Yale (MA East Asian Studies) or Chicago (MAPSS)?

[dreambabydream]

Hi everyone,

I'm an international student (UK) at Oxford, I've just been accepted onto the two programmes I applied for, EAS at Yale and MAPSS at Chicago.

I've only been to Chicago briefly, it seemed really cool, but from what I've seen it seems like the course is better at Yale.

The only problem is I've been offered a 2k scholarship from Yale vs. a 40k scholarship from Chicago. I'm really praying they will offer me more funding at Yale, although my course director says this is unlikely (maybe because I'm an international student?).

Does anyone have any thoughts about the two campuses? Chicago seems like it has more going on, but I might be wrong?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,

Alex

[fencergirl]

They are both really great programs. MAPSS is very well known so I don't think you should feel it lacks prestige. What do you like better about the course at Yale? I think I would old on a little longer to see if the funding situation at Yale might change but if it doesn't I would take the Chicago offer and run with it. 

(It seems Yale funds only a couple students in the program each year, but a couple people have posted on the results page that they had been offered full funding and planned to decline so there is a CHANCE this funding may be passed down. But I don't think you can count on it).

[fencergirl]

If you just emailed them about this I don't think I would email again so soon. I'd wait a couple more weeks when people may have declined their offers.

Personally I would not pass up a funded offer at Chicago or another school to try again next year. What if you end up with no funded offers next year? Of course you want to be happy in your program but can you only be happy at Yale?

[dreambabydream]

2 hours ago, fencergirl said:

They are both really great programs. MAPSS is very well known so I don't think you should feel it lacks prestige. What do you like better about the course at Yale? I think I would old on a little longer to see if the funding situation at Yale might change but if it doesn't I would take the Chicago offer and run with it. 

(It seems Yale funds only a couple students in the program each year, but a couple people have posted on the results page that they had been offered full funding and planned to decline so there is a CHANCE this funding may be passed down. But I don't think you can count on it).

Thanks so much for your reply! I am hoping to continue onto a PhD afterwards in the UK and EAS is more relevant to my field (East Asian History), on top of that I've read that MAPSS don't give you much individual attention - Chicago is also less known in the UK (although I don't really care about that). 

I also have funded offers to do Masters at Oxford and Cambridge - not sure if I should mention this. I don't want to seem bolshie. And besides, I really want to study in the US.

Peter Perdue said that what you said sometimes happens, but that might be slightly unlikely for me. Do you think this is because I am an international student? I said in my application that I am deciding between continuing onto a PhD and diplomacy, now I am set on the PhD. Is it worth me telling them this, and will it make them more likely to pass on funding to me if I am definitely planning to enter academia? I also don't want to seem annoying by e-mailing them multiple times. Thanks for any more help, it's an extremely stressful time. What have you decided to do in the end?

Edited March 4, 2016 by dreambabydream

[Socbr]

3 hours ago, dreambabydream said:

Hi everyone,

I'm an international student (UK) at Oxford, I've just been accepted onto the two programmes I applied for, EAS at Yale and MAPSS at Chicago.

I've only been to Chicago briefly, it seemed really cool, but from what I've seen it seems like the course is better at Yale.

The only problem is I've been offered a 2k scholarship from Yale vs. a 40k scholarship from Chicago. I'm really praying they will offer me more funding at Yale, although my course director says this is unlikely (maybe because I'm an international student?).

Does anyone have any thoughts about the two campuses? Chicago seems like it has more going on, but I might be wrong?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,

Alex

I'm currently a MAPSS student, and I'm all for the program, specially if you are considering a PhD after.

If the PhD is really your goal, my advice is to choose a MA program that will better get you there.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

[fencergirl]

Hi @dreambabydream, I see, those are fair points on the MAPSS program. BTW I noticed in the EALC thread that you were actually offered 20k at Yale (not 2k as you typed above) which is pretty great for an M.A. program. But of course I understand the desire not to go into debt for a graduate program and I think that is very wise.

Are the Oxford and Cambridge offers fully funded/better funded than the Yale offer? If so you can maybe mention it in a diplomatic way but I don't know that it will affect their funding distribution process. I don't think that being an international student is relevant because Yale is a private school and I assume the funding is internal rather than from a governmental body. (But I could be wrong). They just don't/can't fund everyone. I don't think your plans to enter academia or not are relevant. There are several threads on negotiating offers so you might want to look at those for more advice!

Sounds like you have several funded offers so while I know making a decision is stressful, that's really not a bad decision to be in. I've decided to attend a Ph.D. program at Northwestern. It's a great fit for me. 

[dreambabydream]

10 hours ago, fencergirl said:

Hi @dreambabydream, I see, those are fair points on the MAPSS program. BTW I noticed in the EALC thread that you were actually offered 20k at Yale (not 2k as you typed above) which is pretty great for an M.A. program. But of course I understand the desire not to go into debt for a graduate program and I think that is very wise.

Are the Oxford and Cambridge offers fully funded/better funded than the Yale offer? If so you can maybe mention it in a diplomatic way but I don't know that it will affect their funding distribution process. I don't think that being an international student is relevant because Yale is a private school and I assume the funding is internal rather than from a governmental body. (But I could be wrong). They just don't/can't fund everyone. I don't think your plans to enter academia or not are relevant. There are several threads on negotiating offers so you might want to look at those for more advice!

Sounds like you have several funded offers so while I know making a decision is stressful, that's really not a bad decision to be in. I've decided to attend a Ph.D. program at Northwestern. It's a great fit for me. 

Thanks again for your reply, it's such a stressful time and it's really hard to find people who know anything at all about the system.

You know, just another 20k (like Chicago) would really be enough to push me to go. I might say this in my e-mail.

Re. other offers, I tried to drop it in very slyly "I am pleased to have been offered a number of funded places..." but I think I might just push it forward a tiny bit more. I still don't understand why he said it's "rather unlikely" I would get the funding. I want to go to Yale, and the states, so bad . I'll try and send something off tonight, I am polite but I don't want to seem servile.

I suppose there's always next year, but I don't want to pass up an offer with funding at all, I know it's rare for masters in the US.

[dreambabydream]

I got the full tuition plus stipend!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly believe it. I'm still waiting to hear back from a few UK universities but I know for sure that I'm going to go, I think I'm just going to accept straight away.

I'm so so happy, thank you guys so much for your help.

Edited March 9, 2016 by dreambabydream