bakedmanapua

This is actually a favorite pastime of mine. Great topic.
 
"0a/0w/2r 11 The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors"

Admitted by MA of Asian Studies at Berkeley today and referred to MAPH at Chicago. Best of luck everyone!

Yes, I suspect this and next week will be big ones for many of us! Good luck, everyone! Fingers crossed for good news.

Yes, I suspect this and next week will be big ones for many of us! Good luck, everyone! Fingers crossed for good news.

That's a great start, and you have 2 choices already! I also have 6 left. I've had 1 acceptance (unofficial, but I'll count it!) and 1 rejection. We're finally getting closer/into decision time. Fingers crossed more more results soon.

@kotatsumuri Congratulations!!! How exciting! 
@Naito I think the odds are in your favor to hear back before April. From what I’ve gathered, most places come back in March at the latest. I’m planning to go abroad in April, too, so hopefully things are settled by then. It would be too bad to experience the sakura blossoms in a state of anxiety! ^.^  
Also, did you change your profile photo? 

Congrats to the U of Chicago EALC acceptances! Anyone here going to claim them?
Also...I have a result to share myself! Over the weekend I had an unofficial acceptance from UAlberta (East Asian Studies)! Had an email from the program coordinator saying it looks very likely that I'll be accepted and to keep an eye out for funding information in a few weeks! Super excited as this is a program is definitely a strong contender for me. Very grateful to start out with a solid option!

@spicyramenThanks!  For UChicago's Comp Lit I gave up my hope a long while ago (they only admit 2 students every year), but I do wish to get into Northwestern.  I don't mind applying again this year, but I'd hate packing all my stuff lol.  Anyways, we should definitely meet up when the opportunity comes~

Of course!  Although my OPT (the extended F-1 student visa) expires in August, which means I'd have to stop teaching and go back to China if I received no offer.  We'll see   But campus visits usually happen in late Feb or March?  I'll definitely be on campus then. 

@SUMMER715 I was accepted to UChicago EALC yesterday! I put off posting because I’m still reeling a bit. ? Crossing fingers for good news for you, too! 

@SUMMER715 I was accepted to UChicago EALC yesterday! I put off posting because I’m still reeling a bit. ? Crossing fingers for good news for you, too! 

Thank you so much!  Yes, this direction is certainly a "less traveled by" path, but it holds the ultimate appeal to me.  There are numerous commonalities between the two cultures considering how modernists re-appropriated or reinvigorated ancient language and culture (including mythologies and folklores) and maneuvered the poetic form to contemplate modernity, as well as to achieve cultural revolution or intellectual awakening.  I am aware that not many scholars would be interested in this mix, but those who would I'd appreciate working with.  We'll see~

@SUMMER715 I was accepted to UChicago EALC yesterday! I put off posting because I’m still reeling a bit. ? Crossing fingers for good news for you, too! 

Hi, everyone. I'm from Taiwan, and I got MA degree last year. My interest field mainly focuses on Chinese intellectual history, but I'm also interested in issues, like Chinese Modernity, comparative studies. I decide to apply for PhD in United States this year because of my interest.

I've seen this website for a while, but I'd not noticed EALC forum until today! Anyway, it is really glad to know you guys!

@NaitoBaron my current project is on repetitive tropes in Japanese horror cinema. I’m more broadly interested in how political/cultural ideas are expressed in cinema and pop media. Somewhere down the road I want to do anime and the transnational nature of pop media coming out of Asia...there’s a lot there! 
Hello @ystlum_chwilfrydig! Welcome to the party. I, too, have applied for several EALC PhDs. Good to see you here! 

Hello, dear fellow aspirants of East Asian studies!
I focus on Japanese pre-modern literature, have applied for PhD (a number of them, naturally) and am already freaking out (perhaps too early). So I kind of hope that it's easier to survive it among people rather than suffer alone. :-)
Congratulations to the happy people who already got some good news!

I got accepted to University of Pennsylvania!!! 

@lordtiandao, @kochanI also got asked (in email) why I didn't apply to certain schools, but a little bit more subtly. Several professors -- not from Columbia! -- told me to "consider" Columbia  and listed names of professors I should consider working with. But I don't want to be in New York! I prefer idyllic settings such as New Haven (Yale) and Ithaca (Cornell) as I can imagine myself to be a hermit like many of the Chinese scholar-officials in Han and Tang who were weary of robust city life and civil service, and retreated to the mountains. So I just told one of the professors that I didn't apply to Columbia because of geography...Another professor recommended me Columbia because he himself went to Columbia and even told me to stay there after for PhD. I don't think it's that easy to get into Columbia PhD program even if one got an MA there...
From talking with a Berkeley PhD third year student, I found out something about the Berkeley History PhD program. Due to shortage in academic jobs, the Berkeley PhD program in History cut half of the number of PhD entrants! Not sure which year this was and I can't remember the exact numbers I heard, but in one year there were 26 and the next year that number was down to 13! 
I also learned that most advisors that one designates on the SOP don't really take your research interests that seriously. Yes, they do match you with your advisors of choice, of course, but they all know you will change your research interest during the first year anyway. But then that begs the question of why they suggest students to apply to other schools or question why students didn't do so...
And one piece of advice I got from a professor that I found very interesting. You should look at the acknowledgements of the books of the professors you want to work with, and see if they acknowledge their students and colleagues! You want to work with professors who have time for you and are helpful. Also I was told to not pick an assistant professor for advisor not because of how long they will be there or even whether they will get tenure, but because you need full professors with a lot of reputation to support you to get through the program and when you go on the market.
That's a lot of information, and please correct me if I'm wrong. Just wanted to share what I know so far!!
PS: Many thanks for @kotatsumuri for creating such an awesome thread and for the high morale! Now we just have to endure 2 more months of waiting...

Why it means so much:
I am an international student, here in Brazil we don't have the insfrastructure nor the personal to conduct the research we want. I have high hopes in the US I would be able to use the top notch research facilities to investigate neuroscience... But aparently I am not going to

I have just submitted one more application. 5 more to go! Luckily, the applications for some of my other top choices are due in January and even later, so I still have some time to work through them during break. And waiting will be the hardest part!
Good luck @spicyramen and @kotatsumuri. 

I've submitted all of mine, since my last deadline was the 15th. Good luck everyone!

1. Don't compare yourself. Sometimes people with a less amazing resume get the position. Maybe that lab had already too many women and they were looking for a guy. Maybe someone had training in something they were looking for.
2. On a similar note: Never take rejections personally or think you're not qualified.
3. Realize that the admissions can be super random. I spoke to one of the prof's at my department and he decided between two applicants by flipping a coin (I KID YOU NOT). 
Try to distract yourself and do different things. I'm trying to learn a new language, work on some research projects I still have going, take the day off to use my camera, meet friends, trying to get better at yoga, etc.