SpectacledDaruma

In the time that I last posted I've done a fair bit of research and question asking in other venues. Here's what I found. First, I did a LOT more research between my candidate programs. For me, it was between UW for free, or Harvard for financial injury. I went through the course catalogs and counted how many courses each school had, explicitly, about my subject of interest - Japanese politics. Each had an "East Asia" program, but that doesn't say what the different regions and academic fields' relative weights are. Harvard had five courses meeting the above criteria. Very respectable. But UW had 24. Conclusion (maybe wrong): while UW lacks the old boy charm of Harvard and the name doesn't sparkle quite as brightly, MY SPECIFIC PROGRAM is infinitely better suited for my academic needs. And admissions committees will recognize this by the program's reputation. An example of a local university comes to mind. Colorado State University is a solid education, but nothing stellar. Unless you want to go into vet science. In which case, CSU has a nationally respected top tier veterinarian science program. Totally out of the blue. And for Japanese politics, UW is the same way. No other school can match the course offering, while some schools can compete on about even footing for professors of renown and research materials. Now, factor in the free vs. very unfree financial packages and the choice becomes somewhat clearer. If this was the same situation as applied to a PhD instead of an MA, then I would probably cringe and dole out the money for Harvard's name as far as a PhD goes. But for a Masters, go where you can produce your best work, participate in publishing, make a killer masters thesis, and then use that to get into a reputable PhD program. You'll have all the credentials you'll need and you'll be debt free. And school work is a lot easier with that burden off your shoulders. Hope this helps. I've been anguishing over this question for a time now, and now that everything is in perspective, I'm well set to proceed with packing things up for the move.

yticnineb, Right on. I have applied to MA programs for Fall '08 and have been accepted to my top choice, which does a fantastic job focusing on my particular regional interest. I'm big on Japanese politics and IR. So, for example, of the schools I applied to - - Havard was heavier on China, literature and gender studies. (About 5 courses that dealt with Japanese politics explicitly) - Stanford and Yale both had almost nil on Japanese politics. (1 or 2 courses) - University of Hawaii is heavy on arts, history and religion of East Asia (Again, 2 or so courses but more with East-West Institute cross-over, though it's kinda weird.) - Columbia, like Harvard, lots of non-polisci stuff like Anthropology. (Again, 3-6 courses for Japanese politics) - University of Washington Seattle big on Japanese politics. (24 courses!) Regional specialists like us have a terrible time finding that right program. These course listings belie the faculty make-up. I had put Harvard at the top of my list, but after counting these courses out it is clear that UW is the best fit. This way I'll have plenty of PoliSci/IR experience with that Japanese emphasis, some influential LORs and the language component. Good luck finding that right International Studies program. Look at the faculty, look at the course catalog and don't hesistate to contact the department. UW's Japan Studies department head was incredibly friendly and took the time to hear out what I wanted to do and whether or not his program would be a good fit. Cheers!

I didn't reference any particular guides for my personal statement, but I did make sure to include information that faculty would find relevant and indicative of my interest. However, my specific field is VERY small, and having someone come out of college with the effort and interest I put int o a quirky study is sort of strange in itself. But I wrote to the request - narrative of my study, what I find interesting and how I found that out, and what I want to do, with copious, COPIOUS details. The admissions committee has a lot of faculty on it, so if I'm dropping names in my field, they'll know. Then again, this is all an MA personal statement and their acceptance rates are pretty generous, so this advice need not apply to a stricter PhD program approach.

As the only school that offered me money to get an MA (and lots of it) looks like I'll be at UW for the next 2 years. So, who else is definitely going for Fall 2008?

This all reminds me pretty much any consumer choice debate - get x, get x, never get x, never get y. Normally, if UW had a mediocre program, I'd agree wholeheartedly with the posters pushing for Harvard. And if this were a PhD program, I'd probably also go broke and penniless for Harvard. But for an MA, I think UW's particularly solid credentials for Asian Studies and the generous financial package win the day. Maybe I'm selectively reading, but the above poster's advice on the importance of a good statement of purpose and recommendation letters, and I imagine a good Master's thesis and some published work will win the day and counter-balance the mind boggling cost of the Harvard name. Thanks for all the advice, though. I have carefully considered both sides, but can't count on a good future salary or a well-off significant other to foot my bills. So, I think, UW it is. Unless another prospective school can throw in a boat, or a lifetime supply of Chipotle burritos. =)

Method of payment? That would be student loans, so the total cost would be balloon above that. And yes, I wouldn't want that debt saddling me for a number of years. Since UW is a respectable institution, and the program is very strong, I'm leaning towards UW.

The question has suddenly become much more relevant. School 1: Harvard MA, no financial aid. Will be paying a significant sum in tuition and Boston living costs. Added bonus of prestige and very large names in chosen field. School 2: UW - Seattle. First year tuition paid and a significant stipend. For a Masters! Has large names in the field as well, as a state school with a very good program in what I want to do. So, is the Harvard title worth 80-100K?

Oops, sorry, my sarcasm didn't get across. As a soon-to-be Master's student myself I'm not insulting MA students, but drawing on the sincerely despairing rudeness found on AutoAdmit.

jaw, I don't really have the resume/CV for a PhD program. I'm one year out of undergrad. Also, I need more language training, and the only PhD language training for Japanese is in an East Asian PhD which is, I think, not very valuable. I don't/can't step into a PhD without being able to read Japanese first, so for me, the MA is the formative period to gain that literacy and knowledge base for a good PhD program.

I got a really weird e-mail from Harvard's East Asia program. Sometime in early Feb. they sent out a notice that those students contacted had made it past the "financial blind" portion of the selection process, though they were not yet admitted. Additionally, the e-mail announced the program had no money for anybody, and that any potential students, if they could support themselves, should e-mail the program and let them know right away. The e-mail also mentioned that GSAS was strongly discouraged from admitting students without outside scholarship. So, even before I was accepted I was well aware there was no money to be had. Discouraging, too, considering the costs.

No reason a current MA would be anything but a plus, unless the school somehow interprets a second MA application as being indecisive... Still, it seems that there are cheaper ways to get your PoliSci fix. Talk with more public policy oriented people at your work place, or look at some open course war syllabi and read the books. I guess, unless the cost doesn't matter to you. Personally, I can't imagine the burden of two masters degrees and their loans. I'd be eating Alpo for years.

I definitely don't bother schools with application results, but they usually encourage students to check that all application materials were recieved. I called three of my applicant schools to confirm all parts and pieces were recieved. Two didn't ask for my name, and the third thanked me for calling to make sure everything was there. I said "Great, thank you very much!" and let them go on their merry way.

I've been hovering around AutoAdmit for a spell and pretty much get that Masters students are clods and idiots and whatever else. That's cool. Most people say that if you're going into finance or business, don't bother with the price tag on an Ivy League master's degree, just get it from a cheaper university. This also makes sense. But if my end goal is academia and professorship, does the Ivy League sourced Masters carry weight where it otherwise wouldn't in, say, the business world? In other words, would it be worth the additional cost compared to a partially funded state university Masters?

I need some advice and sagely guidance. it seems to me that Regional Studies folks (East Asia, Middle East, what have you) have a weird time figuring out how to get to their final destination. For example, there's no way I could segue directly into a PhD program. So I had to decide, wanting ultimately to be a Japan political specialist, whether to do a PoliSci/IR program with a regional emphasis, or a Regional Studies program with a PoliSci/IR emphasis. Which path does an aspiring regional specialist take? For me, the clincher was language competency, especially since I want to end up in academia. Being able to read those primary sources looked crucial, and only the direct East Asian programs would let me get the language courses while permitting a polisci/IR focus. Then, after a solid MA (is Ivy important) and a good thesis I could then go into an IR or PoliSci PhD with a strong regional specialization and background. Or I could be very wrong on all accounts. Any thoughts?

Just pinging the board to see if anybody else here has applied to any East Asian Studies Masters programs and what they intend to do with that degree. It seems schools are trickling in between their EAS programs and EA- Languages & Lit programs. Any Japan specialists present?