twentysix

UCLA raised my fellowship offer yesterday to $31,000! They are also offering partial funding for their visitation day. I'm going to make a weekend out of it and visit UCLA and UCSD at the same time. The visitation days, in addition to the conference I am presenting at, are getting me out of about a week and a half worth of classes (April 1-11)! Does anyone else have a pending visitation day?

It depends entirely which department your TAship is in. My girlfriend taught 2 courses a semester (as the instructor of record), every semester for her entire MA. While teaching 2 courses, she also took 2 graduate level degree-progress courses and a foreign language course.

Kaplan was more or less the only thing I was even aware of... That being said, I didn't use any GRE prep materials. I just yolo'd it.

Victorydance, where did you end up going, Texas or Uchicago? Were you able to acquire a full tuition waiver from either?

Best of luck on the last two apps! I'm still waiting to hear from Tulane... it is getting pretty late... about 1 month until acceptance deadlines.

UCSD is a very attractive option, I wouldn't be hurt either. I went through a similar thing. I was rejected by Texas after I already had two acceptances so it didn't really bother me either.

Use the other offers as a negotiating tool. The worst that will happen is they will tell you they cannot increase the funding. You are already admitted and the offer is made. Just be cordial during negotiation. It is helpful if you would have your wife read your negotiation email after you have written it, but before you send it, to make sure it is coming off in an even tone. I just had my fellowship offer from UCLA increased by $6,000, because of negotiation.

UCLA's visitation day was just announced today. Has anyone or everyone decided on where they are going in the fall? What was your funding package? Where did you get in/not get in? I am still waiting on Tulane (hoping to hear from them tomorrow) and deciding between UCLA and UCSD.

Thanks for the tip, I have inquired about MA placement in PhD programs.

I do intend to do a PhD, but only if I can get into a top 10 program. Which is why I am valuing the prestige of UCLA (#5).

I would be very interested in pursuing a PhD at the #3 and the #5 program, but not at the #12 program.

I applied to 5 MA programs in my field, Latin American History. I was rejected by the #1 program in the field. I was accepted with no funding (they aren't funding anyone this year) to the #3 program in the field, COL is low. I was accepted with a $25,000 departmental fellowship for the first (and possibly only) year of the #5 program. However the fellowship does not cover all of my out of state tuition, I would be left with $6,000 out of pocket, COL is high. I was accepted with an $18,000 need based fellowship and tuition/health insurance/fee waiver for the first year of the #12 program, and they have a 100% assistantship placement among their current grad students, COL is high. I'm waiting to hear from a private program (worse than #12) with loads of money. It seems possible that I will get in and get funding, COL is average. Which program should I go with, my goal is to use the MA to broaden my area knowledge/foreign language skills, create contacts, and springboard me into a top 10 PhD. I am earning both a BA and BS from a very high research activity (the top level) research university that does not have a prestigious reputation (not an AAU). Every choice was hand selected and offers great fit with the department and also offers at least three POI. Is going to the #5 program worth ~$24,000 out of pocket vs going to the #12 program with no out of pocket expense?

Driving from the furthest tip of south fargo ~60th ave S, to NDSU shouldn't take more than 30-40 minutes in traffic. The majority of apartment complexes will not be that far south either, and will be more like a 20-30 min commute in traffic. If you are driving to campus any time other than 7:30-9:00 and 4:45-6:00 these commutes will be nearly cut in half. Fargo is also bisected by two interstates 94 and 29, which you can use to buzz around the city without stop lights and at 55-60mph (all of the commute times I've listed are for driving within the city only, not on the freeway/interstate).

I recieved an Email from the LAS department at UCLA a few minutes ago. I recieved a $25,000 Latin American Studies fellowship for '15-16. This pretty much locks up my attendance at UCLA. I just need to guarantee some form of a tuition waiver for year 2 of the master's.

https://appstatus.grad.ucla.edu/account/login.aspx

Thanks. Check the decision status website to see if they decided on you too. I didn't recieve an email or letter.

I was accepted to UCLA! Funding information to follow.

I think everyone in the thread so far is aiming for a PhD. The MA is just a stopgap. Best of luck to you in your Mideast studies MA.

Do any of you have any publications/conference presentations? I had my senior thesis accepted to a conference in April. I also recieved travel money from one of my profs in the history department to fly to Portland for the conference which makes attending a no brainer. I am interested in the experience, but I have attended 2 other conferences previously (without presenting at them). I think being accepted to present at a conference (without student-paper applications) was a boon to my MA application. My senior thesis deals with immigration in the American civil war and is not LA related, but is original historical scholarship. My girlfriend is completing her English MA this semester and she was able to present at 4 or 5 conferences, two of which were international. She was also able to get a review published. You can do serious CV building during an MA. Two years of graduate level work should also significantly improve GRE scores. For me, at least, I think an MA was the only logical choice at this point and time. ¡Igualmente buencabro!

Heh, my Spanish is exactly the opposite of yours. I can read and write at an advanced level, but only converse at an intermediate level. I have not spent extensive time in a spanish speaking community, only traveling in CDMX and Panama. So my biggest struggle is the on the fly nature of speaking/confidence in speaking.

I applied to LAS MAs specifically as the transition from my B.S. (Anth) and B.A. (History) to a PhD. I am using it as a way to make myself a significantly stronger PhD applicant, by further improving my familiarity with greater Latin America, my academic skills (including proficency in colonial mixtec and/or colonial nahautl), and increasing my networking within the field/region (Latin American History). I do not/did not feel that I could get into a top History PhD for the fall of '15 and I see no point in pursuing a PhD without attending a top school. I have one fully funded MA offer so far (waiting on UCLA/Tulane still)... so I won't be spending money to do this either.

You went to high school in Latin America? Wow! That must have been a huge boon to your applications.

Intially via exposure to archaeology and history (~17,000 BCE to about 1950). Though, it has certainly been increased by travel and language studies. How about yourself?

Congrats!

It's just an added bonus that all of the programs with great fit for my research interests have warmer weather (except UW-Madison). I'd consider going to school in Antarctica if there was a top university with great fit.