Fell4Ever

Hey. Something I've learned when it comes to anything academic is "You never know unless you apply!" So I think you're right in thinking that your life experience will help offset your good - but not amazing - academic history. If you're looking for small-ish but hugging the East Coast, you could also consider Seton Hall University in New Jersey. (http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/mpa/index.cfm) Best of luck!

I took my test on August 8th (US). Verbal Given Estimate (650-750) Score: 161 (89%) Math Given Estimate (640-740) Score: 155 (69%) Essay Given Estimate: None Score: 5.0 (87%) I didn't study much because I'm horrible at studying, so with that in mind my scores are not that bad But I'm horrible at math and this is reflected in my Math score ;/ My program is Asian Studies/Policy Studies so hopefully math doesn't count that much >.< DOOOMM but a happy doom. The only problem is that my scores aren't like.. PERFECT (which means I could be really confident in my applications) and they aren't BAD (which means I could just give up and drink a milkshake instead). So no help from my gre scores XD

I suggested SEA studies instead of South Asian Studies partly because I know nothing about South Asia, as my specialist is East Asia/Japan haha. BUT With China and Nepal so close, its possible there might be a specialist floating around out there in that field. But an Indian or Tibetan specialist might be more informed as well. There may not be a scholarly department of "Bhutanese Studies", but some schools do have Tibetan studies. You can ask around there too! Good Luck! (Another option, as well, is to do as you said - Anthropology studies and the such, and then apply for fieldwork in Bhutan)

Because it is so tiny in size, I do not know of any specialist in Bhutan who are in Academia. I'm sure there are a few experts in the government. Perhaps you might have to expand your boundaries to "South East Asian" specialists or "South China" specialists. Something strategic to do would be to either read major academic articles on Bhutan and e-mail the authors - asking for advice on where to go to school OR e-mail professors who study South East Asia and ask "Can you handle a focus on Bhutan? Or do you know anyone who can?" Its possible that someone who is a Bhutan expert is also a Chinese expert, Nepal expert, or Indian expert and will also be able to help you.

How are the future masters of Asian Studies doing this round?

I would love to do this. I actively read the site >.< Though maybe I should post more.

If people think you lack formal training in Comparative Literatre - prove to them that you have the training! You're required to submit writing samples no? Do some comparative literature then! Try to get a piece published - on any topic - just to show that you know your stuff. If your BA doesn't match up with your PhD area, MAKE IT. Show some way how your study of techniques in Architecture can apply to Comp Lit.

@gradcafe26 I do not think I've ever seen an actual Ranking in East Asian Studies - just user guesses. University of Hawaii has one of the largest (if not the largest) Chinese and Japanese language program and are known for their Asian Studies program. Their funding is limited though. One of the Universities in the California system would be pretty high ranked too, but I forget which haha! I am applying at: UofHawaii, UofBritish Columbia, Duke University, WUSTL and Yale University, Seton Hall for now. Though it might change. I'm feeling out my applications in November when I get my GRE Scores. I might suggest going back in this section's archives to the Asian Studies section for 2011. It was MUCH more active than this one and a lot of people there discussed their dream schools. Since you might go for a Poly Sci masters, you should look for schools with Strong Poli Sci departments that also offer Asian Studies. This way you should find Asian Studies prorams that focus on politics. Some only focus on language. Others on history. Others on policy. Others on EVERYTHING. Good Luck!

I took the test on the 9th haha so I also have to wait so I understand how you're feeling. So I'm just going to pretend it never happened until November XD

Your scores are fine. Even at the minimum a 710 and 680 are very respectable. You do not need a perfect Q score since you're not a science-focused degree seeker anyway. Most 'good' schools for V, I would think, average around a 650 or a 710, so really relax and take pride in your scores and move on to the next step.

Hey. I had only one question on a function, if my memory serves well, and it was more difficult then I thought it would be haha, but I just did that one last. I did get a few coordinate ones, but every question is really not as hard as you think it will be. Basically you're given a little over a minute for each question, so if the question is taking you more than a minute - STOP - and try to see if there is an easy way to solve it. The math was not super complex in my opinion and I did not remember most equations or anything. I did have to guess some times, but that's part of the game. Just take a deep breath on every scary problem and you'll be fine.

Hey. As for not being able to know - you should actually be fine. It gives you an estimated range of score based on the old test. For example, I just took the test today and even though I will not get my real score until November, the guess range was all I needed. If you can look at your school's previous GRE scores, just compare. For example, the average score of your dream school might be 650V. If 650 is within the range they give you as your estimate, then you should be fine, and only retake the test if you really want to push your score that much higher. You will absolutely know if you need to retake the test based on the estimated score given to you. If the range is far too low to what your goal was, re-take it.

I'm taking my GRE in America on the 8th, a week before I fly back to Tokyo! I wish you well with your literature studies - Japanese literature is so intense! If I ever have to read the Tale of Genji again I'll cry. Right now I think I'm going to apply for a Masters, not a PhD since I don't think I'm qualified enough. ganbaremashou!

Hi everyone, hope the summer (or winter, silly hemispheres) is treating you well. I was talking to some people at the University of British Columbia where I am considering going to graduate school for a MA in Asian Pacific Policy Studies, and the advisor asked if we could schedule a Skype Interview. For a few reasons, I'm not comfortable using skype to interview with people, so I declined nicely and said we can e-mail (jokingly that it'll give him time to ignore my long and boring questions). He rolled with it a bit, but then offered to meet me in Tokyo this August. I'm an American, but my school (which is American) is in Tokyo, and my flight lands on the 15th. He commented saying that he and a few of his graduate students are doing a few conferences in Tokyo around the same time and that he would love to have an interview/get to know me better. I'm excited because I'm hoping an interview increases my chances, but I hate interviews, and with this one in Japan, I'm not sure how to compose myself. Here are my concerns, and I would appreciate any help! 1. Summers in Tokyo are HORRIBLE. In the five minutes it takes you to walk from your train to cafe where you meet your friends, you're drenched in sweat, hate your life, and feel like you're about to burst into flames, EVEN AT NIGHT. I absolutely refuse to wear anything formal during the summer - its tee-shirts and jeans all the way. Is this appropriate the night/day I have my (informal?) interview? Maybe I should suck it up and try to dress as 'nice' as possible, but I might just look like a wet sponge halfway through it... 2. Tokyo is a drinking city. He studies Japan so obviously he's been the country before, and he's coming with his grad students (who might be in Japan for the first time). They're going to want to drink, perhaps? I do drink on occasion, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am drinking with someone who might decide my fate when it comes to graduate school. I know he has 'school business' during the day, so most likely our interactions will happen at night - primeJapan drinking time. 3. Should I speak Japanese? I will obviously speak English to him - but if we are in a public area like a Cafe or restaurant, should I wait for him to order (in Japanese) or should I try to demonstrate my ability? I can typically manage myself when I'm at a restaurant if I can just point to a menu and say "One please. Two Please" (which is common in Japan, even by Japanese), but what if I make a mistake? I know this is a bit of a ramble - I'm at work right now so every word I type is one more second I don't have to be doing office work. -Thank you in advanced.

I use Open Office because I don't have the money to pay for Microsoft again, but I absolutely prefer Microsoft Office. The Foreign Language tools on Microsoft Office are smoother, in my opinion ( I type a lot in Japanese ), and Microsoft's spellcheck is a lot more accurate than the spellcheck on Open Office - including the ones you can download to 'enhance' your open office. While I am a hater of Power Point presentations (in general), PowerPoint is much better, in my opinion, than OpenOffice's equivelant. The slide functions, resizing ability, and the such are so much smoother. If you plan on using a lot of powerpoints, I think you should get Microsoft over Open Office because of file conversion as well. My school only has PowerPoint, so when I do presentations I have to convert my OpenOffice - and something always goes wrong. The color changes a bit, text is raised or lowered, animations don't work, etc. But when all is said and done, if you're a good speller/proof reader and dont make more than a few PP a year, go with Open Office because of the price. ^^;;

A key factor in the growth and power of Silicon Valley is its ability to recruit individuals, not carbon copies. If you get into a school - any school - and work really hard and make your self special, it shouldn't really matter where your degree came from. Computer Science is a very, very, very, broad and ever changing field. No matter where you get your masters, try to do as much research as possible. Try to assist on a lot of different things and to pick up on 'what' new' and 'what will happen ten years down the road'. An advantage at being at a school while researching as that you can kinda predict the future. What are your professors - experts in the CS field - researching. IF they're willing to put the effort and money into it, it might just be very appetizing for Silicon Valley tech giants. Wish you the best.

I know there was one for last year's application cycle, so it is only logical we start one for ours Are you seeking a Master''s or PhD in Asian Studies? Are you specializing? Far East? South East? Tibetan? What country? Where are you applying OR thinking of applying? What steps do you need to finish or do you have any advice? I know the application periods for most school's don't start until a few months from now - but we can still talk and obsess about it now, deshou?

My school (undergraduate) is in Tokyo, and during the March 11th Earthquake, a lot of us left to go back to our home countrie (or, like me, were forced to leave Japan by their parents). The school tried to accomodate us partially, but they ended up handing out a lot of incompletes or "Withdrawl Excused". For the students who were worried about transcripts, the school suggested (and I don't know how valid this is since my school's administration is pathetic) handing in a note with our Transcripts explaining the situation. "You will see that I have 3 Incompletes Spring 2011, Please understand I was forced to abandon Japan during the Great Earthquake, and have subsequently re-taken the classes or made some other kind of progress". Since yours is medical (if it is a legit excuse, ie not elective surgeory, I guess) you should mail in a letter too explaining everything the best you can (maybe with a Dr. Note?) It all goes into your 'file', so when its looked at, if you're lucky they'll read the attached note and take that into consideration. Or you can just flesh it out in your personal statement: "I suffered my final years of school GPA wise because i had thrown myself into my research and extra-class activities. At the time it never occured to me that my grades were suffering, I was consumed with my research and goals and le tmy passion get the best of me. I have learned from this experience to better manage my time and research - and now that everything has its proper time". Stuff like that. You can always try to turn a negative into a strength...some how. (on my work computer, cannot spellcheck and I have horrible typing spelling, so, hope its readable).

I don't know how the atmosphere at your current school is, but I go to a very small school in the middle of Tokyo which gives me a very interesting tactic for getting to know professors. One thing I am considering doing (since I only have 2/3 LoR) is going up to a Prof whose class I did well in and laying it all down. "I'm applying for Grad School - I was busy dealing with transferring that it never appeared to me how difficult the application process is - I really enjoyed your class [insert some story about how he made you think of stuff] - look, I know its a bit late in the game and we don't have that large of a relationship outside of class, but please let me take you out for sushi or a Coffee so we can sit down and talk not only about my LoR, but just your experience in the academic field. It would really help me out and - hey - you get free food!" Of course, that is kind of an emergency tactic. But hey... it could work. 6_^. I wish you well.

I have no experience travelign to England what so ever, but I travel back and forth from NJ, USA and Tokyo all the time. 90% of the time, a round trip ticket is cheaper than a regular ticket - at least for me flying to Tokyo. I'm not sure if you could do this, but if you find out that they are actually cheaper (round trip over one way,) purchase a round trip ticket and just "miss" the return flight. If you can do that, that is. I don't know if you would get charged fees for missing your flight or what not. Also, don't be afraid to try those random "CHEAP FLIGHTS EVERYWHERE!" sites. Some times they are actually legit Best of luck and congrats.

I like the idea of the previous poster of getting a MA over a PhD so that you can solidfy your desires. Since this is totally new territory for you (academic wise), jumping into a 4+ year PhD might make you pull out all your hair. In terms of getting a new BA: there is a student at my school who already has a BA in history. She taught history/gend ed to highschool punks for a few years before being let go because of budget cuts. She decided that - having dedicated so many years to teaching and never wanting to do it again (she was pissed about getting fired haha), she went back to school to get a BA in communications (I think that's her major. Boy i'm a terrible friend). She has her funds from teaching to help her pay for it and has a pretty valid reason. I don't see it as a problem for you to go back and get another BA, but why not try applying for a Masters first? Worse comes to worse you will have just wasted the GRE fee and the applicagion fees, but at best you'll be accepted to a program (and take out more debt to pay for it! Yey....). In your Resume or PS, you can always just mention how 'despite not being able to access undergraduate research at [insert school here], I've dedicated my youth years to reading the fiction of [] [] [] and have spent countless hours taking apart their worlds and marveling at their fantasy. I truly hope for the chance to do comparative research on [insert book or book style here] across genre, wondering why [insert your harry potter/zelda comments] in our Western, overly technological society. Thank you for giving me that chance". I read once from a Prof who sat on a admissions board who said that they really want students who 'want to do research' as much as they want students who have done research. Masters and PhD's are all about DOING research. You need to be excited for it. you need to have ideas and give them a focus. I wish you luck