Russian Studies

[historyyoungin]

Hey Guys I know I might be a bit out of my league here but I was reading a few posts hoping to get advice. I am currently an undergrad majoring in History with a minor in Political Science, and recently chose to focus my studies on Russia. The college I am at does not have a strong Eastern European field and seeing how I have chosen that path I am trying to do the best I can with what I have. I am a sophomore and have applied to study abroad in Russia starting next fall, I have applied to a program in both Saint Petersburg and in Moscow and would love any advice in choosing which city/university to attend. If anyone has studied at either St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University or Moscow State University or know about life in either city any information would be great. I would love to be able to hear about life in either city from a college students perspective; foreign student or not. Obviously insight on how life will be for an American female is my main goal, but learning how Russian students view study abroad students or anyones personal experience would be beneficial. I will be the first from my college to go to Russia to study so the information I have is very limited. I have looked at information from both programs and there just seems to be very little information about Russian Studies majors. I was hoping to come here to get advice from people in or entering Grad School because I will soon be on my way there and would like get a head start in learning about where my interest in History/Russia/Political Science could take me. Seeing how every action and decision I make now will affect my future the best people to get advice from are the people who are going through it themselves. I have such a strong passion for Russian Studies and it seems where I am there's very little knowledge and even interest in my chosen study. I would simply love to learn and socialize with people who have my same interest and passion for Russian studies and find information on grad schools and other opportunities that lay ahead in my future.

Thank you

[JustChill]

Well this is right up my alley, so let's see how I can help you. Just to tell you how I know these things, I should mention that I graduated in May with majors in History and Russian and East European Studies (REES). I'm now applying for both Russian history PhD programs, and REES Master's programs. I have already been accepted into Oxford's REES M.Phil. program, but waiting on the others.

I also had the option of studying either in St. Petersburg or Moscow. The two programs, however, were with different universities. The one at St. Petersburg was through my undergrad school, and the one in Moscow was through the U. of Pittsburgh. I decided to go with Pitt to Moscow, and let me tell you -- it was a wonderful experience! Moscow, and particularly Moscow State University are great. MSU is recognized throughout Europe, and if you later want to go to grad school in this field, having studied at MSU is going to go a long ways. Some people in our program were worried about this or that, but it's not an exaggeration to say that every single one of us had a great time, and we still keep in touch and talk about our time in Moscow.

In terms of choosing REES programs for graduate school, I strongly recommend that you apply mostly to the 15 Title VI Russian studies centers in the country. You can see the list of those schools here: http://www.crees.ku....inks/NRCs.shtml . I was lucky in that my undergrad school is one of these national REES centers, and I think that has been a big plus in my admissions so far (as I said, I've already been admitted into Oxford's REES program).

Aside from the usual GPA, GRE, and SoP factors, some of the most important things for your application later on will be how long you've studied Russian, and whether you've been in the region (study abroad or just travel). Most of the programs that I have looked at say that successful applicants typically have 3 years of Russian. I would also suggest taking one summer to study Russian intensively at a well known summer language program, such as Indiana's SWSEEL program (which is internationally recognized), one of Pitt's intensive programs, or Middlebury's total immersion program.

Edited December 14, 2009 by rockchalk

[Dreams]

rockchalk did a great job giving information on preparation for grad studies in the field. I will simply add that there are several paths you can take once you graduate. They include focusing on linguistics (including translation and pedagogy), literature and culture, and area studies (including comparative studies). These opportunities exist both on the masters and doctoral level, and you can find more info on US programs here http://www.aatseel.org/graduate_programs.

You are in a tough spot between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. There are pros and cons to choosing each. MGU is a good university, but Moscow is also a very expensive city. You are also likely to run into a lot of English speakers there, though the same can be said for Saint Petersburg. The Polytechnic university in Saint Petersburg is home to a very large contingent of foreign students, who study in a block of the university away from the Russian students. You may want to take that into consideration, as it will require more effort on your part to meet natives.

I think overall though either choice will be fine, just be sure not to fall in the common trap of only associating with people from your program or falling back on English during tough times. That is the surest way not to maximize your acquisition of Russian.

Also, here is a link to a blog with a sample of jobs that require use of Russian.

Russian Opportunities

Edited December 19, 2009 by FSIA

[JustChill]

Any one else applying to Russian studies programs?

[Russophile]

I'm applying to Russian Studies programs at Indiana and Yale. The waiting game is really trying and I'm starting to wish I had applied to more schools.

[JustChill]

IU's got a pretty good program. I spent a summer at their SWSEEL institute and I liked it. I applied to only two Russian studies masters programs -- the Davis center and Oxford -- but the rest of my applications were for Russian history PhD programs, which is my ultimate goal.

[Russophile]

IU's got a pretty good program. I spent a summer at their SWSEEL institute and I liked it. I applied to only two Russian studies masters programs -- the Davis center and Oxford -- but the rest of my applications were for Russian history PhD programs, which is my ultimate goal.

A Russian history PhD is my goal as well; unfortunately, my foundational language skills are not where I would like them to be for research.

[JustChill]

So, who are the Harvard REECA admits?

[pietjekanarie]

So, who are the Harvard REECA admits?

I'm curious about that too! It wasn't me (I heard nothing from them, so expect rejection).

[JustChill]

I'm just curious about what kind of funding they're offering.

[pietjekanarie]

I'm just curious about what kind of funding they're offering.

s/o at the result search posted something about that, but you prob saw that too. I think it was 18k and tuition waver.

[litvak]

hello comrades!

I am a very lucky Harvard REECA admit--- I'm very much in shock that I got in at all!

I got an e-mail saying that this year is Harvard's application year to the gov't for university-wide FLAS funding, and that they won't know for certain whether or not they'll get all their requested FLAS money until May--- if they do get their funding, however, I will get a FLAS (which is tuition waiver and $15k stipend for first year; must compete again next year for same funding). I got a formal letter from Harvard the same day that said I'll get $18k towards tuition each year if I don't get the FLAS.

I also got accepted by Indiana (w tuition waiver, plus $11k stipend for both years). Any advice on which to pick? Harvard obviously has more prestige and is a top notch, but Indiana is actually a much better fit for my particular interests...

Where did everyone apply/any offers on the table? Looking forward to meeting you all at REES conferences! and good luck to everyone!

[JustChill]

Privet!

I am also one of the Harvard REECA admits. I have offers from REES MA programs at Oxford and Stanford as well, but Harvard is my top choice out of these. My biggest question now is whether I should go for a PhD in Russian history or accept this Harvard offer. It's a tough call, but I'm glad to have these options.

Are you planning to go onto a doctoral program after your REES master's?

[litvak]

Yes, I'm most likely (though not 100% decided) looking into doctoral programs for after the REES MA--- I'm hoping to figure that out and if so, then in what exactly (history, anthro, etc) during the MA. My field is generally Soviet and post-Soviet Jewish history & culture etc. yours?

[JustChill]

I'm doing 19th century political, urban, and cultural history. If I go for the REES MA now, I will definitely reapply to history PhD programs afterwards.

[Russophile]

hello comrades!

I am a very lucky Harvard REECA admit--- I'm very much in shock that I got in at all!

I got an e-mail saying that this year is Harvard's application year to the gov't for university-wide FLAS funding, and that they won't know for certain whether or not they'll get all their requested FLAS money until May--- if they do get their funding, however, I will get a FLAS (which is tuition waiver and $15k stipend for first year; must compete again next year for same funding). I got a formal letter from Harvard the same day that said I'll get $18k towards tuition each year if I don't get the FLAS.

I also got accepted by Indiana (w tuition waiver, plus $11k stipend for both years). Any advice on which to pick? Harvard obviously has more prestige and is a top notch, but Indiana is actually a much better fit for my particular interests...

Where did everyone apply/any offers on the table? Looking forward to meeting you all at REES conferences! and good luck to everyone!

Congrats on the great offers! IU is my only offer and I'm yet to hear back about funding, so I'm still playing the waiting game. Apparently, even though FLAS decisions are usually made by early March, they are not going to be finished for another week or two. Were you offered an assistantship at IU?

[litvak]

privet tovarshch russophile!

thanks for the congrats and congrats to you too on the IU admission! I applied for and was offered funding through the Jewish Studies Dept.--- it's a research assistantship. who are you looking to work with at IU? and what are you looking to focus on exactly?

[Russophile]

privet tovarshch russophile!

thanks for the congrats and congrats to you too on the IU admission! I applied for and was offered funding through the Jewish Studies Dept.--- it's a research assistantship. who are you looking to work with at IU? and what are you looking to focus on exactly?

I would like to work with Dr. Kuromiya in the history department. I plan on focusing on historical memory and Ukraine's relationship with Russia, especially regarding energy. Are you waiting to hear back from anyone else, or is it simply down to Harvard and IU for you?

[pietjekanarie]

Congrats Justchill and Litvak on the Harvard acceptance and Russophile on the IU acceptance!

For now I got an official acceptance from Oxford and one unofficial acceptance from Cambridge. I'll have an interview for a scholarship the end of the month. Fingers crossed!

For everyone: What were your reasons to apply for a MA and not directly for a PhD? In my country it's highly unusual to start a PhD after your undergrad (you have to hold a MA), but in the States it seems pretty common. Is your goal to start a PhD at the institution where you will start your MA?

[JustChill]

Congrats Justchill and Litvak on the Harvard acceptance and Russophile on the IU acceptance!

For now I got an official acceptance from Oxford and one unofficial acceptance from Cambridge. I'll have an interview for a scholarship the end of the month. Fingers crossed!

For everyone: What were your reasons to apply for a MA and not directly for a PhD? In my country it's highly unusual to start a PhD after your undergrad (you have to hold a MA), but in the States it seems pretty common. Is your goal to start a PhD at the institution where you will start your MA?

Hi!

I was also accepted into Oxford's REES MPhil program, but since they offered me next to no funding I have already declined their offer. In my case, I have also applied for a few Russian history PhD programs, and since I have been fortunate enough to receive a couple of fully-funded offers, I have decided that I will not be going for a REES master's. In the US, it is pretty common for people to go straight from BA to a PhD program (they pick up an MA on the way to a PhD in the same program), however, there are no Russian studies PhD programs in the United States.

[pietjekanarie]

Congrats on the PhD offers JustChill. I understand it makes no sense to go for the MA if you have a full funded PhD offer. If a Russian history PhD is your goal, it is great that you got an offer now, although that means turning down the Harvard offer

I think Oxford doesn't have a lot of funding available in general for masters students, but tuition fees are much lower than in the States for me (3390 pounds, in comparison with 30,000 USD or more in the US). It will depend on my external funding if I'll go to the US or UK. If I get into one of the US programs, I expect to not get funding as an international (most programs don't fund international masters students) and it would not make sense to go in debt for a master's degree.

[litvak]

looks like this board has gotten a great deal more active!

Russophile--- Right now, it's between Harvard and IU, but I am still waiting to hear from Columbia. Have any of you applied there? Another factor in making my decision will be where my fiancee is able to get a job (in academia), which so far looks like IU or possibly Columbia, no final word yet on Harvard/Boston-area...

pietjakanarie--- While it's certainly very common for students in the States to go straight from a BA to a PhD, I do think it's becoming more common for US students to do an MA beforehand, as admissions to the top PhD programs are becoming more and more selective...

continued good luck to all!

[Russophile]

pietjakanarie- Congrats on your admissions! I actually applied for an REES MA instead of a PhD because during my undergrad I ended up with a couple of illnesses that ultimately left me with only two full years of Russian courses. As a result, I decided to apply to MA programs to improve my language skills beforehand. Also, my area of research will probably require proficiency in 5 languages, so extra time to focus on developing language skills will likely make me far more competitive.

litvak- I didn't end up applying to Columbia, though their late deadlines and Ukrainian program made them appealing, living in NYC is expensive and I was under the impression that for MA programs, Columbia doesn't offer much aid.

JustChill- Congrats on your PhD offers. Have you decided where you are going to go?

[pietjekanarie]

@ Litvak: I'm also waiting for Columbia. It's one of my top choices. I understood though that they do not fund the Master's degree. There is an option to apply for some kind of funding for current students for the second year. I assume you applied to Mars-reers? Maybe it is different for American students and the no-funding rule only applies to internationals. If I get in I'm only going when all of my external funding will be forthcoming. I simply cannot afford it otherwise and it seems way too much to go into debt for (since I have an offer from Oxford). Living in NYC is expensive..

@ Russophile: 5 languages! Wow! How many do you speak already? I'm pretty fluent in 3 languages, although I can speak 2 more, but only limited. Which languages are you interested in?

Good luck to everyone!

Edited March 11, 2010 by pietjekanarie

[pietjekanarie]

double post

Edited March 11, 2010 by pietjekanarie