NELC / Near Eastern Studies Fall 2019

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, Coptophile said:

Thank you! I got a response today about funding, and I essentially have full tuition, so that's a definite plus.

Congrats on the acceptance to Brown! It's a great program for sure, which reflects on you as well. 

If I may, and if you did not post it elsewhere, could I ask what your qualifications were when you applied this cycle? I know that every Ph.D. applicant is different and committees take that into account, but I'm sure that your previous experience could help myself and others when we are applying (and re-applying ) to different programs in the future.

A full tuition waver MA from Harvard? That's awesome! Put that on your CV and, although it won't guarantee a PhD acceptance, it will definitely make the committees read your application carefully!

Yeah! I'm super excited about Brown! I had applied to several scholarships (in Europe) in the past 2 years and they all had a negative result, so a fully-funded acceptance, and to Brown!, has definitely paid off all the hard-work and all the waiting! 

Regarding my qualifications: I scored 119 on the TOEFL, 162V/164Q/4.5AWA on the GRE, and I have an MA in Egyptology (GPA 9.4/10) from Barcelona, but my undergrad is actually in the Sciences. I studied Engineering and worked as such for some years, until the conditions were finally right for me to pursue a career in Egyptology, which is what I always wanted (it's a long story... I'm from Central America, and there is absolutely no posibility or encouragement to study History in my home country...) All this has, of course, played against me: the feedback I've received from universities in Belgium, France, and the US (UChicago...) is that they prefer younger students who have taken the "traditional" path... But you never know: to my surprise, Brown said that my interdisciplinary background is precisely what attracted them, and that they accepted me because my research interests were a great fit for the department (I want to study the cultural exchange between Egypt and other ANE cultures through the literature of the 1st millenium BC).

Bottom line is, it's very difficult to weigh our chances just by looking at the numbers. In my experience, the single most important piece of your application is the SoP, where you need to make sure you tell a story that resonates with the faculty's own interests and each program's strong points. That and the reco letters: my professors in Barcelona are not super famous, but they knew me and my work really well, and I'm sure they made the letters personal (didn't read them...) Not sure if all this helps, but this is what I learned this cycle!     

[Guest]

50 minutes ago, Ellem said:

Thanks! I'm not really bummed about Princeton- it's just nice to finally have an answer. 

I applied to MA programs exclusively, and I've been accepted to 6 programs so far. I've narrowed it down to Harvard (half funded) and NYU (fully funded, thank you FLAS). Both programs seem like a good fit, so I'm just debating if I want to pay for the Harvard name or not. The decision is causing me a fair amount of stress, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! I don't plan on going for a PhD, so this MA would be it. 

Wow! congrats on those 6 acceptances! What's your concentration? 

My 2 cents: if your dilemma is between Harvard and NYU and you're not planning on a PhD afterwards, I would go with the program that better aligns with your research interests. Have a look at the courses each MA offers and decide which are more attractive to you. If, after the MA, you decide you want to go for the PhD, having taken the courses you're really passionate about will play in your favor: you'll have things more clear and that will reflect on your SoP.

[Coptophile]

33 minutes ago, sseire said:

A full tuition waver MA from Harvard? That's awesome! Put that on your CV and, although it won't guarantee a PhD acceptance, it will definitely make the committees read your application carefully!

Yeah! I'm super excited about Brown! I had applied to several scholarships (in Europe) in the past 2 years and they all had a negative result, so a fully-funded acceptance, and to Brown!, has definitely paid off all the hard-work and all the waiting! 

Regarding my qualifications: I scored 119 on the TOEFL, 162V/164Q/4.5AWA on the GRE, and I have an MA in Egyptology (GPA 9.4/10) from Barcelona, but my undergrad is actually in the Sciences. I studied Engineering and worked as such for some years, until the conditions were finally right for me to pursue a career in Egyptology, which is what I always wanted (it's a long story... I'm from Central America, and there is absolutely no posibility or encouragement to study History in my home country...) All this has, of course, played against me: the feedback I've received from universities in Belgium, France, and the US (UChicago...) is that they prefer younger students who have taken the "traditional" path... But you never know: to my surprise, Brown said that my interdisciplinary background is precisely what attracted them, and that they accepted me because my research interests were a great fit for the department (I want to study the cultural exchange between Egypt and other ANE cultures through the literature of the 1st millenium BC).

Bottom line is, it's very difficult to weigh our chances just by looking at the numbers. In my experience, the single most important piece of your application is the SoP, where you need to make sure you tell a story that resonates with the faculty's own interests and each program's strong points. That and the reco letters: my professors in Barcelona are not super famous, but they knew me and my work really well, and I'm sure they made the letters personal (didn't read them...) Not sure if all this helps, but this is what I learned this cycle!     

Thanks for the reply. It seems like you worked hard and I'm happy that it paid off for you; your story encourages me to work harder as well. Good luck at Brown! 

[TUKUL.TI.A.É.ŠÁR.RA]

I understand that Hopkins takes forever to get back to people, and UCLA is having internal budget issues concerning non-Cali US admits, but should I consider myself out if I have not heard anything back from either of these programs by this point? Admittedly, I’ve been in contact with an NES program staff member at JHU, but they said there was no new information to offer. Any advice, y’all?

[Coptophile]

I just heard back about CUA funding after a long wait, so I guess it's clear to say that I probably will not be attending unfortunately. I'm still happy with how this season went, though. 

Hopefully everyone else is content with this application season as well! 

[nickxk]

I just got back from the visit at Michigan.

 

While I will not be attending a PhD and will be getting my MA first, I was told I got the Rackham Merit Award and so I have tuition covered with a nice stipend! Out of 200 people who applied, seventy were accepted across all international MAs, 8 were nominated for the award, but only I and one other person got it, so I feel very grateful and lucky!

[Coptophile]

Nevermind, I heard back from CUA a second time and did indeed receive funding, which includes full tuition and a stipend. Besides UChicago's Ph.D., this was my first choice, so I'm pretty stoked! 

[DhuRaydan]

On 4/4/2019 at 11:05 PM, Coptophile said:

Nevermind, I heard back from CUA a second time and did indeed receive funding, which includes full tuition and a stipend. Besides UChicago's Ph.D., this was my first choice, so I'm pretty stoked! 

Congratulations! Might I ask how you got the information about funding? 

[Coptophile]

On 4/10/2019 at 9:46 PM, DhuRaydan said:

Congratulations! Might I ask how you got the information about funding? 

I had emailed the department chair for the information, but I think you can check somewhere on your CUA account?