Asian Studies 2011

[strummus]

Thanks for the insights and encouragement. I received identical funding from both Stanford and Duke. I had similar thoughts about Duke being able to provide more individual attention and access to professors by virtue of it being a smaller program. I emailed several current Duke students and got mixed reviews though they all seem happy with their program. I am trying to contact some Stanford students as well. At this point I actually think I would choose Stanford over Harvard for a few reasons.

What are your research interests?

Congratulate for your funded acceptance! Although Duke is smaller in terms of size, I think the quality of your graduate life depends even more on fit, that is, the fit of your academic interest toward Duke/Stanford and their faculty. Both of them have great faculty on Chinese politics/sociology, while their relative strength of sub-areas differ, such as democracy of China, social protest, comparative politics, etc. As for social science as a whole, you should take your research further. Just my two cents of thought. Please share more student contact results, I am actually considering between several of these schools too.

By the way, what's your reason to choose Stanford over Harvard? I'm now quite hesitate for asking Stanford on funding issues(I didn't contact any POI prior to application).

Edited March 17, 2011 by strummus

[tamanever]

I saw in the results section that some applicants found out about the admission status of Harvard RSEA via email.

So I asked the admissions office "once again" but they were quite firm that I should wait for the mail.

The waiting is killing me!!!!!

[Aroma Black]

Still waiting for one result from a PhD program--crickets. At this point, I would almost rather have my money back. A rejection would be fine too.

[fumblewhat]

So, the quake up here in northern Japan hit in the middle of my appendectomy. Just got out of the hospital. My prefecture was fortunate and didn't see any real damage, though. We just have a gasoline and (to a lesser extent) a food shortage going on. If you haven't, I hope you all will consider donating to the Japanese Red Cross or other natural disaster NGO in Japan.

Michigan sent me two funding letters. I've gotten one department fellowship, and I'm wait-listed for FLAS. What are the odds that one will come through? I can't imagine anyone turning down that kind of money!

I still haven't heard anything from Hawaii, though their deadline is extremely late (March 1). Does anyone have a sense of whether Duke has handed out its FLAS awards yet?

[Aroma Black]

Can you recommend any good NGOs to donate to that aren't 赤十字? I've been asked a few times now, but I've only been able to recommend unrelated organizations I think are reliable (日経新聞 etc.).

There's still a good chance of getting funding off a wait list. I have turned down some money already, and will have to turn down more soon.

[fumblewhat]

I have read here and on the American Anthropological Association's EA listserv that Peace Winds Japan and JEN (donation page) are good alternatives to the Japanese Red Cross.

Edit: The Japanese Red Cross has actually stated that it is not in need of international donations at this time. (See their PDF bulletin here.)

Edited March 22, 2011 by fumblewhat

[Aroma Black]

Well, I am in Japan. On the other hand, I've discovered that the Nikkei Shimbun actually routes its donations through to the Red Cross.

...To stay on topic, still haven't heard back about my last application. I'll be declining some money at one of your schools today. Not Michigan, however.

Thank you, by the way.

Edited March 23, 2011 by Aroma Black

[IMN22]

I got really good feedback from students at both schools. The Duke students were particularly helpful and just about each one I contacted got back to me. Both groups emphasized the flexibility of the program and quality of the professors. Students from both programs have also been successful in receiving funding for summer programs and projects (though the funding is mostly federal at Duke). Housing might be a more difficult issue at Duke if you want to be anywhere near campus but several students offered to help me find a place. Stanford area housing is not cheap but campus housing is guaranteed for students who apply by the deadline. Duke also seems poised to perhaps add another specialist in Chinese politics in the near future (their resident expert, Professor TJ Shi, passed away a couple of months ago).

I am one Havard RSEA rejection letter away from completing this long process.

Congratulate for your funded acceptance! Although Duke is smaller in terms of size, I think the quality of your graduate life depends even more on fit, that is, the fit of your academic interest toward Duke/Stanford and their faculty. Both of them have great faculty on Chinese politics/sociology, while their relative strength of sub-areas differ, such as democracy of China, social protest, comparative politics, etc. As for social science as a whole, you should take your research further. Just my two cents of thought. Please share more student contact results, I am actually considering between several of these schools too.

By the way, what's your reason to choose Stanford over Harvard? I'm now quite hesitate for asking Stanford on funding issues(I didn't contact any POI prior to application).

[kyjin]

Still haven't heard from Columbia, but I went ahead and accepted my place at Alberta. I also should probably email Harvard, since I know they sent a rejection letter to my Japan address, but I ended up leaving the country after the earthquake. (Planned to leave temporarily, but they went and canceled my program, so I'm home for good.)

[lynncc]

Still haven't heard from Columbia, but I went ahead and accepted my place at Alberta. I also should probably email Harvard, since I know they sent a rejection letter to my Japan address, but I ended up leaving the country after the earthquake. (Planned to leave temporarily, but they went and canceled my program, so I'm home for good.)

Did they cancel IUC Classes? So many lives have been disrupted, I'm glad your safe but I'm sure you are feeling a bit misplaced right now.

[kyjin]

Did they cancel IUC Classes? So many lives have been disrupted, I'm glad your safe but I'm sure you are feeling a bit misplaced right now.

Yeah, they did. Originally they canceled the week after the quake, giving us a three-week spring break. After I got home last week, the Stanford office announced that the classes would be suspended for the rest of the year. They're setting up "distance-learning", but everything's still up in the air at the moment. Nearly every other study-abroad program in the country has been suspended, or home institutions have forced people home. Tokyo/Yokohama were getting back to normal by the time I left (minus some blackouts and the trains not running 100%), so it's a real shame. I'm just thankful everyone I know in the country is safe.

Back to topic- I've seen scattered results from Columbia on the board. Anyone know what's going on?

[robuhage]

Can someone share their opinion of the Asian Studies program, specifically the Japan Studies Dept., at the Univ. of Washington? I've been speaking with a student there, but I'd like to get another opinion.

Thanks!

[IMN22]

I do not know about the Japanese Studies section but the University of Washington definitely has one of the strongest East Asian studies programs in the country. Just take a look at the course offerings and specialist faculty and compare them to those at other schools.

Can someone share their opinion of the Asian Studies program, specifically the Japan Studies Dept., at the Univ. of Washington? I've been speaking with a student there, but I'd like to get another opinion.

Thanks!

[PoorStudent2011]

Thanks everyone for the great resources on this board. It's been incredibly helpful place to figure out what programs to apply to... Anyway, does anyone have opinions on how WashU-St. Louis and Pittsburgh are regarded? I don't seem to have seen anything about those schools here. And fortunately, those are two I think I'd actually be able to afford among the ones I'm considering (barring a miracle FLAS fellowship). Thanks again to everyone for their help these past few months!

[fumblewhat]

So, at the 11th hour, I just had two huge funding packages land on me from both Duke and Michigan. I don't suppose anyone here has a sense of whether one program is markedly stronger than another? Obviously, Michigan is a Japanese Studies program and Duke is EAS, so the focus is a little different. Any thoughts about these schools?

[IMN22]

I got a lot of really good feedback from current and former students at Duke. It is a relatively small cohort but that means personal attention and the administration and professors got good reviews. If you are interested at all in pursuing doctoral work a lot of APSI students go on to excellent PhD programs. I don't really know anything about Michigan but as a large State school I am sure the environment is very different from Duke.

So, at the 11th hour, I just had two huge funding packages land on me from both Duke and Michigan. I don't suppose anyone here has a sense of whether one program is markedly stronger than another? Obviously, Michigan is a Japanese Studies program and Duke is EAS, so the focus is a little different. Any thoughts about these schools?

[fumblewhat]

I got a lot of really good feedback from current and former students at Duke. It is a relatively small cohort but that means personal attention and the administration and professors got good reviews. If you are interested at all in pursuing doctoral work a lot of APSI students go on to excellent PhD programs. I don't really know anything about Michigan but as a large State school I am sure the environment is very different from Duke.

Good to know about Duke! The Michigan students I talked to emphasized that they had a lot of personal attention in their small cohort, too, however, so I don't think the programs are distinct in that sense. Michigan seems to have a lot more resources... funding people to go to Middlebury and IUC in Yokohama, etc... It also has the number two ranked anthropology department in the country, which is where my disciplinary leanings lie.

They're both strong programs. I wish one had a glaring problem -- it would make deciding so much easier!

[kyjin]

So it's past April 15th- where is everyone going?

[liuxia]

Most of us have received admits and rejections at this point. I hope you all got into your dream school and if not, I hope the decision you will make regarding the school you will ultimately decide to attend will give you an opportunity to make new friends, work with great faculty, enjoy school life again (exams, mid terms, annoying undergrads (lol...kidding), papers, presentations..etc) and a chance to have a fulfilling professional and rewarding personal lives! For the sake of those who might be looking at this forum to get an idea of the reasons behind your choices regarding where to go for your Asian Studies program, please feel free to share using the following information:

Previous Schools (Name, type, or tier):

Previous Degrees and GPA's:

GRE Scores (Verbal/Quantitative/Analytical Writing):

Previous Work Experience (Years, Type):

International Background(study/work abroad):

Foreign Language Background:

Intended Field of Study in Grad School:

Long Term Professional Goals:

Schools Applied to & Results:

Ultimate Decision & Why:

Any advice to Future Applicants?:

[fumblewhat]

So it's past April 15th- where is everyone going?

I'm at Michigan! I didn't have a ranking of programs before I applied, but I can't really imagine a better fit for me.

Now I'm just trying to figure out how to secure housing from something like 9,000 miles away.

Everyone else?

[kyjin]

I'm at Michigan! I didn't have a ranking of programs before I applied, but I can't really imagine a better fit for me.

Now I'm just trying to figure out how to secure housing from something like 9,000 miles away.

Everyone else?

Congrats! I'm sure you'll be able to figure out long-distance. I'm doing long-distance apartment hunts for the second time. (Last time was for Japan from the US.)

UAlberta here! I can't wait!

[pudewen]

I'm at Michigan! I didn't have a ranking of programs before I applied, but I can't really imagine a better fit for me.

Now I'm just trying to figure out how to secure housing from something like 9,000 miles away.

Everyone else?

I'm headed to Harvard, and also having fun with the long-distance housing search from here in China. Also having fun with Harvard's decision that they should try to contact me using my undergrad e-mail address from when I attended their summer program in Beijing 3 years ago even though that address stopped working when I graduated.

[IMN22]

Stanford

So it's past April 15th- where is everyone going?

[MemoryQ]

This is a great post. It's application season again and I am applying for East Asian Studies for Fall 2013 so I'd like to kick this up!

Degree: MA East Asian Studies (social sciences, esp. anthropology and sociology)

Schools Applied To: UCLA, UCB, UCSD, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, LSE, Oxford, Cambridge,

Fellowships Applied For: Not decided yet

Undergraduate School (or school type) Major: A top national liberal art college, major in philosophy

Experience in Asia or in Field: Chinese myself

[sweetpolaris]

This is a great post. It's application season again and I am applying for East Asian Studies for Fall 2013 so I'd like to kick this up!

Degree: MA East Asian Studies (social sciences, esp. anthropology and sociology)

Schools Applied To: UCLA, UCB, UCSD, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, LSE, Oxford, Cambridge,

Fellowships Applied For: Not decided yet

Undergraduate School (or school type) Major: A top national liberal art college, major in philosophy

Experience in Asia or in Field: Chinese myself

Oh, you should definitely post on the 'Asian Studies 2013' thread as well then!