Orfeo

Cornell's department of Near Eastern Studies is a great place to study the ancient Near East, from what I gather. Affiliated programs in Religious Studies and Archaeology offer Master's degrees, but a PhD in NES would include a strong methodological grounding in ancient history. They also have the third-largest collection of Cuneiform in the country and are in the process of digitizing them, which I think is pretty cool

Thanks! That is helpful. Unfortunately I can't speak to either of those programs (maybe somebody else on here can), but I can share some general wisdom I have heard from multiple sources: Don't pay for a Master's in this field. Career prospects for people with just a Master's degree are not particularly lucrative, so taking on a lot of debt is a difficult thing to manage. But if your ultimate goal is to get a PhD, there are plenty of opportunities for funded PhDs with just a Bachelor's (earning your MA along the way). You should think about what your ultimate goal is. If it is to work in academia, start down that path by applying for PhD programs. If it is something in government or the private sector, try to get some work experience with your Bachelor's.

If you go to the app.applyyourself.com Columbia GSAS website, the central hub when you were filling out your application, there may be a link that says Decision Status, available XXX. Another comment in the NES thread made me think that acceptances had already been sent out, but I can't say for sure

I received my rejection from MESAAS yesterday via an e-mail with a link. Apparently the incoming cohort includes 2 people

Does anybody know anything about NES at Cornell? I am interested in the modern Middle East, specifically Egypt. It seems there are three experts on faculty (Z Fahmy, DS Patel, and D Starr). I was attracted to the program because it is rare to find one expert on modern Egypt among a faculty, let alone three, but Cornell was not my first choice. They are all Assistant Profs and in the case of two of the three, have received their PhDs in the last 5 years. The faculty and current candidates have certainly been very enthusiastic and available in recruiting me, which I imagine is an important thing to get from a program. My only concern is, while this is a great financial offer, it is my only offer. I don't want to be forced into going somewhere because it is my only choice, especially when I am only two years removed from my bachelor's and I feel like I could do a better job on my applications next year (only applied to 4 schools this year, could have spent more time on them, etc.). I know Cornell is a great school and I'm sure I could get good training in methods and languages, but I wonder if a more veteran and established special committee could be the difference between getting placed or not when I come out of school.

I was accepted with full funding to the Department of Near Eastern Studies MA/PhD. It was my only offer, so I will likely take it. I am visiting Ithaca next weekend to check it out. Looking forward to seeing campus and meeting with potential advisors.