Which Grad school? Middle Eastern Studies/NELC (Fall of 2016)

[Hasan2223]

Hey everyone.

I've recently been accepted into NYU Hagop Kevorkian Center, the University of Chicago, and the University of Texas at Austin as a master's student for the upcoming fall. I'm interested in studying the modern Middle East, and I hope to pursue a PhD after my master's. Professionally, I would like to go into advising on or developing US foreign policy with a focus on the Middle East (Perhaps a job in the White House or in a political think tank in DC). That being said, I have not completely ruled out the possibility of teaching in the future as well. Bearing all this in mind, I would like opinions from other people who are similarly in my position, who are currently studying at these schools, or even alumni, anyone who might be able to shed some light on my situation and give helpful advice, as I am torn between the aforementioned schools. I will also say that at the moment, it seems that UT Austin is the most financially feasible so far (lowest tuition, but I haven't heard if I will receive an TA position yet - I should find out in the next couple of weeks). Any thoughts/opinions on which school I should attend? 

Thank you all in advance.

[rising_star]

I would go with the lowest priced program. I have heard great things about studying the Middle East at UT-Austin, so it seems like a good choice to me. You might want to investigate where the alumni of each program are working to get a sense of how the program relates to your career goals.

[Hasan2223]

5 hours ago, rising_star said:

You might want to investigate where the alumni of each program are working to get a sense of how the program relates to your career goals.

That's a great idea. I will look into that for sure, thank you for your reply.