potsupotsu

HEAL results went out last Thursday.

It's very last minute but I'm still struggling whether to choose Harvard or Yale. I like my POIs at both places a lot but, even outside of my field, Yale's program is definitely the better intellectual fit. But I feel the quality of life would be much better in Boston than in New Haven... Adding to this, I cannot find anyone who can name someone from my field who came out of Yale after studying with my POI (though he has mentored at least two "big names" when he was at Harvard) and I was kind of shrugged off when I asked about the job market: "If you're good you shouldn't worry about finding a job" "you can just do something else." But at Harvard they seemed very sympathetic and said that they try their best to promote their students at every opportunity.

I think the lower stipend has something to do with the fact that HEAL (History and East Asian Languages) is under the East Asian Languages and Civilizations department and not History (another worry I have about Harvard is that, even though it is a dual program, I will not be receiving a History degree but an area studies degree). But thank you, that's good advice.

I'm currently deciding between Yale and Harvard. I've already been to Yale's visit day, but Harvard's is later this month. One of the considerations that is pulling me more toward Yale is that their funding offer was considerably higher: $31,800 vs $29,730. Is it acceptable (or recommended) to bring up the fact that their offer was lower than Yale's at the visit day? I was told that I'm the only Japanese history person accepted this year, so I'm sure that there is some room to negotiate, but I am afraid of seeming greedy or rude for asking about funding.

Does anyone know what happened to the "lessons learned" thread? I was going to make a post.

Have you tried looking at some Canadian schools? Tuition is much cheaper over there.

Congratulations on the Harvard acceptance! I guess I'll see you at the visit day in late March (assuming that prospective masters students are also allowed to attend)!

Does it have sufficient enough resources to support you in studying Italian history (and possibly language)? I know little to nothing about the program, so I'm sorry if this is a stupid question!

That's such great news! Congratulations!

As I have my Yale visit day next weekend, and building off of what @AfricanusCrowther posted in the general thread: For current PhD students: what were some of the questions you wish you asked (or perhaps what were you glad you asked?) at your campus visit days? What were the most important considerations in making your decision about which school to ultimately attend? Those who are currently deciding between schools: which schools are you considering? what considerations are most important to you?

Sorry to say I don't have any special insight into Columbia's admissions process, and I didn't apply there so I'm not sure if interviews are the norm or not. You can always call or e-mail them and ask if they've finished making decisions, but I'm not sure if they'll give you a satisfying answer.

Yes, I'd echo what @EAstudies said. I'm not an American citizen myself, and I definitely agree that the situation in the US seems incredibly scary, but remember that the current president is fairly unpopular and the election is coming up soon, so you will very likely not have to experience this for the entire 6 years you spend in graduate school in the US. Also, while Toudai is a great school, keep in mind @EAstudies point about the way a foreign degree will be looked at in the US. I'd also encourage you to think about the way the training you will receive in Japan will be perceived in the US because there are major differences between Japanese-style scholarship and US-style scholarship. Japanese historians, for example, tend to produce works that are very descriptive and focus narrowly on a particular subject or particular documents, while in the US you will be encouraged to make a more analytic "big picture" argument. Both styles have their positives, but it might be difficult to make a name for yourself in the US if you produce Japanese-style work.

I'm still deciding, though I am leaning towards Yale. I really like the faculty at Harvard's HEAL, but even though it's a dual degree with History, I worry how the area studies half (EALC) will impact me on the job market. This is something I will definitely have to talk to them about at the visit days.

I just turned down my Northwestern offer. Hopefully someone on here can make it off of the waitlist. @Balleu and @Rekishishu perhaps that means one of you! Writing to your POI whose work you admire so much and telling them that you are "rejecting" them is a really difficult thing to do. I did not really anticipate just how hard it would be at the beginning of the process!

Even if you are their choice for Chinese history, you are still considered part of the East Asian history subfield. If I am not mistaken.