MALAS! Making the World a Better Place One Community-Focused Activity at a Time! San Diego's Porter Elementary School Children Visit SDSU!

MALAS Alum David Ornelas Prepares to Pursue His PhD This Fall 2024 at Texas Tech University

SDSU International Student, Kennii Ekundayo, Secures Coveted Spot in Stanford's Art History PhD Program

 

Direct permalink: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/05/sdsu-international-student-secures-coveted-spot-in-stanfords-art-history-doctoral-program

So You Are An International Student and Want to Join the MALAS Interdisciplinary / Cultural Studies MA Program at San Diego State University #sdsumalas

by Kennii Ekundayo, MALAS 2022-24; Phd Art History Program, Stanford University, Fall 2024 

Have you visited the program’ website yet to get detailed information on all that it entails? 

If not, then that’s a good place to start: https://malas.sdsu.edu/#Admissions_Information_Come_Join_Us

The last application cycle opened in October 2023 and closed this Feb 2024. It should likely follow the same timeline for this year’s, so you should keep an eye out for it. It’s better to get all of your application materials submitted, at least, before the end of the year. This is a precautionary measure so that if you have any missing information, you’ll have sufficient time to send it in. At the same time, knowing how the international academic transcripts systems work, you should apply for yours to be sent by your institution(s) to SDSU also before the end of the year. So keep that in mind.

The last time I checked, the CSU application fee was around $75. It might have changed now or not, so you should keep this in mind.

Upon admission, there’s an enrollment fee that proves your intent to enrol. It used to be about $400 in my time and could be subject to change for new intakes. Then, you’ll also pay to register for SEVIS which is your official student immigration record. Your I-20 would then be sent to you by the school’s international student center which is the most important part of your visa application, alongside your proof of fund. Then, upon your interview at the embassy, the visa officer makes a decision on issuing you a visa. What is most important for this step (visa interview) is to show how important the program and interdisciplinary research is to your career, and your interest to contribute back to your home country. Upon request, the MALAS graduate director will provide a letter of support for this too.

Finally, gather your coins  or show a strong proof of financial support from a sponsor because you will need this to show that you can foot the two-year cost of attendance. It is expensive with additional new costs for international students which is notwithstanding the out-of-state tuition you have to pay already alongside your regular tuition.

To recap, before resumption, you pay this: application fee + enrollment fee + SEVIS fee (used to be $350) + visa fee + health insurance (for the Fall semester which is around $900). The tuition total for Fall will be around $10k which is including the out-of-state fee. The good thing is that you can opt to pay the out of state fee within a 3-month installment which should offer some temporary respite.

Some other costs to consider:

- you have to purchase a mandatory campus-approved health insurance plan every semester. Otherwise, a hold is placed on your account and you will not be able to register your courses, which will ultimately violate your visa status.

- housing goes for approximately $1,000/mth.

- don’t worry so much about your living costs (housing + feeding + transportation), you can get assistantships or other on-campus work opportunities (sadly, you cannot work other jobs outside the campus due to immigration restrictions) which can be channeled toward this bit, but it’d be a really tight budget for you.

- working on campus (only 20hrs per week allowed for all international students) should make you around $1200/mth after taxes. 

All in all, I think you’ve got ample time to prepare all application materials as dictated on the website.  All of the above, especially the monetary figures, are subject to change and this is just off the top of my head considering lived experiences. Good luck with your application!

MALAS on the Move! Tracy White Lecture at SDSU! THURSDAY, APRIL 25 2-3:15 p.m. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY LEON WILLIAMS ROOM (LL430-431)

THURSDAY, APRIL 25 2-3:15 p.m. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY LEON WILLIAMS ROOM (LL430-431)

Tracy White is a graphic novelist and teacher. Her current book, “Unaccompanied: Stories of Brave Teenagers Seeking Asylum,” tells the true experiences of courageous teens fleeing their home countries to seek asylum in the U.S. White’s first graphic novel, “How I Made it to Eighteen: A Mostly True Story” was a Bank Street Book of the year, a Yalsa Great Graphic Novel, and a Texas Maverick GraphicNovel. Her webcomics “TRACED” was nominated twice for an Ignatz and was a TV series for Oxygen TV. She teaches comics at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

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MALAS Believes in the Social Dimension of Intellectual Culture! Thx Again to Dr. Carlos Kelly for His Outstanding Lecture at SDSU!

 

Carlos Kelly on His Digital Humanities / Video Games Studies Instant Classic READY PLAYER JUAN

 

Today! Professor Carlos Kelly @ SDSU

11am in Hepner Hall 150 — limited seating!

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MALAS KNOW COMIX STUDIES! Wunderstein @ SDSU!

 

New MALAS Class, Fall 2024!!!! Religion and Money with Professor Esra Tunc

 

MALAS, a West Coast Cultural Studies Incubator — Congrats Kennii Ekundayo‼️ Soon to be Dr. Kennii from Stanford…

 

Dynamic Chicano Programming! Look No Further than MALAS @ SDSU -- Thursday, February 8, 2024, Lalo Alcaraz Invades Montezuma Mesa for a Presentation! Limited Seating (Ojo!)

 

Apply to the Most Flexible Interdiscplinary Studies Program on the West Coast! MALAS @ SDSU