thesiswillbegreat

Congrats on all the RSEA offers and pray for your funding! Also came up with a Chinese poem to share, kindled by what is now going on in China. 廿年書海苦奔忙，時勢洪流未可量。 漫道士人須諤諤，何如狗子且汪汪。 蜉蝣空寄千秋議，翰墨聊修一葦航。 徹夜聽風眠不得，應憐春早滿庭芳。 However I am not quite familiar with the technique issues of English poems (wondering which pattern to follow) so I am still trying to figure out the proper way to translate it...

@Naito @lordtiandao @AnUglyBoringNerd @costevens @kotatsumuri @pudewen Thank you very much for sharing your opinions and so much helpful information!! That really helps me make a decision. I guess the time it takes to finish a PhD would be daunting for almost everyone in every program Sorry for my delayed reply, as I forgot my password and had some difficulty recovering my account... Also really enjoyed the poetry symposium in the post!

Hi everyone! I discovered this thread yesterday and read through all the replies this morning. It is such a nice place and so many friendly people here. Hope that everyone will do great I applied to both EALC and history programs, very grateful to have been admitted to my top two choices, Harvard EALC (HEAL) and UW history. I also applied to Columbia (will be rejected for sure) and Penn (had a nice interview but it is a lesser match). Both POIs are great fit, so I also put some considerations into the choice between a history program and an EALC program. My primary field is China, and I think if I want to find a job in China there is not so much difference between a history or an EALC degree. Still the training in two departments can be different. I am quite attracted to the diversity of a history department -- there is better chance of studying and TA courses outside your field of study, but on the other side there are very few people working in your field (it should be a different story in UChicago/Columbia as discussed above, but in my case that's a real concern).

@Jules4663 Hi i'm from the Admit Day thread, also admitted to Harvard PhD program. My research interest is the political history of Middle-period China, seems that we are really close. Nice to meet you!

It seems that we are on the exactly same boat! Also admitted to Harvard EALC PhD program, my first choice, but don’t feel like attending the Admit Day. (Btw, did Harvard send everything including funding information by postal mail rather than email?) As regard the cost, our department did indicate the possibility of travel funding, though not sure in full or in part. I think the primary advantage of not going is that it saves a lot of time (and probably money). On the other side, you would miss the opportunity of talking to people there to get first-hand experience. I did visit another university because I happened to be in that city on a non-academic trip when I received its admission letter, and the visit was very helpful in forming a vivid idea of how life there would be. I don’t think the decision of not attending will annoy the faculty or cause anything as serious, but I am also concerned how to decline the invitation politely. Also wanted to know how much Admit Day is valued in the US.

Thanks a lot! That’s very helpful. Maybe I shall just try to talk to some grad students instead.

Hi everyone! I have a question about campus visiting. I have been admitted to a school, which I’m pretty sure that I will attend. The department sent me a Recruitment Day invitation. Although I am interested in its schedule and it is certainly beneficial to know more about how everything goes in the department, the thing is that I live in Asia, so I doubt whether it is worthwhile spending 12 hours flying across the Pacific Ocean and another 12 hours back just for a day’s visit. Thus I feel inclined to decline the invitation, but I wonder whether distance alone is an acceptable reason not to attend the event? Would it be considered improper or arrogant? Thanks for helping me out!