US MA questions and concerns

I want to do an MA when I finish my BSc in the Government Dept at LSE. I have a high 2.1. I recently took the mock GRE and I got V640-740, Q750-800 (as it was a mock it only gave me ranges). English is my second language, hence the low verbal score. I have a year's good work experience in a politics-related job.

I primarily want to study the Middle East but I don't speak a word of Arabic. By the time I apply I could have decent beginner's Arabic, however. Is this going to be a major problem? I am trilingual but all of the languages are Indo-European.

I'm most hooked on Columbia MESAAS but I won't rule out doing e.g. a History MA and focussing heavily on the Middle East in it. I've also had a look at Chicago, NYU and Harvard.

I'm concerned that my lack of Arabic and lack of a 1st will block my chances of getting accepted to a good MA.

Funding isn't a major problem (I have found some good scholarships to apply for).

Can anyone give me any advice on my situation? Is it impossible to get in without good Arabic and a 1st?

How are the different application bits weighted - personal statement, grades, language skills, GRE etc.?

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

skamp

Applying for an MA in the US is pretty similar to applying in the UK (I'm an American about to start my MA in the UK). Don't look at advice for undergrads, because grad programs are a completely different animal. Since the departments choose their students (rather than an admissions department) it matters more to be strong in your field than to be well rounded.

Going into anything in the humanities besides writing your GRE scores won't matter much. If you're in the high 600 to 700 range you should be fine. Your grades matter, but mostly the grades for undergrad classes in the department you'll be doing your MA in (so, History or Middle East Studies or whatever else is relevant in the field). Your personal statement is VERY important. It's your chance to show the school that you're serious about your studies. You can also use it talk up your current language skills explain that English is not your first language and describe your plan to study more Arabic. Having a plan laid out can make up for not having the Arabic, but then of course you'll have to follow through by the time you have your interview.

The language requirement varies from school to school. I'm doing Art History, which also has a strong language requirement. Some schools wanted you to have language skills by the time you finished their program, some expected them coming in. You should contact the individual departments to find out. If you have other helpful languages (German is important for Art History, is it also for History?) it might get them to cut you a break on the Arabic. But the only way to find out is to ask.

I was told when I started applying for grad school that having good language skills was the single biggest thing you could do to show a potential school that you were committed to grad study. But then I never did anything with that advice and have only mediocre language skills and still got into a great program. So you never know. Good luck!

US MA questions and concerns

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