# Where to Send Marwan to Study in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873 "2005-07-17T14:42:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/21 "2005-07-18T00:11:50Z")
Duke. Or UNC. Money IS a factor but, for a slice of americana and an excellent education, can’t be beat. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/22 "2005-07-18T02:02:00Z")
Philadelphia? We’ve got a buncha big schools in the area (Temple, Rutgers, Rowan, UPenn, and Penn State has some campuses nearby). Philly itself is easy to get around and has a ton of culture and history. Plus, it’s located so that you could do, at least, a weekend trip to every important city on the East Coast other than Miami. Even Chicago’s a day and a half, max, away. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/23 "2005-07-18T02:02:38Z")
> [@The Mad Hermit](#): > > Is this a good idea, remembering the last season of 24? > 😉 > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > What, no 24 jokes yet? C’mon, work with me people! Well, I was going to ask if Kiefer Sutherland knew about this. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/24 "2005-07-18T02:28:26Z")
What is 24? ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/25 "2005-07-18T02:37:54Z")
Check University of Florida. Well ranked, beautiful campus, great classes. Plus Spring Break in Daytona or Panama City! ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/26 "2005-07-18T03:47:03Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > What is 24? A tad bit more than 23. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/27 "2005-07-18T06:21:22Z")
A TV series starring Kiefer Sutherland about the LA branch of the Counter-Terrorist unit ( a fake government agency.) The main villain in last season’s shows was named Habib Marwan, played by Arnold Vosloo (The Mummy.) He was a particularly evil villain, with plans within plans. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/28 "2005-07-18T14:03:45Z")
> [@Portia](#): > > …there are at least 2 schools where Marwan could expect a larger than average Arab-speaking population; U of M-Dearborn is the obvious one, but also Wayne State. D’oh! :smack: > [@](#): > > one class saw a Yemeni girl falling for a Hmong guy who was a total skate punk/ski bum, and it was her first Michigan winter, poor thing. Poor thing indeed! Can you imagine having to wait until college to get a Michigan winter?! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/29 "2005-07-18T14:39:45Z")
Wow, there is a lot of paperwork! All these schools seem to think young Marwan wants to pursue a full-time education in the US. First, he has to take the TEFL, he got a 6.7 on the ILS, but the American schools want the TEFL. Then he has to apply (ten months in advance!) then with approval from a school, he can go and get a visa. This is not nearly as straight forward as I might have hoped. ---
**Author:** ![furlibusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@furlibusea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furlibusea)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/30 "2005-07-18T15:37:04Z")
It was mentioned before, but [The University of Colorado-Boulder](http://www.colorado.edu/) is a good school within 40 minutes to Denver. It has to be some of the most glorious scenery on the planet. The town itself is still on the prarie, but there are no foothills right at that part of the Rockies. The flatirons shoot up behind the town to provide an amazing backdrop. There is quite a bit going on in Boulder during the summer. There is a Shakespeare festival, and alot of high end bike riders train out of Boulder. The problem with your assignment, is there isn’t just one USA. The experience he would get in Chicago going to Northwestern would be intirely different from what he could get going to Georgetown University, which would be entirely different from The University of Texas, which would be different from Berkley or even The University of Washington. Each and every one of these would be a real American experience. I can’t think of any of them being more valid than the others. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/31 "2005-07-18T15:52:52Z")
Harvard, Boston University, and NYU also have summer programs; if he’s into history and wants all the lakes he can ever want, you can’t beat Boston in particular. Real student town too. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/32 "2005-07-18T16:04:46Z")
Still, it is a good plan. Go to one place in the US and get a feel for it. The other choice is renting a car and seeing everything for about half an hour. An old friend who runs international students at Grambling State just told me they have no suitable program for a casual student. Hummm. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/33 "2005-07-18T16:10:03Z")
Might I suggest our own humble Rutgers? Rutgers is one of the largest state University systems. He could surely find something to study at the 5 campuses clustered in/around New Brunswick. Here are some advantages of Rutgers–New Brunswick: –It is not as undergraduate-focused as some other schools. There are tons of grad students around, as well as older undergraduates. –There is a very diverse population, both at the school and in the surrounding area. –He won’t need a car. The 5 campuses are served by free buses, and there’s public transportation as well. –The train service into NYC couldn’t be more convenient. And he can easily hop a train to Philly or DC without having go into NYC first. –Plenty of housing available. I don’t know what kind of dorms they have for grad students, but I suppose they must have something. –New Brunswick is a real city, albeit a small one, with its own nightlife, culture, etc. And, as I said, he can easily hop a train to NY. In other words, at Rutgers, you get the benefits of a “real campus” located in a small city within spitting distance of NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/34 "2005-07-18T17:21:49Z")
Rutgers sounds fine. At this point, I am quite concerned about ANY four-year school taking him on for just a month or two. Community colleges do this, my research shows, but they do not offer graduate-level courses. Maybe he would be best served by getting an unlimited milage car for a month after all. Still, I have not yet given up hope. ---
**Author:** ![Camus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ba8739/32.png) [@Camus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Camus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/35 "2005-07-18T18:30:03Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] University of San Diego is good (albeit private and Jesuit). You don’t have to be Catholic to attend. [QUOTE] Actually, USD is Franciscan (big difference). Also, San Diego has a sizable Arab community, so it might not be too big a leap (especially since the region is dry and arid). But generally, San Diego probably wouldn’t be the best place to go to get a representative slice of the US. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/36 "2005-07-18T18:51:56Z")
The only graduate level, short programs I can think of would be “Field school” programs in subjects such as geology and archaeology. Typically these programs are of limited duration (1-2 months), offer graduate-level study, and have arrangements to accept “non-matriculating” students (students with no intention to complete their degree at the sponsoring university). The bad news is, field schools are _usually_ located in the middle of nowhere, where the geology/archaeology/paleontology pickin’s are good. There is such a thing as urban archaeology, however. Check out this for an example of typical requirement: [http://www.bsos.umd.edu/anth/AIA/school.htm](http://www.bsos.umd.edu/anth/AIA/school.htm) For more listings: [http://www.aaanet.org/ar/fs/fschool\_current.htm](http://www.aaanet.org/ar/fs/fschool_current.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/37 "2005-07-18T18:57:17Z")
I forgot to add the following caveats: !. Field schools are generally hard physical labor (classroom coursework is secondary), and Archaeologists don’t like whiners. 2. IME, Archaeologists are a hard-drinking crowd. If he is not comfortable being around people who frequently drink socially he should probably reconsider. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/38 "2005-07-18T19:12:26Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > At this point, I am quite concerned about ANY four-year school taking him on for just a month or two. One advantage of a big state school is that they are likely to have a variety of programs aimed at the “non-traditional student” or the student who just wants to take some classes. Marwan doesn’t have to matriculate to attend classes and earn credit that he can transfer back to his own university in Saudi Arabia. (His Saudi school has to be willing to accept the credits, but that’s easily checked out in advance.) Rutgers is happy enough to take your tuition money for a course or two without the hassles of matriculation. I think the key would be to find the right individual at the university to help him figure out his options. For Rutgers, I’d look at the website and choose a few programs that seem like they might be applicable to Marwan’s situation, and write directly to the Deans of those programs asking if Rutgers could accomodate him. They’ll either help you or give you the name of someone who can. Here are some Rutgers sites that might get you going in the right direction. Summer Session: [http://summersession.rutgers.edu/](http://summersession.rutgers.edu/) Continuous Education: [http://ce1766.rutgers.edu/creditcourses.jsp](http://ce1766.rutgers.edu/creditcourses.jsp) University College (undergrad school for the non-traditional student): [http://ucnb.rutgers.edu/](http://ucnb.rutgers.edu/) Main New Brunswick Campus site: [http://nbp.rutgers.edu/](http://nbp.rutgers.edu/) ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/39 "2005-07-18T19:33:05Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > This is an education. It seems we have to apply just about now for a shot at a 2006 slot and visa. They are calling for ten months in advance! That is almost impractical. Still, we will mush on. > > Another thought. I bet some school would love Marwan to pitch some Basic Arabic classes for a summer. I wonder which schools offer Arabic programs. > > Back to the net to find out. Paul, I am an alum of UIUC (and an Arabic/Int’l Studies minor), and while UIUC (Go Illini!) has an Arabic department, I wonder if classes are offered in the summer semester. All in all, summer in Champaign is DULL. May I suggest a Chicago school? [ul] [li]University of Chicago -Elite, great brand name, expensive[/li][li]Northwestern -elite, less nerdy, expensive, great brand name[/li][li]DePaul -solid reputation, less expensive, great evenings and summer courses, and it’s in the City proper[/li][li]Loyola -good school, less expensive, in the City[/li][li]And several others (U of I Chicago, various satellite branches, etc…)[/li][/ul] Housing is relatively cheap, but no-one lives in the dorms, AFAIK. And, if you’re not aware, there is a TOn of stuff to do in Chicago. Lots of folks of Arabic decent as well. For that matter, there’s an Indian/Pakistani strip (a few miles long) on Devon Street, where he could get some home cookin’. -Cem ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873/40 "2005-07-18T19:38:36Z")
Summer school at UNLV…116 degree weather. My guess is, they won’t exactly be lining up around the block to get applications that time of year, so gettting admitted should be easy. Who else but a Saudi would even think of coming here to study in July and August…ha! Actually, I was also going to suggest Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. The summer program is quite good but there are only a handful of students on campus and the day-to-day life is pretty boring. He might be wiser to go simply try to get into Columbia or NYU or even The New School. New York is a great place to be year round, and the schools would offer some good courses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-to-send-marwan-to-study-in-america/312873.md?page=3)