rising_star

You'd have to ask current students if they've ever seen anyone not have their funding renewed. In my experience, funding renewal wasn't guaranteed but also was never really in doubt. But none of that speaks to what your experience would be. Ask the DGS and ask current students.

I would talk to your advisor and/or the DGS in your program.

Hmmm... that's something only you can answer. If you do a general anthro degree, you'll have an opportunity to learn about other regions. If you know you want to focus on East Asia, then an EAS masters might be more helpful because it would allow you to deepen your knowledge of the region by taking courses in anthropology, history, religion, political science, etc. If your future plans include a PhD, you'll find that many anthro PhD programs require you to earn a master's along the way.

@samman1994, if you are so sensitive to noise, then it really might make sense to look into a house or, if not that, a townhouse/duplex (e.g., where you share a wall with your neighbors but there isn't anyone above you), especially if it could be within your budget.

How and why did you pick these programs? Is it based on their prestige or because of a good fit with the faculty's work and an interest in the course offerings? If it's solely the former, you're in trouble. Your language experience will be a factor in your admissions, as will you recommendation letters and your statement of purpose.

Do you have funding for any of these programs? FWIW, I wouldn't worry at all about someone thinking that you were trying "to find the easy way out as a potential PhD candidate later" because you did an interdisciplinary degree. The real thing to consider is what kind of training you desire and which program is best equipped to offer that to you.

Are you willing to try to befriend those in the local community? Can you make connections through a local university to their graduate students and/or faculty? Or, are you only interested in being in touch with expats? I've found wherever I've lived (in the US and outside the US) that doing the activities I would normally do led to meeting people and making friends.

In more than one place I've lived, renting an apartment and renting a similar sized house were the same price or within $100 of one another. Recently, I lived in a 2bd/2ba townhouse which I paid the same amount for as friends who were renting 3bd/1ba or 3bd/2ba houses in the same town. So it is entirely possible @samman1994 that the prices you're seeing for houses are real. This is one of those times where it really makes sense to reach out to current students to get their sense of the housing market. If you absolutely can't go in person and can't find anyone to tour for you, my advice is to find a convenient AirBnB/Homeaway listing which you can get to in late July/early August and then use as a base while you scout for a more permanent option.

I wouldn't continue to overload by taking 5-6 courses in a quarter unless it's something that's necessary to graduate on time. Instead, I would focus on doing what you need to do to take the courses to finish your degree. Beyond that, research experience, ideally in an area you want to be doing research in, is the most valuable thing you can do. Also, you don't say what field you want to go into. Is it computer science, math, genomics, or something else?

Do you have good contacts with any PIs you'd like to work with? If so, I would reach out to them directly, explain your situation, and ask about the possibility. You never know what can happen unless you ask!

I'll be honest: I disagree with this. Why? Because it's a question people should not be asking. No one asks white men who study anything other than white men why they chose to study X group (whether that's women, Latinx populations, etc.). So sure, maybe @Adelaide9216should have such an intellectually reason for herself. But to the people asking? My response, if I were Adelaide9216, would be to ask them why they don't study the same population they're part of (making sure, in advance, that they don't). When they respond with surprise that you'd ask the question, then you can point out that it's simply the same question they asked you.

You definitely do NOT need to have your thesis figured out before you start, or even in your first semester. Some of the things you learn in class should inform the topic you ultimately focus on for your thesis. I found my MA thesis topic by reading news articles and finding something I wanted to know more about. That quest to better understand it because my thesis project. So read widely and broadly in your field and on the edges of it. You never know where inspiration can come from!* In terms of preparation, if you have an old intro/general psych book or stats book around, it might be worth it just to flip through and make sure you remember key concepts. If you were really being ambitious, you could read scholarship written by the faculty in the department you're joining. More helpful though would probably be reading MA theses from your department that were completed in recent years. Not necessary but it'll help you get a sense of the scope of a MA project. Good luck! Have fun! And, don't forget to enjoy your summer! *An even cooler anecdote about that. I went to an artist talk where the artist explained that the entire series was inspired by being in the grocery line and seeing a headline about how bees and redheads were going extinct. Again, you never know where and when it'll come.

While it may be slightly more competitive, it is also likely that having a MA will result in a higher wage.

Whatever you do, please don't stop doing the things you enjoy! If you're interested in political philosophy then Model UN is certainly relevant, especially if it's also something you like doing. Don't take on extracurriculars like the philosophy student council unless it's something you'll actually be interested in. If you can participate in reading groups, great. But, even better would be an independent or small group study for credit with a professor in your final year of undergrad. That will give you a chance to develop a closer relationship with someone and to hone in on your particular interests.

@SkunkStyle77, I don't know that there is a safest site in that situation. All of them will have scams on them. Your best bet might be to try to find housing resources which are exclusive to your university (e.g., on a university intranet which require a university log-in for access), since that likely means scammers don't have access.

Agreed with @OHSP that you should talk to your advisors. Comparative literature is a fairly interdisciplinary field within which there can certainly be opportunities to think historically and engage with the historiography in the area you're interested in. Another thing you might do is think about what kind of dissertation you envision writing, the sources you'd read and engage with, and the type of scholarship you want to be producing. The training in history is quite different than that in comparative literature so I'd recommend taking at least one or two graduate level history courses before committing to switching fields.

Chiming in to third what @fuzzylogicianand @ZeChocMoose have said. Throughout my graduate degrees, I was encouraged to choose topics for course papers which would help me as a worked on my thesis/dissertation/comprehensive exams. Sometimes that meant writing a lit review, other times a grant proposal, and still other times what largely became a chapter of my MA thesis. The latter was written while in a class with one of my committee members who encouraged me to use my final course paper as a draft thesis chapter.

Are there other PIs at Scripps you could see yourself working with?

@FishNerd, right on! I am also not really a morning person. However, last summer, I finally (after umpteen years in grad school and a few years as faculty) figured out that walking my dog in the morning followed by a workout that starts at 9 or 9:30 increases my productivity for the entire day. Sometimes I manage to do some work beforehand, like answering emails, reading for class, or grading papers, but not always. (This morning, for example, all I did was check email. I didn't even reply to any.) But, post-workout? I feel ready to go and hit the ground running. It's a great feeling, tbh. In grad school, I typically worked out in the evening, mostly because that's when martial arts classes for adults are offered. That's also when most classes at the university gym were, though I sometimes did the lunch classes which are often filled with staff. Figuring out how to fit it in and actually scheduling it in is one way to make sure workouts happen. I've also found that when I'm paying for something, rather than using the free membership I get as a student/faculty, I'm much more likely to go. So I paid for extra to take martial arts classes which were actually held on campus where I did my PhD. Now I pay for a gym membership rather than using the one at work for free. Also, for healthy food, I highly recommend figuring out simple, filling recipes which are inexpensive. My go-to lunch in grad school was a pasta salad made with whole grain pasta, homemade (or light/fat-free) balsamic/Italian dressing, some kind of bean (kidney, black, cannellini, garbanzo), and frozen vegetables (often just the bagged mixed vegetables but sometimes I'd combine veggies from different bags).

I highly recommend maps.me for offline maps. I only learned about it recently but, it seems to have all the features of Google Maps and make it easily available to you offline. As @Psygeek has said, getting lost can be fun! Last year I found an amazing Italian restaurant by getting lost on the way to the restaurant I intended to go to. If you know other folks that have been to Paris before, @Adelaide9216, you may want to ask them for tips/advice about where to stay, things to do, and places not to miss. In fact, if I were you, I'd try to add on a day or two before or after the conference to explore since you never know when you'll have help paying your way to Paris again.

Definitely agree with this. I highly recommend buying and learning to use a slow cooker as you can easily cook bulk recipes which will leave you with plenty of leftovers for lunches and dinners. There are some great slow cooker blogs online if you don't want to buy a cookbook.

Hmm... it sounds like some of these are more focused on refugees/forced migration/human rights than others. In terms of being prepared for a wide range of options, there might be some benefit to a more general degree. In general, I think you get the chance to grow a lot more in two years than you could/would in one year. I realize that wasn't most helpful. Is funding a factor? In general, my advice is to follow the funding. If that's not an issue, personally I'd do Sciences Po, SOAS, or Oxford for the name recognition.

For the questions about a Scripps stipend, the environment, etc., you really should reach out to current Scripps grad students. Before making any sort of decision, I would speak with the DGS at Scripps to reach an understanding about how much of your coursework would transfer and what requirements you would still need to meet. Also, if things don't work out long term with this particular PI, would you regret going to Scripps?

1) Are there any comparative literature courses at your university? Have you taken any upper level literature courses in Spanish? 2) Have you spoken with your literature professors to ask them what they think? They'll be familiar with English and Comp Lit departments and should be able to provide you with some advice. 3) Take a look at the scholarship of some folks in comp lit with similar interests. Is that the kind of scholarship you want to be doing?

Honestly, I know you're desperate for the answer but emailing over and over again isn't going to help. You have to patient, which I realize is incredibly difficult.