Chicago Middle Eastern Studies MA...or reapply?

[Floripas]

Hi all. Glad to have stumbled upon this site! Just I found out that I was accepted to for a masters in MES at Chicago. I originally applied for a Phd in NELC, but didn't make the cut. This wasn't entirely surprising since I need some language work and I applied during the senior year of my BA. I still have to hear about funding, but let's hope that I get some (from past posts 1/2 tuition is pretty standard). However, I need some advice...

How well regarded is an MA from this program? I'm looking to eventually get a Phd in history or NES in the early modern Ottoman history.

I would probably have to take out loans to do this, but I don't have any student loans from undergrad, so I'm a bit more willing to take the dive...is it worth it? My professors/advisors are slightly against an MA due to funding (and told me to apply just for Phds), but I'm not sure they realize how stiff the competition is these days. They're expressing shock that I'm not getting into places, however I'm sure I could do with at least a couple of years of Arabic to be truly competitive.

But this MA could be a huge stepping stone to getting into a great program later. So, what do you guys know about it? How is the student life on campus? Any personal experiences or hearsay?

OR (and this is a big "or"): would I be better taking a year off an applying again next year for a Phd in the field I'm more prepared for and equally interested in: medieval history? I have great stats and recs from a top LAC with advanced training in Latin, German and French with Old English to boot, but for Mid East history I only have advanced Turkish (I know, it was bold move to apply for Phd's in Mid East). I should have applied to programs in both fields, however, I was naive and stressed with my thesis. So should I take this opportunity or wait and hope for a better one the next round?

Whew! I know that's a bunch of questions and an odd situation with my interests, but I'd appreciate any input.

[Bukharan]

You are right that it is very competitive these days. Our field - extremely competitive. What they were doing in Chicago over the last couple of years is actually cutting down the number of Ph.D. admits in Middle Eastern History to make our field 'healthier' (and this information actually came to me from a senior professor in UChicago).

Chicago is one of the very best places in the world to study the Ottomans. I mean ... it is Harvard and Chicago for the Ottomans - the big two. (Right? Everyone, right?) So if you accept that Masters degree, yes, it will be awesome and a great asset for applying to Ph.D.

Your professors are right about funding, of course - it is expensive. Fully-funded Masters in our field are very rare though. If this is your only offer AND you are totally committed to this ambition of becoming a historian - then, perhaps, you should go for it.

But, perhaps, I am talking rubbish - you need many different opinions on this. This is a big decision you are making.

[wannabee]

I am in a field far different than yours -- the comparative politics of the Middle East. But there is one thing I would want to know from the graduate advisors at Chicago....what has their record been in MA candidates getting into PhD programs. That would include the progam at Chicago as well as other universities.

I recently asked this question of another department at Chicago that offers a one-year MA in IR. They were able to give me a real sense of what happened to those students who wanted to go on to the PhD in related fields...poli sci, IR, etc. They were completely understanding that I was asking this question. So I would definitely bring this up in a polite way, especially since so many dollars are on the line.

[Floripas]

Thanks so much for this advice! And I will ask the department about their track record for PhD admits. Though it's hard to imagine Chicago grads would be too looked down upon, particularly after hearing Bukharan's review among other people's I've been talking to. I think a lot of this is going to depend on the amount of funding offered and I should hear about it this week, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!...Though I also heard elsewhere that full second year funding is a possibility...

But I'm still curious to see what people think about reapplying for a different field (and perhaps a few in this one) next season? A mix in both PhD and MA programs as well as of medieval and Middle Eastern might yield better results next year. Any other thoughts on this, or in general?

[Floripas]

Ok the package just came in the mail...Half-tuition funding. Hmm. How does this change things?

[Pleiades]

This is a tough decision. I'm not sure how competitive it is to get into the other medieval history Ph.D. programs, so that's something you should look into before deciding to try again next application cycle with a focus on those fields. What area would you be focusing on? Medieval Middle East? Rome and Greece/other areas of Europe? I don't really have experience since I wasn't applying to any Classics-type programs, but I hear that doing medieval history/cultures/lang is harder these days because it's not one of those areas that are currently "in vogue," so maybe those programs are harder to pursue - and the job market might be worse in a few years when you're trying to get jobs in those fields as opposed to Middle East. I may be completely wrong though, so I'd recommend doing lots of research on the situation for Medievalists these days.

I think you should talk to the MES people at Chicago and find out about whether there is a possibility of increased funding for the second year like you mentioned you had heard, because that would be very helpful. Look into outside funding as well. I'm about to decline an offer of admissions to the MA of MES at Chicago right now and my heart is twinging a little because the chance to study the Middle East at Chicago would be an unbelievable opportunity. However, I just can't afford it and luckily I've been accepted to one of my top choices of programs for my Ph.D. (though now I'll be focusing on Modern Middle Eastern - US relations and history, since the school I'll be attending has a different focus).

If you decide to stick with the Middle East, this MA in MES might indeed be your stepping stone to landing that coveted fully funded PhD position for Middle Eastern studies (and I don't know if it'll make you more competitive at getting into Chicago's Ph.D. program but it seems like it would - but ask about that too). All in all, it might be better to go into debt if you have none previously if you do decide you want to ultimately focus on the Mideast. Otherwise, waiting another year and applying to a greater variety of programs isn't a bad idea! Good luck! It's hard out here for a liberal artist.

[Floripas]

Medieval history is pretty competitive in its own right, though I don't believe it's quite as tough as ME history. I would probably be focusing on late medieval interactions and exchanges between Anglo-Saxon/Norman and Muslim societies through trade. It's essentially what I would be studying in ME studies but for that, I decided to go with a slightly later period focus, more in the Renaissance/early modern era (Ottoman Empire). However, I've been hearing from my profs, medieval studies courses have been taking a huge slashing in this economic climate, which prompted me to apply for ME history instead.

And I did end up contacting the program and they were very reassuring in saying that funding usually increases during the second year to 3/4 or full-tuition, depending on how well you're doing in the program. And of course, I would apply for outside funding as well, probably the FLAS and other scholar/fellowships. I just got boned this time around since I applied for PhD programs and didn't expect MA offers. Thus I didn't prepare to fund MA offers with fellowships. And it seems like Chicago's PhD program accepts one (maybe two?) from their own MA program. Yet it seems like a bunch of people doing the MA want to go into govt. work so they don't really apply for NELC afterwards. This makes me hopeful, though I'm still prepared to work like no other to get there. I know I'll get the language training I need there, and become more familiar with the field, so I'm really leaning towards accepting. Perhaps after this MA, I'll be a fully competitive applicant for Chicago's and other PhD programs.

Still, the numbers scare me. $21,000 half-tuition, plus living expenses, so is that about $35,000 in loans? Someone please tell me if I'm over or underestimating living costs! Is this doable for this field? I'd also be looking at jobs outside of academia in archival or administrative work as well. I know it's bad for academics out there, so I'm looking at other ways of using this MA and a potential-future PhD degree.