Prospects for competitive East Asia MA programs

[yaguchi]

Hi!

I am currently an international student (German) and undergraduate sophomore who is looking at the possibility of pursuing an MA in East Asian studies with a focus on Japan. I was hoping that the wisdom of some of the members here could generate some ideas or tips on what programs would be good to apply to, how I can better prepare myself for applications, and finally what my chances could be in gaining admission to competitive programs.

The reason I am only looking to pursue an MA degree is that I want to venture a bit deeper into my field of interest, while not going after the whole academic career path (however enticing that path may be).

I am currently studying at a top tier Japanese university (in English) and is expecting to graduate with a GPA of at least 3.75 out of 4 with most courses in economics and sociology. I have a little bit of research experience and a few hundred hours of working experience as an English teacher. I have and will continue to participate in various projects which deal with various contemporary societal challenges in Japan, some of which have ties to leading American universities. In addition to this, I expect to spend a year at a top 10 university in the US before I graduate, as a part of my undergraduate degree. My Japanese proficiency is moderate and I am expecting to improve further before graduation.

So far I am interested in Harvard and Yale's East Asia programs. Which others should I take a look at?

How can I spend my time as an undergraduate to better prepare myself for an East Asian studies MA?

Is applying as a special student as an alternative--for whatever reason--something I should try to avoid? Why, why not? It might be of interest to me since I would potentially be content with spending only a semester or two at the university, as opposed to completing a full MA degree.

As someone who has a difficult time with traditional test taking, for various reasons, how can I best prepare myself for the GRE? This is what causes most worry to me, another potential reason I might look into applying as a special student (which enables me to exclude the GRE--at least for Harvard).

All your comments and ideas are welcome. Thank you for taking your time to read.

yaguchi