EALC 2018

[nc484dsltyyz]

1 hour ago, Naito said:

Hmm do Chinese students from China have an advantage? I wish I were Chinese!

Hmm, from my own experience...No. Academic writing in English is a huge challenge. At least for myself. I always struggle with the shortage of language skill when I want to elaborately analyze or explain something. 

[Naito]

@nc484dsltyyz Ah I see. I wrote essays for classes in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and it really is time consuming. (Had to rummage for words and model examples in multiple dictionaries just to draft 1 sentence). I use 小倉書店's books and a bunch of dictionaries for academic Japanese writing (e.g. 論文・スピーチの英語表現（スピーチに必要な慣用表現）plus 大学院留学生の日本語. For Chinese I use pretty much everything from this electronic dictionary http://www.casio.com.cn/e-edu/dic/E-G200/collect.html -- many, many Chinese students use this. 

Edited January 26, 2018 by Naito

[lordtiandao]

UCs are known to prefer American applicants over International applicants, because it's more expensive to fund an international student than it is to fund an American student. I had a UC Berkeley professor tell me to make it clear on my application that I was an American citizen, because he said it's difficult for international applicants to get in. Private schools with more money usually don't have this problem, they take in a lot of international students.

Edited January 27, 2018 by lordtiandao

[Naito]

9 minutes ago, lordtiandao said:

UCs are known to prefer American applicants over International applicants, because it's more expensive to fund an international student than it is to fund an American student. I had a UC Berkeley professor to make it clear on my application that I was an American citizen, because he said it's difficult for international applicants to get in. Private schools with more money usually don't have this problem, they take in a lot of international students.

@lordtiandao That's very interesting! It's good that you have an overwhelming advantage over international students with regard to Berkeley! I hope you'll get accepted to their PhD program soon! 

[kochan]

I think it also depends on the UC. I heard recently that Berkeley has been hurting with funding. At UCLA, where I did my undergrad and MA, the ALC program actually has a lot of international students in the PhD program. They also have a lot of money these days, so that may have something to do with it, but even when they didn't have as much funding, they consistently took on a number of international students. It's possible that UCLA is an outlier, though.

[lordtiandao]

@kochan Hello there, fellow Bruin! Yes, UCLA has been doing well in terms of funding. I spoke with Professor Von Glahn recently and he mentioned that there was a donor who has been giving a lot of money.

[pudewen]

Re: the Chinese vs American advantage question, I don't think Harvard ever accepts Chinese applicants who didn't do an MA in the English speaking world (those without that who apply and have strong applications otherwise are redirected to RSEA, and usually given pretty good funding for the MA, though).

Edited January 27, 2018 by pudewen

[kyjin]

Just a bit of intel if anyone is applied to EALC at USC: committee meets next week! So hopefully you will all learn soon. 

Rooting for you all! 

[mxiongturquoise]

10 hours ago, spicyramen said:

@kotatsumuri thank you! I am likewise giggling at the conversations happening in the results forum XD Although I also applied to that exact same Yale program, so I’m also intrigued as to how it will play out. And congrats to the admits, if you’re here at all! 

 

@mxiongturquoise Thank you! It went right by me that you’re on campus. I’ll be sure to DM you if I visit/come in the fall! 

Of course!  Although my OPT (the extended F-1 student visa) expires in August, which means I'd have to stop teaching and go back to China if I received no offer.  We'll see   But campus visits usually happen in late Feb or March?  I'll definitely be on campus then. 

[bakedmanapua]

12 hours ago, mxiongturquoise said:

Of course!  Although my OPT (the extended F-1 student visa) expires in August, which means I'd have to stop teaching and go back to China if I received no offer.  We'll see   But campus visits usually happen in late Feb or March?  I'll definitely be on campus then. 

Oh brilliant! I was told that the official visit weekend will be somewhere in late Feb/early March, so I’ll DM you!

Hoping you get to stay at Chicago/in the states, though! I have several international friends (not Chinese but Asia and Turkey) who are in similar situations. It can be nervewracking! 

[Naito]

I just saw a UPenn PhD admit. Was it someone in our thread? Big congrats anyhow!! If we both accept and end up at Philly, let's meet up for coffee (in real life, not on the grad café...) and 煮酒論史.

[Riby]

congrats to all who have been admitted! I am still waiting for news myself, but hope I will hear from some programs too in the following weeks ahead

[mxiongturquoise]

On 1/27/2018 at 11:44 AM, spicyramen said:

Oh brilliant! I was told that the official visit weekend will be somewhere in late Feb/early March, so I’ll DM you!

Hoping you get to stay at Chicago/in the states, though! I have several international friends (not Chinese but Asia and Turkey) who are in similar situations. It can be nervewracking! 

@spicyramenThanks!  For UChicago's Comp Lit I gave up my hope a long while ago (they only admit 2 students every year), but I do wish to get into Northwestern.  I don't mind applying again this year, but I'd hate packing all my stuff lol.  Anyways, we should definitely meet up when the opportunity comes~

Edited January 29, 2018 by mxiongturquoise

[Naito]

@mxiongturquoise The info on how many are admitted each year at UChicago's CompLit is extremely interesting. I'm hoping to apply to several PhDs in CompLit (in addition to EALC) as well. Which one is more competitive to get in -- EALC or CompLit? I'd like to do English, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Naito

[mxiongturquoise]

36 minutes ago, Naito said:

@mxiongturquoise The info on how many are admitted each year at UChicago's CompLit is extremely interesting. I'm hoping to apply to several PhDs in CompLit (in addition to EALC) as well. Which one is more competitive to get in -- EALC or CompLit? I'd like to do English, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.

Generally speaking, comp lit departments are downsizing due to sweeping budgeting issues, whereas East Asian Studies as a discipline is growing with more abundant donations and more promising job market.  But again within the EALC there are so many options for language and discipline of focus, so a department's preference varies from school to school, from one year to another.  Very hard to say...

But based on your interest I assume you'd benefit more from and better enjoy training in Comp Lit?  Definitely worth experimenting with during your Master's! 

[Naito]

Thanks @mxiongturquoise -- I will take a few complit theory and (French/German/Russian lit) courses to see if that's the right path for me. If not I might just add a third examination field in comparative East-West literature (first two being 1. classical Chinese literature and philology from Zhou ~ Tang/Song, and 2. classical Japanese literature, Nara ~ Heian), or perhaps just do comparative lit within the Chinese, Japanese, Korean languages. I'm very excited and looking forward to it!  

[Naito]

@mxiongturquoise Btw, there is an interesting comparative study between China's Warring States & Early Modern Europe, but it's from an international relations perspective, not comparative lit.

War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe.  https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/111/4/1133/26934

I think a comparative study of Confucian literature (with local characteristics) in Tang, Heian, and Korean Three Kingdoms (後三國) would be of great interest to me, and I can use Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, maybe learn Middle Korean in the process.  

Edited January 29, 2018 by Naito

[mxiongturquoise]

20 hours ago, Naito said:

@mxiongturquoise Btw, there is an interesting comparative study between China's Warring States & Early Modern Europe, but it's from an international relations perspective, not comparative lit.

War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe.  https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article/111/4/1133/26934

I think a comparative study of Confucian literature (with local characteristics) in Tang, Heian, and Korean Three Kingdoms (後三國) would be of great interest to me, and I can use Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, maybe learn Middle Korean in the process.  

Thanks so much!  Already added to my book list.  Wow, sounds like you'll become an aspiring comparatist in East Asian Studies, where you can be truly 如鱼得水.   

[kotatsumuri]

Congrats to the U of Chicago EALC acceptances! Anyone here going to claim them?

Also...I have a result to share myself! Over the weekend I had an unofficial acceptance from UAlberta (East Asian Studies)! Had an email from the program coordinator saying it looks very likely that I'll be accepted and to keep an eye out for funding information in a few weeks! Super excited as this is a program is definitely a strong contender for me. Very grateful to start out with a solid option!

[Naito]

@kotatsumuri CONGRATS!!! Well done!  Fingers crossed for you to get full funding. (^o^)v

[archimon]

Hey - is anyone here among those posting interviews for Columbia? Can you clarify who the interview is with/what your research interests are? Do you have any idea if all applicants being seriously considered for admission are being interviewed? My POI wrote me a very positive email a few days back, but I've not heard anything about an interview. 

[Kaiwei]

@kotatsumuri Congrats! Very happy for you  

Also, congratulations to all the folks with UChicago acceptances as well! And welcome to the folks who have joined this burgeoning discussion. 

I've been incognito lately due to an increased workload but have been happily following along. 

@mxiongturquoise I, too, am interested in Irish poetry, and other modernists! I've taken a big influence in my own poetry from W.B. Yates, and I hope to some day tie him into my study of poets in China (possibly pertaining to his infatuation with the Occult and the iconography derived from this!) I also am a big fan of Su Shi, I wrote my undergraduate thesis on subjectivity in his poetry. I haven't read 林語堂's biography, though! I'll have to add it to the list... 

加油 everyone! And here is one of my favorite quatrains: 

 橫看成嶺側成峰，遠近高低各不同，

不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中。

蘇軾

[Naito]

23 minutes ago, costevens said:

And here is one of my favorite quatrains: 

 橫看成嶺側成峰，遠近高低各不同，

不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中。

蘇軾

@costevens, I love your Sushi's quatrains! Funny the other day I was quoting Du Fu in an email to a professor at one of the places I applied to, and the dominant metaphor is also "mountain": 會當凌絕頂，一覽眾山小!

《望岳》  杜甫

     　岱宗夫如何？齊魯青未了。

　　造化鐘神秀，陰陽割昏曉。

　　蕩胸生曾云，決眥入歸鳥。

　　會當凌絕頂，一覽眾山小。

The sentiment in the last line perfectly captures what we are all going through. Once descending the top of the mountain, we will see all other mountains much more easily. So fighting! Good luck everyone!

 

[kotatsumuri]

Thanks everyone! Hoping you all get some good news soon, too We're definitely getting closer-- I can't believe it's nearly February...!

Congrats to those out there with interviews at Columbia, and good luck! I applied there too but for the MA, so unfortunately I have no intel or updates. I would think the email you received would be a sign for hope at least, @archimon.

[Naito]

Yeah! Tempus fugit. I really, really hope that I will hear back from all the schools by the time I leave for Japan in April (for cherry blossoms in Tokyo). I can't take this anxiety with me to Nippon. >_<