US in a week. So excited because I am one step closer to being able to apply to graduate school.

Honestly, I am reading Daniel J. Sargent's A Superpower Transformed and I stumbled upon a seemingly extremely important part of his thesis that I felt like I only understood on a very superficial level. "With the implosion of the Cold War order, international trade and financial globalization resurged, reaching levels not seen since the late nineteenth century. The relationship of US economic power to the world economy also shifted. The United States in the era of the Cold War was a dynamo of production, an industrial hub, from which resources flowed outward to allies and clients. By the 1970s, this role could not be sustained. “Americans are moving into an era when we are going to be dependent on the outside world,” explained one former official in 1973. “American self-sufficiency is over.” In the 1970s, the US economy became dependent on external inputs, which made the United States a beneficiary of globalization , as it had been in the late nineteenth century. The United States in 1971 ran its first trade deficit since 1893. It became in the mid-1980s dependent on foreigners’ savings to sustain domestic consumption and to finance what Fox defined as the superpower’s hallmark— its worldwide military reach. The US government, meanwhile, began to cede the responsibility for managing the world economic order that it had exercised since the 1940s— not to foreign American military power did not retreat from the world in the 1970s, but the locus of its exercise shifted from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, which became a primary zone of US engagement, alongside Europe and Northeast Asia. Having delegated responsibility for regional security to allies and clients, the United States came in the late 1970s to accept a permanent military role in the Persian Gulf. This reorientation hinged on economic changes, which the oil crises of the 1970s made manifest. The world’s dominant oil producer until the late 1960s, the United States became in the 1970s an oil importer. In 1977, Americans imported more than half the oil they consumed. In energy, as in other sectors, the advantages that once made the United States the powerhouse of the world economy were narrowing; as the margins of superiority closed, Americans imported more oil, more goods, and more capital, and the superpower became dependent upon the resources that an integrating world economy furnished." If I am only understanding the bare minimum of this paragraph, then I feel that I would not necessarily understand the data or the basic sources that he uses to base this assessment. I feel that I might also need to take some basic economic courses online or read an undergraduate macroeconomics terms. Maybe some of these terms will contain deep meaning to me after I increase my economic knowledge. As far as it goes with the history of economic thought, I guess I feel it is one of my duties as an aspiring intellectual to have a more than basic knowledge of critical theory, especially economic theories. I have always wanted to read Marx's Capital with understanding, but I doubt I would be able without a basic knowledge of economics first, then at least a basic knowledge of prior economic thinkers and their philosophies. This is at least what I think. Are there are any other ideas about this issue?

Cool, this is should keep me busy.

Neither am I, but this does look like a good start. I have begun to read Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction. Like the rest of the series, it has been an easy, but thought-provoking introduction to the topic. I think your suggestion will complement it perfectly.

Can any of you make any suggestions about building up my knowledge of capitalism in modern world history? My specialty is U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, but I am interested in all type of historical literature related to the history of capitalism.

Not going to argue with that. When I was working at dead end job because I dropped out of community college for the third time, I read GGS and was completely enthralled by history because of it. I do not think that I am the only one.

Yeah, I have been emailing a few of my professors every once in a while about some of my research interests. Graduate school for me is something that I have to go slow with given my current circumstances. It is better to be working every day on a 10-year plan than abandoning the dream completely. One should love the preparation just as much as they love the destination. For example, I hate math and scored horribly on the quantitative section on the GRE because I got demoralized during the exam five years ago. Now, however, I am having fun reviewing pre-Algerbra and geometry at my own pace. I even downloaded some history of mathematics books to place everything into perspective. It has made studying for the GRE far less of a panic inducing chore and more of a practice in intellectual development. Since I have not made graduate school the end all of everything in my life, I can now imagine possibly, through studying for the GRE, becoming much better at quantitative analysis, which would be very helpful in the end for my research. I also have time to slowly or quickly learn some languages. There are lots of language resources online and at various libraries. What is stopping me while working and raising a family picking up at least intermediate reading level of one of the easy romantic languages like French. Also, taking time off from academia and actually reading books that relate to my projected research project has made me realize how naive I was about historiography as an undergraduate. I mean, I think finishing one book a month over five years on one topic would already make me well on the way towards expertise. Just some ideas.

Hey Folks, I might have to delay my applications a couple of years for many issues. This is not necessarily a bad thing because I plan on plugging away at my research project along the way. I live pretty close to the Reagan Library. What do you believe is the cut off in regards to age for someone hoping to enter academia? I will probably be 34 by the time I apply to graduate school. Is this too old? --Leo

Hmm, yeah, all I know is that I got within the very, very impressive 30th percentile in the quantitative My analytical was not that hot either, I think a 4.5. I guess I am asking how much more work I need to do. I am guessing that I probably need to get somewhere in the 70th percentile in the quantitative and raise my analytical to at least a 5. What do you think?

So an MA is a must pretty much?

For those accepted into the MAAS at Georgetown, what were your stats? I earned a 3.89 GPA at Top-40 university and 165 V /120 Q, and have spent four years living in Egypt? Would I be decent candidate? What should I improve to gain acceptance or funding?

Hey Folks, Does one have to be in a graduate program to have their research viewed by professional scholars? What barriers would one face in conducting independent research?

Hello Poli Sci Folks, I have been living in Egypt for the past four years. I am becoming proficient in both spoken (Egyptian Dialect) and written Arabic. I graduated with BA in history from the UCSB with a 3.88 GPA. I focused on the history of US foreign policy towards the Middle East. I have become increasingly interested in contemporary Middle Eastern politics, and not merely historical narratives. I am looking into Georgetown's Arab Studies MA. I took the GRE four years ago. My scores were V:162 Q:146 and Analytical: 4.5. Not exactly inspiring. But I have a few years before I plan on applying to raise those scores. I figure with my actual real-life experience in the Arab world will be an additional plus that might lesson the blow of my GRE scores. If I find that I have not grown tired of academia and I want to continue with my PhD in political science after my MA program, what field should I consider if I am going to focus on contemporary Arab politics, especially the growth of Islamist groups? Also, who are the top professors of Middle Eastern politics? I really like Fawaz Gerges at London School of Economics. Can anybody else make suggests for future professors to work with? --Leo

My general gist of this conversation is that you should only enroll in graduate school if you are actually a star in your field, or--if you are not--that you want to write a book, learn some languages, and work some odd job in the future. I will apply to the top-20 programs and see what happens. I am perfectly comfortable with my middling academic skills, even if I secretly hope that I am selling myself short.

Hey Folks, I was just wondering the mindset of people who are currently doing graduate studies at a mid-level university. What are your professional goals? I have heard many people say to not even go to graduate school if you do not get into a university with prestige. --Leo

Omar, Hey, it's is good to hear from you. Yes, I am planning on to enter into the field of Middle Eastern history, and I can easily say that Arabic is a tremendous barrier for many khuwagaat. Egyptians definitely have an advantage for this reason. Did you ever have to take a course with Professor Sherine Seleikay at AUC? She was just offered a job at my alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Like what everyone was trying to explain, we don't do this for the big bucks.

Looking to apply to this program eventually. I graduated from University off California Santa Barbara with a 3.89 GPA in history. Took the GRE about 5 years ago, got 90 percentile on the verbal, 4.5 in analytical, and somewhere in the 20th percentile in quantitative (Doh!) I have currently lived in Egypt for 3.5 years and have pretty advanced speaking abilities in Egyptian Arabic and upper intermediate skills in modern standard Arabic. Besides, obviously, retaking the GRE, is there anything else I can do to improve my application?

I was too young to understand the overall political impact of 9/11, but the failures of the Iraq War really captured my interest. I began to wonder why there were so many problems in the Middle East. I began reading some books and realized that the US played a significant role in the current crises in the Middle East. With that being said, I was very practical and wanted a job. I thought that if I mastered a few of the Middle Eastern critical languages that I could get a cushy government job. But while studying Arabic, I met my wife, an Egyptian. My specialization will either be U.S. Foreign Policy towards the Middle East, with a secondary specialization in Middle Eastern History, or the opposite.

Well, there is a professor who focuses on Islamic political groups and the history of Iran. My sample writing from my BA was about Iran. I was thinking that she could help me refine my sample while I was talking courses. UCSB offers an opportunity to specialize in Islamic studies within the religious studies program. I figure since my research is going to be about, in part, the US foreign relations with the Islamic world, that such a seemingly small diversion wouldn't be held against me. But then again, I am not sure. That is why I was asking for opinions. I think I should write an email for sure.

Yeah, I am aware of that perspective. I told her I would give her additional, college-level readings over the summer. I also told her that she could always do a history minor if she attends AUC in Cairo. She still seems solid when it comes to medical school, but I would consider it a great success for humanities if I could get her to do at least do a minor in history. LOL!!! I don't want her to ruin her life

I thought it was hilarious in a completely depressing sort of way. I hate the attitude also.

I have a story that I am sure all of you would appreciate. I teach social studies at an American school in Egypt. One of my excellent students just confided in me that she was not sure she wanted to become a doctor anymore because she found her history lessons, which I teach, far more interesting. I was of course overjoyed that I was about to successfully convert a future doctor to history. Remember, misery loves company. In Egypt, there are about three acceptable careers for the upper class: Doctor, Engineer, Dentist, and sometimes pharmacist. Yesterday, she came out of the closet to her Grandmother about her secret love of history. Her grandmother's response was classic, "Oh honey, your not getting good grades anymore, are you?"

I think a realistic goal for me is 93 percentile verbal, 5 on aw, and at least 50th percentile on quant. I have got time so I am going to start reviewing math concepts now. The last time I took it, I gave up on the math section and guessed all the way through. I believe I was within the 20th percentile.