[wookinpanub]

It's getting to be about that time that I should start looking into Grad Schools. I am a history major with minors in international studies and political science. The history and IS aspects are with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies/Islam. I have been trying to research schools that have VERY strong ME/Islam programs but to no avail. Obviously, every school that has them will say they are good in it. How can I find some? Do you all know of any?

Obivously, Ivy league schools will be good for this, but A) I don't know that I could get into one and B) even if I could, I don't that I want to go to an Ivy league school...

[Kamille]

Have you talked to your professors about this? Ask the ones you liked most and the ones speciliazed in your field of study. I always found they were the best resource for this kind of decision. Not only that, but they can even put you in contact with faculty in the schools you apply to. Not to mention, write you a letter of recommendation.

[wookinpanub]

Yeah, two of them said I should apply to yale (mainly cuz they went there). Another said Georgetown. Beyond that, I have no idea. I know both of those schools would be very good but they are very expensive as well.

[corazoncito]

Originally Posted by wookinpanub

Obivously, Ivy league schools will be good for this, but A) I don't know that I could get into one and B) even if I could, I don't that I want to go to an Ivy league school...

Don't assume Ivy League schools are automatically the best for any field of study. In my field, the best grad programs (for example, in terms of the quality of teaching, time to degree, success in getting jobs after graduation, the quality of the faculty's research and the degree of involvement of students) are at public universities that are cheap to moderate in tuition and fees. Also, any time you are researching graduate schools, you need to ask them for details about funding options. Many schools offer funding to students through teaching or research assistantships. There may also be private or public sources of graduate fellowships available to you.

You have to be really proactive and persistent to research grad programs. Graduate school involves very individualistic study and so just asking "what's a good program in Middle Eastern studies?" may not give your professors much to go on. Think about some of the specific aspects of the field you would like to research. Ask which universities have professors interested in those types of topics. Ask graduate students in your department too (such as past teaching assistants). Since they are in grad school and likely have friends in other programs, they're often very well informed about different grad programs. They may also have more "inside" information about specifically how good for students each program is. If you are aware of peer-reviewed journals that publish a lot of research about Middle Eastern studies, look at the articles that interest you most and see which universities those authors are at.

Once you're started to put together a basic list of possibilities, contact their graduate coordinators. They can your general questions and put you in touch with faculty who share your interests for more specific questions. When you've narrowed your list down more, it really helps to actually visit your top choice or two (both to see it in person and for the faculty who make the admissions decisions to put a face and personality to your name). If you let them know you're coming in advance, the graduate coordinators can usually arrange for you to have a tour and meet with faculty and students with similar interests.

[Heavenly55]

What do you plan on doing with your degree career wise?

[norajane]

Go to any school near DC if you're serious about the IS part of your major. That's where you'll want to get internships and a job, eventually, so it will be good to be nearby (so you don't have to uproot in order to take a summer internship, plus you'll already have a place to live), and it will be very useful to have professors with contacts in the community.

Johns Hopkins SAIS and Georgetown have great IS programs. But if you can't get in there, be sure to check out the programs in any of the Virginia/Maryland/DC schools.

Otherwise, University of Chicago has a fantastic ME studies program. But they are pricey and very selective.

[wookinpanub]

Ahh, thank you everyone. You have given me some ideas of how to approach this.

As for what I want to go into. Ideally, something like the Foreign Service. I think when I am done with all my school I am going into the peace corp for two years as well, which might help my chances of getting into something like the FS.