EAstudies
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time_consume_me reacted to a post in a topic:
EALC / EALAC / EAS 2019
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zacharyyan reacted to a post in a topic:
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It's true that if you can do MA in the US or Canada, that's much better than doing it in East Asia due to how the application process works. So I wasn't denying that part, and that was not the point. The thing is that newmedianewme asked if there's an MA where he or she can finish without getting into debt. And the chance is very slim at least in the US, and I'd say even in Canada, especially if newmedianewme is not a Canadian citizen. That's why I mentioned another route that is far less popular but nonetheless has been taken by some people in EALC. And I've seen people who did MA in European countries far less often than the people who did MA in East Asian countries in EALC departments. (And by this, I'm not talking about people who did BA in Europe or East Asia.) The vast majority did MA in the U.S. or Canada, which is an ideal option if available. But given that that's not an option due to a financial circumstance or whatnot, I've seen people (who did BA in the United States or Canada) finishing MA in an East Asian country (especially with a full government scholarship) and coming back to the States more so than the people who have done the same in continental Europe. But then, North Americans who go to Asia or Europe to do Masters in East Asian studies and come back are too few in number, so I don't have a reliable sample size to compare the two. So just a grain of salt. But I do have a general doubt that a degree from Europe (unless it's from the UK) will be any better than a degree from East Asia, even by a tiny bit. That being said, I don't know too much about MA programs, so if anyone can recommend MA programs in the US or Canada that's quite affordable, that would be super helpful to newmedianewme because I do think, for an obvious reason, that would be the best case scenario if he/she wants to stay in the U.S. after Masters.
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Fantasmapocalypse reacted to a post in a topic:
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Yes, that's generally very true. It's risky to do MA in countries other than the U.S. and Canada, and this includes "Western" institutions (and even other English-speaking countries like Australia or New Zealand). Nonetheless, as far as I know, this is an uncommon practice in area studies (e.g., East Asian studies; and note that I'm not saying this is a "common" practice). So, for example, if you want to apply for East Asian studies with the focus on Japan and did BA in the U.S. or Canada, doing Masters in Japan isn't a bad idea. However, if you want to go into a traditional department like history, anthropology, or any other non-Area studies major it can be quite risky and should think about it twice.
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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I'm not well-informed about MA programs, but I've seen quite a few people who got their Masters in East Asian countries and came back to the United States for Ph.D. (and successfully entered TT if that's your interest). This can work especially well if you received your BA in the United States or Canada (and perhaps other English-speaking countries--not sure about this part, though) and trying to come back to the United States for a doctoral degree. I was also seriously thinking of pursuing this option as a plan B. Tuitions there tend to be much cheaper than in the United States, and if you get Masters from the country of your interest, your degree will be relevant to your academic trajectory (Of course, how much cheaper it would depend on each country and school (e.g., private vs. public university)). Also, there might be scholarships available from the government or other foundations like MEXT for Japan or NIIED scholarship for South Korea, which will cut costs even further.
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I'm glad it helped! And I know how it feels since I'm originally from S. Korea, which has a national health insurance system for all citizens and some qualified foreigners. It's pretty intimidating to think about the American health care system. But if you get accepted to a Ph.D. program with a full package, you'll also get health insurance from your school. While each school works with a different insurance company, they tend to be pretty comprehensive. And you can also see a general practitioner at a school's health service/center without an appointment, so your situation would be quite a bit different from a regular Americans who do not have health insurance. For example, I got health insurance covered by my undergraduate school, and we had a pretty good package. Also, since we, just like any other school, had doctors on campus, seeing doctors for most little things like cold or stomach bugs were free. So I rarely paid for seeing a doctor off-campus except when I needed a surgery from an injury. And as for the surgery, my insurance package had set $2,500 as a maximum out-of-pocket fee (if and only if you're seeing an in-network doctor, which there were plenty), regardless of a type of surgery and how much it costs. So in some cases, if a surgery costs more than $2,500 in Korea (or Japan), it would be actually cheaper to get it in the States with this specific insurance. So as a Ph.D. student, you don't have to be too worried about health care. You'll get it covered. But if you want to make sure, you can check what type of insurance your school offers on your school's website and go to the insurance website and read the general condition and agreement. You might also want to check if the insurance package covers dental and eyesight if those are something you regularly need.
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bugster88 reacted to a post in a topic:
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nekoinu reacted to a post in a topic:
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nekoinu reacted to a post in a topic:
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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Unfortunately, I must say the same since I don't know much about their application process. But Archimon, as a current Columbia student who got into their PhD program, might have some knowledge. And as far as I remember, there was a current Columbia PhD student (might be from history dept. with the focus on East Asia, not EALAC) in this thread. If you want, you can try to go over the earlier parts of our conversation and send him or her a private message.
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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archimon reacted to a post in a topic:
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Just my personal opinion: The U.S. is indeed in a precarious state, to put it generously. Nonetheless, I don't think the U.S. will completely "eat itself" in the next six or seven years to the point academia will also collapse. Major U.S. schools have large endowments compared to schools in other countries due to how they operate the schools, and they still have influential scholars, resources, and research networks here. State schools are indeed more dependent on the government grant, but if you're a student from the U.S., I don't think your stipend will be affected any time soon. And regional studies like EALC/EAS are not an exception. If any, after doing a Ph.D. in the United States, you can be a professor in another country. Every year, there are quite a few Ph.D. recipients who get a tenure-track job in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, etc. This is a very common practice. However, the other way is simply not an option. There are numbers of scholars who have a B.A. or M.A. from East Asian schools, but all of them (or at least I haven't seen a single exception yet) have their final degrees, i.e., Ph.D., in the United States. This sounds unfair since this is East Asian studies, but this is the reality. So you should consider where you'd really like to stay after graduation. If you are sure that you only want to stay in Japan and nowhere else, then U Tokyo is a great option. But if you seriously want to remain in academia and do not work in an industry, a Ph.D. degree from the United States will open a bigger academic job market for you, and this includes moving back to Japan. Lastly, you should remember that methodologies and the academic trend may differ in the United States and Japan. Even if you're studying the same discipline, let's say Japanology, the U.S. schools are becoming more and more inter-regional and interdisciplinary (though in varying degrees). Also, grad schools here and there have different cultures or vibes (e.g., a relationship between a grad student and professor), so that would be another thing to consider. And congrats on your acceptances!
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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potsupotsu reacted to a post in a topic:
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By the way, just out of curiosity--Are you an undergraduate student at Columbia or are you attending their Master's program?
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Impressive! Congrats!!
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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potsupotsu reacted to a post in a topic:
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archimon reacted to a post in a topic:
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Congrats, archimon! Terrific program, indeed! It seems like we have a pretty darn strong applicants on this website this year since so many of us are getting into great PhD programs. That being said, I wish everyone luck!
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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EAstudies reacted to a post in a topic:
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By the way, congrats on Northwestern and Yale! It seems like you already have offers from solid departments.
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Hey apnew, may I ask how you knew this? I'm expecting the same based on the past results, but I wonder if you heard this from Columbia or sources other than the result board of this website.
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Thanks a lot, Postupostu! I hope everything works out for you, too. I'm still waiting on other schools, so let's keep our fingers crossed!
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I got an offer from Princeton yesterday (Ph.D.). I still haven't heard back from others, but I can now sit back and relax whatsoever. Best of luck to everyone!
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Haha, I'm not too worried at all, to begin with. I was just replying to a question. Things will happen and the process will be over, and I'm pretty certain it will work out one way or the other. And I don't even feel like I've been waiting because I'm so occupied with other projects, which is pretty fortunate. But thanks for the nice words.
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Just like postupotsu said, many of the professors had read applications, but the committee will be convening this week/ But, of course, in case of the schools that just finished grading like H, it is reasonable to expect that they haven't started reviewing at this point. But schools have different academic schedules, and many schools finished grading last week or two. So it would be smart for anyone who's wondering what's going on with their schools to check their academic calendars. Also, MA applications and Ph.D. applications mostly have a different timeline, so that might explain a bit. Most schools start to review MA applications after Ph.D. applications because they have a different set of expectations and whatnot. And yes, virtually all the schools had a language section because it's an EALC program. What I was saying was that if all people got the same email to fill out the language section (especially if you had already filled it out when you submitted the app, which was my case) from H, the email might not be anything more than an administrative mistake.