LACs for Middle Eastern Studies +Arabic

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My friend's S has lived abroad most his life. His current college is not a good fit. Unfortunately, he was unable to visit the school beforehand and didn't realize until he was there that the school did not live up to its lovely website! His current GPA reflects this poor fit and his transition/ culture shock upon moving to the States. He's now decided to take a semester off and explore different college options in order to find a school which better suits him.</p>

<p>He's laid back and creative. Prefers a small college (LAC), wants a Middle Eastern Studies program and Arabic. His GPA is weak- 2.7 (frosh). His HS GPA was a 3.2 at an American school overseas. Great HS recs. Not sure what kind of recs he can get from his current college.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on LAC possibilities with ME studies and Arabic would be appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Middlebury, maybe? might be too selective for his gpa but they are very focused on languages.</p>

3

<p>Need some more information. What city is he in now? Is he an American? </p>

<p>Arabic is a tough course of study. I presume he has some prior arabic studies or immersion before?</p>

4

<p>I would think Middlebury would a reach but the summer language program would probably be available even if enrolled elsewhere. I also think a LAC would have difficulty in providing a meaning program in Arabic studies because of their size and a university program would have more to offer in this field. You may want to look at Michigan State as a possibility.</p>

5

<p>Dickinson might be a good place for him to check out. Their admissions are very holistic.</p>

6

<p>More info- he is a US citizen, although he lived in Turkey almost his entire life (he/ his family are not Turkish). Went to a high school in Germany (boarding). Has much language experience- German, Turkish, and I think maybe some French. Exposure to Arabic during a short stint in Morocco. His current college is in the state of Washington. </p>

<p>boysx3- Thanks for the Dickinson suggestion! I’ll definitely pass that on. Do you know much about the school- feel of the campus, student body, etc? </p>

<p>res ipsa- I agree. I think Midd would be too much of a reach.</p>

<p>I appreciate your help and welcome more suggestions. His folks live overseas still, so it’s rather hard for them to navigate the whole college selection process.</p>

7

<p>ccgmom - has he thought about going back overseas for school? I know my boys (who spent many years overseas) have thought about it.</p>

<p>Since he is interested in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies - someplace like the American University of Cairo might be a good option. They have recently moved to a new campus outside the main city. I have not seen it, but from what I have heard - it is a beautiful campus with the architecture reminiscent of the ancient pharonic temples. My son, who is interested in architectural engineering, is considering going back there (we were there for 4 years) for either a semester abroad or a post-graduate term.</p>

<p>PS- am jealous of all the years in Turkey. I’ve been there 3 times and it is definitely one of my all-time favorite places!!!</p>

8

<p>Grcxx3- Interesting suggestion. Financial aid is a must. I wonder if getting financial aid would be problematic there? I’ll send that suggestion to them. Thanks! Turkey is also one of my favorite places, other than all the inefficiencies of living there. My H is a Turk and we live in both countries.</p>

9

<p>ccgmom - having lived in 2 different countries in that part of the world - I can COMPLETELY understand what you mean about the inefficiencies!!! :)</p>

10

<p>Not an LAC, but he would meet the transfer admission requirements:
University of Oklahoma</p>

<p>If he essentially started over and could get his GPA up to at least a 3.25, he could apply to the Language Flagship Arabic Program.</p>

<p>[The</a> Language Flagship - Arabic](<a href=“Arabic | Flagship”>Arabic | Flagship)</p>

<p>[The</a> OU Arabic Language Flagship Partner Program](<a href=“http://www.ou.edu/flagship/]The”>http://www.ou.edu/flagship/)</p>

<p>Not likely to get FA at first, but probably could IF he could get into the Flagship program. Language Flagship programs are federally-funded and designed to develop a superior level of language proficiency. Depending on the language, the various flagship language programs arguably match or exceed any university in the country. OU has extensive study abroad options and the School of International & Area Studies offers Middle Eastern Studies, an area in which OU is expanding.</p>

<p>Again, not an LAC, but he might meet the transfer admission requirements: Indiana University—good international studies programs and Near Eastern languages, including extensive resources in Turkic languages, if he wants to build on his Turkish. Again, FA could be difficult.
[Middle</a> Eastern and Islamic Studies: Indiana University](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~meis/index.shtml]Middle”>http://www.indiana.edu/~meis/index.shtml)
[Department</a> of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~nelc/]Department”>http://www.indiana.edu/~nelc/)
[Department</a> of Central Eurasian Studies](<a href=“http://www.indiana.edu/~ceus/]Department”>http://www.indiana.edu/~ceus/)</p>

11

<p>Well, how do I say this? “Didnt know his school didnt live up to its lovely website until he got there.” Hmmmm.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Its never a good idea to attend a school site unseen. I always recommend a visit, particularly after you are accepted and in the decision mode. His parents should have done that with him. If his parents are overseas, then why did they send him to Washington State? Seems strange. Why not Georgetown, GWU, American or another East Coast city? </p></li>
<li><p>Second issue, is that kids frequently have buyers remorse and honeymoon-over…resulting in transferitis freshman year…usually after Thanksgiving. Washington State has nothing in common with Turkey. Not the weather, the culture or anything. It may not be the school’s fault, it may well be HIS fault. He is not adjusting to them well. Maybe he is the odd man out…a peculiar background (eccentric to be sure), but in the end, its up to him to adjust and make friends. Kids will lash out and blame professors or blame the school etc etc. When its often issues with them. </p></li>
<li><p>I do believe in “fit”. In fact, its what I harp on the most. Misfits do occur and sometimes its nobodies “fault”, just a misjudgement. Many times they can get over this if they persevere, buckle down to hard work. </p></li>
<li><p>No school is “perfect” for 100% of its applicants or even matriculated students. There will always be issues that arise. And after the excitement wears off, the drudgery of going to class and writing papers, in a strange town, different weather and culture can be daunting. Plus dorm drama. My kid went to NYC. It was HUGE culture shock and we went through a rough patch Freshman year, but persevered and came out shining in the Spring…and is now thriving and wouldnt go anywhere else. </p></li>
<li><p>Finally, there are lots of schools that offer Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic. Mostly large state universities, which can be another set of problems for the unprepared…and he is not from a large American public high school where you get the best flavor of a state college environment in advance. There are some programs in private schools, but private schools may well have a culture that is not a good fit…so its important to explore that. What is it precisely that he finds so offensive? Is it religious issues? Or is it just that he is an American, but really absorbed and raised in Turkey and not finding the US like Turkey at all? I have lived overseas in college, in the military etc. I know what it is like. Its fun for awhile but as the months wear on…you get tired…and want to get back to “home”. Is he homesick? </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Tell me where he is now (the school…its okay to name it…or pm me) and what is going on. That way we can make better suggestions. And his parents really ought to be involved in this process…and visit prospective schools if he is really determined to leave where he is now.</p>

12

<p>George Washington is larger than a LAC but not crazy huge like some state schools:
[Bachelor</a> of Arts, Major in Middle East Studies - The Elliott School of International Affairs](<a href=“http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/academics/ugrad/mes/]Bachelor”>http://www.gwu.edu/~elliott/academics/ugrad/mes/)</p>

13

<p>^^^^ Elliott School is superb. But its also super competitive and without strings or legacy, I dont think he will get in…with what she says about his current situation. </p>

<p>I am waiting on her response to my questions before I recommend a specific program I have in mind. CCG?</p>

14

<p>Most of the kids I have know who grew up and graduated overseas have had a rough start in college, even if they had visited the college before enrolling. So, not having stepped foot on campus makes it even tougher. Altho - in the “old days” (like when I went to college), I know lots of people who never visited the school they ended up going to.</p>

<p>The kids I know who have been the happiest/most successful early on are the ones who (1) visited the campus at least once,
(2) had realistic expectations of the “culture shock” they would be dealing with,
(3) picked a campus that had a good % of international students or a good diversity of students (from all over the US, not just in-state), and
(4) immediately got involved in a campus group or activity that gave them a base group of friends and made them feel “part” of something.</p>

<p>We moved back to the US when my older son was entering 11th grade, after 7 years overseas. Joining the band and participating in Band Camp for 3 weeks before school started was a HUGE help. On that first day of school, he didn’t necessarily have “friends” but he knew people. That made all the difference.</p>

15

<p>Great responses- thank you all.</p>

<p>zapfino- yes these are larger schools, but both great suggestions. He may have to consider the possibility of a larger school setting, although larger schools tend to lose that personal touch found more often at LACs.</p>

<p>Ghostbuster:

  1. In an ideal world, we’d all have the finances available to be able to not only visit all the schools we’re considering, but also be able to pay tuition without taking out loans. The family did visit some schools whilst over here prior to his senior year in HS. Time and money constraints limited how many they could visit. His school is an LAC in the state of Washington, not Washington State. An aunt and uncle live about 40 minutes away giving him some family connection to the area. He didn’t consider bigger schools out East.</p>

<ol>
<li>No, Washington does not have the same weather has Turkey. But neither does Germany where he went to HS. He just started his soph year and does have a girlfriend from the school. He is laid-back and quirky, but quirky in the sort of way that makes those around him excited about new ways of envisioning things. Certainly there are transition issues with most third culture kids who come back to their “home” country and of course, he was not exempt to them. However, the kid is just not happy at this school. It’s more of a fit issue.</li>
</ol>

<p>3/4. His parents have encouraged him to ride out this semester as they put a deposit down on a winter term study-abroad course through the school last spring. He carefully selected classes this fall that appealed to him rather than ones that just fulfilled requirements in an effort to make the school into a “fit”. It hasn’t worked. His experiences thus far has made him very aware that no school will be a perfect fit. </p>

<ol>
<li>Not homesick- again, he spent 4 years at boarding school. No religious issues. No “America just isn’t what I thought it would be” issues. As I can read it, other than the intangible fact that he doesn’t feel like the school fits him, he’s been disappointed that his creative nature has tended to be squashed at the school rather than encouraged. He’s great at higher level thinking and thinking outside the box. This school doesn’t seem to appreciate outside the box. </li>
</ol>

<p>I’d prefer not naming the school, privately or otherwise. Sorry. It’s a mid level LAC in the state of Washington that has a bit under 3,000 students. His parents are trying the best they can from overseas. They’re in contact with others in the States to gather info and help give their son the best guidance possible.</p>

<p>twomules, GW is a great school. One of my former students currently attends GW. I’d have to agree with Ghostbuster that selectivity would be an issue here. </p>

<p>Grcxx3: He was intellectually prepared for the transition issues, but we all know that reality is a whole different story! Nevertheless as I stated before, he handled those issues pretty well. You are right on target about needing a place that has a good percentage of internationals or third culture kids. His school probably could have had more TCK’s. Their website says that they have students from 30 countries. I could not find the percentage of int’l students.</p>

<p>Again, thank you for your kind suggestions. I’m passing on the info you give. The more suggestions they get, the better sense they have of what schools they can pursue.</p>

16

<p>ccgmom - one of the things that helped my boys when they moved from their VERY small international school to a BIG US public school was seeing familiar faces! </p>

<p>There weren’t many - just 3 fellow students (out of 2500) that they knew pretty well when we lived in Cairo. Two of the families are close friends of ours and we shared part of a holiday with the 3rd family. Just seeing kids “like them” (who had lived somewhere other than Houston!) was very comforting at times. </p>

<p>It also helped that 2 of the students were seniors who were quite popular (1 was a cheerleader, 1 was the cross-country team captain and school record holder)…so when these “Seniors” stopped and chatted with my sons in the hall, the other kids took notice and wanted to know HOW on earth they knew those kids! My sons actually found it quite amusing!</p>