Takayashiki1

You're so lucky! Congratulations!!

I was rejected by several of the programs I applied for. Accepted at two. One of which I decided doesn't work for me. Lastly I was accepted by the MA program at University of Washington (ranked top 10 in my field), given two scholarships to cover living expenses and a large portion of the tuition/books/transportation/housing/meals/fees/etc. for the first year, work study to cover a bunch more, and a comparatively small loan package to cover the rest. I'm so beyond excited to be going! Waiting for a response to a question or two from the financial aid office, but then I'm hitting the "accept" button as fast as I can! So happy!

That's a tough one. As an outsider to your position (and as a poor potential grad student), my (personal) thought is: take the money and run with it, but, as you detailed, there are a lot of factors at play. As somebody who struggled under the weight of student debt from my very expensive undergrad for many years (and only freshly free of it) the full-ride is impressive and I consider you lucky to have it. Not to mention, later, you can write that full-ride on your CV and that looks good, too (I've frequently been impressed by professor profiles online who have such accolades--no matter where they're to or from). I don't know much about Ann Arbor but it's not far from Detroit or Chicago, really. There are plenty of possibilities. And also, UW is amazing. I've been accepted to their Jackson School of International Studies program. Still waiting to hear back on others, but I can tell you that I LOVE Seattle.

First off, I understand that the MAPH is, at best, a controversial program. I'm not trying to get people riled up or to step on anyone's toes. I applied to the MAPH at UChicago, initially, because I didn't realize UChicago had a continuous MA-PhD program in their East Asian Languages & Civilizations (EALC). So I ended up applying to both. I was rejected soundly from the East Asian Languages & Civ. department at UChicago but offered partially (1/3) funding for the MAPH program. I was also admitted into the University of Washington's (UW) Jackson School of International Studies (JSIS) Japan Studies program for a full MA. No mention of funding. Now, to be honest, I'm still waiting on Stanford to reply, but I know that I'm not top-pick priority stuff here. I love Chicago's program. The EALC was my top choice. I wasn't overly surprised to be rejected. Course-wise and academic-wise, Chicago fits my goals and ideas for my research. That all being said, I'm very intimidated by the prospect of living there (Chicago), and the cost of the MAPH is like 17,000 more than UW since I live in-state--even after the 18,000 tuition waver/grant/thingy! That all being said, I love Seattle, and the JSIS would fit me reasonably well and allow me to study abroad. No, the courses aren't as perfectly tailored to my goals, but I would be able to accomplish my goals without incurring so much debt (and live in a place I'm comfortable and happy in). As far as Asian Studies, UW is a fantastic school. It also might potentially allow me TA work, though that's not guaranteed. First question: What's your opinion? Second question: Would it be rude/stupid/impertinent/etc. to approach the head of Japan Studies at UW with the information that I've been offered $18,000 tuition waver at UChicago in the hopes that I might earn myself some help and that maybe they might throw a bone my way? If no, why not? If yes, what would be the most tactful way to do that?

Thank you! Just with skimming the rest of the thread. Medieval Chinese Lit. sounds awesome. Did you do undergrad research on the same topic? If so, what exactly? Curious, are you already in Canada or based elsewhere? And is your offer for Fall admission?

Hi all, Just dropping my two cents in. I have a BA in Asian Studies where I focused on the intersection of colonialism, post-colonialism, and Japan Studies (particularly in the Meiji Period). Finally got the nerve to apply to grad school. Applied to: Stanford, UChicago, and the University of Washington. Got rejected by the Asian Languages & Lit. department at Washington but accepted by the Japan Studies program at the Jackson School of International Studies at UW. Was upset at first but I think it's actually a good match. Anybody else have experience with a similar situation or, even, particularly with the Jackson School of International Studies? I'm still waiting on UChicago and Stanford. Fingers crossed. Good luck everyone!

So I'm not sure how to interpret this. I am applying to several Asian Studies (Japan Studies) programs this fall for my MA. University of Washington, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago. I have received one acceptance (woo!) and one rejection from the two programs I've applied to at University of Washington. At least I'm going somewhere! During the last few days, though, I did not receive an e-mail from University of Chicago's East Asian Languages and Civilizations department, but, rather, my personal application page at the website changed. Suddenly it had an envelope icon that said "decision documents." My heart stopped. I clicked through and a message that said "there are no documents available" popped up. Confused, I continued to check the application page rather obsessively for the whole day. Next morning, the icon has changed. Now it's in bold and has a red "1" on it and now says "Unread Decision Documents." I click through and yet again it says "there are no documents available." After an hour or two I e-mail the people in charge of the application page saying what was happening and, within an hour or two, the icon and the contained message were totally gone. The page, back to normal, has no indication of decision documents or anything related to them. Note: I did not get a reply e-mail. Just silence. And the icon suddenly disappeared. I'm not even sure my e-mail is related to the icon's disappearance! I don't know how to take that. What does that mean? And how should I feel about it? I mean, I know I have to keep waiting now. I get that. But that was a hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Just wanted to share.