Typical questions from students

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From the course by The University of Tokyo

Studying at Japanese Universities

181 ratings

The University of Tokyo

Studying at Japanese Universities

181 ratings

Are you interested in studying at Japanese universities? Do you want to learn about Japan’s university application and enrollment processes, as well as the types of programs on offer? This course will help you to both discover great programs offered by different Japanese universities and prepare a study plan through project-based learning. We introduce a number of options to match a variety of goals, from full degree to non-degree programs, programs taught in English, as well as short-term programs in Japan. During the course, international students at UTokyo will provide you with useful information and advice to start you on the path to studying in Japan. At the end of this course, you will produce a draft of your action plan for applying to Japanese universities. The overall goal of the course is to start you off on the right foot to a happy, productive and fulfilling student life in Japan!

From the lesson

Understanding the Process

In this module, we will talk about the different types of programs and also overview of the application process. There are different types of programs available in Japan, and their application processes and requirements are not the same. To find a good program that suits you, you’ll actually have to conduct a research on programs offered by Japanese universities and share your findings with others.

Application procedure1:31

Messages from the TAs3:38

Other topics: Research student (kenkyusei)1:41

Selecting your program1:28

Typical questions from students3:42

Meet the Instructors

Yujin Yaguchi
Professor
Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies
Yuko Itatsu
Associate professor
College of Arts and Sciences

>> So, when I was applying for my university

and specifically for the MEC scholarship I used LinkedIn,

in order to find other students from my country

who had been on the MEC scholarship and then I got in touch with them.

And they were all really wonderful and helpful and they agreed

to meet with me in person and have a talk about it.

And I feel like that definitely made a huge,

huge difference, just being able to meet

someone face to face and ask them about their experiences.

And they could really answer questions that I couldn't really

find the more personal experience side of things online.

So, I would definitely recommend seeing if you can find anyone like in your network

that has been like to study in Japan and use that to gain any information.

>> One of the questions we got on the forum was about people worried about their age.

So, I think you have some experience again with that,

because I came here a bit late.

And I have met a lot of people that were actually starting their master course

for example or PhD while they were 30 or even more.

So, I think if you're

a graduate student you can still come to Japan and apply for scholarships,

even though you're let's say older than the majority of people.

And the other question that we found was about adapting to Japan.

So, my advice would be just try.

Because at first it may seem difficult,

but whenever you just find something new or you're learning about something I guess it

makes you feel like a better person or you're going outside your comfort zone.

So. Yeah, I don't feel so scared about that.

>> In regards to undergraduate international students

or students who want to get into

undergraduate degrees especially the ones that are taught in Japanese,

in Japan, a lot of learners ask us

how native or how fluent they need to be in Japanese to complete a Japanese degree.

And my answer to that is that you don't need to be a native speaker of Japanese.

You just need to be proficient or fluent in the language at least.

So, you don't need to know how to read like Shakespeare in Japanese.

What you should know in Japanese to complete a Japanese degree

is probably above functional Japanese obviously.

Academic Japanese is a level that

you should get to if you want to complete a Japanese degree.

And also for a lot of international undergraduate students,

they first go through a whole year of intensive Japanese study at a school.

So, the school actually prepares them to study in a Japanese degree.

As long as you put the effort,

and as long as you keep studying Japanese

you will get to that level within that one year.

And also the examination to get into this degree,

these Japanese taught degrees are completely separate to local Japanese students

so you're not competing against local Japanese students entirely.

You do take examination called the EJU,

which is designated for international students.

So, they do take into account that Japanese isn't your first language.

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