Best Schools in US (Excluding Hawaii) for Pacific Islands Studies

<p>Hi everyone!
I am a senior in high school, and I would like to major in International Studies, with a minor in Pacific Islands Studies. My dad is from Papua New Guinea, and has many connections to PNG diplomats and people of power here in the US, so I was hoping to get a foot in the door of the workforce through those connections. Do you know anywhere in the United States (EXCLUDING HAWAII) that is strong in the topic of Pacific Islands? Or a school that is strong in terms of Indo-Pacific Region, Oceanic Region, Indonesian Region, possibly even Southeast Asian Region? I really want to study the pacific islands, and it seems like the only good schools for that are in Australia, New Zealand, or Hawaii, and I really can't afford to go to them. Thanks for the help!</p>

<p>If cost is a limitation, you can help others help you be describing what your price limit is, what your state of residency is, and what kind of financial aid situation you have, based on some net price calculator runs.</p>

<p>I don’t think there’s much out there under this heading. Oregon has a program. UWash is trying to start one. BYU-Hawaii has one. </p>

<p>You might try two other approaches. One is to get in the door under Ethnic Studies, and the other is to try a create-your-own major program. I suggest doing both of these at large research unis on the West Coast where studies on PI peoples are being done by individual professors. You can research who is writing the articles and books on PI studies and find out where they’re teaching and working. </p>

<p>I can’t find any place with the resources to be found at Manoa. Maybe it alone among American unis has the critical mass a scholar needs. </p>

<p>If you find more info, would you please let us know?</p>

<p>I’m an American living in Indonesia. I don’t know of any colleges that specialize in Papua New Guinea and islands to the east, but as for good Southeast Asia programs – including emphasis on Indonesia – I would look at Cornell, UMichigan, UWisconsin, Tufts, JHU.</p>

<p>We’d have to know more about you and your family’s financial situation in order to determine what’s affordable. </p>

<p>I would think that if you are an American citizen with a Papuan father, you would be a person of interest to many colleges that could offer financial aid. </p>

<p>Well, here is a list of schools with southeast Asia studies, though both cost and focus on Oceania, Papua New Guinea, or Indonesia you would have to check into yourself: <a href=“https://www.asian-studies.org/programs/southeast.htm”>https://www.asian-studies.org/programs/southeast.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>UCSD has a great reputation for pacific rim for international relations. Are you looking more anthropology or current culture?</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies everyone! @ucbalumnus, i just don’t think it’s reasonable to go to school in hawaii and spend all that money on plane tickets. My family makes about 150k a year, so I would say that makes us middle/low middle class? It’s just not realistic for me to pay all that money for plane tickets. @ItsJustSchool, I am looking to go into a job in the Papua New Guinea embassy here in America, so I don’t know which category that would fall into. Do you think USCD is worth the OOS tuition though? </p>

<p>I don’t know what state you are currently in. UCs generally are not thought of as being a good value for out-of-state students for undergraduate. You may wish to consider going to the school of International Relations and Pacific Studies for a Master’s or PhD. But, yes, I think you would be studying International Relations, not anthropology of the peoples of PNG.</p>

<p>BTW, Median household income in the US is around $50,000. Traditionally, over the median is not thought of as “low middle”; perhaps “middle.” Pretty much everyone considers himself “middle class” up to a household income 2-3 times that of your family (or more); but from a college admissions standpoint, your family is considered pretty well-off.</p>

<p>@ItsJustSchool thanks for all of the helpful information. i simply cannot believe that my family is considered well-off from a college view. colleges have such a crazy distorted view of finances and have incredibly unrealistic ideas of how much families can afford to pay each year. i guess if that’s how i truly look to colleges, i shouldn’t apply to OOS public schools. :(</p>

<p>Hawaii is $45,626 for out-of-state students ($31,754 if you live in a [Western</a> Undergraduate Exchange](<a href=“http://www.wiche.edu/wue]Western”>Save On College Tuition | Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)) state).</p>

<p>UCSD is $54,123 for out-of-state students. The difference in price between the two will pay for the difference in plane fare to Honolulu versus San Diego for many trips, unless you fly first class or something like that.</p>

<p>It’s time to start the conversation with your parents about how much colleges cost, what colleges will expect your family to provide, and how much your parents can provide each year. When your family makes 150K/yr, you can expect to have to pay most of a college’s costs of attendance.</p>

<p>There is no alternative to this conversation, and it will do you a world of good. </p>

<p>When you’re ready to learn what the colleges will expect you to pay, let us know.</p>