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Congratulations~ That's awesome news! Any word on funding yet?

Some of these schools are SOOOO SLOOOOOOW to reply! I have two visits that I need to plan, but I'm still debating on whether I should just reapply next year. I know that it worked for you, and I keep thinking that I screwed up this year by only applying to four schools... Anyway, congrats on your three offers! (I'm soooo jealous! ) Are you leaning towards one school at this point, or are you keeping your options open?

So sorry to hear about Yale! That one was my dream school, and they rejected me so early...I think it was Feb 4th...I was crushed after that one. I hope all goes well with Columbia and Harvard, but even if you aren't accepted, at least you know that you have a great offer with U Alberta! Congratulations again on that one~

I completely understand how you feel! I was getting worried about the University of Chicago, so I emailed the EALC department secretary to find out when we'll learn the results. To my surprise, I got three emails from three different people! One was from the secretary, another from the graduate school, and yet another one from the chair of the EALC department. (BTW, to all EALC U Chicago applicants, the letters will be in the mail this week, so we should get our letters sometime next week.) Apparently, they wanted to accept me into the PhD program, but they didn't have enough fellowships to accept me, and they don't allow first year students to have a TA position. So they forwarded my application to the masters MAPH program... They said that I should definitely hear from that program next week, and, according to the chair, he wants me to give it serious consideration because they want me in the EALC department after the year long masters program. So what's the problem? If I'm lucky, I'll get a fellowship for 1/2 tuition...which means I'd have to pay for the masters degree out of my own pocket. What a let down...U Chicago was one of my top choices, so I was delighted to be accepted (sort of), but to learn that I can't afford to go is just heartbreaking... I also have an offer with IU Bloomington with a fellowship + TA position guaranteed, so I just don't know what to do at this point. I initially thought that I should reapply next year and see if applying to more graduate schools might result in more acceptances, but now I just don't know...I have 2 rejects, 1 full acceptance, and 1 MA acceptance. What the heck am I supposed to do now!?

I was rejected by Minnesota last week. Sorry I can't help you with that one. And I thought they were my safety school....boy was I wrong!

I only got one acceptance (full tuition + stipend), so I guess you could say my choice is obvious; yet, I've already decided to wait and apply again next year. I haven't heard from all the schools yet, either, but I think it isn't a good sign if I haven't heard from them at this point... I wouldn't mind having an adviser who isn't on tenure, but that's just me.

Thank you for the advice! I'm sure I'll do a lot better when I apply next year~

Actually, I haven't heard anything from Minnesota! I just have this feeling that I'll get accepted. I might be wrong, though.... I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression! Considering that you've been contacted, and I haven't, it looks like they are considering you! I wasn't asked to fill out a FLAS application, which is probably a bad sign. I'm not that worried about it, though, since I've decided to reapply next year already.

Thanks for sharing the way you approached the application process, yatto! That actually helps me tremendously! My stats: GPA 4.0 GRE 650V 650Q 6.0AW (I'm considering retaking the GRE, but I'm not quite sure it's necessary. While my scores aren't stellar, they aren't bad, either. I'm on the fence about it. ) I think I should be fine for the rec letters. I did graduate a couple of years ago, but my professors all seemed to support my decision to attend graduate school. I really don't know how to improve the rec letters, though. Does anyone have any suggestions? My fatal flaw in my application was my SOP. Looking back on it, I was way too generic. Most of my focus dealt with translation work I have done after graduating, and I never even discussed what I researched as an undergrad. My biggest problem is that even as an undergrad, I didn't do as much research as I did creative writing and translating. I even wrote a play as my senior thesis! I think I really have to, as you put it, "brand" myself as more of a researcher and less of a creative writer. I have advanced Japanese skills, but I think my lack of research experience (judged solely from my SOP) hurt my application. I know that next year, I will discuss more research and less information about my skills as a translator. I have a feeling I'm going to be accepted by IU Bloomington (They pretty much already told me) and U Minnesota, but I really wanted to attend a more prestigious graduate program. I turned down elite colleges in favor of a state college as an undergrad due to financial concerns, but I really found the grade inflation to be intolerable at the state college. I really wasn't challenged there (hence the 4.0 GPA), so that's why I wanted to attend a more challenging graduate program. I wanted to attend either Yale or U Chicago, so I gambled by applying to only two highly selective grad programs, and ultimately, my gamble failed. Sorry for all that information! I know a lot of you are still anxiously awaiting the results. I'm sure we're all going to find out within the next few weeks. I can't believe It's almost mid February! Again, good luck to all EALL/EALC applicants!

Congrats to everyone who has been admitted to grad programs~ Aroma Black: That is so great that you got the "grand prize." (I love the way you view the results!) Also, having an interview is super cool too. And you still have five more schools left! I'm sure you'll hear great news from some (or hopefully ALL) of them as well! Kyjin: I know it must be frustrating to be in limbo regarding Yale and Harvard, but I think it is an honor that they are still considering you! For both of those elite programs to want you in their Masters programs...that speaks very highly of you. Since you haven't had any solid rejects yet, I'm sure some more offers will come rolling in! yatto: What more can I say? You are like the King/Queen of EALC programs! Accepted by Cornell AND Harvard, not to mention waitlisted by Yale...Wow! Would you mind sharing your stats? I'm planning on reapplying to Yale next year, and I'd like any advice you can give me. Paura: HARVARD!? Congrats! I'm sure more good news is on the way! fumblewhat and IMN22: It's great to hear that you were accepted by UCLA! I'm sure more acceptances are on the way. Congrats to the rest of the admits as well~ (Sorry if I left anyone out!) I only have the one reject so far, but regardless of the results of the other schools, I am definitely going to reapply next year. I didn't apply to enough schools this year, and I know there are aspects of my application that I can improve. Any advice from admitted applicants is welcome! Thank you everyone for your support!

Welcome, diegothedreadful! That's awesome news about U Chicago and Berkeley! Hopefully more good news is on the way~

Just got rejected by Yale....not unexpected, but still... I feel like I'm the first Yale reject via the website for EALL. Did they hate my application that much? I knew that my SOP was a risk. Looking back on it, it was way too casual a tone for academia. It's their loss.

Congrats to the Harvard/U Chicago applicants! That's incredible!

Congrats to the applicant who was accepted by U Chicago! I am soooo jealous right now, but still, that's awesome! Congratulations!

I wouldn't mind a phone call, but honestly, I'd take good news anyway I can get it! So it's officially February now....I hope the results will be out soon!

Even though I want all of the results early, I have a feeling that many of us are in for a long wait....I know I wouldn't mind being offered a position in the MA program if I'm rejected for the PhD!

Email. Definitely email. That way, I'm not taken by surprise like I might be if it's a phone call. Who knows what kind of mood I'll be in when the phone rings? Also, letters take a long time, and honestly, I just equate letters with rejection. I know it's not true, but it's just the way I think. An email is more thrilling because it could be either one...it may feel like torture for the five seconds it takes to read the email, but you can't deny that it's very exciting!

I'm so happy for you! That is great news! You may get funding for the masters, but even if you don't, it's still an honor to be considered for Yale's MA program. I hope more good news is on the way!

Congratulations, Yatto! I know that it isn't quite as nice as an acceptance, but still, you're in the running!

Hi Kyjin! You heard from Yale already? Wow, I haven't heard anything from them. It's great that they are considering you for the MA program! Congrats!

IU Bloomington seemed really proactive about the FLAS application, but I haven't heard anything from the other schools I've applied to. I only applied to four schools, though. I didn't know it was so difficult to get into graduate school until AFTER I submitted all of my applications! Oh well, there's always next year, right? Anyway, for the JLPT, I use the 完全マスター series. I think it is for the old format of the JLPT, but I think they are good study guides. I wish I could just automatically remember the 2000 or so kanji that are considered essential for understanding most Japanese literature, but some just fall out of my head if I don't see them very often. Does anyone else "make up" pronunciations of kanji if they know the meaning of a word but not the pronunciation? I do it all the time! Then, when I try to say some of the words....Let's just say that I am much better at reading Japanese than speaking it. Do we have to fill out a special application for TA positions? I didn't see any on the grad school apps that I filled out, but maybe I missed something... I wonder if we'll find out by phone or email if we've been accepted. I get nervous every time my phone rings!

Hello~ I haven't heard a peep from any of the grad schools I applied to. In the meantime, I've been trying to brush up on my Japanese...I have a bunch of kanji flashcards and grammar review books. It's been a while since I've been in a Japanese class, so I've forgotten some of the kanji!

Thanks for the support, Aroma Black and kyjin! Hopefully when this is all over, we'll have received several sweet offers, and maybe we'll even be classmates! (Best case scenario here....I don't even wanna go to the worst case...) That is so cool that you already received an unofficial offer, kyjin! I think we'll start hearing from the schools soon....at least, I hope we do! I think I've just been getting really depressed over my applications lately after reading this board. There are so many people with stellar profiles that get rejected! I know they say to shoot for at least a 1200 - 1300 GRE if you want to be competitive, but I guess I interpreted that to mean that I needed to get in the 700s....which just didn't happen in the real exam, despite consistently getting around 1500 on practice exams. I used to be proud of my 6.0 on the writing section, but then people said that adcomms just consider the awa a joke and that you can only get a 6 if you write like you do in Jr High....Which made me feel pretty upset because I've always considered myself to be a good writer. Also, I didn't write my personal statement with the standard academic tone that is recommended for writing SOPs....I wrote in a very unconventional, personal, and somewhat quirky style. (I also noticed that I had a typo in the SOP that I submitted to U Chicago...I feel like such an idiot.) I can't beat myself up too much over this, though, right? In the end, I guess it's hard to tell what the adcomms are looking for.... Does it seem to anyone else that you almost can't predict who is going to be accepted? I mean, I know they are looking for a good "fit," but I' think most of us aren't sure what we are going to specialize in during grad school. I think the they just throw darts at a board and only the few lucky students get admitted. Especially with our field...they usually only have 3-5 students entering per year....they probably don't even accept most of the applicants.

I'm hoping that this thread will pick up once the results come in. This is my first time applying for Japanese lit., and I pretty much know that I'm probably gonna fail this time around. I don't think I did enough research into what programs I want to attend, and while I scored in the 600s on both sections of the GRE, from what I've gathered on this board, it isn't nearly good enough to get accepted with financial support. Good luck to all of us Asian Studies applicants! I hope we all get into our top choice schools! (Nothing wrong with optimism, right? )

I'm applying to Ph.D. programs in East Asian studies. I'm so nervous...I wonder when we will hear the results... Degree: Mostly Ph.D., some M.A. in Japanese Literature Schools Applied To: Yale, U Chicago, WashU, U Minnesota Fellowships Applied For: FLAS Undergraduate School (or school type) Major: Public University, B.A. Major: English and Japanese Experience in Asia or in Field: JET Program for 1 year. 4 years studying Japanese in college Do you think we'll hear any results in January?...I keep checking my email, just in case!