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inception

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Posts posted by inception

  1. I'm working on my SOP and I've seen advice that warns against putting down your goals for your dissertation because it could show that you're too close minded/inflexible (having already made up your mind about about the dissertation topic before even starting the program) and naive/uninformed/premature, which is totally understandable.

    Should I only list my research interests? Would it be okay to list a few projects I might be interested in working on, kind of as preliminary ideas?

    Thanks!

  2. On 3/19/2019 at 2:18 PM, Hannahbanana212 said:

    I am in a similar boat, but trying to decide between UHM and Georgetown... I also didnt expect to get accepted to the latter. I focus on Korea and Indo-Pacific Strategy... Moving to Hawaii would put me in a great place for private contracting... but DC is the hub of all. Let me know if you want to chat about it.

    Congrats on Georgetown! Yes, please DM me :)

  3. On 3/20/2019 at 11:09 PM, Fantasmapocalypse said:

    It can! Manoa requires you to have an MA in anthropology in order to apply to the PhD program. Some departments will accept a related BA or MA. For example an Archaeology or Bio Anth PhD Student may be able to make the argument that having a math degree is acceptable with a minor or no background in Anthropology if they are specializing in regression or statistical analysis.... Marty Biskowski, a deeply loved member of CSU Sacramento's faculty, was a mathematician before he became a Mesoamerican Archaeologist.

    Well then...I guess that means if I choose Cornell, UH will probably not be an option later when I'm applying for PhD programs. That's good to know though, thank you! 

  4. On 3/20/2019 at 6:00 AM, oroanthro said:

    I agree with the poster above--Hawai'i is not a well known anthropology program. You should check out Karen Kelsky (the professor is in blog) and read about her experiences coming out of Hawai'i--it was pretty traumatic. The status of their program has not changed since she left. Also, if you intend to apply to PhD programs in anthropology, it helps to have letters of rec from anthropologists connected to the top anthropology programs.Most people do not stay in the same program from MA to PhD, so I don't think you have to worry about "ending up" in the same place for 5+ years. It's perfectly reasonable to leave for another program in the same university or another university altogether. 

    That being said, you need to think about your whole self. It sounds like you might actually want to move to Hawaii because they will fund you, you like the community around the university, it's Hawaii and it's beautiful, and you might be more inclined to stay for either a job or another PhD program in another field. Those are important factors! Ithaca is cold, it's isolated and while upstate NY is beautiful, it's not very diverse or welcoming. I could be reading into your post too much, but it sounds like you can't imagine making a home for yourself there. 

    What's more, as someone who has settled for an unfunded degree and deeply regrets it, I can say that funding matters. If you take the unfunded route, you will be paying a lot of money to basically fund the kids in the PhD program, get ignored by your faculty (who will focus on those PhD students) and at the end of it all, have to leave for elsewhere. Funding signifies a university's willingness to invest in you and your future. 

     

    Weigh out all your options carefully! Good luck with the decision!

    Hi...wow. I just read Karen Kelsky's post. I'm speechless. That is definitely something I'll consider, thank you for bringing it to my attention. 

    I can better imagine myself in Hawaii, you're right...but it's not that I could never make a home in Cornell. I am perfectly willing to, at least if it's only for two years. I will definitely have to get used to the cold and winter if I end up at Cornell. 

    I think I'll ultimately wait to see if I get funding from Cornell. I won't take an unfunded offer.

    Thank you so much for the advice!

  5. @JennyGoat Sorry for the late reply! Thank you! I'm still pretty surprised about it. Michigan is a great school, though, especially for Asian studies -- congrats and good luck!

    You're right, there aren't any TAships available for masters students. I'm still hoping for FLAS though, especially if the college will fund the rest of the tuition. 

    I'm not discouraged by the fact that I wouldn't be able to go straight to a PhD though, since I'm interested in going into an anthropology PhD program. But your point about relocation and weather are definitely things I need to consider. 

    I also found out that I got a fellowship and FLAS from Wisconsin, so I need to consider them too...

    Anyway, I'll definitely PM you tomorrow! Thanks for the advice.

  6. cross-posted to EALC topic in interdisciplinary studies.

    I hope y'all don't mind if I write about my struggle in choosing between University of Hawaii or Cornell.

    I was accepted to University of Hawaii's Asian Studies and Anthropology programs -- I thought anthropology was a long-shot, but I got in anyway. Two of my POI at UHM told me I'd fit perfectly in Asian studies, but I eventually want to pursue a PhD in anthropology, so I picked anthro. I was pretty set on going, and was just waiting to hear back from the other schools. I told the anthro department that I would give them my decision on Monday, the 18th. 

    I did not expect to get into Cornell's Asian studies program. I basically wrote it off my list, assuming that I had been rejected because I hadn't received anything about my application. I got in today and asked Hawaii for an extension for my decision.

    My research interests apply to both Asian studies and anthropology. Basically, I'm interested in studying the experiences of the Chinese diaspora/minorities in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge, and how that affects their migration experiences and their positions on refugees around the world today.

    Pros of Hawaii: It's Hawaii. I would be co-advised by one professor who focuses on Chinese ethnic minorities and another professor who focuses on anthropology in Cambodia. If I take first year Khmer this summer, I will have the FLAS fellowship. I'm also being considered for another fully funded fellowship and a TAship. After my master's, I can continue to a PhD at UHM fairly easily. Because more airlines are servicing Hawaii, tickets are cheaper to and from the mainland than before. Also, Hawaii is fairly diverse and has plenty of Asian food, which I would lpve. If I were to go abroad, airfare to Asia is cheaper from Hawaii. 

    Cons: It has a high cost-of-living. For now, I only have the FLAS fellowship, so I would need to find a way to pay for the rest of the tuition. The anthro department does not offer funding. And, it UHM is not as well known for anthropology (in terms of rank, I think?). Moving to Hawaii is expensive (shipping a car from LA is around $1k :/). The traffic is supposedly awful.

    Pros of Cornell: It's Cornell. It is highly ranked, an ivy league school. I would be advised by a professor in Cornell's anthropology department (which is one of the PhD programs I am extremely interested in), and I believe he also teaches some courses on China. I would have a solid background and MA degree from Cornell.  The Southeast Asia collection at Cornell is the best in the country (even better than libraries in Cambodia). It's probably cheaper than Hawaii. And it's on the mainland.

    Cons of Cornell: FLAS decisions have not been made yet. The department also does not have any funding. It is expensive, and even if I got FLAS, I would still be short ~$12k for tuition per year + living expenses. No word from them about TAships or anything like that yet. I would have to drive from Phoenix all the way to upstate New York. Ithica is not as exciting (probably?). And, f I end up in the anthro PhD program after my MA, I would have to stay there for 5-9 years, which doesn't sound appetizing to me.

    Is there anything I need to consider?

    Which would you choose? Advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

  7. I hope y'all don't mind if I write about my struggle in choosing between University of Hawaii or Cornell.

    I was accepted to University of Hawaii's Asian Studies and Anthropology programs -- I thought anthropology was a long-shot, but I got in anyway. Two of my POI at UHM told me I'd fit perfectly in Asian studies, but I eventually want to pursue a PhD in anthropology, so I picked anthro. I was pretty set on going, and was just waiting to hear back from the other schools. I told the anthro department that I would give them my decision on Monday, the 18th. 

    I did not expect to get into Cornell's Asian studies program. I basically wrote it off my list, assuming that I had been rejected because I hadn't received anything about my application. I got in today and asked Hawaii for an extension for my decision.

    My research interests apply to both Asian studies and anthropology. Basically, I'm interested in studying the experiences of the Chinese diaspora/minorities in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge, and how that affects their migration experiences and their positions on refugees around the world today.

    Pros of Hawaii: It's Hawaii. I would be co-advised by one professor who focuses on Chinese ethnic minorities and another professor who focuses on anthropology in Cambodia. If I take first year Khmer this summer, I will have the FLAS fellowship. I'm also being considered for another fully funded fellowship and a TAship. After my master's, I can continue to a PhD at UHM fairly easily. Because more airlines are servicing Hawaii, tickets are cheaper to and from the mainland than before. Also, Hawaii is fairly diverse and has plenty of Asian food, which I would lpve. If I were to go abroad, airfare to Asia is cheaper from Hawaii. 

    Cons: It has a high cost-of-living. For now, I only have the FLAS fellowship, so I would need to find a way to pay for the rest of the tuition. The anthro department does not offer funding. And, it UHM is not as well known for anthropology (in terms of rank, I think?). Moving to Hawaii is expensive (shipping a car from LA is around $1k :/). The traffic is supposedly awful.

    Pros of Cornell: It's Cornell. It is highly ranked, an ivy league school. I would be advised by a professor in Cornell's anthropology department (which is one of the PhD programs I am extremely interested in), and I believe he also teaches some courses on China. I would have a solid background and MA degree from Cornell.  The Southeast Asia collection at Cornell is the best in the country (even better than libraries in Cambodia). It's probably cheaper than Hawaii. And it's on the mainland.

    Cons of Cornell: FLAS decisions have not been made yet. The department also does not have any funding. It is expensive, and even if I got FLAS, I would still be short ~$12k for tuition per year + living expenses. No word from them about TAships or anything like that yet. I would have to drive from Phoenix all the way to upstate New York. Ithica is not as exciting (probably?). And, f I end up in the anthro PhD program after my MA, I would have to stay there for 5-9 years, which doesn't sound appetizing to me.

    Is there anything I need to consider?

    Which would you choose? Advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

  8. On 3/12/2019 at 11:20 AM, JennyGoat said:

    I'm waiting also (and also Southeast Asian Studies).  No word from the program itself, but I did get an email asking me for additional information for my FLAS application.  I'm in at Michigan and Wisconsin but impatient to hear from Cornell so I can make a final decision.

    I heard back today from Cornell around 3 p.m. PST. I got in! I'm shocked. I hope you get some good news soon. I asked the Graduate Field Assistant about FLAS and she said decisions won't be made until the end of the month. 

    I'm in at Wisconsin too — maybe we'll see each other there. (Also, my name's Jenny too!)

    I was so set on going to University of Hawaii, till I heard from Cornell. I don't know what to do ?

  9. Hi all,

    All my applications are in for the Fall 2019 cycle (for MA programs), and I'm starting to get responses. I know this is weird, but I want to get a head start on my PhD applications, which I assume I'll be submitting around December 2020/January 2021. I know my research interests might change in the future, but I'm wondering if it's too early to start reaching out to POI at these schools. I think the general themes of my interests will still be similar to my interests now.

    There is one professor in particular that I want to email and the school is where I did my undergrad (I still live near the school). Would it be appropriate to frame it as, "I'll be starting my MA program out-of-state in August/September, can we meet and talk in person before I leave?" I'll also be out-of-state for the summer doing a language program. 

    I have a feeling that I shouldn't send anything yet, haha.

    Thanks!

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