MastersHoping

Well, I have a sixpack of Blue Moon waiting for me in my fridge (well, there are four left but whatevs) for after five pm. Either way, I'm going to enjoy some craft beer tonight

Holy $#!% I had a dream about grad school and Fulbright! I dreamed that I got into my first choice programs and with full funding, and got the Fulbright and had to pick between the two... You know that state when yo're half dreaming half awake, like when you're just about to wake up? At that point I was like, "No, no noooo please don't be a dream!" but alas it was.

Wait really? I definitely have some questions for you! I'll PM you.

lotsss of places, I think I included the list earlier in this thread. My first choice is Yale but we'll see ^___^

Quyuan, I have no idea about campus visits (because I'm applying for Masters programs and I don't think we need to deal with that) but just wanted to say, Congratulations! It must be such a relief knowing you got into a good program already!

^is that February mostly for the PhD applicants, or does that apply to people applying for Masters as well? Also, does anyone know what a competitive profile for a fellowship (even a partial one!) at the masters level looks like? Would my GRE scores (163v 162q 5.0w) be seen as competitive?

I never actually completed a course from Cumings. He taught a class about 20th-century Asian wars but I only went to the first week before changing to a different class I'm not sure what exactly, I kinda just want a broad background rather than become a super expert in a particular topic. Stanford has a FLAS application on its website but I didn't fill it out. I probably don't qualify because my language skills are not up to par.

Tomoe, are you applying to masters programs or doctoral programs? Ragunz, I am interested in modern Korean history too! Good luck! p.s. I am at UChicago right now and know a few students in MAPSS! Edit: Oh wait, nvm Tomoe I see you are applying to PhD programs. Good luck!

what's your first choice program, tomoe?

Your mom's a francophone Chinese-Russian? :o That's pretty bad@$$ haha. Does she speak English, Chinese, and Russian as well??? If so, JEALOUS! Hmm yeah hopefully they'll see the upward trend in your transcript and take the deflation into consideration. I don't think UChicago has an explicit policy of grade deflation the way Princeton does, but I do hope its reputed rigor makes up for it a little. Good luck on Harvard and Columbia! I hope you get in at least one! Yale is definitely my first choice by far hehehe. As for stepping stone to Ph.D, I think that is a very common path for these kinds of masters programs. Will it hurt or help me if I am not (at this point at least) intending to pursue academe? I mentioned that in my application. p.s. Are we twins? I was an IB diploma student too!

Hello everyone! I am applying to South Korea Fulbright ETA. Currently in Chicago but will be considered part of New York State. Good luck everyone!

makingmoves, my GRE scores were 163 verbal 162 quantitative and 5.0 writing. I can't give you any study tips because I didn't study XD Like literally, the only thing I did to "prepare" was take two practice exams online just to see how I would score. And I think you have a lot of real-world experience / shown commitment to your study of Chinese that'll help your application. steelkokoro: French or Spanish were required in my high school and I picked French; I didn't really "switch" to East Asia from French. I became really interested in North Korean human rights issues my second year of college and in my S.O.P i talk about how I walk to end up doing translation work for international affairs involving china, koreas (plural) and the U.S.

Spottedzebra, thanks! And yeah, I saw that on Harvard's site but was more interested in Yale. Did you learn French in school or are you native? I started learning when I was 14, and then just spent so much time speaking/reading in it and did a homestay in France. It's quite interesting to see people's surprised reaction to see a Chinese-American boy speaking to them in French! steelkokoro, oh thanks for the stats! Yikes that is quite competitive.... I hope all goes well And yeah I do think it's more about pure fit than about how good of a student you are. My biggest concern is that my GPA is relatively low (I'm chilling at just around a 3.4 right now, slightly less) and my transcript is a MESS (I've taken a crap top of random classes). Does going to a school that's reputedly very difficult help (University of Chicago)? I'm not trying to make any excuses or anything but I am hoping it will give me a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. I do think my statement of purpose was very good (then again, so does everyone who applies LOL) and my writing sample I am quite proud of. Makingmoves, you sound like you have an otherwise very strong application despite mediocre scores... I dunno how strict Yale is about their minimum score requirement, but when I emailed them and asked how my scores were compared to typical students, they were just like "our minimum is 308 and you have met this". Are you guys coming straight from undergrad or did you take some time off? I am applying straight from undergrad , and the only reason I wouldn't go right away is if Fulbright gives me an ETA grant.

How hard is it to get a scholarship or funding for any of these masters? Specifically, Yale, because that's my first choice! And does anyone know how many people apply, how many are admitted, and how many get partial funding?

Hello everyone! I just submitted all my applications in! Nice to meet all of you (virtually, at least ) Good luck to everyone! 1. What program are you applying to (MA/PhD/Other) I applied to 7 MA programs: Yale (first choice) transnational east Asia, Stanford (Korea), Harvard (transnational east Asia), Georgetown, Duke, UCLA, SUNY Binghamton 2. Where are you applying or thinking of applying? ^above 3. Background information (undergrad, major, etcetc) I am currently a 4th year at a very highly-ranked university (I am hoping that this makes up for my low GPA a little), I have a 3.4 overall and a 3.7 in the major (East Asian studies) I have GRE scores of 163 Verbal, 162 Quant, and 5.0 writing 4. Fun fact unrelated to grad school Uhhh...I'm fluent in French?

Kaplan: 162 Verbal, 162 Quant Princeton Review: 161 Verbal, 162 Quant Real Test: 163 Verbal, 162 Quant Zero studying...unless you count the practice tests I took and that I read NY Times, LA Times, etc. and make notes of vocab words I'm unfamiliar with.