kyjin

*waves hand* I'm an American just in my first month of my MA at University of Alberta. (One of two in my department of 12 students.) There aren't a ton of Americans in graduate departments here, maybe a hundred at most? For the visa/immigration stuff, it's no big deal if you're from the state. You can do the student visa application online (costs $100ish), and you'll get your visa in a couple weeks. You can't apply for a work permit until you've been in good standing and enrolled in a university for at least six months, but you are allowed to work on campus. (So TA/Research Assistant, etc. is all fair game.) I guess the only complicated things are getting Provincial health insurance and your SIN card for working, but it doesn't take very long to do. Oh, and unless you're going to Quebec, French isn't necessary. As for your other questions, I don't think it particularly matters for PhD/MA programs. 90% of my department is international, and nearly all of us have funding. And I'm pretty sure it's not going to make any difference that you're American if you apply for academic jobs in Canada. (Funny enough, none of the profs in my department are originally Canadian!) Good luck!

Like others have said, being able to read primary sources is the major goal. Speaking fluency is a huge help if you think you'll be spending a lot of time researching within a country where the target language is spoken, but to my knowledge that isn't always necessary. You're not the only one who had a hard time with Spanish. I had four years of it in high school, and it never stuck in my head. (I can't remember any of it now.) When I went to college, I decided to take Japanese since I had an interest in the culture and needed to fill my foreign language requirement. Despite it being a very difficult language, it stuck in my head, and now five years later I'm studying Japanese history. In my case I still need to worry about learning to read classical Japanese and possibly some Chinese for my research, but the major hurdle is gone. Long story short, think about what languages you would be interested in learning. Are there specific cultures you'd like to learn more about? Particular foreign films or literature you'd like to read in the original? It may help you find your way. Good luck!

I'm leaving in two days, and the pre-moving jitters are starting to kick in. My biggest freak out is once again money; I'm moving to a different country for grad school, so have to worry about exchange rate/banking etc. I lived in Japan last year, so moving to another country isn't freaking me out so much, but it's still the "oh hi welcome to a new place you've never been before" jitters. I'll be arriving almost a month before classes start, but it looks like I'll be busy. As soon as I arrive I'm going to a conference with my new department. Immediately afterwards my mom is flying up to help me set up and such, and then it's only a week and a half till orientations. It'll be interesting. ^^;

I'm now on my second "renting an apartment site-unseen." Last year I had to rent an apartment in Yokohama, Japan from the US. To make it easier for the students (since all of us were international), the school provided a list of apartments previous students had lived in. I looked up the place I ended up picking online, and set up my lease before I arrived in Japan. It was a month-to-month lease, which was nice in case I wanted to move, but I ended up loving the place. Some of my friends were not as pleased with their choices, but most of the landlords allowed month-to-month leases, so they moved eventually. This year I'm doing a similar thing, as I'm moving from the East Coast US to almost West Coast of Canada. I'm going with a University-owned apartment building that has a yearly lease. Again, I've only seen the place online, but I'm not too worried about it. I'll only be in the place for a max of two years, so if it isn't perfect I know I'll be moving eventually. If you're staying longer in the area you're moving to, it might be better to look closer at where you'll be staying, but if you can manage a month-to-month lease, then getting the first month in a site-unseen place should be fine. Good luck!

I'm moving in a week and a half and can't wait! I spent more time at home this summer than I wanted to (my program in Japan was canceled, so three extra months at home ), so I'm reaching the breaking point. I'm extra excited since I get to move early to go to an academic conference as soon as I get there!

Agreeing with the above, your professors are great for advice on where to apply. I had a preliminary list of fifteen schools to look at, and after discussing it with my advisor and getting his suggestions, I narrowed it down to seven programs. (And ended up adding a few that I hadn't considered before, including the one I will actually be attending this fall.) Take a look at articles and journals that you're really interested in. Are there authors you have read whose research have really popped in your mind? See where they are currently teaching, and take a look at those programs. Once you have a preliminary list, contact professors at the institutions! Not everyone will reply, but you may get a better idea of where may be a good fit, and save yourself some money on application fees if you find some that simply don't fit. Hope this helps. Best of luck!

During the week parking lots on regional rail fill up by 9am, earlier depending on location. (Later on Fridays and the summer when more people take off.) There may be some street parking near the station, but again, those spots fill up quickly during the week, so you may have to park a few blocks away if you get there later.

I contacted a few professors in October, though I wish I had done this a little sooner so I could contact more potential advisors at other universities. I'd recommend September to November.

Philadelphia to Edmonton, Alberta. Everyone I've told this too is convinced I'm going to freeze to death, but I'm actually looking forward to the cooler weather. I'll take freezing winters over blistering humid summers any day.

I was spoiled in Japan last year (even the cheapest phones there are smart phones, so I got used to being able to check email/twitter/train schedules all the time), so I upgraded to an iPhone when I got back to the states. Just being able to check email everywhere is a wonderful thing, and I also agree that it's a lot nicer than dragging your computer around everywhere. I'm on an unlimited plan with Verizon (which they're getting rid of next month, yikes), but you really shouldn't use too much data if you're just checking email. Plus attaching to wifi means you don't use data at all, so the cost shouldn't be too bad.

I wasn't originally planning on working since I was in a program in Japan that wasn't supposed to end till mid-June, but that's been canceled, so I have nothing to do till mid-August. Looks like I'll be waitressing to help pay for my living expenses.

Congrats! I'm sure you'll be able to figure out long-distance. I'm doing long-distance apartment hunts for the second time. (Last time was for Japan from the US.) UAlberta here! I can't wait!

So it's past April 15th- where is everyone going?

Yeah, they did. Originally they canceled the week after the quake, giving us a three-week spring break. After I got home last week, the Stanford office announced that the classes would be suspended for the rest of the year. They're setting up "distance-learning", but everything's still up in the air at the moment. Nearly every other study-abroad program in the country has been suspended, or home institutions have forced people home. Tokyo/Yokohama were getting back to normal by the time I left (minus some blackouts and the trains not running 100%), so it's a real shame. I'm just thankful everyone I know in the country is safe. Back to topic- I've seen scattered results from Columbia on the board. Anyone know what's going on?

Still haven't heard from Columbia, but I went ahead and accepted my place at Alberta. I also should probably email Harvard, since I know they sent a rejection letter to my Japan address, but I ended up leaving the country after the earthquake. (Planned to leave temporarily, but they went and canceled my program, so I'm home for good.)

I was accepted for the East Asian Studies MA with funding, and plan on attending.

I'm in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. Everything is fine here, just minor damage to the city. I was at school when it hit, and ended up staying the night there due to trains being down. With the phone networks down, social media has been a huge help in being able to contact not only my family friends in the states, but my other friends in the country. Please send your prayers to those in the northeastern part of the country. Our thoughts are with them.

Still waiting on Harvard RSEA and Columbia as well; got my reject from Yale this morning. I just want to be done!

Pre-modern Japanese History. I'll be working with Mikael Adolphson. The department offered me a very nice package as well.

Another Michigan reject here. Still waiting on Columbia's EALC program, but I doubt I'm in. Alberta here I come!

I added one. Originally came to undergrad planning to major in History and Creative Writing. I decided to drop Creative Writing and just declare History. Then I realized during sophomore year that I was taking enough courses to also get the East Asian Studies major as long as I wrote another thesis, so I ended up with my double in History and East Asian Studies. And now I study Japanese History, so it all worked out in the end!

Yale and Harvard for me. I hope the MA program notifies soon!

I don't expect to get in to my last few programs, so it's likely going to be Alberta for me. Yale and Harvard MAs are still a possibility, but I've received a very nice funding package from Alberta, plus it's a two-year program with a major name in my field, which should put me in a good position for PhD admissions in 2013.

There's nothing wrong with letting the school know that you've decided to accept another offer and no longer wish to be considered for their program. I'm sure they'd prefer finding out now rather than in March or April if they end up with a spot for you.

Everything I've heard thus far has been through email. (One acceptance, one reject, and two downgrades from PhD to MA consideration.) A hard copy acceptance letter is on it's way, though I can't thank the US Postal service for it's delivery; letter is from Canada and will be delivered by the Japanese Postal Service. (Living abroad while you're applying to graduate school is an interesting experience. )