kyjin

Invest in a black and white laser printer. I borrowed an inkjet from a friend when I first started my PhD, but I went through cartridges through quickly. Invested in a very nice Brother laser printer, and it's been great. (Plus it does two-sided printing, so I feel less bad about murdering trees.)

Oh hey, a Japanese history person too! Small world~ For classical they may tag you on to an undergrad class. When I took bungo, I was technically under an undergrad number, but it was me and another grad student meeting with our prof once a week in her office. Kanbun was also a two students/one prof deal, but that was a grad class. Though you also have other options for Kanbun- there's the USC Kanbun Workshop every summer (last year we did Muromachi-period documents, this summer we're reading Chuyuki), and I believe IUC in Yokohama now has a Kanbun workshop of sorts. Feel free to PM me for more info.

Language training is a different story. I know plenty of people in my current PhD program who are in undergrad language classes. Not sure if those will count towards your required credit hours and such though. You can also look at summer programs for languages. Which ones are you picking up?

It depends on the program. During my MA, I did join one undergrad class, but it was a high-level course. My prof assigned extra readings, longer papers, etc and expected more out of me and the other grad student enrolled. Aside from that, I was discouraged from taking undergrad classes. (Though while writing my MA thesis, I sat in on my advisor's undergrad class to see his teaching style etc, but only when I had time and not for credit.) Also if you're TAing, you'll probably be attending the lectures for the undergrad course in addition to teaching your section(s). There might not be much time to partake of extra classes on top of everything else.

Depends on the school. My undergrad organized by major, then name, and they added summa cum laude to the top ten. Those who weren't attending were included in the program but weren't called. I didn't attend my MA graduation, so they didn't include me in any of the material, and I just got my degree in the mail about a month later.

Haha, yes. Didn't realize Penn had a senior week too. Ours was under a tent too. I thought that was relatively normal. >.> The university where my grandfather teaches does it as well.

My undergrad also had a senior week, but everything was covered by our tuition/student fees, so you basically pre-paid for it. Trips to Six Flags, a boat cruise (affectionately called the booze cruise), a tassel tea, party at the Aquarium, trip to Atlantic City- lots of fun. The reasoning was the school had two weeks for finals, but seniors had to finish by the end of the first week so everything could be graded before graduation, so we got to run around the second week. We also had a garden party- a big part out on the lawns on campus where underclassman put together tables with drinks and food for graduates and their families. This was a huge deal, and I had fun being a "Garden Party Girl" as an underclassman, and of course getting to enjoy my own senior year.

Hey turbina- Most independent apartments will want to check your credit, so your lack of credit history could prove to be a problem. It might be best to look at bigger complexes close to campus that are familiar with international students- they are more likely to consider without credit. The stipend letter should be fine for proving income. There was a bit of confusion when I used that as proof of income when I got my apartment last year since my landlord wasn't familiar with renting to grad students, but it shouldn't be any problem again with those close to campus. The Office of International Services may also be able to provide you with some better advice. Good luck!

Welcome to USC! I'd advise to stay away from university housing. I stayed in one of the apartment-style dorms last summer while doing a language program, and it was... eh. With a bit of hunting you can find some gorgeous places at reasonable prices, plus you won't be living near undergrads. A lot of grad students gravitate in the Culver City/Palms area and Koreatown. If you can, try to come out here a month in advance to apartment hunt. (If you can find someone to couch surf for a few days while you search, this is best.) If anyone has any questions about the area or whatever, feel free to shoot me a message.

Depends on the department. I was only allowed to call my advisor at my MA by his first name after I passed my thesis defense. At that point I was no longer his student, but simply another colleague. At my current institution as a PhD student, there are a handful of professors who I call by their first name (mainly younger profs), but my advisor is still Dr. (Last name).

I moved from Philly to the LA area last year. Basically packed as many clothes and books as I could in my two suitcases and carry-on, then purchased everything else I needed (furniture, kitchen supplies, etc.) after I found an apartment out here. I'm not really sure what to advise for sending things ahead of time but not being able to pick them up. Speak to your department and see if you can send things there early and they'll hold them for you? This may be a stretch, but my MA institution offered that for international students. (I was moving from the US to Canada then.) If you send things home first and then move books from there to the West Coast, one suggestion is sending them slowly. When I was home over Christmas, I packed about ten of the USPS priority rate flat rate boxes, filled them with books, addressed them, and left them at home. My parents send one or two whenever they remember to, so every now and then I get more books in the mail. I believe its about $15 for each of the large boxes now, and you can fill them with as much as you want. (My last box weighed about thirty pounds(!)) Good luck!

UofA is quite slow with official acceptances. I second the advice to contact the department directly; it's quite possible they have already made decisions and are just waiting for official word through the graduate school. (And figuring out funding.)

Get past episode 4, then it really picks up. Trust me, It's worth it

Adding another vote for House of Cards. So good <3 Personally I'm binge-watching Queer as Folk right now. Also in the middle of West Wing and a Gossip Girl rewatch.

I honestly find Westside Rentals unnecessary. I was also planning on splitting an account with someone for my search, but my friends already at USC all advised me against it. Instead I used padmapper to get a sense of prices in areas I wanted, and then I just walked around the neighborhoods I was interested, looking for signs. A lot of places don't even bother with online ads because they get snatched up so fast. I found my apartment in my second day of looking- called and got a tour that day, ended up submitting the app the next day and was approved the day after. Oh and I should note I was in LA early (July) for a language program, so I had housing on campus while I did my search, and simply moved into my new place in August after my program finished. Most people I talk to come a month or so early and find a place. I had a few friends who came much earlier to search, but if you can find a place to crash for a week while you look for a place, you should be fine.

There are ton of friendly people here. West Coast culture is very different from the East Coast- everyone is just more relaxed here!

In Los Feliz you have a ton of restaurants, cafes, and bars on Hillhurst and Vermont just above Hollywood blvd. I've been here for about 7 months now and have only hit a fraction of the restaurants. Plenty to do right here without having to worry about driving or a cab. Plus there are a couple vintage movie theaters in the area, a bookstore, theatre, and tons of little shops. Finding a cheap place right in Los Feliz village can be tough; I got pretty lucky with mine. But keep an eye out and you can get lucky. I have another friend who didnt' luck out, and ended up living a few blocks south, just below Sunset.

starofdawn- I live in Los Feliz, just north of Silverlake. It's a great little area, not too far from USC (about a 15 to 20 minute drive depending on traffic), and you can take public transit to school if you want. (Metro Red Line to the Expo Line.) I should note that if you do end up living somewhere with public transit, you can get a semester Metro pass from the Graduate Student Association for $85 a semester. I personally love my neighborhood since it's extremely walkable, and it doesn't tend to have as many students up here. I ended up going for a studio, so no separate study space for me. It will depend on your dept. for offices. I know for the History department, we get offices in Shrine auditorium in addition to the TA office. Leavey library is open 24/7 during the school year, with most other libraries open till 10pm.

Unsure on ratios, but I was admitted from the waitlist last year. Just be warned- I wasn't informed until April 15th of my acceptance. Best of luck to you and everyone else on the list!

Nothing wrong with doing a trial run of applications if you can afford it. I realize you already have an MA, but perhaps you should apply to a handful of MA programs in East Asian Studies/East Asian Languages and Cultures as well next year? Might be another way to up your language skills and up your application for PhDs. There are a handful of programs that have funding available, so it might be a decent option. (And again, if professors advise you to go to IUC, this will give you some sort of affiliation that will help with financials.) Out of curiosity, which era are you interested in studying?

I hate to rain on your parade as well, but I'd have to agree that I don't think the language training you're suggesting is going to be sufficient to be accepted to a PhD. At least in my History department, all the students are expected to have at least one foreign language under their belt upon admission, and to pick up the second while they're here in the first two years. If you're doing an earlier field that will require Bungo and Kambun as well, it is even more imperative that you have your modern Japanese up to snuff before you get started. I recommend spending some more time on your language. Perhaps apply for IUC after your first year of language training abroad. (Yes, it is easier to get funding for IUC if you are already enrolled in a graduate program, but as someone who received full funding for the program between their BA and MA, I can tell you it can be done ). My advisor is recommending a couple of our MA students in East Asian Studies who wish to apply for History PhDs to go to IUC before applying, so I wouldn't be surprised if POIs would recommend the same to you. Good luck!

It really depends state to state, and the simple fact is that insurance rates are higher for those under 25. (Also higher for men than women.) It's also going to depend on how new your car is, how much you drive, etc. I personally have Geico (was going for Allstate since that's what I was insured under my parents for years, but they tried to rip me off). Just keep looking around. Good luck!

The summer between my MA and PhD I relaxed and enjoyed a small break for a couple months. Visited friends, saw family, went to some concerts, etc. It was a wonderful way to detox after finishing my thesis and not worrying too much about my cross-country move. I ended up moving a couple months before my program started, but only because I was doing a language program at the University. Luckily, I was given housing for that program, so used that as a base of operations to find an apartment and what-not. By the time it ended, I had an apartment, and then spent a couple weeks with my mother visiting to help me get the apartment setup, get a car, figure out the area, and relax! TL;DR: Try to relax as much as you can. You're going to need it

Another never all-nighter here. Closest I ever got was staying up till 2am in college once to finish a paper, and several to 1am nights finishing my MA thesis, but I'm one of those people who after 9 or 10 at night, my brain basically shuts down. I much prefer to head to bed, and get up early in the morning (say 6 or so) to finish an assignment.

I heard about my waitlist status at Michigan last year on the 22nd (a Friday if that helps), so I would suspect news this week or early next. Good luck guys!