Asian Studies 2011

[elliebear]

I haven't heard back from Duke yet. Was the decision posted on the application website?

Has anyone heard back from Harvard RSEA MA or Stanford East Asian Studies MA?

there are 3 rejects on the forum's results page.

and i saw this offer on a chinese forum too:

M.A. in RSEA @ Harvard U

with full financial aid offer up to tuition plus $20,000 for two years.

Edited March 9, 2011 by elliebear

[IMN22]

I received one email from the graduate school dean then a subsequent one from the program director. You can log onto the Duke application and check your results.

I haven't heard back from Duke yet. Was the decision posted on the application website?

Has anyone heard back from Harvard RSEA MA or Stanford East Asian Studies MA?

[Turian27]

Got an email from Stanford, no-go for me. Congratulations to those who got in!

[Yukarin♪]

Anyone accepted to Harvard RSEA MA (without money)?

Also, those who heard bad news from Harvard, did you have to email them to get the rejection?

[analyzetwice]

ahhhhhh. i feel pretty nuts. got in to harvard RSEA, with a half-tuition grant. i'm so grateful to be accepted, but the idea of taking out an additional $40,000 or so in loans over two years to study literature is pretty terrifying. no idea what i'll do. still waiting on two schools, and hoping to hear back in the next day or two. good luck to everyone!

[Aroma Black]

Still waiting for my last two notifications. I had already heard back from both of the schools by this point last year. I need to finish planning my visits, so I hope I hear something soon.

[pudewen]

I saw that a bunch of people were finally rejected by Columbia in the last couple days. I wonder what it means that I still haven't heard anything.

[kyjin]

Still waiting on Harvard RSEA and Columbia as well; got my reject from Yale this morning.

I just want to be done!

[Yukarin♪]

Still waiting on Harvard RSEA and Columbia as well; got my reject from Yale this morning.

I just want to be done!

Me too! I have a feeling Columbia won't tell me until May.

[delilah87]

I saw that a bunch of people were finally rejected by Columbia in the last couple days. I wonder what it means that I still haven't heard anything.

Me too - it's killing me.

[c_n]

ahhhhhh. i feel pretty nuts. got in to harvard RSEA, with a half-tuition grant. i'm so grateful to be accepted, but the idea of taking out an additional $40,000 or so in loans over two years to study literature is pretty terrifying. no idea what i'll do. still waiting on two schools, and hoping to hear back in the next day or two. good luck to everyone!

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!?

[c_n]

Still waiting on Harvard RSEA and Columbia as well; got my reject from Yale this morning.

I just want to be done!

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~

[c_n]

Still waiting for my last two notifications. I had already heard back from both of the schools by this point last year. I need to finish planning my visits, so I hope I hear something soon.

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?

[lydiag]

I'm still waiting to hear back from Yale's EAS MA - anyone else? It looks like last year the rejections went out in late February and the acceptances about two weeks later, but the first round of rejections were so much later this year, and no news is not necessarily good news...

WaitingImpatiently, how do you like the program there? You mentioned before about 4 out of 15 students getting funding - do you mean that 15 that attend or 15 are accepted?

Degree: M.A. East Asian Studies, focus on Japan

Schools Applied To: Yale EAS MA, Columbia Liberal Studies MA Asian Studies

Fellowships Applied For: None

Undergraduate School (or school type) Major: Top 20 liberal arts college, Japanese major, Sociology minor

Experience in Asia or in Field: 1 semester study abroad in Japan, 4+ years language study, used Japanese in a previous position at work

[falling_leaves]

I don't expect to get in to my last few programs, so it's likely going to be Alberta for me. Yale and Harvard MAs are still a possibility, but I've received a very nice funding package from Alberta, plus it's a two-year program with a major name in my field, which should put me in a good position for PhD admissions in 2013.

Congratulations! I'm sure you'll enjoy it at UAlberta. All the professors are extremely kind and intelligent. You picked a very good program!

[WaitingImpatiently]

Last year there were around 116 applicants, 13 attended, 4 got funding. . .That is all I know.

As for the program, it has been a great opportunity to work with great professors and take some really interesting classes. You take four classes each semester, and they are very open about what you take. Four classes is bit intense, but it is good in a one-year program. The only difficult part for me, anyway, was not having a real advisor. The DGS of EAS serves as your advisor (this year Deborah Davis, I don't know about next year). . . but other than that I would highly recommend it.

If you are looking to continue into a PHD program, it is a mixed bag. On one hand it is definitely a plus to have an MA from Yale, on the other, it is difficult to get recs from profs so early. But they are super friendly and willing to help you out as much as they can.

If you have not received a rejection you are most likely accepted. Last year they sent out their mass rejections, and then took their sweet time sending acceptances.

If you have any more questions, let me know!

I'm still waiting to hear back from Yale's EAS MA - anyone else? It looks like last year the rejections went out in late February and the acceptances about two weeks later, but the first round of rejections were so much later this year, and no news is not necessarily good news...

WaitingImpatiently, how do you like the program there? You mentioned before about 4 out of 15 students getting funding - do you mean that 15 that attend or 15 are accepted?

Degree: M.A. East Asian Studies, focus on Japan

Schools Applied To: Yale EAS MA, Columbia Liberal Studies MA Asian Studies

Fellowships Applied For: None

Undergraduate School (or school type) Major: Top 20 liberal arts college, Japanese major, Sociology minor

Experience in Asia or in Field: 1 semester study abroad in Japan, 4+ years language study, used Japanese in a previous position at work

Edited March 11, 2011 by WaitingImpatiently

[lydiag]

Thanks! That's incredibly helpful. I'm hoping you're right, though given how few people usually post on the results page, it's not a big enough sample to put my mind totally at ease!

Last year there were around 116 applicants, 13 attended, 4 got funding. . .That is all I know.

As for the program, it has been a great opportunity to work with great professors and take some really interesting classes. You take four classes each semester, and they are very open about what you take. Four classes is bit intense, but it is good in a one-year program. The only difficult part for me, anyway, was not having a real advisor. The DGS of EAS serves as your advisor (this year Deborah Davis, I don't know about next year). . . but other than that I would highly recommend it.

If you are looking to continue into a PHD program, it is a mixed bag. On one hand it is definitely a plus to have an MA from Yale, on the other, it is difficult to get recs from profs so early. But they are super friendly and willing to help you out as much as they can.

If you have not received a rejection you are most likely accepted. Last year they sent out their mass rejections, and then took their sweet time sending acceptances.

If you have any more questions, let me know!

[lydiag]

Speak of the devil - not 30 seconds after replying I got the email from Yale and I got in!

Thanks! That's incredibly helpful. I'm hoping you're right, though given how few people usually post on the results page, it's not a big enough sample to put my mind totally at ease!

[c_n]

Speak of the devil - not 30 seconds after replying I got the email from Yale and I got in!

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

[lydiag]

Thanks! Nothing in the letter on the website, but it mentions a letter "containing details" to follow in the mail, so we'll see!

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

[IMN22]

2/3 of my results are in and I have done better in terms of funding offers than I initially hoped (Ohio is the only one out of these schools that didn't at least consider me as an alternate for a fellowship). I've been hearing that all the Harvard RSEA program offers have been made so it looks like I will be deciding between Stanford and Duke (identical funding offers). It will be a tough choice though the fellowship funds go a lot further in N.C. than they do in Cali. Does anyone have any special insights into either of these two programs (especially in the China/social science aspects of EAS) ?

[steven22]

2/3 of my results are in and I have done better in terms of funding offers than I initially hoped (Ohio is the only one out of these schools that didn't at least consider me as an alternate for a fellowship). I've been hearing that all the Harvard RSEA program offers have been made so it looks like I will be deciding between Stanford and Duke (identical funding offers). It will be a tough choice though the fellowship funds go a lot further in N.C. than they do in Cali. Does anyone have any special insights into either of these two programs (especially in the China/social science aspects of EAS) ?

This is really a tough and challenging question…Both of Duke and Stanford are quite good and enjoy comprarable prestige. Duke has a much smaller student group (one student v. three professors I think?) which means one may receive much more individualized attention. It seems Duke has more professors who work on China from social science angles while each has several various interested fields. In contrast Stanford seems to focus more on elite politics and state-to-state relations, or cultural aspects of commoners in the ancient. Anyway Harvard would be the best choice either in terms of brand or in terms of educational resources. Having not heard from Harvard doesn’t mean that you no longer have hopes to get in. So stick there and if Harvard doesn’t work, you can come back to consider how to decide between S and D. Duke might be a better option for you since it has more people teaching Chinese social science, more personal atmosphere and offers you funding (Stanford doesn’t has funding right?). Good luck!

[lydiag]

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

Got the letter yesterday - fellowship covering full tuition, plus a stipend. Totally wasn't expecting that! It was definitely my first choice over Columbia, so I've already accepted the offer.

[steven22]

Got the letter yesterday - fellowship covering full tuition, plus a stipend. Totally wasn't expecting that! It was definitely my first choice over Columbia, so I've already accepted the offer.

many congratulations! compared to its chinese studies especially in history and poli sci, yale's japanese studies is quite strong and highly recognized in this country!

[IMN22]

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?

This is really a tough and challenging question…Both of Duke and Stanford are quite good and enjoy comparable prestige. Duke has a much smaller student group (one student v. three professors I think?) which means one may receive much more individualized attention. It seems Duke has more professors who work on China from social science angles while each has several various interested fields. In contrast Stanford seems to focus more on elite politics and state-to-state relations, or cultural aspects of commoners in the ancient. Anyway Harvard would be the best choice either in terms of brand or in terms of educational resources. Having not heard from Harvard doesn’t mean that you no longer have hopes to get in. So stick there and if Harvard doesn’t work, you can come back to consider how to decide between S and D. Duke might be a better option for you since it has more people teaching Chinese social science, more personal atmosphere and offers you funding (Stanford doesn’t has funding right?). Good luck!