Oh he’s picking them. The Arabic was one of the modern languages offered. The Turkish he added on his own through NSLI-Y vitual. I pointed out the NSLI to him, but he did all the rest. He wasn’t obligated to apply at all.
I know he wants to focus more on economics and math overall, but he also likes languages. Actually, he likes all of his classes in all subjects. The only thing he doesn’t like is Latin.
Thank you, these are very specific program recommedations in Middle Eastern studies. I’ll take a good look at them.
Once you get past a handful of schools, there is going to be a large population of schools that have a very high level Econ and math programs. The language is going to be the binding constraint.
However, economics departments vary in how math intensive the economics courses are. Looks like he may prefer a high math or at least moderate math department over a low math department.
High math = multivariable calculus and/or linear algebra
Moderate math = single variable calculus
Low math = no calculus
as prerequisites for intermediate microeconomics and econometrics courses
For these interests, he could consider a data science major, with economics as his applied domain.
I’m thinking at least moderate math. He sometimes talks about becoming a math teacher but has been intimidated by some of his classmates in math. He’s taking BC Calc this year, though, so he’s fairly advanced.
UVA, Wm & Mary, and Virginia Tech , instate, all have Arabic Studies.
If he likes math enough to consider majoring in math (including for becoming a math teacher), then it is likely he will prefer high math over moderate math, which would likely be the minimum for a satisfactory economics department.
DC is humid, but if one avoids taking classes during summer sessions it could be an option.
The Faculty of Languages and Linguistics is a gem within the College. Your son could choose from a number of options after his first year there. He could double major in Arabic and Economics whilst minoring in Applied Mathematics or Turkish. Or he could decide to double major in math and economics with a language minor.
Alternatively, he could pursue a dual degree between the College and the McDonough School of Business through the newly offered International Business, Language and Culture major with language concentration of his choice.
I’d agree that Georgetown looks like a great choice from a curriculum perspective with great language, economics, and data analysis programs. It’s one of the few schools with a very extensive Turkish program. I do think the school environment is weaker than other options due to hot weather, weaker sports, and I believe a more competitive culture. (Maybe all top-ranked programs have a competitive culture.) Their admissions are a little unusual in that REA, where you can’t apply to any school ED, doesn’t seem to give any advantage over regular admissions.
I should explain why the Turkish is getting equal weight with Arabic. He is probably not competitive with his classmates in Arabic because they’re a year ahead, having started the language in 8th grade. The NSLI-Y virtual requires that you take language at a beginning level, so he couldn’t apply for Arabic. The Arabic department will let us know how many kids are applying for the away programs. In past years, students have regularly gone to the overseas summer and academic year high school programs in Arabic.
Also, during the summer, the Arabic sites have an average high temperature of 100. Istanbul’s summer is more moderate with a high of 85. For a summer only program Turkey has kinder weather. I went to Turkey many years ago and have told my son about the great food, culture, and activities in Turkey, so that may have also peaked his interest.
If you have a school considering a new foreign language, Arabic is a very strong choice.
Competitive culture may be based on major and professional goals. I.e. it may be more expected if:
They do not have destinations on or near the Mediterranean coast of places where there are significant Arabic speakers, where the weather is milder?
Binghamton offers a minor in Turkish Studies and a major in Arabic, so those languages would be covered. Although it’s New York’s flagship, it’s about 15k undergrads and lists several study abroad opportunities in Arabic-speaking countries. It’s a strong university in many fields and, reportedly, has been seeking to bring more top students from out-of-state so it’s been willing to show them some nice merit aid.
Bloomington, the home of Indiana University, is not a big city but it’s surprisingly cosmopolitan. There are Tibetan, Thai, Indian, Afghani, and many other ethic cuisines offered in the city’s restaurants. The touring Broadway productions frequently stop at the IU auditorium. It has one of the top music programs in the U.S. (if not the world) and there are hundreds of concerts and recitals every year. And there are Big 10 sports. At IU, or most other big colleges, your son would likely stand a good chance of acceptance in the honors colleges which helps make a bigger campus feel smaller and provide additional benefits.
Actually, Buffalo and Stony Brook are New York’s flagship universities, not Binghamton, though all are great schools.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I missed the governor’s naming of the other two as flagships this spring. I guess I kind of took the Binghamton President’s view of things…though I don’t know how USNWR is assessing “better undergraduate teaching.”
President Stegner said size alone shouldn’t designate a flagship.
“The criteria of selecting them really doesn’t have much to do with quality. When you look at U.S. News and World Report rankings, we’re higher ranked than both Stony Brook and Buffalo because we have better student retention, better graduation rates, better undergraduate teaching,” said Stegner.
Seconding UCLA. While it doesn’t have a separate Turkish major (it has a separate major for Arabic), it’s a very good school for math and has many courses in Turkish (as well as a massive middle eastern community right around it). Very expensive OOS however – I’m spending almost $60k/year in tuition and room/board.
University of Toronto has both Turkish and Arabic language instruction. It’s an urban location. It’s top rated in economics and math as well as many other areas. If he applies as an Arts or Math major, it should be a safety for a kid with 1450+ SAT.
Unfortunately the Southern Mediterranean countries are pretty hot in the summer. The average high in Marrakesh, Morocco is 99 degrees during the summer.
Thanks for all the input here, it’s been very helpful in trying to explore a range of schools.
So I have a rising junior son who would like to focus on economics in college. He’s got good math skills. He’s very academically oriented and comes from a challenging small school. He’d like a colder climate and enjoys watching sports games. He also has Arabic and Turkish language skills. He enjoys studying foreign languages.
So I am thinking that the following schools all have various Arabic and Turkish programs, although some Turkish programs are thin. (UVA is online with a consortium, for instance.)
Possible Target Schools:
Bloomington, IN
Binghamton, NY
University of Pittsburgh, PA
Rutgers, NJ
Syracuse, NY
UIUC, IL
More Reach Schools:
Boston College
Georgetown
University of Notre Dame
UW
UMich
Would Be Nice but Super Reach:
Northwestern
Duke
Cornell
UCLA
International:
University of Toronto
University of Edinburgh
In-State/Local: Very little in the way of Turkish In-State Virginia.
UVA
GMU
UMCP (Maryland, but big sports school)
I don’t know what the safety school would be in Virginia. There are several nice options though.
Thanks again for all the help here. This at least gives us a range of schools to visit and consider before applications. I hope everyone’s kid has a good year in school, and if they’re out of school are doing well.
Sounds like you have a good list of schools to consider.
Just wanted to note that yes, Mediterranean countries can get hot in the summer, but if the city is on the coast, it’s generally much more pleasant/temperate. Marrakech is far more inland (and gets much hotter) than Rabat, Casablanca, or Tangier, for instance. Or if going to Turkey, studying in Izmir or Antalya would likely be much cooler than Ankara.