American Studies programs

[kekology4]

All of the ones I worked with were pretty bland and clunky. UCLA's was probably the best for me, they have a menu on the side of the screen with each application section and fill in a box next to the section title with a check when you're finished with each section. Was very helpful for my need to check and re-check. 

[kekology4]

A USC American Studies admit was posted today. Congrats to the poster!!

[The Shade King]

On 1/18/2017 at 10:34 PM, kekology4 said:

All of the ones I worked with were pretty bland and clunky. UCLA's was probably the best for me, they have a menu on the side of the screen with each application section and fill in a box next to the section title with a check when you're finished with each section. Was very helpful for my need to check and re-check. 

haha yeah that sounds easy. I also liked Berkeley's. Umass one application that I started but didnt finish was the worst of the bunch that I saw. It was so old looking in comparison. 

[The Shade King]

9 minutes ago, kekology4 said:

A USC American Studies admit was posted today. Congrats to the poster!!

yep I saw that. Congrats to them. I was going to apply but after speaking with the DGS I learned that all off the scholars that were the best fit were gone. I wanted to apply to the Communication program but ended not doing that either.

[kekology4]

February is coming up soon......... About time!! 

[towonderland72]

Another acceptance- Purdue. Congratulations to the applicant... but EEP. It's all happening!

[Aurél]

Hi everyone!

I have a question about admission offers (if you think this question is off-topic, please tell me). 

I just have been informed I am admitted to a PhD program at USC in American Studies. I am so excited and happy, BUT still wondering if I've made the right choice. As an international student - from France - graduated in sociology, the department of AS perfectly fits with my research interests (in social justice, sexuality, race, nationalisms). 

However, I do not know if it is a "good" school or not, recommended or not, etc. Any feedbacks or info on this department would be extremely useful. Thank you so much in advance. 

Oh and by the way, congrats to everyone already accepted and good luck to the others  

<3

[cypressknee]

3 minutes ago, Aurél said:

Hi everyone!

I have a question about admission offers (if you think this question is off-topic, please tell me). 

I just have been informed I am admitted to a PhD program at USC in American Studies. I am so excited and happy, BUT still wondering if I've made the right choice. As an international student - from France - graduated in sociology, the department of AS perfectly fits with my research interests (in social justice, sexuality, race, nationalisms). 

However, I do not know if it is a "good" school or not, recommended or not, etc. Any feedbacks or info on this department would be extremely useful. Thank you so much in advance. 

Oh and by the way, congrats to everyone already accepted and good luck to the others  

<3

Congratulations @Aurél! 

I want to say a couple of things in response to your question. First, if you are admitted, that doesn't mean you are obligated to accept the offer. How many programs did you apply to? It might be wise to wait and see if you receive other offers, and then begin to weigh which ones you are most interested in. I think it's generally good advice to visit the campus before committing to a program, to see if you like the vibe of the department, if you get on well with your advisor, etc. 

I don't know much about USC's AMST program, but the university itself is a great school. Perhaps others in this thread can speak to the specifics of the program.

[NoirFemme]

54 minutes ago, Aurél said:

Hi everyone!

I have a question about admission offers (if you think this question is off-topic, please tell me). 

I just have been informed I am admitted to a PhD program at USC in American Studies. I am so excited and happy, BUT still wondering if I've made the right choice. As an international student - from France - graduated in sociology, the department of AS perfectly fits with my research interests (in social justice, sexuality, race, nationalisms). 

However, I do not know if it is a "good" school or not, recommended or not, etc. Any feedbacks or info on this department would be extremely useful. Thank you so much in advance. 

Oh and by the way, congrats to everyone already accepted and good luck to the others  

<3

USC is one of the top schools on the West Coast. I think it's ranked top 25 in the nation.

One of the adjunct professors in my department graduated from the program two years ago. If you want to know real details you should email a current student or an alumni. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by NoirFemme

[The Shade King]

i would seek out students but especially non American students so you can get their perspective. Did you already have an advisor in mind? Maybe speak to them about things.

[towonderland72]

1 hour ago, Aurél said:

Hi everyone!

I have a question about admission offers (if you think this question is off-topic, please tell me). 

I just have been informed I am admitted to a PhD program at USC in American Studies. I am so excited and happy, BUT still wondering if I've made the right choice. As an international student - from France - graduated in sociology, the department of AS perfectly fits with my research interests (in social justice, sexuality, race, nationalisms). 

However, I do not know if it is a "good" school or not, recommended or not, etc. Any feedbacks or info on this department would be extremely useful. Thank you so much in advance. 

Oh and by the way, congrats to everyone already accepted and good luck to the others  

<3

Hey! Congratulations on the acceptance!

I did my masters at USC, and while I can't speak to the American Studies department there, I can confirm that it's a good school, with some great work happening there! It's a good place to be if you're interested in social justice, as it's a place where a lot of conversations are happening about that, especially in the graduate community. Activism at USC is definitely alive and well, even when it comes to students looking critically at the institution itself (there's an interesting ongoing debate about the building of walls around USC, and its physical and symbolic isolation from the community surrounding it.) LA is also a good city to go to if you want a holistic learning experience--I personally learned a lot about race, gender, and sexuality outside of the classroom on the streets of LA.

I was also there as an international student (from the UK) and they put a lot of effort into making you feel at home there, if you sign up to attend international student events. If you have any questions about the campus or area, feel free to send me a message! For example, USC has an awesome campus, but isn't in the safest part of LA--do you know anyone in the city? Have you thought about housing at all? Have you had a chance to visit?

From what you've said about the program and your interests, I'd say go for it! But if you want to know more before making the decision that's smart too  

A x

[towonderland72]

On 1/23/2017 at 3:00 AM, kekology4 said:

February is coming up soon......... About time!! 

*internally screaming*

The more action there is on the results page, the more antsy I get. Someone posted that they got waitlisted for Minnesota!

(Congrats on your English interview btw, @kekology4. Fingers crossed for you!)

[moviesofmyself]

On 1/25/2017 at 3:21 AM, towonderland72 said:

*internally screaming*

The more action there is on the results page, the more antsy I get. Someone posted that they got waitlisted for Minnesota!

Lurking no more...

I live in Minneapolis and am happy that U of MN AmSt feels like the best fit to me. My BA is also from the U of MN (Gender Studies) and I know a lot of faculty - some as friends /closely connected activists - across relevant departments, including the American Studies DGS with whom I took classes as an undergrad, so I am anxioussssssssss.

I had to browse the results about 24 hours ago after logging in to my U of MN American Studies app randomly... and seeing "Decision Made." Wasn't available yet, probably is now ? No email, or call unless I *really* spaced and missed a voicemail. I still don't even have an auto email from the apply yourself system - and when U of MN Feminist Studies rejected me (my home dept but I'm still kicking, they only take 3-4 per year) a couple weeks ago I definitely got one of those.

Can't even rant on Facebook or etc, unless I want that DGS to see.

Edited January 26, 2017 by moviesofmyself
Reordered

[moviesofmyself]

Update: got my rejection from UMN American Studies.

Now clinging to my last local PhD option, UMN Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society.

[towonderland72]

19 hours ago, moviesofmyself said:

Update: got my rejection from UMN American Studies.

Now clinging to my last local PhD option, UMN Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society.

Sorry to hear that! So, three of your PhD apps were to UMN? Fingers are crossed for you with your last option there. Where else did you apply?

[kekology4]

@moviesofmyself sorry to hear. cmon minnesota!

I have been counting down the days to february, because its when so many decisions should come in, and we're now finishing the last full week in january. we're almost there

[cypressknee]

25 minutes ago, kekology4 said:

we're almost there

We got this, you guys!

[towonderland72]

32 minutes ago, cypressknee said:

We got this, you guys!

[Assotto]

Hey everyone! Has anyone on this thread applied to NYU for American Studies and University of Michigan for American Culture?

[kekology4]

@blackscholar i applied to nyu for american studies, and i think i saw some other ppl in the thread have as well. 

[cypressknee]

37 minutes ago, blackscholar said:

Hey everyone! Has anyone on this thread applied to NYU for American Studies and University of Michigan for American Culture?

I was going to apply to NYU's AMST or English program, but I found their both programs' websites to be unnavigable and decided not to apply. It seemed like the description of their faculty search page and the faculty profile page didn't match up quite right, and I had trouble finding the most basic of information about the program. Maybe I'm just being petty, but goddammit why do I have to work so hard to find what should be right there on the front page?? 

[kekology4]

3 minutes ago, cypressknee said:

I was going to apply to NYU's AMST or English program, but I found their both programs' websites to be unnavigable and decided not to apply. It seemed like the description of their faculty search page and the faculty profile page didn't match up quite right, and I had trouble finding the most basic of information about the program. Maybe I'm just being petty, but goddammit why do I have to work so hard to find what should be right there on the front page?? 

I had the same experience with their AMST site! As if part of the application process is navigating these incredibly confusing websites 

[The Shade King]

2 hours ago, blackscholar said:

Hey everyone! Has anyone on this thread applied to NYU for American Studies and University of Michigan for American Culture?

No to NYU,but yes to Michigan . Michigan is one of my top choices!

[Coffee Snob]

On 1/24/2017 at 11:15 PM, Aurél said:

Hi everyone!

I have a question about admission offers (if you think this question is off-topic, please tell me). 

I just have been informed I am admitted to a PhD program at USC in American Studies. I am so excited and happy, BUT still wondering if I've made the right choice. As an international student - from France - graduated in sociology, the department of AS perfectly fits with my research interests (in social justice, sexuality, race, nationalisms). 

However, I do not know if it is a "good" school or not, recommended or not, etc. Any feedbacks or info on this department would be extremely useful. Thank you so much in advance. 

Oh and by the way, congrats to everyone already accepted and good luck to the others  

<3

Hi @Aurél !! Congratulations on being admitted!! I've been offered admission to the ASE PhD program at USC too!! And I'm an international student just like you  I am applying with an external funding from my home country, but they also offer me a 5 year funding package. It seems that they have plenty of funding opportunities. 

I think what matters most is how the department is a good fit with your research interests. I personally am amazed of what the faculty members do at USC, as well as the alumnus placements. I've read some books written by faculties and alumnus, which triggers me to choose ASE PhD program at USC as one of my top programs to apply. I also personally know one alumni of ASE PhD program at USC - and she speaks so highly of her almamater.  

Btw, I applied to 5 programs, so far have gotten 2 offers (PhD in ASE at USC and PhD in Global Studies at UCSB), but I am still waiting for decisions from 3 other programs I applied to before I decide where to enrol. 

Congrats to other admits too. Good luck to us all.

[towonderland72]

February is finally upon us! Good luck, everybody