samarkand

Same to you Bukharan!

From what I know, Near Eastern Studies is dedicated in general to an analysis and examination of literary and civilizational history. It doesn't denote anything modern, except if you speak of the study of certain languages. Some universities of course group Middle Eastern Studies with Near Eastern Studies, but this is a misguided attempt to consolidate certain fields based on their geographic location (in other words, anything east of Europe belongs to the near or middle east). It makes sense that Egyptology, Assyriology and the like are grouped with Islamic Studies, Jewish Studies, etc in departments of NES because these fields have historically been dedicated to an analysis of that which is long gone, while Middle Eastern Studies delves into modern political, economic, historic, religious contexts and circumstances. You are right that MES applicants have a wide range of disciplines to apply to, but this is certainly not the case for NES applicants interested in medieval, classical, post-classical Islam, Judaism, or literary studies (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, etc). We shouldn't think of NES as composed of competing factions - yes there are political divisions between professors in many departments across the nation, but this doesn't mean that the discipline itself is a divisive one. Its disparate components in my opinion form a good cohesive whole dedicated to that which is antiquated. Just because modern scholars utilize resources in NES doesn't make it a modern department.

Without requisite language knowledge, it may be very difficult for you to get accepted. By requisite I mean at least a year or two of study of the Middle Eastern language central to your area/field of inquiry. Depending on the university, this also may include reading knowledge of one modern European language. It's always recommended that one have exposure to the field prior to commencing graduate study, so taking a few classes in ME history, law, ethics, politics, economy, etc. would definitely benefit your application success. I would also recommend that you peruse the "application" section of thegradcafe and look into the factors that make an application successful. Middle Eastern Studies has become an incredibly competitive field, with many more applying than before, so you'll want to do everything you can to improve your application.

Harvard it is

Awesome (not the rejections, but that you're heading to Duke). Did you apply to work with Ebrahim Moosa in Religion?

Columbia has an entering PhD class of two only (at least for 2010). The rest are MA students.

Many many thanks! Yes, it turned out to be an acceptance, because I got the package later in the day. I was also accepted into Yale, so now must decide between the two. Originally Yale was my top choice, but after getting this acceptance, I don't know! Congratulations also on all your acceptances, it seem like it's going to be a hard decision for you as well!

received an email this morning, saying "NELC Reception for Newly Admitted Students" in the subject line. i was half awake and thought it was mistakenly sent by michigan. turns out to be from harvard inviting me to lunch and orientation on april 1st! so i'm admitted? they probably thought the letter had reached me by now. oh God i hope i get funding!

it's not all about prestige when it comes to phd programs. you'll want to look more at fit and methodology. of course if you have an MA it will improve your chances, but not significantly. an MA denotes having gone through specific courses/languages, etc, but if one can prove that he/she achieved the same level knowledge but through a different medium, it will be viewed similarly. most phd programs outwardly "prefer" applicants with MAs, only because it shows a certain maturity and criticalness in the student. but if you are able to prove that you have that without an MA, then that's swell too. as for the linkage between MA institution prestige and phd admissions - i'm sure it will factor in that you graduated from nyu, but that's only one factor looked at among other more important ones - such as fit, statement, writing sample, undergrad institution, gre, cv, grades, etc. in my case, i don't have an MA, nor did I get anywhere near the best gre scores, but i was accepted into nearly every institution where I fit very well with potential advisors. so i've come to believe that it truly is about your intended specialization and the ability of your advisor to guide you in that specialization. graduating from nyu with a masters is great, but how will that mold you? what will your interests be for phd study? and how does that reflect itself in the interests of your potential advisors? those are the more imp questions, IMO.

Congratulations! Great news! Both are good programs. I think the hardest part of the application process is really deciding where to go in the end, if you are one of the lucky ones that gets accepted to multiple schools.

Allah yebarik feek...awwalan, I want to say that I love your username, it brought a smile upon my face, because I've been saying those two words repeatedly the past two weeks. It's a really tough year for admissions, especially for Arabic. Although it would have been better if you applied to more programs, there's no use remorsing now, but it's good to know for the future. You still have hope in Columbia, which tends to admit a good number of students for the MA program in Arabic literature. From what I heard, they only admit two students a year for the PhD, although I'm not sure. There's no doubt that you're competitive for these programs. There aren't many students who have lived and studied Arabic in the Arab world, much less those who are close to fluency in the language. Don't give up - if you were waitlisted at Yale that means you have a strong background for future study. The main issue is that you didn't apply to enough programs. We all get rejected for one reason or another - it's really a crap shoot, hence the importance of applying to multiple institutions. I'm not sure what your interests in the Arabic literary tradition are, but Yale seems to be more focused on the medieval, classical periods. Hala Nassar is now leaving, which I'm sure isn't too good for those interested in modern Arabic criticism. You have many options, which I'm sure you know, when it comes to studying Arabic. I can only guess which country you were in, but it must have been a bummer to leave. I was supposed to be in a country of similar characteristics for the span of this year but was denied a visa to enter. You just have to plan around it. If beginning a PhD in the Fall is no longer an option by April, there are many other things you can do to improve your application. I think the most important thing is language acquisition - French, German, even Persian, depending on your interests. All I can say is that you must not fret, a year off may be a good thing in the long run, and will give you access to programs that are even better for your field than the ones you applied to this year. Work on improving your app by studying other languages, and perhaps engaging in a long term research project. Get in touch with professors early on. I wish you the very best in your endeavors, do not worry, you still have a shot, but if there is a next time, apply to more schools.

Any news on Harvard?

I can only imagine how you feel - I got one and I was over the roof. Many congrats!

In terms of Michigan, if you weren't invited to recruitment weekend you're most likely out, cause they interviewed a bunch of people in jan and then condensed that into a shorter list of interviewees for their recruitment weekend in feb. I think they'll choose acceptances from among them.

That's weird...doesn't that go against the whole trajectory of acceptances posted on the results page from recent years? I really hope they don't wait until March if they already know who's in and who's out.

Congratulations to whoever got the Yale acceptance! Does anyone know how many they accept each year and how many apply?

Sorry to hear that Tiglath! Be patient though, we all hope good news is around the corner Congrats Kate on your acceptances. That, I'm sure, eases things for you. Princeton is still killing me though...and what a slow death it is...from what I gather, they haven't disclosed their short list yet.

Yep.

Is anyone going to michigan for recruitment weekend?

Does anyone know if Yale did interviews in the past? I emailed with a professor early last year who stated that he welcomes the opportunity to interview potential students, although its not a prerequisite for admission. But on gradcafe, there seems to be no sign of anyone getting interviewed. Anyone know?