writing sample

[KieBelle]

I'm applying to Middle Eastern Studies programs all over the U.S. and overseas. I have two questions regarding the writing sample. First, should it be a paper related to my intended area of study (the schools' websites don't say either way) or do adcoms care more about seeing how well I write, regardless of the subject? Second, one of my best research papers that I wrote as an undergrad was on Hamas- its history, structure, role in the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the social services it provides to Palestinians. The paper isn't sympathetic to Hamas, but it is critical of the Israeli government. I'm applying to a school in Israel. Probably not a good idea to send that paper to them, right? I wouldn't even consider it except that I'm very proud of the paper and it's relevant to my intended area of study and future career. What do you think?

[fuzzylogician]

First, should it be a paper related to my intended area of study (the schools' websites don't say either way) or do adcoms care more about seeing how well I write, regardless of the subject?

You should send your best work. The purpose of the WS is to show you can do research in your field; eloquent writing and well developed arguments are the most important criteria for selecting which paper to use. Ideally the paper should be in your field, but if a paper you wrote in another field is vastly superior, submit that. However, if you have good papers in your intended field, work on improving one of those.

Second, one of my best research papers that I wrote as an undergrad was on Hamas- its history, structure, role in the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the social services it provides to Palestinians. The paper isn't sympathetic to Hamas, but it is critical of the Israeli government. I'm applying to a school in Israel. Probably not a good idea to send that paper to them, right? I wouldn't even consider it except that I'm very proud of the paper and it's relevant to my intended area of study and future career. What do you think?

That's a very sad perception of Israeli academia. Really, if you think a school won't admit you because of your political views, why would you want to go there? I'd say the same goes here as in other places - submit your best work.

[shai]

as an israeli i can give you two advice -

1. it depends on the israeli university. Tel Aviv and Haifa are much more open minded and "leftist" than the Hebrew U and Ben-Gurion. It also depends on the specific program and faculty - check their media publication and if they're signed on any petitions.

2. Your work needs to be written in asmart way. this means that you should triple-check your facts, see that you are based solely on them and not your owno opionion and make sure to have a lot of "although"s in your conclusion. I'm sure no israeli prof. would like to see a work written by someone who has never lived in israel / palestine and has gotten all his ideas from books and the media, and unless your work is based solely on true facts it woul dbe disregarded.

[cooperstreet]

You wrote:

"Second, one of my best research papers that I wrote as an undergrad was on Hamas- its history, structure, role in the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the social services it provides to Palestinians."

Do you read Arabic or Hebrew? If not, then I don't see how you could use primary sources in this type of paper. I do know that adcoms really want to see the use of primary sources in a Writing Sample.

[circumfession]

First, should it be a paper related to my intended area of study (the schools' websites don't say either way) or do adcoms care more about seeing how well I write, regardless of the subject?

I'm not in your field of study, so I'm definitely making some assumptions here. It depends on what you mean by "regardless of subject." If you're articulating a very defined research interest in your SoP, you don't absolutely HAVE to submit a writing sample on that particular topic (but it would probably help if you do so). However, if you're, say, thinking of submitting a paper you wrote for an English class (aka, in an entirely different discipline entirely)....I definitely wouldn't. The writing sample for most humanities programs isn't simply to check that you "can write"...the ad-comms want to know that you're sufficiently well trained to enter the discourse in your particular field/discipline, and that you have the potential to eventually contribute to that field.