ashlee_liu31 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 haha i was surprised too! the prof said he couldn't reach my phone. that's because i didn't realize that i needed to watch out for phone calls from grad schools in early January lol it was an interview. the prof said he really wants me and will fight for my case. it's for PhD I think Upenn needs to compete with top schools like Harvard and Columbia for the best students so they try to make decisions early. apparently they sometimes finish accepting people by end of January! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashlee_liu31 Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Rejected by the Harvard EALC PHD program but they transferred my application to the RSEA M.A. program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splintercat Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster. I'm applying to PhD programs (in EALC and/or film & media studies) while finishing up my MA at Harvard's RSEA. Let me know if you have any questions about that program. They offer pretty decent funding and I've enjoyed it; graduates also have a very good acceptance rate for PhD programs, if they decide to go on. Application transfers from PhD to MA are pretty common, ashlee_liu31! Still, if you get into a competitive PhD program (UPenn certainly is!), that's probably a better route rather than doing MA and reapplying during. As for me: I work on Japanese media and gender/sexuality. I got my first PhD acceptance last week from University of Southern California (EALC) and I'm SO EXCITED. I'm still waiting for other schools and I'm not sure about going to the West Coast (all my family is on the East Coast) but it's a great program and the professor I would be working with is FABULOUS, I was a little starstruck when he emailed. I also interviewed with a Yale professor and was told their PhD acceptances would be earlier than other schools, so I'm guessing first half of February, if you are waiting/looking forward to that. It's a relief to have one really great option! My ego might be a bit bruised if I don't get accepted anywhere else, but I would definitely be pleased with USC! It's a little stressful though since most of my friends in the MA program are also applying and they haven't started to hear back yet -- I don't want to stress them out by saying I've heard already! so I've only mentioned it to my two closest friends in my cohort. Academic competition life... Best of luck to everyone! Glad there's a little Asian Studies group on TGC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashlee_liu31 Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 oh nice to hear that you are from Harvard RSEA and they do give funding! it will be impossible to afford without funding. I want as many options as possible at this point so i hope RSEA accepts me. maybe you can tell me more about it if I do get accepted =) do you know when one can expect to hear from them? i haven't gotten any interview or email from schools other than UPenn yet so I am getting worried Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Hi saezutte! Welcome to the thread and a big congrats on USC! It's a great program and any contact from one of the Lippits is good news Just as a heads up--to saezutte or anyone else wondering: I got an acceptance from Yale this afternoon via POI and DGS. It doesn't sound like all acceptances have gone out yet and there is definitely a wait-list. So if you didn't hear back today, don't freak out! There's still plenty of time for good news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashlee_liu31 Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 Congrats! You mean Yale PhD right? I applied to Yale M.A. Do you know if ,M.A. offers are being sent out too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Mine was for the PhD. I imagine the MA admits will be out later. Maybe late-Feb/early-March judging by past results? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyjin Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 Congrats saezutte on USC! I'm in the History department in USC, working on premodern Japan, but I'm in EALC all the time (TAed over there last semester, take a bunch of classes there, and am friends with most of the current grad students.) If you have any questions about the program, or moving to LA from the east coast, please let me know! For everyone else- good luck as you wait on news! It's early yet; stay positive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Another long-time lurker here---I've been mostly active on the Lit forum as my interests are in modern comparative literatures. I've applied to mostly Asian Studies programs and a few comp lit programs as well. Congrats to yytk and saezutte on your acceptances! I've got an interview with Michigan later on this week, but otherwise no news. So looking forward for this waiting period to be over!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks fancypants! Is your Michigan interview with ALC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks fancypants! Is your Michigan interview with ALC? Yes it is! I was pleasantly surprised as I was under the impression that humanities doctoral programs generally did not conduct interviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 That's awesome. Congrats! It's a great program. Not sure if you are doing modern to contemporary Japanese, but Jonathan Zwicker and Chris Hill are both really fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thanks! Looking forward to the interview. Speaking of which, anyone know if EALC doctorate programs require interviews as part of the application process? Do different programs/schools have different practices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I didn't apply to some of the big name schools, so I could be missing some info, but the only program that comes to mind that requires interviews is Princeton. I was there last week and I can say that it was a proper interview. Definitely not a "visit." My impression is that other programs interview some candidates--Yale for example this year--while the majority do not do interviews at all. The results page for each program should give you a good idea of what is standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyjin Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Only one I know of that requires is Princeton. (Which I went through a few years ago; very intense process.) I can't think of others that require it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks for your input, yytk and kyjin! Definitely puts the anxiety in check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Done with the Michigan interview! Anyone else hear any news? I understand that we're sitting on the cusp of decisions now that it is February! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 How did the interview go? Did it feel like an interview or more like a pitch/visit? Did you get the impression that they were interviewing all the potential candidates for this year? I heard from my POI at Berkeley that I would be accepted and I'm waiting on an official email from the department and grad school on the results of a fellowship nomination. I feel like more people will be hearing from them in a few days as they get funding lined up for all the students in different fields. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 It was pretty tough, and intense! It was definitely a formal interview with the professors using most of the hour asking questions about my writing sample and about the research I proposed to undertake in my SOP. I didn't get the sense that they were doing this for everyone; I think the interview in my case was to see whether I had the requisite training and knowledge in literature (I'm a non-trad applicant---my BA is in EAS but my focus was on history, then I went to law school and worked for five years before applying) and where I fell along the national lit/comp lit divide. Congrats on Berkeley! Hoping to hear some news myself now that we're in February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yytk Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 It sounds like you had a good grasp of what they wanted out of the interview, which means you probably did great. In the case of Michigan, I imagine the law degree is a big plus. CJS graduates students with dual MA/JDs. I met one grad who incorporates law extensively in her literary research and it sounds absolutely fascinating. Best of luck with your results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted February 2, 2015 Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thanks! Also FYI to fellow Michigan applicants...I was told to expect decisions within February. And it looks like there's a Chicago acceptance on the results board! Congratulations to the person who got it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MastersHoping Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Congrats! You mean Yale PhD right? I applied to Yale M.A. Do you know if ,M.A. offers are being sent out too? I applied to the Yale M.A. in East Asian Studies last year and heard back either the last couple days of Feb. or the first couple days of March, can't remember exactly. I was not admitted, but did get accepted at Georgetown University for my M.A. in Asian Studies and am really liking the program. Good luck to all, and congrats on UPenn btw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltaqsquared Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Anyone claiming the UW Japan Studies MA admit? I want to know whether the whole Jackson School admissions is moving already, or, if this is just an unofficial email someone got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fancypants09 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 UCLA decisions are out you guys! My first acceptance of the season. Very excited as they are one of my top choices! kinderbueno90, yytk and Gustav 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinderbueno90 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) UCLA decisions are out you guys! My first acceptance of the season. Very excited as they are one of my top choices! hi, have you received an official acceptance/letter? do you by any chance know whether or not they had already contacted all the admitted students and when they'll notify the rest of the applicants? thanks & congratulation! p.s. i pressed the red arrow by accident--thought it was a reply button for a sec--and can't seem to undo it. sorry! Edited February 7, 2015 by kinderbueno90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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