welcometouniqlo

Hey sorry I totally forgot to check Gradcafe in the later half of March. In the end I got their offer but it was really late (portal notification Mar 22, letter was dated to Mar 18 though), so I took up an offer elsewhere. Hope it went well for you!

Back again to ask if anyone's got anything from Toronto! Last school to reply for me 😬

Just got the portal email about 12 hours ago! Didn't work out for me but hope you'll get an offer

Haven't heard back from U of T! Got notifications from Yale EAS and Chicago MAPH late last week though, if anyone else was waiting for results.

Hi everyone, noticed that no one seems to have made a thread for this year's applications so I figured I'll get the ball rolling! How's everyone doing?

Hi Dr-H, I get what you mean and I fully agree that I should be looking more at fit and supervision instead of school-ranking. I should have explained this better, but essentially my MA funding is contingent on the funding provider's evaluation of the school's general reputation. Thus, even if I might be interested in Ohio State University, it is highly unlikely that it will be approved by the providers and I wouldn't be allowed to apply in the first place. In that sense, the consideration of school-ranking is not necessarily a limitation I would like to have, but practically speaking it remains a consideration. I'm generally interested in social and cultural networks around that time period, but you're right that my interests are still quite broad and maybe even unfocused. Depending on which program I go to, I could potentially see myself doing modules on the literature and culture of Edo Japan (print and visual culture) or on the histories of clothing (material culture is fascinating as well) and even religion. In that manner, I would say I'm more interested in exploring urban-rural trade/cultural networks that may not be immediately obvious, but provide a new lens of looking at existing artefacts/sources, and I would be delighted to work with professors that are similarly interested in that approach.

Hi everyone, I'm reasonably new here so apologies in advance if I'm violating posting rules and please let me know if I am doing so! Background: International student BA in History from top international institution (GPA 4.44/5, Major GPA 4.79/5) Currently finishing up my second BA from a Japanese university (under double degree) Thesis in premodern Japanese history + history of science/medicine based on primary sources in Japanese, as well as secondary sources in Chinese Language: Chinese - Native (Simplified), Fluent (Traditional); English - Native; Japanese - Elementary (N4, still taking classes) No publications Haven't taken GREs (will do by September) Will receive funding for 1 year MA provided it's a reputable program; if I can't get into one then no Masters, straight to work (government sector) Goal: Reputable 1 year East Asian Studies MA in the US Prospective Fields/Research Interests: Premodern/modern Japanese history (late Tokugawa-early Meiji) + cultural flows with China around that time period (I guess that qualifies as intellectual and cultural history) Question: I have identified a few programs that I'm interested in but given my lack of RA/publication experience, Harvard/Stanford would probably be quite a reach. Additionally, I am unlikely to move into academia properly after my MA as I need to work off my scholarship commitments for at least 4 years, and I am concerned that would further weaken my application prospects. As such, I'm crowdsourcing suggestions for safety schools that I could apply to! Thus far my list of schools is as follows: - Harvard RSEA (current top choice due to access to Harvard History and Divinity School) - Stanford EAS - UCLA EAS (not sure if I will qualify to finish in 1 year and academic advisor cannot confirm that third year proficiency = JLPT N2) - Columbia EALAC (confirming if it is possible to finish in 1 year instead of 2) I've been asked to consider Yale, JHU and Columbia MARSEA as well but based on what I've seen so far these programs are more contemporary-focused (again, please correct me if I'm wrong). Thank you for reading this far and good luck for your own applications/grad school/work!