yatto

Acceptance letter from the Tokyo headquarters just came in the mail today!

I got one as an undergrad going into a direct-entry American Ph.D. program!

Anyone hear anything yet who applied this year?

Just got my rejection letter in the mail—oh well. Good luck to everyone else!

Nope, I mean your own interests! It's always exciting to see other Japanese Lit people.

That's really exciting Tomoe, and definitely a good sign! Are more on the pre-modern, early modern, or modern side of things?

Completed by the time you finish your two years of coursework; and by literary Chinese, they mean Classical Chinese. (I'm actually in this program, so feel free to message me if you have more questions.)

To figure out how to write a good article, read tons of good articles; to figure out how to write a good short story, read tons of good short stories; to figure out how to write a good master's thesis, try reading some great master's theses in your field (or at least skim them for structure and to see how they develop and maintain their arguments)! Look in particular for the ones which have won awards (departmental or otherwise) and the ones written by people who would go on to be tenured/tenure-track professors.

Some advice from a constant necktie wearer: don't buy neckties new! There are so many hidden gems at thrift stores, often for a dollar or two each. Have a nice collection of them that can range from casual to snappy to teaching-appropriate to formal, and make sure you like them enough to be excited about wearing them. It's a nice feeling putting them in the morning, a signal to yourself that you're ready to get out there and face your day. Like a superhero outfit! Warning: it might become an addiction. (Please help me.)

Still waiting in the States too—they said they would be mailing them around September 1st this year so I'm not worried.

Wooooo! Success! 25.7, Category C (can choose CGS or doctoral, will have to choose the latter). Going into 1st year PhD in Japanese literature and new media.

No letter yet! Junk mail never feels more personally offensive than when you're expecting something else.

Same for me! I think it's normal.

My fiancé won't be able to follow me on a J-2 visa because America doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. Just great.

Got rejected from McGill's M.A. program! This emphasizes the fact that there is no such thing as a "safe" school—I didn't get into the one I thought I was most likely to get into, and I got into the one I thought was my biggest reach.