Masters in Arab/Middle Eastern Studies

Graduate School
1

<p>Hello Everyone!</p>

<p>This is my first post here. I have looked at some topics and have been very impressed with the beneficial feedback and replies that people receive from the members of this forum. Therefore, I was hoping to get your advice on my situation.</p>

<p>I am 24 years old. I moved to the United States several years ago from the Middle East as a refugee. I recently earned my bachelor's in biology from a U.S university. At first, I thought I wanted to go to medical school so I started exploring the field through volunteering and community service in clinics and hospitals. However, I have realized that medicine may not be the best option for me. I find myself more inclined toward politics and international issues. Watching debates and reading news of the world in general and the Middle East in particular has always been an avocation for me. I took some politics classes in college and enjoyed studying for them to the extent that I was very close from double majoring in both biology and political science, but unfortunately I did not.</p>

<p>I have been looking at some graduate programs for IR and interdisciplinary studies at several schools, such as Georgetown, Chicago, Yale, and Harvard. However, the program that I find myself inclined toward the most is the "Masters in Arab Studies" that's offered at Georgetown. Although I graduated with Honors and have a GPA of 3.9, I am concerned that my science background will put me at a disadvantage as an applicant. Also, most of my extracurricular activities are associated with the medical field. Therefore, I wanted to know what my chances are of getting accepted to such programs with my current qualifications, assuming that I have a good GRE score, which I haven't taken. Also, what can I do to make myself a competitive applicant? Should I take the GRE and apply or should I do something related to field to gain some experience and then apply next year?</p>

<p>It is worth mentioning that Arabic is my first language and that I am now considered a permanent resident (Green Card holder). Thank you in advance for your help and I look forward to hear your replies!</p>

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<p>Science background won’t hurt you. Your own personal background will be attractive to admissions officers.</p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>Why do you want a master’s in Arab Studies? Those programs tend to be cash cow master’s for the university, and not necessarily of a lot of utility for you. If you want to do international and public policy, better are MPA, MPP, MIA and MIR programs.</p></li>
<li><p>Having a science background won’t hurt you, but cultural studies is an academic discipline and simply having interest isn’t enough. Do you have any classes in the social sciences? Can you explain why you want a master’s in Arab Studies, both in terms of your interests and your career goals? Politics is not the same as cultural studies, although political science classes can certainly be applied towards an MA in Arab Studies.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The more experience you have, of course, the more competitive an applicant you will be. So if you did work for 2-3 years in the field, you would only be a more competitive applicant. You would also find it easier to find employment after you finished the MA.</p>

4

<p>Thank you for the replies. I really appreciate it. The reason why I want to get a masters in that field is because I aspire to work for NGOs, such as the UN, in the Middle-East and since the Arab-World is the major component of that region, both geographically and culturally, I thought it would be a good idea to have such a specialty. However, If there are other programs that offer similar experience with broader scope, I would also apply to them.</p>