EALC / EALAC / EAS 2019

[sheeeeeeiitttt]

22 minutes ago, homesicksub said:

Hi, did anyone else here get into Columbia’s MARSEA? With some generous funding, it’s currently my top choice.

Yes, same here! I am still waiting to hear back from a few other places but Columbia's offer is definitely going to be hard to top. What is/will be your research focus?

[homesicksub]

3 minutes ago, sheeeeeeiitttt said:

Yes, same here! I am still waiting to hear back from a few other places but Columbia's offer is definitely going to be hard to top. What is/will be your research focus?

So hard to turn down! I’m interested in China, specifically US-China foreign policy. Still trying to figure out how to bridge study at Columbia to a job down in DC. How about you?

[sheeeeeeiitttt]

Just now, homesicksub said:

So hard to turn down! I’m interested in China, specifically US-China foreign policy. Still trying to figure out how to bridge study at Columbia to a job down in DC. How about you?

Very cool! I am also interested in China, particularly the role of ideology in its political system and foreign development(s). I feel you on the job end -- personally I am more interested in trying to stay/work in New York after the program. Let me know if you do end up attending, and maybe I'll see you in the Fall! Good luck with the rest of the admissions & job hunting process.

[homesicksub]

Just now, sheeeeeeiitttt said:

Very cool! I am also interested in China, particularly the role of ideology in its political system and foreign development(s). I feel you on the job end -- personally I am more interested in trying to stay/work in New York after the program. Let me know if you do end up attending, and maybe I'll see you in the Fall! Good luck with the rest of the admissions & job hunting process.

Nice!  I have a feeling the cohort will be predominantly China-focused. And MARSEA is a perfect choice if you’re looking to stay in NYC!

[JennyGoat]

On 3/1/2019 at 10:24 PM, inception said:

Hi — has anyone heard from Cornell's Asian studies MA? I was hoping they'd come out today, but I guess not.

Congrats @jeangabin!

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.

[otters]

Hello! If anyone has any knowledge / experience with MARSEA at Columbia or RSEA at Harvard, could you please share? Especially in terms of how close the cohort is, support from advisors..thanks so much! 

[Amemira]

Hello everyone. I just found this thread now. ^_^ Figured I'd share how my applications are going as well. This is for MA in East Asian Studies. 

Stanford - Accepted with full funding (FLAS)

UCLA - Accepted with no funding 

UBC - Pending

McGill - Pending

UoToronto - Rejected

UC Berkeley - Rejected 

---

UBC was my top choice as I didn't expect anything from the Stanford application. Obviously Stanford is my top choice now since I actually got in and can afford to go due to the funding. I'm very excited~ I keep on looking at their course listings and making plans. 

What I'd like to ask though, what are y'all experiences with Stanford? Any info you may have in terms of coursework, job placement, living in the area etc. would be awesome.

[inception]

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 ?

Edited March 15, 2019 by inception

[inception]

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!

[JennyGoat]

@inception

TL;DR:  Had I been given the choice, I still would be choosing Michigan over Cornell here at the masters level based on funding and future planning.

First, congratulations on Cornell!  I didn't get in (although I had a nice email from the department).  Michigan has been my first choice throughout the whole process, so I wasn't heartbroken over the rejection.  I'd thought the same things about Cornell just the night before...no funding other than FLAS, which still left a deficit.  I'm pretty sure there are no TAs available at the masters level, but I might have read that wrong.  

Also, the Cornell Asian Studies MA track doesn't have the review to continue on to PhD (like the Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture MA).  Professors that I want to work with at both Michigan and Wisconsin have their PhDs from Cornell so in my long term planning for a future PhD, I could earn some very nice recommendations for a future application there.  

For me, had I gotten Cornell, it was easier to consider relocating there than it likely is for you.  Both Cornell and UM are about six hours from me.  In fact, I didn't apply to either UHM or the University of Washington in consideration of relocation costs and distance from home.  If family and returning home for visits to Arizona is important to you, I'd look into what that would cost from each place.  I already live in a climate where I'm used to wintery conditions, but you'd want to factor in the cost of winter gear and weatherizing your car to live in Ithaca. I'd also try and determine if it is feasible to leave your car rather than transport it if you go to UHW.  

As far as funding at UHM, you could ask for in-state tuition if the yearly cost exceeds the 18K (I think) from FLAS.  Plus, as you said you have some other funding options that might work out.  

Good luck!  Cambodia is a both beautiful and haunting given the history of the Khmer Rouge.  It's a fascinating topic.  Feel free to PM me also to further discuss any of this.  

PS:  I didn't get FLAS at Wisconsin, so will be declining there.  Still waiting on final funding from Michigan but it looks much more promising between FLAS and a fellowship the review committee nominated me for.

 

 

 

[inception]

@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.

[Amemira]

On 3/13/2019 at 6:09 AM, Amemira said:

Stanford - Accepted with full funding (FLAS, tuition covered and 15k stipend)

UCLA - Accepted with full funding (Graduate Opportunity Fellowship, tuition covered and 20k stipend)

UBC - Rejected 

McGill - Pending

UoToronto - Rejected

UC Berkeley - Rejected 

I thought I should update this since UBC rejected me and UCLA awarded me full funding in the end. I emailed McGill on Monday, and while they said results would be out on Friday... that doesn't seem to be the case. Who else is eagerly waiting on McGill? 

I'm confused about ya'll's FLAS funding. Does it not cover tuition completely? Stanford Center for East Asian Studies added more funding for me, but all together 100% of tuition. 

April 15th is coming soon... Where is everyone off to in the Fall?

[inception]

@Amemira FLAS by itself is $15k for stipend and $18k for tuition, but some universities or programs can give you more and cover 100% of your tuition. Congrats on UCLA

Edited March 24, 2019 by inception

[otters]

Has anyone else heard back about FLAS from Columbia?

[jeangabin]

I'm very unsure of what I should do––wondering if anyone has any insight. I have two MA offers, both fully funded. I don't really want to name the schools for anonymity's sake, but one from my alma mater, with a smaller stipend but no requirement to teach. The other from a west-coast school, with a program that's maybe a slightly worse fit for me and the funding is contingent on teaching, but a bigger stipend. My undergraduate thesis advisor (who would probably advise me again?) suggested I'd benefit from learning from new faculty.

Both are fine schools, but my alma mater is significantly more famous and one of the richest universities on the planet. The other school is in a much better city (for me), but the cost of living is higher. I'm just not sure how much stuff like teaching vs. not teaching should weigh in, the degree to which learning from other faculty matters, etc. 

I'm very much on the humanities side of things, if that context helps at all.

 

[Fantasmapocalypse]

On 4/11/2019 at 10:37 AM, jeangabin said:

I'm very unsure of what I should do––wondering if anyone has any insight. I have two MA offers, both fully funded. I don't really want to name the schools for anonymity's sake, but one from my alma mater, with a smaller stipend but no requirement to teach. The other from a west-coast school, with a program that's maybe a slightly worse fit for me and the funding is contingent on teaching, but a bigger stipend. My undergraduate thesis advisor (who would probably advise me again?) suggested I'd benefit from learning from new faculty.

Both are fine schools, but my alma mater is significantly more famous and one of the richest universities on the planet. The other school is in a much better city (for me), but the cost of living is higher. I'm just not sure how much stuff like teaching vs. not teaching should weigh in, the degree to which learning from other faculty matters, etc. 

I'm very much on the humanities side of things, if that context helps at all.

 

The stipend is bigger, but the cost of living is likely proportionately higher, so it doesn't sound like that makes much of a difference.

Honestly, if you are banking on having overlap in your areas (physical, theoretical, topical, etc) of interest rather than learning new ones or supplementing your training and interests I can't see how the "other" school is a good option for you. The question that you basically are facing, it sounds like, is to ask your yourself: Is the school (training) or city more important to you?

On the one hand, I see many people argue that you train on coast opposite of your intended destination for teaching (i.e. go to an East coast school if you want to teach on the West) or to differentiate your BA/MA/PhD schools... and if you have time, money, connections, that all sounds great. But there is also an argument to be made that what "they" care about is 1.) that you have a PhD (or MA)... and, in some instances, if it comes to it, 2.) the prestige of the degree granting school.

I don't know if any of this helps and this is probably 6 weeks too late but I think you need to consider what you want from your MA program - do you want some one to "train" you (they have expertise that you lack), do you want someone to "coach" you (they train you in processes/theory but have different regions/topics of interest) or do you want a perfect fit? Most people don't get the perfect fit so do you want to apprentice or do you want to be coached?

Edited May 23, 2019 by Fantasmapocalypse
corrected mention of PhD since poster is discussing MA programs

[Almohad]

Hello everyone! I'm going to be applying to East Asian MA programs this year. I realize the new thread hasn't pop up yet. Anyway, I was looking at few programs, and I don't know if Berkeley still offers a MA program in East Asian Studies. I went to their Institute of East Asian Studies' site and I don't see any MA programs listed. I also went to Berkeley's program catalog and saw they offer a MA in Asian studies, but once it directs to a blank page. I want to ask you guys here if you have any idea about this, if not, then I'll email the one of the administrators at Berkeley.