MastersHoping

Hey, Glad to hear it!!! Well, if you got a full tuition offer from Georgetown, my "negatives" about the program don't really apply to you then! So see ya in the fall! What is your regional focus? China, Korea, Japan, South Asia, SE Asia, etc?

For those of you offering to look at other people's SOPs, first of all, thank you! Secondly, I will probably take you guys up on that offer

That would be great, thanks for the offer! Where are you all considering applying? I'm looking at applying for an ETA grant in Asia, probably South Korea.

Now that results for 2015 - 2016 are more or less out, just thought we might get a thread going for those applying this upcoming cycle! Let's give each other support, updates, and advice here!

For those of you still deciding between Georgetown MASIA and other programs, if funding is an issue, I heard from the administration of the program that FLAS results will be released (hopefully) on April 15th or prior. Good luck all!

Sukasa: Great questions I will do my best to respond to them! 1) It's very easy to do so. Pretty much any class that you want to take as long as its course code is above a certain number can count as an elective. I'm currently take a French literature class as an elective. Though I don't really like literature all that much, I hope to work in an international organization one day and French is very useful for that. You can take classes outside of IR topics, heck outside of SFS as well. In fact, you can fulfill the core requirements, take on TWO concentrations, and STILL have a couple of electives left over. 2) It's pretty nice that the class size is small. Most people are on a friendly basis with one another, although I think in general people are very busy and are interested in pursuing friendly/professional relationships with one another and not become buddy-buddies. There are a small handful of people who started dating with each other within the program, and some people are really good friends but on the whole it's mostly just everyone does his or her own thing. There is room for drama but I doubt that's unique to Georgetown. There are also plenty of opportunities to socialize and network with other people within our own program and with folks from other programs. There are happy hours and other kinds of events. 3) I actually really like Georgetown. More than my undergrad in fact! One thing that I particularly like is that our M.A. program isn't solely an intermediary for a Ph.D. I know for a lot of other M.A. programs in Asian Studies, the expectation is that you are using it to prepare for further study. In our program, however, while you are very well prepared to go further in your education (we just had some people get into places like Duke, UPenn, UVa etc. for Political Science - very cool!), you don't have to. Many of our graduates go on to things in foreign service, state department, public service, etc. I think most people don't plan to apply for Ph.Ds in fact, but if that is something you're interested in, you have the resources and support you need to do so! I myself am thinking about applying to Ph.Ds, with University of Washington being my first choice - it's just a matter of when I'll apply (this year, next year, the year after meh who knows!). Another cool thing: being the top-ranked university in the nation's capital, we get a lot of really cool speakers on campus. I've been able to attend presentations by (and met one-on-one with a few of them) Nicholas Kristof, Yeonmi Park (well-known defector from North Korea), Kevin Rudd (former governor of Australia), and others. We have a lunch with an ambassador series and have had chances to meet the Taiwanese Ambassador to the U.S., the British Ambassador to North Korea, etc. There's often free food at these events too, hehehe. The location is really convenient too for networking and meeting people in government and other high-end places. I was reading an article in the Economist Magazine the other day and it said something like "so and so person thinks this and that will happen in XYZ country" and I was like wait a minute, I got beers with him just last weekend! In terms of professional development, the program really helps with landing internships. I landed a cool one and never would have been able to had it not been for our program. The classes have been almost ALL great quality (with the exception of the Korean language class I took - will get to that later), instructors are friendly and helpful and knowledgeable (Dr. Green is also really funny). For one class in particular, we learned how to write policy memos. Now that was really neat and fun to do! The administrative staff are also very friendly and helpful. I'm sure you've communicated with Robert Lyons in the course of your application - he's great and we all love him! I love the campus as well. It's really aesthetically appealing and a pleasure to walk through. Can't help but feel a little proud of being at Georgetown! I also go to the gym everyday here. There are usually plenty of activities to do on campus to. Events, speaking engagements, happy hours, etc. The weather is generally pretty pleasant and mild, at least compared to what I'm used to. I went to undergrad in Chicago, and grew up in Canada though. So mild for me might mean something different for you. There are, of course, downsides... Despite the good time I'm having here, and even though I really like it here, am happy here and find the program to be great quality, I still somewhat regret coming here. For one, personally I am fresh out of undergrad and I kind of wish I'd taken some time to do other things before grad school. There's definitely a little bit of burnout for me from schoolwork. This may not necessarily apply to you, but even if it does, going directly to grad school may be the right choice for you - everyone's situation is different. Another thing is the cost. I unfortunately did not receive funding, and in light of that fact and the heavy loans I had to take out, I wish I'd thought things through more carefully because this student loan debt is immense. Not only is the program extremely costly, but the area to live in and to rent is extremely expensive. Just one month of rent for me here is probably enough to feed a family of four in my parents' city in China for a year. If you get FLAS or if you got a departmental fellowship, it might make it worth it, but for me I really wish I didn't have these loans. The area is extremely nice though, so I guess you get what you pay for. In terms of funding, I also feel a little misled and even a little played. I distinctly remember being told that the program tries to fund more second years. Guess what, none of the second years got FLAS funding last year and it is my impression that they didn't get departmental fellowships either. Words from another student: the FLAS money and fellowships are just "bait money" to get students to enroll. Since I already sent in my deposit before they decided FLAS, they had no incentive to provide me fellowships. Since second years already have to finish if they want the degree, there's also no incentive to fund second years. I am applying for FLAS again but I know there's basically no point to doing so because I'm fairly certain they won't be giving second years funding. It makes me all the more bitter because I look at the people who did get funding, and while they certainly deserve it, I feel I am just as qualified as anyone. I don't know what your regional interests are, but I am doing stuff related to Korea and accordingly took Korean language last semester. It was the worst foreign language class I've ever taken in my life, and I've taken many, many language classes. It was so poor that I stopped taking Korean this semester even though I love the language and the culture. And, had I known about the poor Korean language class, I would've signed up for Japanese from the start. Since I wasted a whole semester of language, and since I couldn't exactly start in the middle of the year for another language, I essentially wasted a year of potential language study and indeed, feel very bitter about this. I and several other grad students have complained to the department about the poor quality of Korean instruction. The instructor I had also came in late every singe day and one time came in half an hour late, popped her head in and smiled, then left again. The undergrads say things like "but it's an easy A!" well news flash, I'm not paying thousands of dollars for a letter on a piece of paper. Plus it's possible to have an easy A class that is simultaneously a good quality class. I'm just glad I didn't have to pay for the class myself (the program pays for language classes). I'll probably take a semester of Japanese next school year, but that means at the end of the program I will only have one semester of Japanese whereas I could've had three. The good news is that apparently Chinese and Japanese are much better, so if that's what you're into, you're fine. Also, be careful of who you room with. I live with a couple folks from the program and unfortunately one of them is really inconsiderate and annoying, and considering I see this person every day both in the apartment and on campus, it is really unfortunate and detracts from the otherwise great experience of being here. Notice how I said at the beginning that I regret coming here somewhat. As long as I can find a good job that I like after graduation everything will be okay because I'll be able to pay off loans. But it definitely limits the possibility of traveling for a couple years or doing volunteer work for a couple years. I hope I have been helpful! Feel free to contact me with any further questions and I'll do my best to answer!

I agree 100% with Zabius - there is not any circumstance in the world that should compel you to enter an abusive relationship. Check out this article: http://www.gwhatchet.com/2012/09/20/former-student-sues-for-emotional-distress/ GW University Ph.D student became suicidal because of his adviser. Edit: Oops I didn't go through the entire thread and didn't see that this thread was a couple years old. Still, I agree with what posters have said and the article I cite is relevant.

Hello all, I am currently in Georgetown's MASIA program and would be happy to talk about it with anyone!

Hi, I am writing for a FLAS grant at Georgetown University. Would someone be willing to help look over my SOP? Thank you!

I am at Georgetown right now for Asian Studies, but from my interactions with colleagues and peers, it appears that Georgetown is particularly strong for Arabic language study. In fact, it has the largest Arabic language enrollment in the entire country, so you will have a strong community of people interested in the Middle East! Other than that though, I don't know much else about the programs, but if you do end up coming to Georgetown I'd be happy to tell you anything about it that you're wondering or wanting to know!

Dear all, I am writing for a FLAS fellowship for the upcoming school year. Last year I was not successful and my program is extremely pricey. Therefore, I am trying again and hoping for better results. Would someone please help me go over it? Thank you very much!

You're right! Since I didn't want to write anything negative, I was just wondering how to approach it. Ahhh I was thinking about sticking it out just for continuity's sake on my transcript, but it meets six hours a week for a whole semester, and I just didn't want to torture myself in that way. Thanks for the heads up, I'll probably just find some other way to take these languages or go abroad to the country.

In applications to programs I'm considering, foreign language is very important. I am currently in a regional studies MA program, and unfortunately the language I am interested in was taught exceptionally poorly. Hence, in my 3 semester program, I will only have taken 1 (although I will probably do some independent study/study abroad) How would I address this in a SOP? I don't want to directly say "I stopped taking this language because the instructor sucked", but I do want to address it so that I don't look like a flake. Please trust me in that this language class really was poorly taught - I'm not the only grad student who thinks so. I also took the same language (a lower level though) during undergrad at a different institution and it was taught extremely well there. Thank you

I applied to the Yale M.A. in East Asian Studies last year and heard back either the last couple days of Feb. or the first couple days of March, can't remember exactly. I was not admitted, but did get accepted at Georgetown University for my M.A. in Asian Studies and am really liking the program. Good luck to all, and congrats on UPenn btw!

One more question! I am currently shopping around for classes/internship/research opportunities. Does it help if you have publications, research experience in a tangentially related topic? My situation is probably comparable to this: someone who is interested in, say, human rights in Brazil and wants to apply to latin american PhD programs for this. If they had papers published on things like, perhaps, immigration policy in Argentina and research experience on economic trade between latin america and something like China. Would these be of use, since they are under the same broader field of latin american studies, but not necessarily directly related to your research interests?

Hello, Okay thanks everyone. also, above where I wrote "Without giving two much away" it should be "too much away" haha oops

Without giving two much away, I led a team that organized a conference with two speakers who are refugees from a country that I'm interested in studying for the Ph.D. And yes, everything I am asking about is of relevance to what I'm interested in.

Hello all! I am going to apply for Ph.D programs, and was wondering if the following would help for admissions purposes: -a book I translated on a relevant topic -relevant publications in lower-quality journals (peer-reviewed but not very prestigious) -organizing / speaking at non-academic conferences but on a related topic -winning essay contests (i placed in the top 3 of an essay contest sponsored by a foreign embassy) on a relevant topic just trying to decide what to include on the C.V.! Thanks.

Hi, first of all, thanks for doing this! I'm not a sociology student, but perhaps you can still help anyway. I am in Asian Studies, with particular interests in things like refugee resettlement and human trafficking prevention. In the future, I'd like to keep working in these areas, either on the ground/in the "real world" or produce research on these topics. Not entirely sure what route, but leaning toward the research route because I don't think I have the skills to become an FBI/Interpol agent or resettlement counselor haha. So I am questioning if a Ph.D would even be valuable. Do you think I should try to get a PhD, or would it not be very useful?

Hi all, Can someone help take a look at a S.O.P. for Ph.D applications in marketing?? Thanks!!

The whole point of using "big words" is to communicate your message clearly. If you have to stop and think about whether or not to use a word, chances are, it's not going to sound natural. If there's a simpler, more natural word you can use to communicate your message without sacrificing meaning, then you should use that. If not, go ahead and use your "big word." After reading your post, I feel like the words "erudite" and "grandiloquent" sounded unnatural and forced. The other underlined words were fine. Just my gut impression (and I am a human being, just like the "erudite" professors who will read your SOP are). Good luck.

Hello, This is not my personal statement, but my sister's, who does not have a grad cafe account. She had me proofread it, but it currently needs A LOT of work to be competitive! Can someone take a look? Particularly those who have backgrounds in marketing and/or communications. She is applying to marketing PhD programs. Thank you!!!

Hello everyone! I'm probably going to be applying to East Asian Ph.Ds next year (so after you guys). I'm very interested to see how it turns out for you all!

So I guess you're all here now! How do you guys like Georgetown/your programs so far? I loveee mine! And am having a great time here.

HAHAHAHA. Crimson2014 is hilarious! I always love reading Crimson2014's posts - they're funny and informative.