fishsauce

I just got my first reject from the University of Washington. Seems I wasn't the only one.

Focus: the political and cultural history of the early modern principalities of northern Southeast Asia and southern China, particularly those traditionally dominated by the Tai ethno-linguistic group The Pros: Southeast Asia is very much the crossroads of the world. It is an incredibly diverse region with cultural links just about everywhere, so you can combine it with whatever else you're interested in quite well. It's also a region with rising importance, so, although there aren't a lot of jobs for Southeast Asianists now, there could very well be in the near future (especially Burma specialists!). Because it's a small field, the language requirements, though high, aren't quite as demanding as the previously discussed East Asian language requirements - none of this "don't bother applying unless you're fluent" nonsense. Instead, intermediate to advanced reading skill is sufficient. The Cons: Southeast Asia is to the discipline of history what rural Alaska is to the United States of America. It is basically THE most obscure, out of the way, and willfully ignored region there is. One program I was looking at had a map of the world, colored by regions, which placed Southeast Asia in white, as if it were a "foreign country" to the rest of the world. The only other region represented in this manner being Antarctica. There are only a handful of history departments in the world which even allow for a Southeast Asia specialization, and considering the size of the Southeast Asian region, only a few of these schools will have the specialists necessary to assist with any given student's plan of study. As someone studying Siam, Burma, and the northern mainland, this especially sucks for me, because most Southeast Asianists specialize in Indonesia and Vietnam, neither of which have much direct relevance to my studies. I'm glad this thread was made, because I have been wondering for a very long time - are there any other Southeast Asianists here? Or am I the only one?

Hey there! I am not the most active of users here, but I thought I'd get a thread going for those of us heading to Ann Arbor this fall. I have made up my mind to accept the offer from Michigan (a fast but easy decision), and will be working on a PhD in History. Anyone else?

It seems the official notifications for Michigan have gone out. I got one in the e-mail (I live in Thailand, so snail mail will be slow here), and got another personal note from the POI confirming that the official letters were sent today. Just so you all know.

Thank you! And best of luck to you as well!

Personal e-mail. I don't know if anyone's gotten official notice yet.

That would be me! Apparently the decisions have been made... I'm a lurker and didn't want to just jump into the thread with my good news. But, since you ask, why not? And besides... there's another Michigan admit up! Now who might that be?

Hey all! I'm currently applying for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship at one of hte schools I'm interested in. On the application it asks for a "language reference" or a third academic reference. As I am intending to begin studying my language of interest at a second year level, I would like to use that slot for a language reference. However, I have never taken any formal college classes in my language of interest. It's been a combination of self-study and language schools. Would you recommend putting my instructor at the language school I'm attending? He would not be an academic reference, but he's the only person who's familiar with my language skill. Or should I just put a third academic reference instead? Thanks!

Earlier this week I had an interview with a POI at my top choice school which just went as magnificently well as such interviews can go. Two days later (tonight) I go into a panic, realizing that my application to that school is full of flaws, and that said school is extremely competitive and that in general I do not feel confident of my ability to make the cut. So, here's my question. What on earth does an applicant such as myself, with an MA in area studies, looking to jump to history, do to improve my application before the next admissions round? There aren't really any research jobs for historians with MAs out there, after all, particularly those of us dealing with non-contemporary history. I'm thinking I will just do research on my own and try to publish papers and present at conferences. Is this worth attempting? Is it possible if I'm not affiliated with a university? What have other people done in this situation?

Have you read James C. Scott's The Art of Not Being Governed?

William T. Rowe, China's Last Empire: The Great Qing Rene Goussert, The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia Roger Collins, Early Medieval Europe 300-1000 I believe in reading wide.

I reacted basically the exact same way. Have e-mailed the admissions office at the two schools at which I messed up, and I won't make the same mistake twice. Thanks for the advice!

Oh no!!! How bad did I mess up by not waiving it? I had no idea about this!

Hey all! I have been invited to give a lecture about my MA thesis at a highly regarded academic society in late January. This is after all of my applications are due. Should I put forthcoming presentations such as this one on my academic CV? I suspect it would greatly enhance my odds of getting my applications accepted. How would I list this?

I can read Thai and French, and am starting on the monumental task of tackling Chinese.

Hey all! I've made a couple posts in other parts of the forums but thought I'd come announce myself here. I have recently completed an MA in Southeast Asian Studies. I focused heavily on history, writing a thesis which would have fit in a history program as well as in a Southeast Asian Studies program. In fact, my original intention when signing up for the program was to study history, as that has been my primary academic interest (though not my major) for a very long time. Now I've graduated, and I'm hoping to switch to History for my PhD. What sort of a disadvantage am I at? If it comes to general knowledge, I'd say that I have a fairly well-rounded knowledge of history, and if it comes to research experience, I have already written a (very successful) thesis in the field of history. Are there any other potential obstacles here that I haven't taken note of just yet?

I'm currently applying to history programs, and I want to send a writing sample that shows my highest capabilities as a researcher. As it stands, my thesis is far superior to anything I have written as a term paper. During my MA coursework, I was only beginning to become accustomed to the use of the foreign languages I have since been using for my primary source research, and mainly made use of English sources and English translations. By contrast, my thesis contains references to a much wider variety of primary and secondary sources in both English and Thai. I've noticed that some departments specifically list thesis extracts as an acceptable and even ideal form of the writing sample, but others are more ambiguous. So, I'd like to know if thesis extracts are always acceptable unless otherwise stated, or if some departments will require me to submit a complete paper with a beginning, middle, and end? Thanks!

Thanks a bunch to both of you for the replies. I'm going to go ahead with the letter from the aforementioned professor. I know he'll write me an enthusiastic letter, so why worry?

Hey all! This is my first post. I'm currently applying for PhD programs in History. Most of the programs I'm applying to are quite competitive, and I reckon should require a pretty much airtight application. I would like to think I'm a competitive candidate overall - I have good GRE scores, a good GPA for my MA, and can get positive references. Now, here's the problem. I did my MA outside the United States, and most of my professors are not native English speakers. In fact, one professor, who I know will write me a glowing recommendation if I ask him to, has... and it pains me to say this, because he's a great guy and a great teacher... a very poor grasp of English grammar, and (judging by his handouts) is not the number 1 fan of spell check. Complicating things is the fact that I want to ask him because I studied with him in a social sciences related class (my MA is in Southeast Asian Studies). I've already asked one of my literature professors for a letter, and if I get one recommendation from a historian and two from literature professors, I'm worried that the departments I'm applying to will doubt my personal dedication to the field of history. Honestly, I feel very mean even mentioning this. But, I'm still worried.