Fell4Ever

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)

In my personal opinion, a lot of people have a "go giant or go home" mentality and only apply to the top top schools. I really do not agree with this mentality, because it implies that only the professors and administrators at 10 schools (The 'top 10') in the country are capable of teaching you the skills and knowledge related to an MPA. Obviously, that's not true.

I personally do not believe that going to a school not in the TOP TEN will hurt you in the long run. Maybe you wi get more networking experience at a top ten school just because be famous or useful people with busy schedules will only have time for these schools, but if you're a hard worker and interview well, I personally believe you have just as much chance to get hired at a government office then a SIPA graduate. And then once you get hired, its not about your school - its about your work ethic, experience and ultimately luck. Have faith in your ability and your school choice. Apply, get in, learn, live your life.

Often time, the people on this forum freak out over the littlest thing ("Omg the envelope I sent my Personal Statement in had a smudge - will they not accept me?"). We all admit that this is a big deal in our lives - we ALL want to get in and help make the world a better place - but we should remember we're all human, even our potential teachers, and should do our best to enjoy our lives before we die. There is NOTHING wrong with your school choices. Power through, my friend.

On the last day of my undergrad, a week before I left Japan to go back to the United States, my professor, who had written me a letter of Reccomendation for grad school, pulled me aside. He told me he really hoped I went on to get my Masters, that I really showed great Graduate School potential, and to not let my mind or passion go to waste. I laughed and said "All I have to do is find a way to afford it, and make it worthwhile." He talked to be a bit more and then said something alone these lines: "When I was young, just graduating from undergrad, I told my friends I was going for my PhD (masters first)in Sociology. They all laughed at me and said "what are you going to do with that? YOU'LL never find a job with that. I replied: "Exactly. YOU'LL never find a job with that. I WILL!"

His point was that if its something that you want - something you're willing to sacrifice for and willingly take on the debt for, and have no other important obligation like a child or sick parent to take care of - then do it.

Let me preface this by saying I didn't down-vote you...

...but that argument is pretty weak. You acknowledge that taking on a massive debt load to jump-start a career with poor ROI (no matter how personally rewarding one may find it) will make your life harder and close off many life doors, but assert that if it's "really what you want" that it will be "worth it." I would argue that just because you "want" something doesn't mean it's a good decision. People often want things they later end up regretting or changing their mind on - tattoos, cars, spouses. Part of being an adult (or at least a functioning one) is the ability to weigh your personal, often emotionally-driven desires with cold hard reality. That's true with things as relatively minor as what car you buy (yeah, you want the Bugatti, but you're going to get the Camry), and even more so for humongous life decisions.

Using the logic of "I want to" can justify any decision. Let's weigh out the pros and cons of developing a 20-year long serious drug addiction. Yes, I know I will be giving away tons of my income for the next 20 years. Yeah, it will stop me from owning a home or even a decent apartment. Sure, I can't start a family, and none of my loved ones can ever depend on me for help. OK, I will be saddled with near-constant stress for the next few decades from juggling finances to feed an ever-hungry black hole. Fine, my life possibilities are incredibly narrowed. But it's what I want! ...until a emotionally satisfactory job isn't enough to compensate for all the other aspects of your life being total shit. (any of the above sound applicable to the debt situation, btw?)

I'd like to note I'm not saying give up on your dream, just saying that massive debt isn't a very smart way to achieve it. You can find ways to get where you want without financially shooting yourself in the face.

On the last day of my undergrad, a week before I left Japan to go back to the United States, my professor, who had written me a letter of Reccomendation for grad school, pulled me aside. He told me he really hoped I went on to get my Masters, that I really showed great Graduate School potential, and to not let my mind or passion go to waste. I laughed and said "All I have to do is find a way to afford it, and make it worthwhile." He talked to be a bit more and then said something alone these lines: "When I was young, just graduating from undergrad, I told my friends I was going for my PhD (masters first)in Sociology. They all laughed at me and said "what are you going to do with that? YOU'LL never find a job with that. I replied: "Exactly. YOU'LL never find a job with that. I WILL!"

His point was that if its something that you want - something you're willing to sacrifice for and willingly take on the debt for, and have no other important obligation like a child or sick parent to take care of - then do it.

For future reference, everyone should ask Fell4Ever for advice whenever they have a question. Good news seems to be contagious.

I emailed my departments directly about funding and one of the grad directors replied last night telling me I was nominated for a university fellowship! Don't be afraid to ask questions, I suppose!

In my personal opinion, a lot of people have a "go giant or go home" mentality and only apply to the top top schools. I really do not agree with this mentality, because it implies that only the professors and administrators at 10 schools (The 'top 10') in the country are capable of teaching you the skills and knowledge related to an MPA. Obviously, that's not true.

I personally do not believe that going to a school not in the TOP TEN will hurt you in the long run. Maybe you wi get more networking experience at a top ten school just because be famous or useful people with busy schedules will only have time for these schools, but if you're a hard worker and interview well, I personally believe you have just as much chance to get hired at a government office then a SIPA graduate. And then once you get hired, its not about your school - its about your work ethic, experience and ultimately luck. Have faith in your ability and your school choice. Apply, get in, learn, live your life.

Often time, the people on this forum freak out over the littlest thing ("Omg the envelope I sent my Personal Statement in had a smudge - will they not accept me?"). We all admit that this is a big deal in our lives - we ALL want to get in and help make the world a better place - but we should remember we're all human, even our potential teachers, and should do our best to enjoy our lives before we die. There is NOTHING wrong with your school choices. Power through, my friend.

In my personal opinion, a lot of people have a "go giant or go home" mentality and only apply to the top top schools. I really do not agree with this mentality, because it implies that only the professors and administrators at 10 schools (The 'top 10') in the country are capable of teaching you the skills and knowledge related to an MPA. Obviously, that's not true.

I personally do not believe that going to a school not in the TOP TEN will hurt you in the long run. Maybe you wi get more networking experience at a top ten school just because be famous or useful people with busy schedules will only have time for these schools, but if you're a hard worker and interview well, I personally believe you have just as much chance to get hired at a government office then a SIPA graduate. And then once you get hired, its not about your school - its about your work ethic, experience and ultimately luck. Have faith in your ability and your school choice. Apply, get in, learn, live your life.

Often time, the people on this forum freak out over the littlest thing ("Omg the envelope I sent my Personal Statement in had a smudge - will they not accept me?"). We all admit that this is a big deal in our lives - we ALL want to get in and help make the world a better place - but we should remember we're all human, even our potential teachers, and should do our best to enjoy our lives before we die. There is NOTHING wrong with your school choices. Power through, my friend.

In my personal opinion, a lot of people have a "go giant or go home" mentality and only apply to the top top schools. I really do not agree with this mentality, because it implies that only the professors and administrators at 10 schools (The 'top 10') in the country are capable of teaching you the skills and knowledge related to an MPA. Obviously, that's not true.

I personally do not believe that going to a school not in the TOP TEN will hurt you in the long run. Maybe you wi get more networking experience at a top ten school just because be famous or useful people with busy schedules will only have time for these schools, but if you're a hard worker and interview well, I personally believe you have just as much chance to get hired at a government office then a SIPA graduate. And then once you get hired, its not about your school - its about your work ethic, experience and ultimately luck. Have faith in your ability and your school choice. Apply, get in, learn, live your life.

Often time, the people on this forum freak out over the littlest thing ("Omg the envelope I sent my Personal Statement in had a smudge - will they not accept me?"). We all admit that this is a big deal in our lives - we ALL want to get in and help make the world a better place - but we should remember we're all human, even our potential teachers, and should do our best to enjoy our lives before we die. There is NOTHING wrong with your school choices. Power through, my friend.

Congratulations Fell4Ever! I am completely jealous that you have already heard from one of your programs--I don't anticipate hearing until *at least* the end of January. Anyway, maybe you can relax a little now!

It looks like East Asia is by far the most popular region in Asian Studies. There was a time when South Asia had that honor.

Considering that quant scores in the 160 range are still below 80%, I do not think you have anything to worry about. Just own your application and go for it. Do you really think its going to disqualify you - no you don't. That's why you're here. That's why you called yourself a competitive applicant And that's why you listed your experiences in this post - all leading up to how your HORRIBLE gre score - which many would kill for - will disqualify you.

You said it yourself - everyone mentions that it is just one part of the application - sometimes the most important, sometimes not. So just write your statement of purpose. Have faith in your LoR and your transcripts, 'Don't Panic', and send in your applications.

What are you going to do? Not apply .Makes no sense.

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

Hey all! I'm an EAST applicant from last year. Just wishing you all the best of luck with your applications! I'm currently working on my MA at UAlberta, so if you have any questions about our program, feel free to ask.

Manatee it is pretty easy to see that you posted originally in order to flaunt your superiority. Your tone was immodest and implicitly mocked those who prepare diligently, you made a pathetic and self-aggrandizing attempt at humor, and it is questionable whether or not smart people who do not need to prepare much to do well even need the "advice" you offered. An hour with some prep questions would be all that it takes for someone of that nature to gather such information.

Congratulations, you're happy. You tested well. Your methods and background worked for you. Consider yourself lucky.

You'll have a long and difficult road ahead if you think you can successfully slack your way through grad school, too- assuming you're even accepted into a program. You're not nearly as clever as you think you are; slacking on any part of the application is just a BAD idea. If you're not even willing to put forth an honest effort to study for an entrance exam, you really just don't belong in the applicant pool.

My 0.02.

About a week before taking the gre, I was browsing this forum for info on the new scale and could not get over how many people spent months studying for this thing. I suppose if you want a perfect score then okay, but really... Anyway I just wanted to let my fellow slackers know that you are not doomed if you aren't practicing an hour a day for 6 months. I studied for ~3 days and came out with V: 650-750 and Q: 670-770. Obviously not the best scores ever, but I'm happy. Now, back to xbox

The OP has a serious point - its not like everyone will fail the test if you do not study for months on end. I myself barely studied because I didn't have the time to do it (with working and the such), but I was okay with this because I do well on Tests. I understand why a lot of people are getting upset - the mere word 'slacker' is an affront to the hard academic life that many people on this forum - double especially so for PhD students - represent. But that does not mean you cannot be a slacker and an academic. If anything, academics can often get lost in their books and works, and forget why the enjoy a topic to begin with. Where as slackers will always enjoy what they're researching (they just fight forget to hand in that paper...)

My intention wasn't to advise people to not study, rather it was to alleviate the fear some people may experience upon first reading this forum. The first time I visited here, I was a bit worried because I saw several posts from people who studied several months and felt like that wasn't enough. If you're planning to take the GRE, I'm assuming you're smart enough to realize what does and doesn't work for you, so my post was more aimed at people like me who might become overwhelmed by all the posters here who seem to think you need to take a prep course, 10 practice exams, a personal tutor, and 3 different books to get a good score.

And lol at people taking the slacker comment seriously. Apparently some people need to brush up on their critical reading skills. And sense of humor.

The admissions process is a crapshoot, and if you hear one piece of advice over and over again on this board, it is that fit is the most important component of your application—and it's true. If you've researched the heck out of Cornell and think it looks like the ideal culture with the ideal research focuses for you, then you may have a shot.

There are plenty of stories around here of people with imperfect GPAs, or of people from run-of-the-mill state schools who got into their reach schools. I know it's not the answer you're looking for, but you really won't know unless you try.

You should always have at least one or two reach schools in your application pool anyway.

I hate that my school is so difficult to get into and that if I had to pay, it would be extremely expensive.

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).