kyjin

Take a look at the Results Search to get a sense of this. My program has a December 1st deadline, but I don't believe the committee starts meeting till after this semester is over. (We're just finishing classes this week.)

Like ashiepoo, I mentioned it in my SOP. I discussed my previous language training, being sure to mention language immersion programs, etc. Part of my CV also has a separate "Japanese Language Education" section under my Post-Secondary Education, as I have been part of several immersion programs in my time. I listed languages as its own section near the end of my CV, with Fluency added to my main language, and "Advanced Reading skills" or "Fluent Reading skills" next to my secondary ancient languages.

It really depends from person to person. Not only do you have to worry about the statement of purposes and your letter writers, but consider the cost: GRE score reports for each institution, the application fee itself, transcript costs, etc. When I did my first round of PhD/MA apps, I applied to 7. In retrospect, I should have cut two or three that really didn't fit. (Plus I was reaching too hard with too many PhD programs when I didn't have an MA.) For my second round with just PhDs, I applied to four and got into two. For that round, I really limited myself to programs that fit with my interests (which in my field, there are very few to begin with.) I see a lot of people apply to 6-8 programs on this board, but again, be sure that all of your schools work with your interests.

No, never received one before. I applied back in undergrad and was an alternate, but first time applying as a graduate student.

Internal deadline at my university today, so I've submitted and taking a break till my interview next week. How's everyone else doing?

Most (but not all) PhDs will give you an MA after you complete quals. Contact specific programs to find out if this is the case. But like fencergirl says, you should look at specific professors you want to work with and strong programs. Some programs will prefer if you come in with an outside MA first even if they give you an MA along the way. (This is true in my case; I'll be getting my "second" MA this spring after quals.)

Japanese historian here, and like TMP said, languages are going to be key if you want to focus on Korea/Japan. I would definitely suggest an MA program first to help with your languages, and to get yourself more grounded in the field. In addition to History MA programs, if you think you'll go the Asia route, do check out some East Asian Studies MAs. These tend to be interdisciplinary programs that will allow you to focus on language as well as history courses. There are some funded MAs out there (I went to a fully-funded MA in Canada), but they may take a bit more hunting to find. Even with the MA, Asianists do tend to take a bit longer. For example, in my program they expect Americanists to be out in 5 years, but Japanese historians tend to take at least 7. This is due in part due to both language training as well as the need to travel abroad to complete research. Good luck!

I always go with Professor Last Name until told otherwise, though when talking to other grad students, I have a tendency to call profs by either just their first or last name. A few of my profs have explicitly told me to call them by their first names (usually if I'm TAing for them), but I would never dream of calling my advisor by her first name. When I successfully defended my MA thesis, my advisor at the time told me then I could call him by his first name, since I was no longer his student but a future colleague.

Unfortunately I don't know about average GRE scores. The fact of the matter is that the GRE is really the least important part of your application. Some schools may have a cutoff GRE score (which you may be able to find on the program site) or use them for scholarship consideration, but you shouldn't worry about it too much. The test has changed since I took it five years ago, so I don't know what the scores mean anymore either! ^^; As for contacting, go through department websites to find email addresses for POI. In your email, be sure to introduce yourself, explain that you're planning on applying to the program, and talk a bit about your background and research interests. There are some threads throughout the board that should prove useful as to what you should or shouldn't include. Be sure not to make your messages too long, and don't worry if you don't get replies or if they take awhile to respond. For professors on leave, you can email them as well, and inquire when they might be back/if they are taking students next year. Good luck!

Two things here- 1)The job market is tough, and this is something everyone, regardless of discipline for PhDs, should be aware of. Keep in mind alternatives even if you go into a PhD. Not everyone ends up with that tenure-track dream job. But to take a bit of a step back from the doom and gloom, 2)consider other departments that may work with your field of study. For example, while my focus is Japan, I'm doing my PhD in History. My MA advisor suggested I go for a PhD in History as this will help for job prospects in the future as I am more likely to be hired by a History department, but also keeps me open to East Asian programs or Religion. Likewise, I know a few people who are focusing on Japan/China and are doing their degrees in Religion for similar reasons. Usually you can still take courses in the East Asian departments and work with faculty there (as you should!), but your final degree will be one that may be better for job prospects. Again, this depends on your research field, and is not applicable to everyone, but is something people should keep in mind.

Hi machacreampuff! Since you have a number of language skills under your belt, why not try applying to a mix of PhD and MA programs? The fact of the matter is that language skills alone will not guarantee an admission or success in a PhD program; the skills you learn during an MA go beyond simple language training. Often times MA programs provide students with their first taste of graduate-level seminar courses and independent research, plus the experience of writing longer papers and theses. That said, I do see some students go straight into PhD programs with success. Your list you have is really long. What I suggest first off is to look at these schools and identify professors you'd like to work with. If a school doesn't have anyone in your field, it's probably not a good bet. You may want to contact professors at these schools with your interests and see if they think you're a viable candidate. Some may suggest to apply to MA programs first instead. Some of the schools you listed with PhDs also have related terminal MA programs in East Asian Studies or specific country studies (USC, Columbia, Yale, and Harvard I know for sure.) Many times these schools will bump students down to consideration to MA programs if you apply for PhDs and they decide you need more training. (This happened to me the first time I applied at the latter three; I did get an admission to Columbia's MA program). Another thing to keep in mind with MA programs: funding! Take a look at the thread from the last few years and there should be mentions of programs that provide funding for MAs. (UAlberta and USC are the two I know of on the top of my head.) If funding is a concern, those may be a consideration. After you've gone through all this, you should have a list of potential schools that is much more reasonable to tackle. (This "magic number" varies from person to person, but in my case I applied to 7 MA/PhD for my first round, 4 for PhD the second time around). For everyone else who comes to this thread, I wish you luck this year with your applications! If anyone has any questions, I'm in a PhD program at USC, and I did my MA in EALC at UAlberta.

My parents bought me my high school class ring, which I still wear. We didn't have a set one for my HS, so everyone designed their own through Josten's. My undergrad had gorgeous class rings that were specific for the school, so I have one of those too which I wear very often. For grad school though, I do not plan on getting one. Undergrad was a very special time in my life, and the ring represents more than just classes and a degree. Grad school is another story.

What I've done is picked one loan at a time (unsubsidized with the highest interest) and start paying that each month when I'm able. Some months (example: summer when I have less money) I may skip a payment or do a lower amount, but since you're deferred, you can pay as much or as little as you'd like whenever you want. If you think you can afford to do this regularly, I agree with farflung that a scheduled payment may be up your alley. I've already paid off one of my smaller loans and am currently working on my last two unsubsidized loans (I won't worry about the subsidized loans till later), so hopefully by the time I'm done grad school I will have lower monthly payments overall. And don't worry; paying your loans should not take them out of deferral.

The LA Festival of Books It's held every April and takes over my campus for the weekend. Sucks when you're trying to teach the week before and tents block windows while they're setting up, but the festival itself? My absolute favorite.

Like rising_star said, senior grad students are a good resource. For them, I'd say early is actually better to ask. They may give you information about grants or such that have early deadlines (I've seen several summer grants with January/February deadlines), so finding out those early is better. TA/RAships for the summer may not have info that early though, so your December/January timeline should be fine for that if you're speaking to professors. Just to give you a sense, I've managed to get grants from several sources for the last two summers, and also during my MA. If you can apply to multiple, you're more likely to get enough to live on. Good luck!

I'm at USC right now and had a course with Bitel last year (not my field, but she ran a very cool Premodern European Religions seminar.) If you're interested, I'd suggest contacting one of her current students to get a better idea of her advising style. (One member in my cohort is one of her advisees, and I know she'd love to hear from another medievalist.) If you have any general questions about the department and the program itself, do let me know. Good luck with your search!

Grey's Anatomy is my go-to show. I'm rewatching Mad Men right now and then will binge the end of the series. I also love sticking on episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen for fun, but I don't have cable, so it's whatever's on Netflix or episodes I catch when I visit my parents. Oh, and counting down to the next season of Orange is the New Black.

Unless your exam is in the same language as the school you're attending, it's not possible. When you arrive at Middlebury, you sign a language pledge where you will not use anything but the language of study for the the length. (Exceptions are made for calls home, meetings with coordinators, or emergencies.) Even if your exam is in the same language, it will be tough. Classes only last for half the day (My schedule was something like 8-1 for classes when I attended the Japanese school in 2008), but your afternoons are spent with homework, projects, and other prep for the next day. There are also clubs, including culture clubs and intramural sports with the other schools, and various events. If you're very diligent, you may be able to make time for your exam prep, but I wouldn't count on it.

It actually works a little differently for graduate students as opposed to graduating seniors from what I've seen (at least for Japan). I actually have several friends who have received Fulbrights to Japan who have spent considerable time there; one who was on JET for three or four years and has done several extended research trips in the past, another who has had several research trips and was in Japan on a year-long language program at time of application. In my case, I have 11 months total experience in the country between 7 months of language school (should have been 10 but I was there for 3/11 so it was cut short) and two 2-month research trips, which in the grand scheme of things isn't much at all. If I were currently doing research in Japan, I'd be ineligible, and this one discourages first-timers to Japan. (Country page lists in the description for the graduate student grant that non-specialists for Japanese studies and first-timers for Japan have to prove the feasibility of their project since they won't have the language or resources of specialists or those who have spent time in the country.) That said, I do think it was to my advantage when I applied as a graduating senior that I had no prior experience in the country. (I was an alternate when I applied in 2010-2011.) But for graduate students applying (at least for Japan), I think it's fairly rare to have someone who has not spent some time in the country.

Study/Research. Japan doesn't have an ETA program. (And I'm planning to use it for dissertation research anyway.)

I'll be applying for a Research Grant for Japan this year. I actually applied for a grant five years ago right after undergrad, but was an alternate. Worked out for the best; I ended up going to Japan anyway under a different language program, and in subsequent years got my MA and now in my PhD. Also applying to other grant programs to do research in Japan next year, so hopefully one of them will work out. Good luck to everyone!

Mathcat- If you're looking at banks in SoCal, the big ones down here are Wells Fargo, Chase, and Bank of America. I've had Wells Fargo for a couple years and it's quite convenient. Looks like the others have found options for the east coast already, but as an American who went to Canada and back for a couple years, I do have to second the recommendation for TD if you're on the east coast. I was with TD for nine years (technically less because TD bought my original bank), and when I moved to Canada for my MA, I got a TD account up there. When I moved back to the US, transferring my money to USD and back to my US TD account was easy and did not involve exorbitant fees. Unfortunately no TD banks on the west coast, hence a switch when I moved for my PhD. Good luck!

Also, as another resource for anyone interested in IUC/deciding to attend, the blog "Shinpai Deshou" has a whole series of posts about the program, including a run-down of how the year works, info about housing, where students are now, and scholarship info: https://shinpaideshou.wordpress.com/tag/inter-university-center-for-japanese-language-studies/

I supported myself, but for the COE form my parents used their bank statements to show support, in addition to my own. For the sake of the COE form, use whatever you can to show support. I would email IUC if you have concerns about not showing enough support right now since you're waiting for scholarships; they'll have more up-to-date info on what you should do to make sure you get approved for the visa. I don't think it would hurt to let them know. From what I've heard from my two friends who have been accepted, no funding info from IUC itself is out yet (Blakemore and other outside fellowships, however, are another matter). So again, I wouldn't stress too much. I think I sent a letter explaining my financial situation my year after I didn't receive any aid (I can't quite remember though). Wouldn't hurt to ask! IUC sponsored a number of events in the community that you could join in. As for your local neighborhood, that's another matter. As I mentioned before, students live all over the place, and you might not be near any other IUC students. In that case, it's really up to you to explore the local community and get to know people. For example, one of my friends joined a local kendo gym. One option if you really want to be involved community-wise is to sign up to live in the International Dorm. Not sure how many IUC students they take now, but my year they allowed two IUC students to live there. It's the cheapest living option, but in exchange, you're expected to be involved in the events put on in the dorm and involve yourself in the local community. One of my best friends lived there and he loved it. (And he dragged me along to a holiday cultural event too; I got to meet a ton of people not only in Yokohama, but from all over the world!)

Just to counter the comment about IUC being a classroom and not giving you the "cultural" experience: this is not a classroom in the US. You are living in Yokohama, usually in an apartment away from other English speakers. While my classmates and I would joke about the "eigo button" in the elevator since we weren't allowed to speak English when we were in the Pacifico-Yokohama building, the fact is you won't be using English for daily life. Students were involved in the local community and events, and learn tons of "non-academic" Japanese. And personally, as I was prepping for an academic career, IUC was perfect for me. I would not have been able to handle the academic level of Japanese necessary for my MA and PhD coursework without out. Apologies if my original response seemed to dismiss JET- it's a fantastic program and I know tons of people who really enjoyed their time there. Just in my experience in academia, IUC was the better option. As for your question on funding, yes, funding came later. I found a scholarship from my undergraduate that helped for my living expenses, but I wasn't sure what I was going to do to fund tuition. When I was first accepted, there was no funding at all. Between my acceptance and my arrival in Japan, I gradually received funding, till by the time I arrived in Japan, my tuition was fully covered. A friend the year after me had a similar experience, though in her case she received a bit for living expenses as well. A classmate of mine who was just accepted for the year is hoping for the same thing; no funding yet, but her acceptance letter said that IUC is still waiting to figure out how much scholarship they can give out this year. Edit: I should also mention that I wasn't affiliated with a graduate program either. Like you, I went in straight after undergrad. Those already in PhDs and MAs tend to have better luck with outside funding.