<p>Hi guys!</p>
<p>I figured that I would have better luck at getting an answer here than on Oxy's forum. I know that Occidental has a Diplomacy and World Affairs interdepartmental major, but does anyone know how strong it is? Also, I also noticed that they don't have a program in Middle Eastern studies. Is there a way that I could design my own major/minor?</p>
<p>Any comments are greatly appreciated! </p>
<p>Thanks, </p>
<p>Chelsea</p>
<p>Here’s my take on it:
The DWA major at Occidental has a good range of courses in international relations and the program faculty seem to have received their degrees from some of the top schools in this field. The program seems to be at least as strong as what you will find at most selective liberal arts colleges, i.e., the breadth and depth of courses won’t match what you’ll find at a university, but it seems to compare quite favorably with many other good liberal arts colleges. The major requirements generally are consistent with those at similar schools. Occidental offers an internship at the UN, and external programs such as the Washington Semester would be available.</p>
<p>As for Middle Eastern Studies, Occidental does permit students to design their own major in lieu of a traditional major. If you did this for Middle Eastern Studies, I would recommend that you still complete another traditional major. While the offerings in Middle Eastern Studies won’t match those at a university that has a specialized area studies center focused on the Middle East, Occidental offers a fairly good range of relevant coursework in the politics, religions, international relations, and history of the Middle East. It offers three years of Arabic language courses. It has study abroad programs in Morocco, Turkey, and Jordan, at which you can complete additional language courses, which you almost would want to do if you want some level of proficiency in a Middle Eastern language. French, of course, is also an available language, useful for Middle Eastern Studies. You can always supplement the available language instruction with coursework at summer critical languages programs at other institutions, e.g., [Critical</a> Language Scholarship Program](<a href=“http://clscholarship.org/institutes.html]Critical”>http://clscholarship.org/institutes.html) Los Angeles is a diverse international city with opportunities to interact with persons from the region, relevant cultural events (esp. at UCLA), and other resources for language learning.</p>
<p>Zapfino: Thanks! Your post was very helpful!</p>
<p>I would love to study abroad in Turkey. The Washington Semester sounds great and one really can’t beat interning at the UN.</p>
<p>What other traditional major would you recommend?</p>
<p>Also, I’ve been trying to find some unique things about Oxy, but I can’t find any history or traditions. What are some things that you think are different/interesting about the college?</p>
<p>I looked at the supplement to the Common Application and one of the questions asked about my campus visit. I’m almost certain that I won’t be able to visit… I guess I should ask the admissions rep what to do.</p>
<p>Is Occidental generous with financial aid? My parents’ EFC will probably be about $10K-15K per year. Is it possible to graduate with little to no debt?</p>
<p>Do they have a core curriculum? I didn’t see anything about one on their site. </p>
<p>I’m sorry that I’ve have so many questions, but I couldn’t find the answers on this forum. :)</p>
<p>If you did a traditional major besides IR or ME Studies, economics probably provide the most employment prospects. It really depends on what interests you and what career directions you wish to follow, however.
(If you have an interest in Turkey, you should note that Turkish language courses are available only during a study abroad program. You could, however, study Russian in college and also try to participate in study abroad programs in both Russia and Turkey. Both Russian and Turkish are critical languages. Not so many people with interests in the Middle East choose Turkish, but it opens up a pathway to several other Turkic languages. Russian and Turkish open up a pathway to study of some of the Islamic areas of the former Soviet Union, Turkey itself, and former Ottoman areas of the Balkans. Though there certainly are other schools that offer a specialized focus on those regions, e.g. Indiana U Central Eurasian Stusies Dept., but for a smaller, liberal arts college in a vibrant city, Oxy can be a good choice.) Again, lots of interesting possibilities and it really depends on your specific interests and what career directions you pursue. I’m just tossing out some of those possibilities for your consideration.</p>
<p>This Wikipedia article provides some information about Oxy’s history: <a href=“https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Occidental_College[/url]”>https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Occidental_College</a></p>
<p>Information on the core requirements is here [Occidental</a> College :: Core Program](<a href=“http://www.oxy.edu/x9583.xml]Occidental”>http://www.oxy.edu/x9583.xml) and here [Occidental</a> College :: Undergraduate Study](<a href=“http://www.oxy.edu/x9519.xml]Occidental”>http://www.oxy.edu/x9519.xml)</p>
<p>I don’t know about your financial aid questions; perhaps, others would know more.</p>
<p>zapfino: Thanks! I kind of wanted to learn Arabic because it’s more universal in the Middle East. Russian would be neat to learn, too. </p>
<p>I hope to go to law school and specialize in International Law or Humanitarian Law. </p>
<p>Thanks for the links and hopefully others will post.</p>