Former Japanese Major, Erin Newton, GW '09, spent the last year in Korea teaching English but recently applied to graduate programs to study Asian Studies (I know because I wrote the letters of recommendation). Starting this Fall, Erin is a graduate student at the University of Texas. This is a recent correspondance I received from her.
"I thought I should keep you updated on what's going on here in Texas.
"I'm now a little over a month into my first semester as a grad student. I love the program and my professors, but I don't remember anyone telling me that there would be so much reading! I'm glad that I picked UT though; the Graduate School has a good reputation, and if I get my master's in Asian Studies then I can get a Ph.D. in something like history or religion. The big worry for all the grad students these days is getting a job, and apparently a Ph.D. in Asian Studies or Japanese can make that very difficult these days. Several professors have told me that it's better to go for a general Ph.D--like history or religion--because it's a more general field. I don't know if you have any thoughts on this; it definitely wasn't something I had really considered before coming here.
Last weekend I went to my first conference. Not to present anything but to listen to the presentations of the second-year grad students and to sort of see what they were like. It was pretty small, but all the presentations were pretty impressive. I can't imagine what it will be like presenting though. I feel so far away from picking a thesis topic, and even though I know that I only have a few years in the program, compared to undergraduate, that feels so short!"
October 6, 2011
Good luck, Erin. Initial presentations are alwyas a bit daunting, but I'm sure you'll do great when your time comes. Good research leads to great presentation and great publications. Hook 'em Horns! (I can't believe I just wrote that... after the whoopin' their football team gave my alma mater, UCLA, last month.)
No comments:
Post a Comment