nescafe

...just saw a post on the spread-sheet that someone contacted Jermaine Jones and that June might be a possibility for Egypt? My head might implode before then! ack!

so sorry to hear that, entropy..... when it rains it seriously pours, esp with rejections.

OUCH! I'm waiting on Egypt and really hope that we aren't in it 'til May or June! I do know that a couple of years ago (AY 2007-08) the grantees found out mid-April, which is also painful, but I'm hoping for that!

I am in the Humanities, so it may be different for me... but all depends on your school. Friends of mine at different schools, programs, and even other depts in my university have totally different rules for how Comps are administered, and whether or not you can see the questions ahead of time. So, that was basically a very long way to say, "only your advisor will know for sure." Good luck, and don't sweat it! Comps are tough but it sounds like they are on a distant horizon for you.

I agree with others here that laying down local roots as quickly as possible is important.... not only to avoid trouble, but because it is an important reason for doing site research in the first place! NGOs will provide some cover, but your better bet is local scholars, perhaps at the school you are affiliated with. Avoid walking about alone. Someone said this already but it is VERY important. Just having a friend nearby will stop everything from harrassment to worse. Just to consider, also- if some of the places you wish toi go to are very dangerous, perhaps the thing to do is have your business arranged, every detail, before you go. I don't know what sort of research you will plan on doing once there, but I would strongly advise against going on site before you have all your interviews/letters of affiliation/etc set up. When you arrange your meetings at these sites, you can ask if someone might meet you outside the site to smooth things over. I spent some time at a refugee camp known for bouts of violence directed at foreign visitors- I simply had my plans laid out BEFORE I went (so I didn't appear rootless or aimless) and I had an acquaintance (who was raised in the camp) accompany me, thereby minimizing my risk. As a rule- the more ties you have the the imm. area, the better. You want to make it locally risky for anyone to mess with you. The wedding ring works for this reason. I would, at all costs, avoid carrying weapons... many countries wouldn't allow it anyhow.

In my experience, the only person in any academic department that knows what's going on is the dept administrator/secty. If the admin can't answer your question or confirm that your letter is coming (usually this person would actually HAVE copies of everyone's acceptance/award letters readily avail.) then you might want to follow up with the dept chair.

I am in a Middle East PhD Program, but had to start as an MA candidate and apply from within later. A big part of this problem is language training- not merely that admissions committees are looking for people strongly qualified in M.E. languages (I wasn't at the time, an issue I've been dealing with ever since actually), but more importantly- that many History Depts (mine included) are ill equipped to handle language training for their own students (e.g. you cannot enroll in language classes at your home university, they don't have advanced training, there isn't any funding for languages, or coursework is such that language training takes a backseat for most students....) If there was one thing I would change about how I handled getting into a grad program, it would be to take a year off (after the BA) to study in the Middle East. I will give a shout-out to Damascus University for intensive Arabic classes on the cheap. Their requirements are minimal re: paperwork, and Syria is where its at. (it appears as though I am in good company here as a student of Greater Syrian History...) As it is, I am spending time after going A.B.D. to catch up on language training, which is fine, but not ideal. It is a little troubling to hear that M.E. history folks aren't making it in. I can say, however much this depresses me, that my school is part of this trend (despite our Middle Eastern Historian pushing hard for new students).

..."But then she wrote "It does not mean you have been awarded a grant."" Totally. Every email I've gotten so far has reminded me of this- and it makes me sigh a little.

Finalist for Egypt here. Got email asking for info for the CLEA grant, with an April 1 deadline.... does this mean that Egypt won't be selecting their grantees until after then? Or is it that CLEA runs on a different schedule? ANyone have any wisdom on this? Thanks, and congrats to those of you that have heard!