Guest Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I'm new around here, but I have not yet found any thread for NELC 2019. So, here it goes! I have applied to 4 programs: UChicago, Hopkins, Brown, UCLA. It's the first time I apply in the US, and I initially thought 4 programs was too much, specially when asking recommenders to submit LORs to multiple programs, but then I came here and saw that people are applying to 10+ universities! I hope my 4 applications are enough to get me in somewhere! In any case, the wait is killing me! Anyone else out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I applied for NELC/NES, too. I actually applied to even less Unis than you; only two. I find the process super expensive, especially including the translations of certificates and transcripts. I also decided to focus on those Unis that were worth a move; both in terms of academic fit & support and personal preference (I am not sure I would survive 5 years in LA, for example). I am excited to see if it works out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 It is quite expensive, isn't it? With the GRE, TOEFL and all... To be fair, there aren't many unis with NELC programs, specially if you compare with other disciplines, so I guess it's normal that we have fewer applications... Which Unis are you aiming to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 The GRE & IELTS were horribly expensive and I’m happy that I will have a few years without having to take them anymore. Princeton & UPenn. Thought about Chicago and Brown, but ultimately decided against applying. The chance of getting in is presumably minimal, but we will see. I have a plan B and C, and am excited to see where I’ll be and what I’ll be doing after the summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Awesome! Princeton & UPenn are great choices; I didn't apply there because I didn't think I was a fit... Good luck! I hope your plan A works out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vance Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 It seems very quiet this year. Did any of you heard something from somewhere? I applied in Near Eastern Studies as well focusing on Islamic Studies. I only got a Skype Interview till now with a professor at Yale, who told me to wait for 4 more weeks for the results. All the best to all of you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) No, nothing yet. I am not surprised though as last years’ results show that interviews and acceptances were sent out in February and March (at least for my choices). A few more weeks wait. whats your focus? EDIT: I also don’t expect to hear a positive response from UPenn as I’ve heard that their cohort is small and my fit not too strong. Edited January 22, 2019 by samaasl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Nothing from my side either... As @samaasl said, though, on previous years people started to receive acceptances by early or mid-Feb, so I'm keeping my hopes up. @Vance how did the interview go!? To what other programs did you apply? All the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vance Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 @samaasl I applied in Islamic Studies, and I would like to work on Islamic Philosophy and Contemporary Islam. @sseire The interview was fine, took almost half an hour, although I was expecting more; I mean the Professor didn't ask many things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Obscura Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Dropping by for the first time to say I'm on the Michigan MES interview shortlist. I'm excited, as it's likely my top choice, but also nervous. I'm not sure what to expect, but it sounds like an intense several days. Does anyone have information on the interview process at Michigan? I looked through previous years briefly but didn't see anything. I hear that Princeton's interviews are quite intense though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 Well, that doesn’t bode well for me if they do invite me. Unfortunately don’t know anything about Michigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Hello y'all! I'm also applying to Middle Eastern Studies PhD and Masters Programs. Overall I applied to five PhDs and two Masters. I feel much better about my chances for the MA as I have established good rapport with the professors at Texas and have had courses under most of the faculty at Michigan MES (last year was NES) as I graduated with my BA from there last spring, which is where I applied for both an MA and PhD (though in retrospect applying to my alma mater for a PhD may have been ill-advised...). @Atlas Obscura, I might be able to give you some info on the feel and faculty in the department if you'd like it. As for me I have not heard back from anywhere and perhaps I was a bit too ambitious in my applications (Columbia GSAS, Princeton NES, Harvard CMES, and Arizona CMES were my other choices, graduated 3.85 GPA, GRE 166V/154Q/5.5 AWA), but I'm under the impression that most NELC/MES programs don't usually send out interviews or decisions until at least February as most places I applied had deadlines December 15th or later. At this rate though, my utmost desire is probably to get right started on a PhD as I know what I want to study (Historical discourse on leftist and Islamic movements in the Levant to keep it short), but I'd be happy to go for an MA to better hone my research credentials; I had about two years experience but it was more linguistics and sociology with a middle eastern bent more than anything. I really don't like this waiting process as it makes me nauseous but I'm glad to find others applying as it seems like a small field and so any information is welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Obscura Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 @nickxk, any insight would be great! I applied to 5 NELC/MES PhDs and a number of other departments in different fields. I did find out this week that I'd been accepted to UT Austin, which I'm very excited about, though still waiting to hear about funding decisions.... I hear excellent things about UT, but gather they don't have as many $$$ to throw around as some places. (If other folx know about that, they should weigh in!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 @Atlas Obscura, were you the Hebrew Studies guy who wrote their results a couple days back? Congratulations! I think we hear back for the MAs from Texas sometime in the next week or so. As for Michigan's department, my impression from my studies there is that it is very close knit and rather small compared to most departments at Michigan, but there are a lot of experts in their field from Knysh being a well-renowned scholar on Sufism to Bonner and his studies on jihad. Both are well-received in their field and in my opinion, great professors. If you are looking at Jewish/Hebrew or Christian studies, my knowledge on that side of the department is much more limited, but I happily recommend Michigan as an institution. If I had to guess, you'll know if you're a good fit or not very quickly. The department was in the Thayer building when I was there, and the offices seem nice enough. Only downside is that Ann Arbor can be prohibitively expensive so I recommend looking for housing almost immediately after you make your decision should you decide to go there. Benefits seem pretty soundly decent. Should I be accepted, I also worry about funding from Michigan and Texas, though that's because I'm applying for an MA with them...we'll see if FLAS funding comes through, the international institute at Michigan has a good amount of aid so I'm told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 ...by the way, does anyone know the general frequency of interviews of MES/NELC/NES PhD programs? I was under the impression that interviews are almost universal for short-listed applicants as they tend to be more qualitative on most humanities AdComs but I guess that was just an assumption of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas Obscura Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 @nickxk, I do do Hebrew/Jewish studies, though I was not the person who posted a few days ago! I haven't added any results yet, but just peeked into this forum a few days after a friend mentioned it to me. I've heard good things overall about Ann Arbor, though I admit the weather scares me. If it came down to a choice between Austin/Ann Arbor, it may be a tough one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Both are very good programs. Weather in Ann Arbor isn’t too horrible once you get used to it. If you want to go full-on Michigander you could just get a Carhartt and some insulated boots. It’s currently about -10 C in Ann Arbor. Biggest suggestion I have is remember to get a humidifier if you live here- the dryness is very acute in winter compared to the lakeshore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I'm very excited. I was chatting with a POI over email and he offered to speak over the phone. Princeton. However, I would not worry if anyone else applied to Princeton just yet. IIRC, they usually send out interview invites on the first Wednesday of the month, I hear. So, it'd be a week from now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 That's a great sign, I guess!! did you speak with him already? what did he say? Have you (or anyone) heard from any other university? From my side, radio silence; I guess we'll start hearing something next week or the week after that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 (edited) Who is your POI at Princeton? A phone call is great! radio silence on my side, too. But I won’t get worried until the end of next week for Princeton. IsA kheir. Edited January 31, 2019 by samaasl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Also: if you can get him/her to tell you when the invitations are sent out that’d be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I'll be speaking with him in about fifteen minutes. @samaasl, I think the come to campus interview days are around March 2nd this year, which would make sense if invites go out about a week from now. My heart feels like it's in my throat right now. This seems somewhat short-notice but I'm very grateful for the opportunity and don't want to blow it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Just now, nickxk said: I'll be speaking with him in about fifteen minutes. @samaasl, I think the come to campus interview days are around March 2nd this year, which would make sense if invites go out about a week from now. My heart feels like it's in my throat right now. This seems somewhat short-notice but I'm very grateful for the opportunity and don't want to blow it. You’ll do great. Remember that they are only humans s/he won’t eat you and seems genuinely interested, so you’re off to a good start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickxk Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I think the interview went well. He said he liked my application, and it seems like he likes me. They meet Monday to send out interview invites. 75 applied to the program and 12-15 will get interview invites AT Princeton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaasl Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Mabrouk! Is it Haykel or Zaman? and wow: 12-15? Their cohorts in the last years were 3-5 PhDs. That might indicate that the interview weekend is indeed tough. IsA Monday will be a good day for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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