Chinese Language Preparatory Study for Graduate Studies

[jobm]

Hello, guys! It is me again. I would just like to ask everyone, especially the 过来人, some pieces of advice on what should I do in the future. I am about to finish my undergraduate degree in linguistics this year and I am planning to pursue a graduate degree in East Asian linguistics (particularly in the history, evolution, and contact of East Asian languages) . I have searched some programs and some programs that I like (ex. University of Washington, Ohio State University) require its applicants to possess a three to four year training in Modern Chinese and at least one year training in Classical Chinese. Even though I have studied in China for one year, my total years of studying Chinese just equate to 2.5 years and I have not had Classical Chinese classes ever.

力不从心, I am thinking of some ways on how should I improve my Chinese skills and fulfill these language requirements. I am on a dilemma if I should go back to China to take another language program or take a Master's program there or to just go to any other country to study Chinese studies which have Chinese language courses. I have some universities in mind and even checked on any scholarship that I could apply to but I do not think I could apply to all of them since each program has its own requirements which I do not think I could all have (a program in France requires a proficiency in French,a language requirement is also required in Korea, TOEFL, GRE, and IELTS are very costly for me, etc.)

说了半天，各位朋友，我该怎么办呢？For such a long time I have been a member of this forum, I have read and learned a lot from the experiences and insights of everyone here. I hope you could help me once more. 谢谢。～

[Angelina]

Since you have already found the programs you like, it is better to have a year of language studies and apply for grad school next fall. If you manage to find a scholarship to cover a non-degree language course, it will be great.