NELC Applicants

[MidEastApp]

Well, I got my Penn rejection today, but it was accepted considering they have accepted like 1 person in 5 years.

Did you get a mass email or what did they send?

Edited March 19, 2012 by MidEastApp

[thespecial1]

*****It was EXPECTED sorry about that, apparently I was still a bit optimistic lol

Yeah, I got what I'm assuming was a mass email.

Edited March 20, 2012 by thespecial1

[thespecial1]

Has anyone heard from Hopkins yet?

[dltwlf18]

Anyone here know much about the MAAS program at Georgetown?

I was on the list of alternates for Georgetown so had pretty much written it off and settled on UT Austin but I just got an e-mail saying I was accepted to Georgetown and was offered the FLAS. UT Austin already rejected me for the FLAS. My primary goal for my Master's degree is to really master Arabic and also to study Middle Eastern politics. I also would like to learn Persian really well and I can see from Georgetown's website that it seems like they have a very rigorous Arabic program and it seems like it's strong in the modern Middle East and Middle Eastern Politics, though it seems it focuses on the Arab world, and while it offers Persian language courses it does not seem like the Persian language program is quite as rigorous as what they have for Arabic. Anyone out there familiar enough with Georgetown to give me some insight into how the program is?

Georgetown said in their e-mail (and it said in a couple places on their website) that the FLAS covers FULL tuition at Georgetown. I had always been under the impression that the FLAS only gave out 18,000 for tution an academic year and Georgetown's tuition is quite a bit higher than that. I can't believe that I would be so fortunate as to get a free ride at a place as expensive as Georgetown. Do some schools, like Georgetown, actually give full tuition to FLAS fellows? It kind of blows my mind and I'm almost afraid to ask them if they actually mean I will pay nothing in tuition for fear they may think I'm an idiot for not understanding the plain meaning of their words.

[tt503]

Anyone here know much about the MAAS program at Georgetown?

Georgetown said in their e-mail (and it said in a couple places on their website) that the FLAS covers FULL tuition at Georgetown. I had always been under the impression that the FLAS only gave out 18,000 for tution an academic year and Georgetown's tuition is quite a bit higher than that. I can't believe that I would be so fortunate as to get a free ride at a place as expensive as Georgetown. Do some schools, like Georgetown, actually give full tuition to FLAS fellows? It kind of blows my mind and I'm almost afraid to ask them if they actually mean I will pay nothing in tuition for fear they may think I'm an idiot for not understanding the plain meaning of their words.

Yes, it should cover full tuition. You can inquire (I'm sure they won't think you're an idiot...it is always a good thing to double check finances) and see if there is money for a stipend. I've never received a FLAS, but people I know who have, have generally received tuition + stipend to live on.

[dltwlf18]

I've looked through their website and on their FLAS FAQ it says that those who receive FLAS funding get the rest of the cost of tuition (minus the 18,000 from the FLAS) from Georgetown. I just couldn't believe my good fortune. It was such good news that I was in denial. I was not expecting that.

Anyone out there who could give me some insight into the Arab Studies program at Georgetown?

[NELCgeek]

Has anyone heard from Hopkins yet?

I'm still waiting on them as well. It looks like there is at least one rejection on the results survey, but that was posted almost two weeks ago. I called a few weeks ago but they said they hadnt made decisions yet, and they would be mailing out letters in a few weeks. I tried calling today actually, but nobody picked up.... I'm going to try again tomorrow.

[NELCgeek]

Johns Hopkins sent out their admission letters. I didn't make it. Overall I only made it into one school out of nine, and I'm still waiting to hear about funding from that school....

[Hilversum]

Johns Hopkins sent out their admission letters. I didn't make it. Overall I only made it into one school out of nine, and I'm still waiting to hear about funding from that school....

It's a ridiculously competitive field, and if it makes you feel any better my application success rate was very similar to yours. As long as the funding comes through on your acceptance, you should be alright. Best of luck to you!

[thespecial1]

Johns Hopkins sent out their admission letters. I didn't make it. Overall I only made it into one school out of nine, and I'm still waiting to hear about funding from that school....

Did you get your letter via email or snail mail? The post on the results page says email but I have a friend who got hers by snail mail. I haven't received any news at all :/

[Tiglath-Pileser III]

It's a ridiculously competitive field, and if it makes you feel any better my application success rate was very similar to yours.

Truer words were never spoken.

[NELCgeek]

I called and they emailed me the letter which was mailed out beforehand. I. Haven't received the official letter yet.

I'm first on the list at CUA to receive funding if someone backs out...so if you know any of those people who got in and funding, and they aren't planning on attending will you urge them to inform the school. :-)

[NELCgeek]

Any one have any updates?

[MidEastApp]

I'm getting amused that NELC at Michigan has yet to reject me but that isn't a real update I gather.

[ûl ʾašerātō]

I'm getting amused that NELC at Michigan has yet to reject me but that isn't a real update I gather.

I'm in the same situation with UCLA! Though, I contacted them to find out I was waitlisted. If I hadn't contacted them, I'd still not know anything. I've been on the waitlist for several weeks now. I've been hypothesizing the outcome constantly, but obviously my hypothesizing has yet to yield any results.

[NELCgeek]

Once again if you know someone who was accepted to the Catholic University of Americas Semitic department with funding, and they aren't planning on attending, could you pleeeease encourage them to inform the school of their decision. I am the first on the list to receive funding should someone back out...

[VCO]

CONGRATS!!! No word yet, though I applied to comp lit. Still though, no word by now is an implicit rejection. Oh well. Who did you want to work with at austin I had put ghanoonparvar. Where else did you apply? Are you doing phd or masters? Good luck everywhere else!

Cool, I hope by now you've heard some good news. I would likely work with Ghanoonparvar or Shirazi, and Hillmann for language. I'm doing an MA and I'm still not sure about research topics, etc. I also applied to Chicago NELC (denied) and a bunch of other programs, but to sociology. Denied across the board in soc with the notable and extremely odd exception of Columbia (no funding, so it was kind of like they were teasing me). Sometimes I really believe those admissions committees are just drawing from hats. If you end up at UT, hope to see you there.

[VCO]

I think a lot of the lack of activity has to do with the fact that the field is fiercely competitive. They are all reading GradCafe but no one wants to help the competition by posting. It's quite sad really.

I want to comment on this, and let me preface it by saying that I'm not even sure this competition exists on a personal level as it's described here (people not wanting to help each other out by giving advice and whatnot). I think the only real competition may be for jobs, which is silly because the odds that you'll eventually go for the same job as anyone on this site (or in your program, for that matter) are actually pretty slim. I did my undergrad in Middle Eastern Studies at UT Austin, which (I'm told) has a really serious and great grad program in the same, so maybe someone on here will find what I observed to be somewhat insightful.

As I saw it, there were two very broad types of people doing MES grad work: one group consisted of the military/government/security/intelligence types, who were all either headed for or had come from DC, New York, etc. and with whom you could also loosely group the international business people (the very few of them). The other was made up of the ones bound for academia (themselves divided into areas of interest or discipline, the largest two I noticed being comparative literature and language instruction/acquisition), with whom you could loosely group the journalism/international law/human rights/reporter people.

Of those two broad groups, one seemed largely distrusting of the other, and the other seemed to not have any idea (y'all can guess which was which). Based on what I've seen here, most of us fall roughly into that second group. The academia-bound people probably realize that when all is said and done, they are going to be competing for relatively few teaching jobs until this field reaches the ubiquity of, say, East Asian Studies. The terminal MA types looking for international jobs might have a bit of an easier time. The sense I get is that NELC/MES students are not trying to undercut each other as much as they are just sort of geeky, in some cases socially awkward (hello) types who feel that the pride they have in their eccentricity and the uniqueness of their skills and interests is violated when they see others pursuing the same, equally unique thing (and maybe doing it better!), which explains the wicked reservations some have about getting all geeky with one another and advising each other. That's the closest I can come to putting it into words.

Here's another, more embarrassing and revealing way to put it: I am a refugee case worker in Los Angeles working almost solely with Iranians, and since Iranians are thrilled when someone speaks their language, they're constantly complementing me on my Persian. Every so often, someone will tell me offhandedly that they met some other American dude at some embassy or at some airport who spoke really great Persian, which causes a hot wave of jealousy to roll over me. It's the silliest, most ridiculous thing ever (isn't it??), yet I think it may be related to why some people feel that others are intentionally not giving advice or helping people out here. Could we all be projecting these intentions on others because we actually harbor the same feelings?

The real irony, I think, is that we can all only benefit from increasing interest and support for these kinds of programs (which starts with us talking and cooperating with each other). More interest, funding, etc. means more jobs. More cooperation between peoples, nations, etc. means more international exchange (of both goods and information), which also means more jobs. I may have gotten a bit away from my point, which is that I think these feelings, in any discipline, field, or profession, exist mostly in the hearts of insecure people (again, hello).

[oryantin]

Anyone applied to the D.Phil program in Oriental Studies at Oxford on the March deadline? Did you hear back about the outcome of your application?

[NELCgeek]

I received a full tuition waiver to study at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC! Initially I was told that there were no more available, but then I received an e-mail from the department chair telling me they added on and it was mine if I wanted it! Needless to say, I am very very excited

[Hilversum]

I received a full tuition waiver to study at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC! Initially I was told that there were no more available, but then I received an e-mail from the department chair telling me they added on and it was mine if I wanted it! Needless to say, I am very very excited

Congratulations - I'm very pleased on your behalf, and wish you success and fulfillment in your studies!

[NELCgeek]

Congratulations - I'm very pleased on your behalf, and wish you success and fulfillment in your studies!

Thank you!

[onemlielma]

Is anyone here headed to NYU in the fall?

[DevDoc82]

I thought I would get the ball rolling for this year's application cycle for NELC/MES applicants. It is my desire to get admitted to the University of Chicago's PhD program, but I hope my application is competitive. My interests pertains to Ottoman Turkish Studies/Ottoman History, where I hope to focus on imperialism and social classes. Pertaining to Middle Eastern language acquisition, I have procure advanced proficiency in writing, reading, and speaking Arabic. At this time, I am teaching myself Latin. However, I need to acquire proficiency in reading for French and German, which I have yet to commence.

I know this field is extremely competitive, so I presume that one should apply to several different programs. I am still generating a list of possible programs I wish to attend. Are there any other aspiring NELC applicants for this year's cycle?

[Painfulcase]

Applying to NELC PhD's this fall/winter. I'm interested in both pre-modern and modern Arabic literature. Also interested in Arabic pedagogy although this tends to fall under linguistics (at least that is what I heard most universities look for when hiring a lecturer for Arabic). I'm still in the process of studying for and taking my GRE, writing my statement of purpose, and revising a seminar paper to submit as my writing sample. I'm taking French this year but have yet to even consider German or a second Semitic language (Persian or Hebrew). Programs I'm researching and considering so far are:

UT Austin

Columbia

UCLA

NYU

Harvard

Berkeley