<p>Middle East programs are tricky to gauge where you will get in due to a lack of students going into programs and lack of correlation to the admittance scores of similar programs at the same school. but if anyone has experience with departments feel free to help me out.</p>
<p>I am applying to the following school:
Harvard
Georgetown
GW
NYU
Indiana
Washington</p>
<p>Here are my credentials
3.2 GPA (3.5 within major and 3.5 in last 80 credits) Political Science
Middle East Studies minor with 10 classes
2 semesters of MSA Arabic, 4 years of French
1290 GRE (730Q 560V)
Have been published doing an analysis of a homeless prevention program
Recommendation by a former Democratic Presidential candidate, Chair of the MES Dept, and an Arabic professor
Vice President of the Student Body
President of the Class of 2010
Wealth Advisory Assistant at Wilmer Hale as well as other finance related jobs</p>
<p>One thing for sure- that LOR from “a former Democratic Presidential candidate” isn’t going to help at all. Even if it’s John Kerry. Grad schools like to see academics.</p>
<p>He has been a professor for the twenty years since he lost his election.</p>
<p>from what i understand GWU and (i think) Georgetown require an economics background. Harvard doesn’t give financial aid (i don’t know about the others). </p>
<p>When applying to Middle Eastern Studies MA programs, keep in mind the sort of research that the university is known for. If you’re interested in more a modern/polysci slant, then obviously the DC schools would be best. If you like history and languages, UChicago or Harvard would be good bets. Look at what the professors are interested in because you’re going to need one as an advisor for your masters thesis. </p>
<p>Other universities to look into are UMichigan’s Modern Middle Eastern and North African Studies program and UChicago’s CMES program, of which, I’m currently a part of. The great thing about UChicago is that if you have a good academic record when applying, then you might have a chance at a tuition scholarship. What led me to the school was the 1/2 tuition scholarship, and I was told that as long as i keep up my GPA, i’ll be awarded a full tuition scholarship my second year. They’re very good about funding and they take care of us really well.</p>
<p>I took Michigan and Chicago off of my list due to their 12/15 due date. I wanted to make sure my current semester of 4 MES classes were on my transcript. </p>
<p>GW requires a Micro and Macro class, luckily I started off as a Poli Sci/Econ double major so Ive taken these classes as well as to a Business class and International Political Economy and Budgeting and Taxation. My entire application is framed as someone primarily interested in the economic structures of the middle east and how it relates relations between states (specifically the Lavant). I think my applications strongest point is that it tells that story. I am just worried about the low GPA and the mediocre Verbal score.</p>
<p>I assume that you went to UCLA?</p>
<p>Dukakis teaches at Northeastern 2/3 of the year and UCLA just spring semester</p>
<p>Your GPA might be a little low, but other factors (Such as your SOP) might overtake that…</p>
<p>your GRE is fine, but just keep in mind that universities tend to base scholarships scholarships on this.</p>
<p>Why are you applying to Indiana? More specifically, which professors are you interested in working with there? Before I would even <em>consider</em> Indiana as a back-up choice, I would strongly recommend that you read the article on their NELC department from the Chronicle of Higher Education, entitled “Alleged Death Threats, a Hunger Strike, and a Department at Risk Over a Tenure Decision.” </p>
<p>It’s been almost a decade since the events occurred, but little has changed in IU’s NELC program, and the department’s reputation still remains quite sullied, both internally and externally. Moreover, many of the “interesting” characters featured in the article are still around, and their personalities have not changed. I’m not saying don’t apply, but you should know what you are getting yourself into. It helps if you have a very strong reason for wanting to go there–like a particular professor that you want to work with.</p>
<p>Lastly, what are your career goals, and how do they match up with each of these institutions?</p>