Harvard GSAS

[wanderlustxx]

Has anyone done any programs at Harvard's GSAS? I've been accepted to the MA in Regional Studies - Middle East which has no funding whatsoever from the CMES and am trying to weigh up whether it'd be a good investment or not. Does Harvard regularly accept its own MA students to their PhD programs? How much strength does the degree hold for other schools? 

[Jebreel]

Hi Wanderlustxx,

 

Congrats!  I've also been accepted to the same program and would love input on its standing relative to similar MA programs at the other top schools, e.g. NYU, Michigan, Princeton, Georgetown, etc.  I have heard that the Middle Eastern Studies/NELC faculty at Harvard is not as strong as it once was (i.e. when Robert Owen and others were teaching/researching), but that may refer more to luminaries in ancient fields of history like Egyptology and less to the study of the region's modern history.  

 

I'm reaching out to friends with contacts at Harvard's CMES and will let you know what I find out!

 

P.S. FLAS funding is still an option -- did you apply for that?

[wanderlustxx]

Congrats! I haven't applied to FLAS because I'm still waiting on my Green Card and missed the deadline. I spoke to a current student who said that funding was very limited overall and recommended FLAS. 

 

Have you received news from any other programs? I just received an acceptance to Chicago's MA in Middle East Studies program with 50% funding so that seems to be a much more attractive option than Harvard considering tuition and cost of living.

 

Did you apply to the Kevorkian Center? I applied to the MEIS PhD (rejected) so I was unable to. Do you know if they have any funding for the MA?

[Jebreel]

Well done on Chicago!  It's obviously a wonderful intellectual community there.  I've also heard that you will have good connections with the intelligence/security industry there if you are interested in that career path (the CIA recruits heavily from Chicago).  I'm still waiting to hear back from the Humanities Division, as well as from Princeton and Georgetown (M.A. in Near Eastern Studies and the M.A. in Arab Studies, respectively).  

 

I did apply to the Kevorkian Center and was admitted -- still waiting to hear about the FLAS funding (which is one of the two fellowships they offer; the other is the MacCracken, which covers everything over two years and is the same deal given to Ph.D. students).  If I were miraculously offered funding at both NYU and Harvard it would be a very difficult choice!

[Jebreel]

Wanderlust, in case you're still wondering, I spoke with my friend about the M.A. program at Harvard.  She had wonderful things to say about the community there--i.e. it's a tight-knit, welcoming group full of stimulating and engaged students/faculty; I've had nice correspondences with some of the faculty at Harvard's CMES and this is important to me.  My friend also highly recommended the Arabic instruction.  Apparently, one of the chief Arabic instructors has been central in the Middlebury and CASA programs in the past and brings that quality of instruction to Harvard.  The fact that you can also take other Middle East languages like Farsi, Hebrew, or Turkish is pretty great, too (although Chicago offers that as well).  The fact that you can take classes at any of the Harvard schools and even at institutions in that Bostom consortium (e.g. Tufts) is also appealing because you have a lot of flexibility to build a degree that best suits your professional/academic goals -- say, by focusing more on government/political courses if you're looking to go into the policy realm eventually, or by focusing on cultures, languages, and history if you intend to go on to a doctorate and work in the academy.  She confirmed that there is a lot of material and intellectual support for research once you get there; some of the most brilliant people working on the Middle East today are there and, according to her, are very accessible.  

 

I hope this helps!  I'm weighing similar options as you at this point after receiving an offer of aid from Chicago's CMES while I wait to hear from a couple of other schools about funding... good luck and let me know if you gather any more insight into these programs!

[wanderlustxx]

Thanks so much for your insight! I spoke to a professor about the Harvard CMES degree and he essentially reiterated what you said but cautioned me against the possibility of losing focus while engaging in the endless resources provided at Harvard. I guess right now I'll just wait to see what every other school says about funding before making my choice but the CMES MA is looking to be lower on my list.

 

Have you applied to Columbia's MESAAS Dept? Their application deadline is April 15 and that's the deadline to notify schools of acceptances so it seems quite counterintuitive. Do you know if they do rolling admissions? It doesn't make sense that anyone would go there unless they were rejected at every other school.

[HindSh]

Hey wanderlustxx, MESAAS does do rolling admissions, and apparently if you have another offer, you can try to expedite their decision so you can meet the April 15 deadline to notify other schools.

[wanderlustxx]

Hey wanderlustxx, MESAAS does do rolling admissions, and apparently if you have another offer, you can try to expedite their decision so you can meet the April 15 deadline to notify other schools.

 

Thanks so much! I'll definitely follow up on that in that case