splintercat

Did RSEA offer you funding? I think a lot depends on that -- if you have to take out loans to do it, definitely don't go. If you got funding from Harvard, press Penn for an answer about funding. I said this before, but, while I think RSEA is a great program for a lot of reasons, if you're already sure you want to go on to a PhD and you have a competitive PhD offer, I'd definitely recommend going straight to PhD. There is a lot to be said for gaining the contacts of an MA at a different institution and the experience of writing an MA thesis, so I don't know, maybe this is just me, but I'm exhausted of applying to schools, of moving every year, of getting older without seemingly getting any closer to a settled career -- I only felt this somewhat before doing the MA (and I didn't apply to PhDs during my MA cycle since I was switching time periods) but now I feel it very strongly. Doing an MA might make you a better scholar in the long run and I don't regret it, but there's a lot of anxiety and precarity involved in my experience. If you really want to work with Harvard's premodern China people, it's possible to do year-long (or semester-long?) visits among the Ivy League if you're at an Ivy League school (with permission from advisors etc of course.) I don't know the details but I've heard of people doing them!

I feel this deeply - I'm so close and I just want to be done so I can enjoy my trips! But it's also hard to stay motivated...

Haha, thanks! My advisor (who is great and was very nice about it) said it was a matter of numbers -- how many people applied, which professors wanted students, etc -- but I also don't think our interests line up quite as well as they might have. So keep in mind: fit and the strange background politics of admissions committees! I don't know for sure, but I think last year HEAL notified later...? Also everything here is a mess right now because of all the snow days! Don't stress too much!

Harvard decisions were out on Wednesday - I was personally rejected by my current advisor! T_T But it was expected and I think my other options are better fits. My friend got accepted via email from her POI (her current advisor) - I would guess the other admits heard similarly? Anyway, congrats to the people who got in and good luck to the waitlist people (I mean, if you really want to go).

I'll be at USC in early March! Looking forward to it...

Congratulations to everyone on the acceptances! I hear UCLA is great for Japanese lit/history. I was accepted to Yale for EALL/Film and now I'm just planning visits to New Haven and LA. A whole different type of stress -- what if they meet me and don't like me??? -- but a much more welcome one.

Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm applying to PhD programs (in EALC and/or film & media studies) while finishing up my MA at Harvard's RSEA. Let me know if you have any questions about that program. They offer pretty decent funding and I've enjoyed it; graduates also have a very good acceptance rate for PhD programs, if they decide to go on. Application transfers from PhD to MA are pretty common, ashlee_liu31! Still, if you get into a competitive PhD program (UPenn certainly is!), that's probably a better route rather than doing MA and reapplying during. As for me: I work on Japanese media and gender/sexuality. I got my first PhD acceptance last week from University of Southern California (EALC) and I'm SO EXCITED. I'm still waiting for other schools and I'm not sure about going to the West Coast (all my family is on the East Coast) but it's a great program and the professor I would be working with is FABULOUS, I was a little starstruck when he emailed. I also interviewed with a Yale professor and was told their PhD acceptances would be earlier than other schools, so I'm guessing first half of February, if you are waiting/looking forward to that. It's a relief to have one really great option! My ego might be a bit bruised if I don't get accepted anywhere else, but I would definitely be pleased with USC! It's a little stressful though since most of my friends in the MA program are also applying and they haven't started to hear back yet -- I don't want to stress them out by saying I've heard already! so I've only mentioned it to my two closest friends in my cohort. Academic competition life... Best of luck to everyone! Glad there's a little Asian Studies group on TGC.