Kosmosis707
-
Posts
63 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Kosmosis707
-
-
-
Greetings current & hopeful anthropologists!
I’m currently preparing for a Masters program but am hopeful to continue onto a PhD afterwards. My undergrad is in Political Science, but I’ve recently become confused as to which discipline would suit my specific academic interests. They have a strong regional focus, but are basically in the realm of “identity politics” and nationalism. I guess at this point, I’m a bit confused as to which discipline my interests fit into. Although I’m familiar with Political Science, I’m starting to believe that I would rather move into Political Anthropology. And then there is also Cultural Geography. I’m assuming the only differences here are in methodological approaches but I’m unsure.
Are you anthro folks familiar with political anthropology? What are the differences from Comparative Politics in regards to studies on national identity? Thanks!
-
Hello all,
First off, thank you for taking the time to share your perspectives here. it's a great resource for those of us insane enough to consider academia!
I've recently decided to refocus my energy towards social science research. I was a Political Science undergrad at a top 15 university and performed exceptionally well. I have taken a few years away to raise my son and work full-time in public administration, but I realize I have a very specific passion that can probably only be realized through academia.
Rather than give you my life story, I'll get to the point. My interest has a very specific regional focus (Southeast Asia - more specifically, Myanmar). I am interested in issues of identity in the country, especially national identity. When I sit down and think of the "gaps" that I have it feels a bit overwhelming. I have yet to visit Myanmar, though I spent a total of about 7 or 8 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia. I have only started to crack open Burmese language books. Also, although I conducted some exploratory research as an undergrad and took a course in quantitative methods, I never had a chance to really utilize social science methodology and produce what I think would be first rate (or even second rate) research.
SO..I have decided to take up an MA program outside of the US to try and fill the perceived gaps I have in international experience, language skills, and research methodology. I feel that this may help me get into a quality PhD program rather then trying to apply now.
Right now I am juggling between two options and I am curious to get your opinions on if these will be valuable for a candidate for comparative politics:
1) A 1 year MA in Southeast Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Although many people seem to state that U.S. schools are always the way to go, it seems learning about Southeast Asia in Southeast Asia is a good way to fill several of those gaps (international exp, offers Burmese language). However, I am concerned about the program's lack of international reputation (although it is a top uni in Thailand) and I'm also concerned about getting the methodology experience I would need at a PhD level. I have considered going for a 2nd Masters in Comparative Politics from the LSE (also a 1 year program), following Thailand to hopefully fill that gap.
2) A 1.5 year MA in Asia Pacific Studies from Australian National University. ANU is a world class university for my region of interest and has a much better global reputation. However, the program also seems to lack political science research methodology course options (aside from ethnography courses) and has limited language study options.
I guess I am just curious to know if these options would fill my perceived gaps. Or maybe there's another option I'm not seeing?
Thanks and sorry for the long post.
-
7 hours ago, Mrs A.K. said:
Out of curiosity: I managed to score a 165 on the verbal and a 5 on the essay. My quant score was pretty low though (153), and I'm unsure if I'll have time to retake. Applying to international affairs programs, which do involve statistics, is there any way for me to make up for a low quant score? (Ie, if the rest of my application is really strong, will I still have the possibility of getting into a top school?)
For MIA programs, you should definitely apply. I had a Quant score of 147 and was offered admission to George Washington, American, and UC-San Diego. I didn't apply to Georgetown or Johns Hopkins, so I'm unsure if that would have bounced me, but you can still get into some quality programs if the rest of your application is solid.
-
Howdy again!
You won't need to detail which language you plan to use to fulfill the requirement. However, I think you do need to show your proficiency in one of those Southeast Asian languages by the time you graduate to meet the regional requirement. You may be able to work with the admissions office to see if your current language proficiency can be used instead. It wouldn't hurt to try!
Looking at your background, I think you would be a competitive applicant if you received above average marks in your undergraduate studies. Go for it!
-
Hi guys,
I am interested in doing the MIA course (Formerly MPIA) at UCSD and am looking at International development as my concentration along with South East Asia as my regional specialization. Could anyone tell me if the language requirement is a must in order to apply for a particular region? I only speak Hindi and English fluently and none of the other languages which were mentioned on the website (Vietnamese, Japansese, etc). Please let me know if anyone has any information on this? Also if someone could advise on some other good international development programs it would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance for your help
Hey there! I was admitted but deferred enrollment until 2016. I don't think will hurt you. I was admitted with only first year completion of Mandarin and a semester of Thai, but made it clear in my application that I was going to try and test for Burmese before graduating. I did give them a detailed explanation of how I plan to meet the language requirement somewhere in the application so that may help.
Which language did you plan to test out for? Be forewarned..for Southeast Asia track they only offer Indonesian and Mandarin coursework, so if you wish to learn another language you will have to learn it on your own.
-
I would definitely reach out to a Financial Aid office. From what i understand, a DUI conviction can affect federal loan eligibility, but it may be only in felony convictions or multiple offenses. This is something you'll definitely want to investigate before creating any finite plans. I think each school has its own policy as well.
-
You may want to also look at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy & Strategy. They have a Southeast Asia regional option and seem to have strong focus on Indonesia. UCSD has a strong focus on Econ & quant methodology.
-
Thanks, Facade19 and Kosmosis707, for giving those of who couldn't make it an idea of what all went on. Did you have a chance to check out the student housing at all? If so, any thoughts on them? I was also wondering if one of you would be willing to elaborate a bit on what the career services people had to say? I'm really curious how they make up for the distance and also what kind of employment figures the program has (the figures on their website aren't as detailed as those other schools release--both in terms of where graduates end up working and how many end up finding full-time work upon graduating--and that worries me). Thanks again!
It's too bad IR/PS doesn't have something comparable to what I just received from Elliott regarding employment statistics. It's a 13 page PDF with specific outcomes and stats. Has anyone enocuntered anything besides the one webpage at: http://irps.ucsd.edu/current-students/career-services/employers/employment-statistics.htm?
-
Thanks, Facade19 and Kosmosis707, for giving those of who couldn't make it an idea of what all went on. Did you have a chance to check out the student housing at all? If so, any thoughts on them? I was also wondering if one of you would be willing to elaborate a bit on what the career services people had to say? I'm really curious how they make up for the distance and also what kind of employment figures the program has (the figures on their website aren't as detailed as those other schools release--both in terms of where graduates end up working and how many end up finding full-time work upon graduating--and that worries me). Thanks again!
I didn't get a chance to go into the student housing. However, I talked to an undergrad student who is entering into IRPS and she currently resides in Rita Atkinson. She seemed very happy with housing and confirms that it is MUCH cheaper than elsewhere in La Jolla. She said it's about a 15-20 minute walk to the Robinson Building Complex (IR/PS). I also noticed loop buses all over the place, so plenty of bus transportation when you are on campus. Although some friends offered for me to stay with them in North Park, the campus housing seems like the way to go for grad students due to cost, distance, and the free gym.
Unfortunately, I had to split during the Career Services sit-down to catch my flight on time. The representative pretty much echoed what I had been hearing..that their alumni connections have helped them overcome geography. However, there wasn't much "proof" as far as placement numbers. It was just a verbal Q&A really. I still think the LinkedIn Alumni search may be a good way to get a "snapshot". Wouldn't be nice if we had some hard stats for all these programs!?
-
So, after your visit, are you closer to making a decision on which school you are going to attend? For me, it is between Chicago and UCSD.
My situation may be a bit different. I received no additional funding from any programs, am in-state in California, and am committed to a focus in Southeast Asia. It was these factors that made UCSD may top choice. Your situation may be quite different than mine. After the visit, I do feel confident that the program is top notch, rigorous, and gives you the hard skills needed for a policy career.
-
I just flew back to Northern California after attending admit day today. Here’s my two cents on the program and the Admit Day:
The program seemed just as advertised. I sat in on a couple of classes and I felt they were stimulating and very much “applied”. Also, in both classes there was discussion of some practical assignments: memorandum drafting and one course had presentations that were given positive and negative feedback by fellow students. Overall, the program is definitely focused on skills…which may not be as “fun” as writing about your favorite country tr topic, but way more necessary.
Everyone at the Admit Day was very helpful, but I will say that if you missed Admit Day, it’s no biggie. Much of the information that was presented I had already discovered on the website, although there were a couple of new pieces of information.
The biggest highlight was the short conversations with other admits and the first year students. It was VERY interesting to hear everyone’s backgrounds. It’s a diverse class with diverse interests. One student who sat for lunch with me and a couple of other admits was a cool fella from Indonesia. He gave us some good, honest information on the first year of the program.
Overall, it was great to see the campus and talk to those involved. But learning new things about the program that you can;t find on the website..somewhat minimal. Feel free to post any questions! They may have covered something that you are curious about.
-
Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier): Public University in California
Previous Degrees and GPAs: B.A. in Political Science, 3.60 GPA
GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing): 155/147/4.5 - yuck
Previous Work Experience (Years, Type): 13-14 years of experience. 4 years in the Navy Submarine Force. Around 9 years working mid-level positions in Human Resources for Homeland Security and county governments.
Math/Econ Background: Well below the average! In high school, I only completed up to Geometry. No economics. Took Stats and Quant Methods during undergrad and received an “A” in both. This is the part that probably killed any funding outside of my VA benefits.
Foreign Language Background (if applicable to your program): First year Chinese. One semester of Thai. No longer proficient in either.
Intended Field of Study in Grad School: International Affairs or Asian Studies
Long Term Professional Goals: Foreign Service with State Dept or USAid. Or any position that will put me overseas often and utilize my skills.
Schools Applied to & Results: I applied to a very strange mix: Cornell Asian Studies, GWU Elliott, American SIS, UCSD IRPS, LSE in London, ANU (Australian National University), and SOAS in London
Ultimate Decision & Why: UCSD IRPS. However, due to a recent family crisis, I may have to defer. I chose IRPS because I can pay in-state tuition, have a strong support system in the area, their academic reputation in addition to the professional reputation, and the strong focus on Asia. After researching a bit, I felt IRPS has more focus in skills that I am very weak with (quantitative methods). I received no additional funding for any program I applied to, probably due to my quant GRE and background, and that made my decision for IRPS easier as well.
Advice for Future Applicants: DO NOT underestimate yourself. I thought I was “reaching” with GWU, American, Cornell (which was true), LSE, and UCSD. I ended up being admitted to every program except Cornell Asian Studies. As you can see, my quant was HORRID, my professional experience had no real international focus, and my language skills are no longer. But I think programs saw my success in undergrad, my focus in coursework relating to the international arena, and strong academic letters of reference as positive signs. My only regret now is not taking more of a reach towards a program like SAIS. Yep…I was actually HOPING for a rejection at one point! In the end, I probably would have ended up with the same result but I really encourage you to reach HARD for at least one program.
Also, try to obtain a laser focus on a career path and find the best fit. I only knew that wanted to work in the international arena or academia, so my program choices were all over the place.
-
Anyone still waiting on funding info? I havent heard anything yet....
Hmmm. You may want to reach out to them. I received a letter on March 20 informing me of no funding.
-
Hmm...
I guess these numbers make a lot of sense when you also factor in the nationalities and backgrounds of the students coming to these programs.
IRPS accepts quite a lot of international students from China/Japan/Korea who can (and often do) go back to their countries of origin after the program.
This is very true. Some of the folks you see on the site are foreign nationals. Really, it’s best to visit the site yourself and just look at the folks that are living out there and what jobs they are working.
-
Sorry, meant to say I was mostly interested in East Asia. Glad to hear UCSD is placing a relatively high percentage of their graduates in your region of interest. It's encouraging for me as well since I'm much more interested in working on site in Asia than in D.C.
I decided to go ahead and check this real quick. Again, not sure it’s all THAT reliable but the disparities seem pretty large. Also, I only checked GWU Elliott and American SIS:
China: IRPS - 10.26%, SIS - .50%, Elliott - .70%
Japan: IRPS - 9.26%, SIS - .72%, Elliott - .45%
Korea: IRPS - 4.23%, SIS - .18%, Elliott - .37%
Again, maybe not the most reliable method but you can’t ignore the rather drastic differences. It appears that if you want to work in Asia, IRPS is a very good choice.
-
Sorry, meant to say I was mostly interested in East Asia. Glad to hear UCSD is placing a relatively high percentage of their graduates in your region of interest. It's encouraging for me as well since I'm much more interested in working on site in Asia than in D.C.
Honestly, UCSD has much more of an East Asia focus than Southeast Asia. I may fiddle around with the numbers some more this weekend. If I find anything more, I’ll post it here.
-
I should have been more specific. I just looked at information pertaining to Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia (my countries of interest). The sample size was very small for IRPS in those countries, but 1.41% of IRPS graduates from Linked In were located there, compared to .30% from American SIS and .22% from Elliott School at GWU.
-
I wish I could attend but am in Asia at the moment and just don't have the money to fly out. I'm hoping to get in touch with an alumnus in Japan or Korea instead though.
In regard to the Career Services discussion, have you all heard how well UCSD alums do overall in Asia compared to graduates of the East Coast programs? Since it's their focus, I assume they do quite well. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of detailed employment information on their site, and I'm curious what kinds of positions most of their graduates get.
I haven’t seen anything specific, but I do see that they are well networked with Asia-focused NGOs. I also decided to “nerd out” and went to LinkedIn, searched alumnus from IR/PS, and then created a spreadsheet about specific outcomes and locations that graduates are currently in. However, I only compiled info for Southeast Asia and compared it with other schools I applied to.
Try going to LinkedIn, search for alumnus, and then you can enter in a location by country. That may give you some semi-reliable information.
Link to IRPS alumi (you likely have to have a Linked In account first): https://www.linkedin.com/edu/alumni?id=20303
-
Yeah I am a no go on fellowship as well. Letting them know I'm happy with the way they handled it though, haha. So UCSD is looking like 80k sticker price, including living costs? Then assuming you RA/TA for 5 quarters, you'd save ~$7,000 x 5 = $35,000. So the overall degree, with living costs included, will be 45k. Assuming DC privates will run you closer to 100k for degree and living costs included, so I guess the decision is getting easier the more I think about it.
I'm probably going to sign up for admit day. I live 25 minutes away so there's no real reason not to.
Nice! So you are in-state...definitely less costly than heading to DC with the higher cost of living. SIS and Elliott seem like great programs, but with no additional funding and the fact that I am only interested in Asia, I think this is the place for me.
I'm thankful I still have 8 months of veteran benefits left. That will put me in a comfortable state of living for at least this first year. I'm hoping I can excel and land one of those TA/RA positions in the 2nd year.
If you go to Admit Day, I'll be there Monday the 6th. I'm definitely feeling pumped!
-
Does anyone have any insight into RA/TA positions, and how much that will reduce the overall financial burden? I keep hearing the notion that a majority of IRPS students get those positions if they so chose, and it ends up reducing their tuition costs significantly, or completely. I've done some searching but haven't been able to find any solid numbers. I'm looking at a program at a California private that will run me about 25k for a 1.5 year program, but I don't think I could justify it if I can get by at IRPS for the same price.
I've also been looking at on campus housing and have to say that it seems to be far and away the best option for housing. San Diego traffic sucks, and renting in a neighborhood that you can actually enjoy is ridiculously expensive. The money saved by not having a car/not commuting and the immersion experience of on campus living is a huge win win.
In my financial aid letter, it states that around 33% of students are in TA/RA positions during any given quarter.
-
Received a polite, professional letter from IRPS that states that I did not receive any fellowships...but I'm going anyway...
-
Anyone here attending an Admit Day?
-
I'm guessing folks don't have an answer to this, but does IR/PS send all of their funding decisions close to the same time? Or do they trickle out? I see we have one fellowship offer out there already (BTW...congrats!) I'm not really expecting any due to my low GRE scores, but I'm anxious to have it official for planning purposes.
Programs with emphasis on identity (ethnic, racial, national) postcolonialism?
in Anthropology Forum
Posted
Hi Hiraeth,
We have very similar interests! I’m also interested in identity in Southeast Asia. I decided to do an MA in Area Studies to fill in some gaps before applying to PhD programs, but I have looked into programs that may be a fit. My initial inquiries were more focused on Political Science than Anthropology, but all of these same schools had numerous faculty that work in both fields. They are at least worth taking a peek at.
US Schools: Yale (seems more SEA History to me), Cornell, Michigan, UCLA, Berkeley, Wisconsin, Washington, Hawai'i
Overseas: National University of Singapore, Australian National University, School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS)
There are other programs that seem to place well to programs with Southeast Asian research centers, despite not having a strong focus on that region, like:
Stanford, U of Chicago, UC San Diego, Oxford
I’m curious to know how things work out for you! Good luck!