<p>I was perusing the internet hoping to find valuable information about the middle eastern studies major at the college of arts and science, however, nothing I found proved to be fruitful. </p>
<p>I was wondering if any current students at NYU know of anyone who is a middle eastern studies major/minor and could just comment on the general nature of this subject at NYU ( is it easy, hard, boring, etc). I was thinking about doing Math/Econ and MEIS at the same time. Thanks!</p>
<p>In general, the “___ studies” majors (East asian studies, women’s studies, etc) aren’t difficult. </p>
<p>But doing Math/Econ and MEIS at the same time will be very difficult. Freshmen always plan on double or triple majoring with a bunch of minors and it usually doesn’t work once they see the reality of college. I’m sure you’re very smart/hardworking, but the joint Math/Econ program is already difficult enough without another major on top of it. So my advice would be to see if you can possibly minor in MEIS or simply take electives in that major but not actually do the program.</p>
<p>Lol NP judging by how you work in our calculus class … good luck. :D</p>
<p>I agree with Alix2012 by the way.</p>
<p>Alix2012- Yeah I won’t argue with you that I am naive lol. Do you think just majoring in Mathematics and MEIS would be more probable than dual majoring in Math/econ AND minoring in MEIS? I really want to work both hemispheres of my brain in college, and I think MEIS is actually pretty interesting. Thanks! BTW, do you know any math majors? Is there workload amongst the hardest? I am definitely up for the challenge, but I want to have a social life too.</p>
<p>You can still take math courses without majoring them if you really want to develop your mathematical brain.</p>
<p>^No I need the bachelor’s degree in math lol. I might f off math this year, but I mean you can recall from previous years how dedicated I was in math lmao</p>
<p>Okay …</p>
<p>By the way, did you make an official decision? You said math and rastaweoaiupsdfohas</p>
<p>^ I was being facetious Dan, I’m really a mathematics/MEIS major lmao</p>
<p>My post count is now 1111, lol </p>
<p>10 char for pointless post.</p>
<p>Ali shut up there’s no need to spam to increase your post count, you’re just worried I’ll pass u.</p>
<p>If you were a math major you’d be putting more effort in math. lol</p>
<p>Back to the OP’s original question: There is a huge difference between area studies programs like Middle Eastern Studies, which involve learning a foreign language as an integral part of the major/minor, and the race, class and gender studies majors and minors offered through the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis. The former can be extremely academically challenging, the latter,often less so. The Middle Eastern Studies department at NYU has several nationally known professors and offers instruction in five middle eastern/south asian languages—Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hind,i and Urdu—all extremely challenging to learn. If you major in MEIS you are required to take at least a four course progression in one of the above listed languages, as well as courses covering the history, religion, culture, and literature of the Middle East. If you choose to minor instead, you can either choose a language progression track or a history/culture/literature track. Here is a link to the MEIS website: [NYU-Middle</a> Eastern and Islamic Studies Department](<a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/mideast/]NYU-Middle”>http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/mideast/)
There is currently a tremendous demand in the job market for applicants who speak/read/write middle eastern and south asian languages. If future employability is your goal, the MEIS department would be an excellent choice. One caveat however: the department is highly politicized.</p>
<p>CASmom: Well, I am fluent and literate ( reading and writing) in Urdu. I can only read and write Arabic however, but it certainly isn’t the case that I’m learning Arabic from scratch. I am very interested about working in the middle east when I get older. Places like Kuwait and Dubai are becoming quite prosperous.</p>
<p>Given your background, you’d be foolish not to double major in MEIS. Even though you are already fluent/literate in Urdu and literate in Arabic, getting a degree in MEIS will give you the academic credential you will need to prove your competence. If you plan on continuing on to graduate school, NYU’s Hagop Kervorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies is a National Resource Center that grants FLAS Fellowships for the study of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish and Urdu. Here is that link: [Kevorkian</a> Center | FLAS](<a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/program/neareast/flas.html]Kevorkian”>http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/program/neareast/flas.html)</p>
<p>CASmom: If I wanted to work in the finance sector of the middle east( Investment banking, so on and so forth) do you think a Mathematics/MEIS double major would prove to be fruitful? </p>
<p>Do you think the courseload of Math and MEIS will be a burden? I understand it depends on my study habits, however I don’t want to be plagued with problem sets and several essays due in the same week lol I also DJ vocal trance on the weekends ( Thurs, Friday, Sat) so it’s a big committment. I plan on joining the MSA ( just to tell my dad, I probably will rarely go) and joining one Investment Analysis clubs in Stern.</p>
<p>Nuclear: The hardest part of a major in MEIS for most students would be the language component, but you have a running head start on that. Many students who think that MEIS would be a cool/smart thing to major in are quickly dissuaded after a semester of Arabic. It’s a hard language to learn, as you no doubt already know. The history, culture, literature, and religion MEIS classes are similar to classes in any other humanities major—lots and lots of reading and one or more major papers per semester. If you really do want to work both hemispheres of your brain Math/MEIS would definitely accomplish that goal. I know zip about the math curriculum ay NYU. That hemisphere of my brain withered away long ago, unfortunately, and my daughter inherited my math phobia as well. She did minor in MEIS. Your plans sound ambitious but doable, if you are are a hard worker. The best advice I can give to you, or to any incoming Freshman, is never get behind on your reading.</p>
<p>CASmom: Thanks a lot! Also, I checked out the Kevorkian center stipend, and unfortunately it seems to only be for graduate students…but all is well, I have financial aid pretty much covered. But yeah I definitely want to work both hemispheres of my brain, and I can basically start a conversation with my mom if I want to speak Arabic lol, she’s my first teacher!</p>