Fall 2015 Applicants

[wacyeah]

Where are you from in Japan? I'm British studying Japanese in Tokyo. Sadly I have to go back to the UK next month and apply for my visa. How much time are you giving yourself to get one?

Hey! Im from Nagoya! for me, taking a F-1 visa is not gonna take a lot of time (like few days but gotta gathering documents is gonna take about two weeks) and i gotta travel to Tokyo as there's no US embassy in Nagoya. 

[Gambaosaka1]

Hey! Im from Nagoya! for me, taking a F-1 visa is not gonna take a lot of time (like few days but gotta gathering documents is gonna take about two weeks) and i gotta travel to Tokyo as there's no US embassy in Nagoya. 

 

I'm hoping it will be the same for me in London. Heading back early next month so I don't have to stress about it.

 

Wish I had a chance to visit Nagoya on this trip. Will have to save it for Summer language immersion time.

 

Did you write earlier that you were going to the look at US-Japan relations?

Edited April 4, 2015 by Gambaosaka1

[wacyeah]

You should visit Nagoya if you have time coz it's a nice city! And yes, my focus revolves around us-jp relations, especially collective memory of the a-bombings and the Pacific War. What's your focus?

[Gambaosaka1]

I would love to! Seen photos and read up about it (my close friend also comes from Nagoya) but don't think I'll have time this trip sadly.

 

Hawaii looks like a perfect fit for you. Congrats again.

 

I am looking at the relationship between Islam and Japan. My MA thesis looked at the institutionalization of Islam in Japan. There is a lot of scope and I will be working with someone who really knows this area well (Cemil Aydin), so cannot wait. Just need to get my Japanese down ASAP.

[wacyeah]

 

 

I would love to! Seen photos and read up about it (my close friend also comes from Nagoya) but don't think I'll have time this trip sadly.

 

Hawaii looks like a perfect fit for you. Congrats again.

 

I am looking at the relationship between Islam and Japan. My MA thesis looked at the institutionalization of Islam in Japan. There is a lot of scope and I will be working with someone who really knows this area well (Cemil Aydin), so cannot wait. Just need to get my Japanese down ASAP.

oh, that's a bummer! maybe you should visit someday again then! and thanks for congrats!  

Your topic seems really intriguing as well. Even though, I'm a Japanese, I don't know much about the relation of Japanese and Islamic culture in Japan lol. If you have any questions with Japanese language/ culture, I can definitely help you out!

[Gambaosaka1]

 

 

 

oh, that's a bummer! maybe you should visit someday again then! and thanks for congrats!

Your topic seems really intriguing as well. Even though, I'm a Japanese, I don't know much about the relation of Japanese and Islamic culture in Japan lol. If you have any questions with Japanese language/ culture, I can definitely help you out!

 

 

Hey, that's great. Thanks, I will do! So jealous you'll be living in Manoa.

 

There is very very little on my topic as you would expect. A lot of Professors I emailed would reply to me saying it was a fascinating topic but they had no idea about it.

 

If you get a chance when you are in Tokyo, check out the Turkish style mosque in Yoyogi-Uehara. It feels so out of place it's kind of cool. 

[wacyeah]

Hey, that's great. Thanks, I will do! So jealous you'll be living in Manoa.

 

There is very very little on my topic as you would expect. A lot of Professors I emailed would reply to me saying it was a fascinating topic but they had no idea about it.

 

If you get a chance when you are in Tokyo, check out the Turkish style mosque in Yoyogi-Uehara. It feels so out of place it's kind of cool. 

I'll definitely check that out if i go there!

[db757]

I applied to the Asian studies masters program at CSU Long Beach and History MA program San Diego State in February. My file was complete (meaning all  of my supplementary materials were received) two weeks ago.Since it is nearly April 15th, i need to a decision  so I can let the schools i have been admitted to know if I am going to accept their offers. How long should I wait before contacting the History department?

[Gambaosaka1]

I applied to the Asian studies masters program at CSU Long Beach and History MA program San Diego State in February. My file was complete (meaning all  of my supplementary materials were received) two weeks ago.Since it is nearly April 15th, i need to a decision  so I can let the schools i have been admitted to know if I am going to accept their offers. How long should I wait before contacting the History department?

 

I wouldn't wait much longer personally

[IvanBezdomnii]

Got into Toronto today! Ecstatic! Late in the game but finally got that first acceptance! You only need one!

[Gambaosaka1]

Got into Toronto today! Ecstatic! Late in the game but finally got that first acceptance! You only need one!

 

That's brilliant news and Toronto is a great school. Congrats!

[db757]

The graduate coordinator at San Diego State contacted me a couple of days ago to say that the department committee would meet Friday (today) to discuss my application. Today she sent me an email saying that due to "unforeseen circumstances"  the committee could not meet, but that she would have a decision before April 15. I'm starting to think that I have been rejected...

[Gambaosaka1]

The graduate coordinator at San Diego State contacted me a couple of days ago to say that the department committee would meet Friday (today) to discuss my application. Today she sent me an email saying that due to "unforeseen circumstances"  the committee could not meet, but that she would have a decision before April 15. I'm starting to think that I have been rejected...

 

Ridiculous for them to cut it so close. Regardless, you have acceptances already right? Good luck

[qeta]

I would love to! Seen photos and read up about it (my close friend also comes from Nagoya) but don't think I'll have time this trip sadly.

 

Hawaii looks like a perfect fit for you. Congrats again.

 

I am looking at the relationship between Islam and Japan. My MA thesis looked at the institutionalization of Islam in Japan. There is a lot of scope and I will be working with someone who really knows this area well (Cemil Aydin), so cannot wait. Just need to get my Japanese down ASAP.

You probably already know this, but Nile Green's (UCLA) new book is partly about the role of South Asian Muslims in institutionalizing Islam in Japan. It's called Terrains of Exchange: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/terrains-of-exchange-9780190222536?cc=us&lang=en&/

[Gambaosaka1]

You probably already know this, but Nile Green's (UCLA) new book is partly about the role of South Asian Muslims in institutionalizing Islam in Japan. It's called Terrains of Exchange: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/terrains-of-exchange-9780190222536?cc=us&lang=en&/

 

Yes! He was also great when I emailed him about applying to UCLA. Unfortunately my language skills weren't up to scratch for a PhD so it was suggested by Prof Marotti (also great and helpful) that I apply for an MA (funded) instead.

 

I haven't had a chance to read it yet but listened to his lecture on that chapter and have read his other work on Urdu travelogues etc. Thanks How did you come across his work?

[qeta]

Yes! He was also great when I emailed him about applying to UCLA. Unfortunately my language skills weren't up to scratch for a PhD so it was suggested by Prof Marotti (also great and helpful) that I apply for an MA (funded) instead.

 

I haven't had a chance to read it yet but listened to his lecture on that chapter and have read his other work on Urdu travelogues etc. Thanks How did you come across his work?

I have read some of his books about Indian sufism and recently met him at a conference. His talk, based on the new book, was engrossing; he was also very generous in brainstorming sources for my MA project and telling me to contact specific scholars, etc.. I'm not surprised to hear that he was enthusiastic about your application. :-)

[Chiqui74]

Ha!  I just got rejected off the waiting list at Michigan.

[danwaterfield]

Ended up getting a VC award at Cambridge (48 university wide scholarships, apparently out of thousands of candidates), waitlisted for funding at York (24/35 on the list, ha) and nothing whatsoever from Durham.

 

The most prestigious university gave me one of the rarest scholarships. The rest, nothing. Funding and grad apps are a lottery. 

[historian234]

much talk at the OAH this year about how for the first year, there was a big drop in the quality of graduate applications. Specifically said by Daniel Richter at Penn and agreed upon by others. I wonder why this is....just something I felt was worth sharing. Been a long time lurker.

Edited April 17, 2015 by historian234

[mvlchicago]

much talk at the OAH this year about how for the first year, there was a big drop in the quality of graduate applications. Specifically said by Daniel Richter at Penn and agreed upon by others. I wonder why this is....just something I felt was worth sharing. Been a long time lurker.

Considering that I applied to Penn (and had tangential interests to Richter)... ouch. Apply ointment to the burn?

[historian234]

Considering that I applied to Penn (and had tangential interests to Richter)... ouch. Apply ointment to the burn?

I am not trying to say that any one of your particular applications was weak but interesting to think that a group of applications could be considered weak...i wonder if this speaks to history education at the undergraduate level, writing, more people applying due to their not being jobs and they just want to do something? just interesting to speculate about. 

[mvlchicago]

I was being a little hyperbolic, I do think the particulars of a "group" being weak is a fascinating question; all the same more than one person might take that in a slightly different way (this season worked v well for me, even if I really liked Penn)

What attracts to me about your phrasing though, is what you mean by "first." Since the 70s? the 00s? Ever? There are a lot of speculations one can make dependent on the time frame. I do think I've heard on heresay that this year saw the fewest apps since 2008, and if one has fewer applications I think there's inevitably a dip in quality (not always, but correlation.)

Edited April 18, 2015 by mvlchicago

[historian234]

I was being a little hyperbolic, I do think the particulars of a "group" being weak is a fascinating question; all the same more than one person might take that in a slightly different way (this season worked v well for me, even if I really liked Penn)

What attracts to me about your phrasing though, is what you mean by "first." Since the 70s? the 00s? Ever? There are a lot of speculations one can make dependent on the time frame. I do think I've heard on heresay that this year saw the fewest apps since 2008, and if one has fewer applications I think there's inevitably a dip in quality (not always, but correlation.)

that was actually his phrasing, and I am pretty sure he meant ever or at least in his time of reading and assessing applicants (which has been a while) 

[gsc]

I do think the particulars of a "group" being weak is a fascinating question; all the same more than one person might take that in a slightly different way 

 

I think it's an interesting question, but if I'm being perfectly honest, I don't see the point of raising it here, in a thread full of people who actually applied as part of this "weak" group of applications. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but all this does is make me wonder if 1) my application was weak, and 2) if I only got into graduate schools because I happened to be a slightly less "weak" candidate and they needed people to admit. 

[Cpt Jo]

Ended up getting a VC award at Cambridge (48 university wide scholarships, apparently out of thousands of candidates), waitlisted for funding at York (24/35 on the list, ha) and nothing whatsoever from Durham.

 

The most prestigious university gave me one of the rarest scholarships. The rest, nothing. Funding and grad apps are a lottery. 

Wow bravo!

 

All my applications have been rejected by the AHRC.