<p>Hi, I'm a senior in college looking to pursue a Masters in East Asian Studies or IR. I will likely do 2-3 years work experience before applying. I'm specifically looking at doing East Asian Studies at UCLA or other comparative regional studies programs or IR again in DC.</p>
<p>I attend a university in Washington, DC
International Relations, 3.45
Two part-time on-campus jobs related to international education
One internship at an Asian American non-profit
One internship in state government
Three internships at think tanks/NGOs on North/South Korean policymaking
Study abroad in South Korea for one semester
Independent study on South Korean military OPCON transfer
2 years Korean language, intermediate Korean </p>
<p>I think I have a pretty good gauge on IR programs, so I'm looking for advice on East Asian Studies. Not sure if there are any experts on UCLA's MA in East Asian Studies, but I've heard some mixed things. I've heard it's not that old as a program and its website can attest to that since it has only graduated about 24 students from the program with a 48% acceptance rate. On the other hand, others tell me the acceptance rate is high because the applicants are much stronger. I can't figure that information out because UCLA's website doesn't have that info. </p>
<p>Also, with my low GPA, does my GRE score need to be very high? </p>
<p>Hey, you and I have similar profiles and interests - I am a current senior in college as well and will be attending a school in Washington D.C. for my masters in Asian Studies.</p>
<p>Your GPA is not low. I got into a great grad program with a slightly lower GPA. Plus you have a demonstrated record of commitment to your field. At the grad level, it matters less your overall GPA and more your ability in your field. </p>
<p>GRE is the least important part of your application. If you go to the school I’m thinking of, you likely had high SAT scores. I had relatively high SAT scores as well, took the GRE basically without studying, and got the scores I wanted.</p>
<p>I would suggest you try to get 160 verbal, 155 quantitative or higher. Yale’s MA in East Asian Studies, for example, requires a minimum of a combined 308, which is on average 154 each section but obviously you’ll want to score higher than the minimum. </p>
<p>You should also let us know what you want to do in the future. Do you want to go into policy/think tank/academia?</p>
<p>I agree with what people have told you about UCLA - it’s not that good. The program has little structure and does little in the way of preparing you for a career if you don’t use it as a stepping stone for a Ph.D. </p>
<p>If you are interested in pursuing actual policy, apply to places like Georgetown and Johns Hopkins SAIS. </p>
<p>If you are interested in continuing to academia, try Stanford or Yale or Cornell.</p>
<p>Harvard seems to me right in the middle between actual industry and academia. </p>
<p>@HonorsCentaur Thanks for your help! Your comments were very useful. </p>
<p>Yeah, UCLA doesn’t seem to be the best option at this point. I followed up with a student adviser there and they told me their acceptance rates, however, have recently dropped to 25% due to higher amount of applicants. But yeah from what I’ve heard they have very little structure. I think I’d probably want a more structured program. </p>
<p>At the same time, I don’t think other East Asian Studies programs would prepare you for a career considering they’re not professional degrees and students can do whatever they want after they graduate. I’m interested in policymaking, not academia. I intern for SAIS right now and many of their programs seem so quantitative based that I feel that it’s not for me. Georgetown is a school I am looking at for East Asian Studies. </p>
<p>Hmm, not sure what to do anymore. I’ll probably apply to a mix of IR, MPP, and East Asian Studies programs.</p>
<p>Well, I’m going to Georgetown for the Asian Studies masters in the fall, actually. So let me know if you have any questions. </p>
<p>What can you do with an MPP?</p>
<p>How many classes do you take as a master’s student in Asian Studies at Georgetown?</p>