FedeHikari
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Posts posted by FedeHikari
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On 1/22/2019 at 11:34 AM, beckGJJ said:
Hello friends!
This is my first time ever to reply at Gradcafe! Thanks a lot for creating this useful thread and I have been lurking for several days.
Little bit about myself: I am a Chinese International student at UW-Seattle with a Political Science major. Comparing to EALC/EALAC, EAS is a better match of my research interest and hence I have applied to a bunch of EAS master programs for this fall. Just wrapped up my very last application and here comes the panic waiting time! Best of luck to other applicants and we will see how everything goes!
Winter is here, stay warm!
Best of luck to you too!
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Thanks for all your precious feedbacks
It seems we cannot do anything but hope and wait 
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8 minutes ago, potsupotsu said:
It was sent to me and my friend as well so I think they are sending it to all applicants. Though surely by this point it means that you've made it past at least the first review? I should think.
I totally share your thoughts. By browsing this very forum I should conclude that every applicant was sent this email. However, it feels strange that they still are at first review stage...
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38 minutes ago, Carltonjacobs said:
I was wondering if a "Request for Additional Information" is a good sign? I received a request from Harvard this morning stating that "the admissions committee has requested additional information from applicants regarding prior language study and language proficiency." I am not sure if everyone gets this, but they didn't ask for language information on the original application (though I volunteered it). Could this just be standard procedure? It is an after-the-fact request. Does anyone know if this is requested from all applicants or perhaps those who have been "filtered?" Any thoughts?
I received the very same email (and I asked the same question in the EALC section, because my field is Japanese History). I thought that by now they had done some sort of 'skimming' process but maybe I'm completely wrong.
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One question to senpais or other poor fellows who share with me this hellish wait XD I did receive today an email from Harvard GSAS Department, "As part of the application review process, the admissions committee has requested additional information from applicants regarding prior language study and language proficiency. In order collect this information, we have added a brief form to your online application record."
Obviously my heart skipped a beat when I saw the email, even though rationally I do not hope to hear back until February at least. But does it mean they already did some sort of skimming process? Since the deadline was a month ago, even given Christmas holidays in between, I kinda figured that they had already "eliminated" some applicants. Do you think this is the case or the email was sent to all applicants? I may have imagined the process in a very wrong way. Sorry for the long post!
This wait is killing me, and it's way too soon to go nuts X'D
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On 1/7/2019 at 1:01 AM, cyborg213 said:
Hi everyone!
I've been silently following this thread for some months and I'm impressed by the amazing advice so many of you have provided. It's been extremely helpful in my process, especially because I'm from a non-English speaking country in Europe and many of the intricacies and nuances of the application world in the US - which I was totally unaware of until I found this forum - seem now to be at least a bit more familiar to me. So I just wanted to say THANK YOU for such thoughtful and useful comments and advice.
I just submitted my last application and I'm extremely uncertain about everything (as I imagine many of you are!!!). Being an international applicant adds an extra layer of uncertainty (and clumsiness) to the process. For instance, I tragically found out about the GRE a month before the deadlines (I mean, I discovered its existence, and became aware of the fact that I had to pay for it, study for it and actually take it haha. Somehow my mind wasn't ready to accept that there was a standardized test for graduate school ? -even though I read many times the admissions requirements that clearly stated it). And I guess being unfamiliar with the academic culture in the US makes it harder to have any clue about my chances and “position” among other applicants (I know, for instance, what my European colleagues “look like” and have a sense of the “level” they have). And well, at the end of the day this is a competition, and consequently we are all insistently (and involuntarily) wondering what our “position” is or will turn out to be once we get the results. Will this anxiety-provoking scenario (that is likely to increase) ever let us think, write and enjoy what we do? Of course yes, but I imagine this requires some level of mastery. And I guess all of us are already acquiring some level of mastery just by applying. Anyways, I don't know why I'm saying this, but I do know that this has already been an exhausting adventure, and I truly empathize with all the efforts, anxiety and uncertainty many of you have been struggling with in the last months.
Cheers for us, and good luck!!
I totally relate to it. This really seems my story XD (except that I do not have a fellowship, so maybe my application is not as strong as yours ahah)
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Worries:
I will turn 28 this year, and I do not have any major research experience on my behalf, nor any particular work experience. Since I'm applying for East Asian/History Department (despite not having a major in History, I undertook several History courses with straight As), of course research experience and publications are somewhat less expected than if I were applying for a scientific program. Yet, I feel I'm somehow old and I wish I had more research experience and publications, but in the end my research experience is summed up by my three honors theses. One of my fears amongst others is that admission committee will judge me "lazy" because I have a BA and two MAs, but an overall work experience of 2 years tops.
And, worst of all, I am an international student. I know I'm a very good student amongst Italian students, but I do not know if compared to countries all over the world.
I've been told from a very gentle professor that the fact I'm a European woman would actually be seen as a "diversity" factor in the eyes of the committee, but of course my Italian citizenship curtails my chances dramatically. Additionally, my LORs are Italian, and albeit the letters are quite solid (at least for European standards, we tend to be more lukewarm than Americans in recommending people), they do not have any connection to US.
Excitement and pros:
My three theses could be seen as research papers and the time spent writing them research experience (at least, one POI told me so). All I've always wanted is to enter PhD, and I would be more than excited were I successful. I would also love to explore America and live in a foreign country (I've spent some months in Japan during my undergrad and after my first MA thesis, but this would be completely different). I have found a topic I'm really really passionate about, and I hope my SOP reflects this excitement. My GPA is pretty solid (3.95 undergrad, 3.92 overall grad); my GRE decent (162 V, 157 Q, 4.5 AWA). I have got my writing sample checked by professors (mainly because it's an excerpt from my first MA thesis); I chiseled my SOP so many times that if I see it again I'll probably faint.
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9 hours ago, Moods said:
I hope he submits them! Good luck!
Just one missing (but he promised he would submit it today, so I'm trying to relax)...I totally share your sense of helplessness. I don't think I stressed too much my recommenders, but they are in such a bad period that every reminder I sent was probably the last drop. I can understand your problems with relying on others (me too!). Anyhow, good luck to everyone ❤️ this is the worst period because we just have to wait (again, powerless!), but Christmas time is such a panacea for me.
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11 minutes ago, loffire said:
sending you good vibes man. Hope your LoR writer comes through! Thankfully I had my last one on FB and i just FB msged him checking in. He submitted all my letters in time
He just texted me that he was going to upload everything today and tomorrow (for the less compelling ones)...I will pray all day XD
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On 11/30/2018 at 1:20 AM, loffire said:
of my 3 LOR writers, only one has submitted them all. 1 got back not long from a trip overseas and now her whole family is down with some bug (they suspect dengue) and my other 1 just let me know he knows the deadline is dec 1st. adrenal glands? what are those?
Same situation here. I've 2 out of 3 LoRs for every programme I've applied to (and in some cases the deadline was on Friday and Saturday)...and the third is missing. He said he was going to upload them on Friday, but he just disappeared. I've sent him an email on Saturday and one today, but still no answer. I'm not the type who sends every day an email, but I'm really starting to panic here. I really hope schools will accept letters in the next few days (given he ever answers).
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35 minutes ago, BagelBabee said:
Hi there, I would encourage to apply to Brown too! Kerry Smith and Samuel Perry may also work for you
Actually, I've added it!! (Especially for Professor Smith)
Thank you ❤️ Now I'm almost done with every application (and ardently hoping my recommenders upload every letter in time...)
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16 hours ago, potsupotsu said:
I'm applying to Northwestern, Chicago, Harvard (HEAL), Yale, Princeton. What about you?
Chicago, Harvard HEAL, Columbia (History - East Asia), Yale, Princeton, Wisconsin - Madison, Univ. of Chicago at Urbana, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB (lol written like that they seem drugs) ahah! Good luck to you too
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3 minutes ago, civitas said:
Finally got my GRE score (unofficial, as the exam was taken today): V165/Q170. No idea about AW yet..
Awesome!
with this quantitative you are a math genius to me XD
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9 hours ago, potsupotsu said:
I study 19th century Japanese history and my MA thesis is on a certain minority group during the transition period (I'm trying intentionally to be as vague as possible of course ☺️).
December 1st is coming so quickly!
I may have some ideas but I respect your will to be as vague as possible
Which Universities are you considering, if I may?
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Hi all! I have a question which is torturing me XD I think I have found the solution but I wanted more confrontation from you guys. Long story short, I'm now applying for Grad school (PhD program, Japanese History). Yes, I'm in a frenzy, yes, I'm reviewing my writing sample, yes, I'm chiseling my SOP more and more. But I have one painful doubt. My story is a very common one: I'm an international student (Italian), I have graduated with honors from High School and then I was pressured by my family to choose a suitable faculty. I had always loved East Asia (I took Chinese classes very young, and I can assure you that in Southern Italy 10 years ago it was anything but easy), but I felt all the pressure to satisfy them. I attended for a year and a half a Faculty I hated: not because the subjects were uninteresting, but I just felt I betrayed myself. I withdrew and a few months later I started my BA in Japanese Studies, graduating with honors. Now, the thing is: some schools want ALL the transcripts of ALL the institutions you have attended. But unfortunately, since I IRREVOCABLY quit my previous studies, according to Italian University System, my transcripts just do not exist anymore. They're like vanished, so obviously I cannot upload them. Now, usually Universities want transcripts if you transfer from a college to another, so I think I do not need to upload anything related to my previous academic career, but has anyone come through the same situation? As for Columbia (first application I'm sending, the one which raised the issue), there is a box in which you can explain why you withdrew and when. Is it enough?
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4 hours ago, civitas said:
Well, although I'm a bit hesitated to say so, could you help me to determine which language score should I send to EAS programs?
My TOEFL: R30/L29/S23/W28 (110)
My IELTS: R8.5/L8.5/S7.0/W6.0 (7.5)
Seems that both scores have their weakness..
I'd personally go for TOEFL (had similar scores and I chose it). Just to let you know my scores:
TOEFL R29/L28/S25/W26 (108)
IELTS R 8.5/L 8.5/ S7.5/W 5.5 (7.5)
I have made this decision mostly thinking of my writing performance, which significantly improved for TOEFL. Anyhow, as long as it is more than 100, you should be fine
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13 hours ago, AnUglyBoringNerd said:
Modern Japanese history with a focus on gender and sexuality
My experiences (yep, in plural ..) with PhD application can be found here, if anyone is interested:
Thank you very much for sharing! That was so inspiring and helpful.
I'll definitely ask some more people to review my work before uploading it! Indeed, one of my POIs from Harvard told me that the only thing about me he was unsure of was exactly the History major/minor (of course, he told me that Harvard has an extreme competition, so it was only made to strengthen my application without giving me false hope). But then I replied that actually I had undertaken 9 History courses (one about China, one about Asian art, one about modern Korea...and the other on Japan) all with As, so I felt confident that would not be a problem (and in following emails to other POIs I mentioned this fact)...Just because in Italy a well-rounded Asian course must have a LOT of History courses, but I then understood that it was not the same to US XD You're definitely right when you say that POI's feedbacks are definitely helpful! I have sent dozen of emails presenting me (just to say "hey, I've got grades good enough, but I want to make sure you know") and my research interests. The same Harvard POI replied with an interesting answer: "Your field is both one already studied and one still worth investing" I'm currently chiseling my MA's thesis on welfare policies for childhood in Japan, I hope they like it!
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36 minutes ago, civitas said:
Yes, NERVOUS +1
May I ask how many schools do you submit applications to?
I haven't counted them lol XD I'd say 15-20 schools, maybe (I know, it seems such an enormous quantity). The first in line are Columbia and University of British Columbia
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1 minute ago, civitas said:
The best one is Columbia University's MARSEA, mostly due to its preference toward working experience. Some other choices: Cornell, Texas Austin, Indiana Bloomington, McGill.
I'm applying for Harvard's School of Education, largely due to my related experiences and achievements in this field. Unfortunately, my GPA was too low in my undergraduate institution, therefore I have to take such a strategy. I wonder if I will be rejected by every graduate school lol.
I haven't taken a GRE for now, yet as a Chinese student, my estimation is V155-160/Q170/AW4.
I have talked (let's say I have sent a number of emails to everyone and someone was so kind to answer) to a POI from Wisconsin, who strongly encouraged me to apply wherever possible. I have a wide array of choices lol, so I give you the same advice: just apply. You really never know (I'm of course SO NERVOUS, also because PhD deadline is approaching so fast, so giving this kind of advices really seems weird ahha)
And, as many before me said, tests scores and GPA are only a part of your application -
15 minutes ago, civitas said:
Well, I have heard many of my classmates studying in other fields who have a requirement for publication when applying to graduate programs. I have no idea concerning EAS; few of my classmates published anything in journals even in Chinese, and I am from one of the most prestigious university in Chinese studies in China. What's your opinion about this?
I have had the same problem back in Italy. Although not compulsory, a publication would boost an application. Still, it is somehow (I don't know in China, but given your answer I think that's basically the same) very hard for Humanities (again, I'm speaking about Italy
) students to publish anything. So there's this paradox: you're a recent graduate with very good grades but no publications vs an older applicant with publications, so admission boards prefer the latter. This is not of course to discredit people who have publications; on the contrary, I wish I knew how to do it during my MAs! XD Getting published is a mess back here. I hope that admission boards will consider the different backgrounds. Spoiler alert: an Italian friend of mine with no publications got in Princeton (Japanese program too), so it's definitely doable! I know that sometimes master's thesis are considered as research experience. Anyhow, if you're applying for a MA, I honestly don't think you will need publications at all (they are not requested for PhD programs either ) If I may ask, which Universities are you considering?
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1 minute ago, civitas said:
Your GPA sounds incredible for me. lol. Great profile! I'm applying for MA, so hopefully, the majority of my competitors are not in your shape.
Despite having many working experiences in the private sector as well as the political reality in China, I really appreciate your profile. If only I have taken the exams seriously during undergraduate! I was running my own business then.
My best wishes to you
I really hope that admission boards will share your opinion ahah! Thank you for the feedback
I'm actually so envious of your work experience (we can say there's mutual admiration then)! My best wishes to you too fingers crossed!!?
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3 hours ago, civitas said:
I wonder.. How is your profile if you are located in top programs? I'm a bit hesitated to apply them lol
I actually hope to enter those programs, because they would be the perfect fit for me, but like anyone else one doesn't really know until the admission/rejection e-mail
As for my profile, I'm happy to share it with you without any reservation. I hold a Bachelor's Degree summa cum laude from la Sapienza University (ranked #1 in Italy) in Japanese, a Master's Degree in Japanese from the same institution (not laude this time but still maximum, 110/110). I also have another Master's Degree from another Institution (very famous in Italy and Europe for East Asian Studies) with 110/110 too; this Master focused on International Relations. As for GPAs, I think it is about 3.93 (unweighted) for BA, 3.88 for both my MAs. As you can see I'm strong on titles, but not so much on work experience (this is a country problem, but that's a whole other discussion). I have been an intern in the Oriental Library of La Sapienza for a year, I have worked in a travel agency in Naples, have some experience in translation. I have been in Japan for 4 months (a Summer session and for personal initiative to improve my Japanese skills). I'm currently studying to take N1 in Japanese (the biggest grade of achievement for foreigners), probably in July; as for Chinese I hold HSK 4 and I have some knowledge of Korean. It is not an impressive resumé, I'm aware; still, apart from a Stanford Professor, every Ivy (and not) POI I contacted encouraged me to apply, showing deep interest for my intended field of study. I really really hope to enter a PhD program next year! (Sorry for the very long answer lol). As for TOEFL, my score is 108; my GRE scores are 162 V, 157 Q, 4.5 AWA (according to Magoosh, they're fairly adequate for what I'm afraid is a long shot).
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On 11/11/2018 at 7:01 PM, potsupotsu said:
You aren't the only one! I am mostly applying to History programs, though one application is for a joint EALC-History program.
Yeah, I was thinking of Columbia and Harvard's programs too, like @AnUglyBoringNerdsaid. What is your field?
I'd like to study Japanese education policies in all its colonies during its Empire phase.
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On 11/8/2018 at 7:22 PM, civitas said:
Well my interest lie in modern and contemporary Chinese political history (Late Qing to Republic times) while also have vast knowledge in ancient (pre-Han) China. Personally I hold some titles in the institution (United Front) system, yet I use this advantage as a window to look into the institution. I want to figure out what's happening now and why it's going in this way, but that's pretty complex.
Meanwhile, I'm also applying for another field, largely due to my experience in private sector. I prefer to EAS a lot, while it seems that I need to take a graduate program as soon as possible, so I can't take the risk and wait for another year.
I'm very interested in contemporary Chinese history, mainly because my research proposal is about Japanese colonialism, so I have to know some Manchurian/Taiwanese/Korean history as well (that's basically the reason why I attended Chinese and Korean classes back in my bachelor's and master's degree). Like you, in some places I'm gonna apply in EAS/EALC PhD Program, while in others it's gonna be History (even though my major is not exactly History). I was so curious about other prospective Japanese historians but it seems like I'm the only one for 2019 Fall Season in the forum XD
Applications 2019
in History
Posted
Congratulations on the many admissions!
I'm waiting to hear from Princeton (though I did not apply through History department, but from East Asian Studies) and few others...Do you guys think things are handled separately? Because my subfield is Japanese history and I don't know whether they consider all the Japanese history application together regardless of department?