About Clifton Martin

I graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia with a BA in Middle East Studies. I’ve interned with the State Department, National Council on US-Arab Relations, Academy for Educational Development, and the Middle East Institute. I studied abroad twice in Yemen and taught English in Bosnia-Herzegovina for a summer. Prior to arriving at Korbel, I worked at Shenandoah University in my hometown of Winchester, VA, and had the awesome opportunity to take part in an eco-tourism trip to Belize. I’m really hoping to broaden my horizons with this program, while building on my MidEast background. I would like to work with/for the government and eventually teach at the university level, but we’ll see what happens! Outside of all that resume type stuff, I love the outdoors, dinosaurs (almost went paleontology in undergrad), and my entire family are die-hard Denver Broncos fans—so DU is the perfect choice.

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6 Responses to “About Clifton Martin”

Anne Scholl
October 21st, 2010 at 21:32

Good morning Clifton,
I graduated in May from Southern Connecticut State University in CT and I am currently applying to grad schools. I am already enticed with Josef Korbel and I am set on applying and getting accepted upon completion of the lengthy grad application process. I happened to stumble upon your website while looking over more of this awesome university and couldn’t help but read your whole blog. Since you have had many work and school experiences already, is there anything you could suggest for the application process? I am applying to both the PhD and Master’s program.
Have a great day,
Anne

Reply
- korbel1sec
  October 22nd, 2010 at 02:09
  
  Hi Anne!
  Glad you found my blog useful– and I’m really pumped you’re applying to Korbel!
  From my personal experience with the application process, I think the toughest but most integral part was writing the statement of purpose. The SoP is your chance to create the paper-version of Anne Scholl. I took the “win-win” approach: how could I demonstrate that Korbel will benefit me, and I will benefit Korbel. Of course, the approach is up to you–which is actually the most important point of the statement of purpose: make sure that it reads as if Anne Scholl, not Applicant #24, wrote it. Keep the perfect grammar and structuring, but the voice should be all Anne.
  That said, the next hardest part is waiting for the admissions decision. Prevent yourself from repeatedly logging in and checking your status months before the expected decision. Just drives ya crazy. If you find yourself online with nothing to do–check out Sporcle.com–the best distraction ever.
  Good luck, and feel free to ask me questions anytime.
  
  Reply
Joshua Kistler
November 16th, 2010 at 11:41

Hi Cliff!

I met you the other night at the open house and just stumbled upon your blog. After the presentation, you came over to talk to me (and my parents) and answered some questions for us. I really appreciated it, and it made me feel much more comfortable to apply to the school. Thanks!

-Josh
joshtk49@gmail.com

Reply
- josefkorbelschool
  November 19th, 2010 at 01:08
  
  Hey Josh,
  
  So glad you were able to make it to the Open House. It’s great to read your thoughts! Best advice is to go ahead and apply . . . grad school is awesome. Very different from undergraduate, but you manage to have a balanced life. I honestly love it at Korbel. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck applying!
  
  Reply
Hanna
April 15th, 2011 at 04:35

Hi Cliff,

I’m coming to Korbel this fall and just remembered reading your blog earlier in the application process. It was a big help, thanks! I’m studying Arabic as well, and I was wondering how you went about finding a native-speaking partner to study with in DU? I’d like to do the same if I could. Looking forward to meeting you in the new school year,

Hanna

Reply
- josefkorbelschool
  April 27th, 2011 at 01:19
  
  Hi Hanna,
  
  I got in touch with Director of Student Affairs Susan Rivera as soon as I arrived. She put me in touch with a PhD student from Palestine who has been trained to tutor Arabic as a second language. I also recommend checking out the website for the Center for World Languages and Cultures . Hope that helps!
  
  Reply