College for Asian Studies

Hi guys! I really want to major in Asian studies when I get to college and was wondering what are some good colleges that have strong Asian Studies program? Thanks!

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What is your GPA and test scores?

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My GPA is a 3.8 unweighted (4.2 weighted) &a im currently a sophomore so I haven’t taken any standardized testing yet. I’m currently in all honors classes with one AP and next year I’m doing full IB Diploma.

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Do you think you want a big school or a small school?

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I don’t have a preference to be honest, it doesn’t matter to me :slight_smile:

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Lafayette College, Skidmore College, University of Georgia, Georgetown University, and New York University all have strong programs! :slight_smile:

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Thank you!!

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Any particular emphasis? China? Japan? India?

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“Asian studies” is incredibly broad and encompasses East Asian studies, South Asian studies, Southeast Asian studies, etc. One of your first steps should be to consider your region(s) of particular interest and the corresponding language(s) you want to learn. There are far more colleges offering Chinese than Indonesian.

Large universities are your best bet for broad and deep offerings in area studies and foreign languages. Take a look at your state’s flagship public university.

EDIT: Cross-posted with merc81.

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East Asian Studies!

Most likely East Asian studies !

Georgetown School of Foreign Service

Probably UCLA

In general, most strong (and relatively comprehensive) programs are likely to be at schools that are relatively big, highly selective, or both. Many tip-top private universities (including the Ivies, Stanford, UChicago, and Georgetown) have good programs … if you can get in. So do many state flagships. UHawaii - Manoa seems to have good programs. Seton Hall University is a private school with a relatively high admit rate that seems to have good E. Asian programs.

Google “Asian Studies best value small colleges” (or some such) if you’re interested in LACs with relatively good financial aid and areas of strength in one or two Asian languages/sub-regions. A ranked list is available, but I don’t seem to be able to post it on this forum. Most top recommended schools are very selective (Pomona, Middlebury, etc.) Earlham is a somewhat less selective LAC that seems to have strong Japanese.

If you’re interested in Chinese or Korean, you might want to check out the Language Flagship programs:
https://www.thelanguageflagship.org/content/chinese
https://www.thelanguageflagship.org/content/korean

I have to put a plug for uva (Charlottesville )my uncle was the department chair, a well known scholar in Asian studies.

Wesleyan is a LAC with excellent financial aid and areas of strength in two or more languages/sub-regions (three to be exact):

http://www.wesleyan.edu/ceas/

Are you a boy or a girl?

girl

Then I suggest you check out Agnes Scott College, an all-women school near Atlanta. I know one of the school’s Asian studies instructors, and I hold her and the program in high regard.

Willamette has a strong Japanese Studies program, if that’s your area of interest.

To get an idea of what might be available at some top quality LACs, look through the course descriptions at schools with strong, generally interdisciplinary, Asian studies programs such as Hamilton, Williams, Lawrence, Middlebury and Mt. Holyoke. Since your own sense of the field seems fairly well developed, you should be able to gauge whether these programs suit your current interests.