Frequently Asked Questions IV

Another year, another set of questions! I didn't actually think there would be new questions to cover, but here there were! More to learn all the time(:

random plum blossom picture to prettify this post XD

Without further ado:

On the Scholarship

1. If I'm doing NS, can I apply a year in advance and defer the scholarship? (Applicable to Singaporean guys) 

Sorry, guys! I asked, and you can't defer the scholarship. You'll have the apply the year before you are able to leave for Japan. i.e. if you can leave in April 2018, you should apply in 2017. When in doubt, consult the embassy!

2. Do I need to choose which university to go to in advance? 

For the undergraduate scholarship, the answer is no. There is a form, but I didn't know anyone who filled it in. You'll choose your university when you're at TUFS or Osaka University, so there's absolutely no need to worry about that. It might be different for the post-graduate scholarship, but I know nothing about that.

3. What does the embassy mean when they ask for 'original copies'? 

I'm not too sure about that, but I handed in certified true copies and everything was absolutely fine. It's probably a good idea not to hand in the original certificates.

On Kyudai

4. Is Kyudai stressful? (Is it more stressful than Singapore?) 

To be honest, I find it very difficult to compare the two systems, because stress is what you make of it. I know people who claim Japan is much more relaxed, but then you have my sub-zemi, which regularly requires us to stay in school overnight/till it's almost time for the last train, and do tons of projects. It really depends on your choices,  I think.

On TUFS (ok, the order is strange but....)

5. Should I buy a bicycle when at TUFS? 

That really depends on your goals. I'm the type that actually likes walking - my bicycle here is used only to get to the driving range, which is too far to walk to. For me, the grocery stores near TUFS were within walking distance, and if I went further, I took the bus. I do know a lot of people that got bicycles from their seniors/bought one and used it regularly, though. If you're planning to stay within Tokyo, then I think it can't hurt to have a bicycle. Plus, moving it won't be that difficult (probably).

6. What Church did you go to? 

I went to Calvary Chapel Fukuoka, which was a non-denominational Church that has services in both English and Japanese. There is a Japanese-speaking Church nearby as well (my cousin went to that one). I know there's a Catholic Church somewhere, but I'm not too sure where. I think you have to take a train though.

Ok, that's all the questions that I think are applicable to a fairly large number of prospective applicants :D I hope they'll be able to help at least a few people! For more information, check out:
FAQ (the original!)
FAQ (the second)
FAQ (the third)
The anti-FAQ
or the MEXT scholars page. 

Thanks to Jordan, Yuki and everyone else who sent me emails about this! (I'm not sure if you want me to use your name, but if you do, let me know :D )

Oh, and I'll probably update the anti-FAQ with this (if it isn't already written there), but please do not send me questions asking about level of Japanese needed for the scholarship or any details about the scholarship (e.g. how many marks do I need, or can I switch between course ABC and course XYZ), or anything about how MEXT selects their scholars. I do not work for MEXT, and I will not be able to answer your questions. From now on, I will be ignoring all emails that consist solely of these questions. Even if I do reply, it'll just be a link to these posts.

Of course, feel free to ask questions that aren't covered here, or if you want to know if you have a senpai with the MEXT scholarship. If I can help, I definitely will(:

P.s. Totally not related to the FAQs, but lately, I haven't been able to see certain Google+ comments. I am trying to figure out how to get two comment systems installed (anyone able to help?), but in the meantime, if you leave a comment, could you check and make sure it's set to "public" and not just "your circles"? 

Speaking at TUFS

On Monday, I went back to TUFS to talk about Kyudai to my current kouhai's. I honestly meant to talk about this sooner, but I fell sick the day I went back, and only stopped throwing up yesterday. As far as (what seems to be) a stomach flu goes, this case was pretty mild.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I was invited back by one of the teachers to talk to the humanities scholars currently studying Japanese. Since Nicholas was free, I dragged him along (bribed him with curry) because even if people don't want to listen to me, they'll want to listen to him, because of his school.

CURRY! I don't care if Kichijoji has better curry, this is where I had so many good memories. 

Since I've been at Kyudai for two and a half years, I haven't actually been able to meet any of my kouhai's. Except once, and that was my cousin. This time, though, I got to meet all four scholars studying in TUFS! I was talking with them all through lunch, and they were all really nice and attended my talk and asked loads of questions.

So after we finished talking to them, Nicholas and I basically agreed that this batch of scholars seems very likely to succeed wherever they go. They're all very sensible, and they're not planning to choose a university based on its name - that's the worst thing you can do. What you should do (and this is what my talk was basically about, and what Nicholas added when he came to answer questions), is to choose a university that suits you. Either the atmosphere, or there's a professor you really want to study under (please check that he's teaching, though!), or you find that you want to live in that town And don't forget the little things, like food, cost of living, and all that. Basically, reputation and ranking, while one of the considerations, should not be the only factor in the university choosing decision.

Apart from that, I also talked about the university (obviously), included campus, lesson schedules, things to be careful of (your credits. Be careful of your credits!!), zemi, and yes, I passed around my schedule and textbook. I heard of another student who came to speak and had a powerpoint slide (and apparently shared his timetable), so I decided to try and raise the level by bringing props.

Plus, I wanted to study on the train/plane.

Back to my Singaporean kouhai's - they're all lovely people, and I really hope they enjoy the rest of their stay, even if they don't come to Kyudai. I do hope someone from this batch comes though! Then maybe I can be invited back again (;

Singaporeans + Malaysian

 Apart of the excitement from talking to the kouhai's, just going back to TUFS was a sort of homecoming. I only spent a year there, but it was my first year, and I definitely grew a lot (and made a lot of awesome friends). The first photo I took was of the walkway, even though this is not the best season to take photos:

But I've missed the place, and I've missed the people. It's a bit of a shock to go back and realise that so many of the teachers are now gone or no longer teaching the scholars. Cutbacks and all that.

Oh yes, Naveen, you emailed me about the getting rid of humanities thing - I asked the teacher in charge, and he says while the government seems to be planning to reduce the humanities departments, it should not affect the scholarship. But we really don't know, because MEXT doesn't say anything.

Apart from walking around school, I also had my beloved cheese nan. I don't know why I can't find it in Fukuoka D:

CHEESE

My stomach definitely shrank though, I couldn't even finish half. Good thing I was sharing.

The last thing I did before leaving TUFS was to visit the Kendo club. There are so many first, second and third years now. I actually felt a bit strange walking up to the clubroom, because there are 3 people left that I know. But the kouhai's are generally nice, and some of them seemed to recognise me, I think because I visited a few times in my first year. So they went and got my friends (so weird to hear one of them being called 'senpai'), and we had a nice chat. I even managed to meet the kantoku!

I've seriously missed these people so much. They were my first Japanese friends, and they literally saw me 'grow' in terms of Japanese ability. Up till now, they still recall the days where I needed a translator pretty much all the time. And I remember how they would always teach me the nuances I didn't get. This was pretty much the only time I wished I had stayed on. But I can't, because TUFS doesn't have economics, and anyway, I like life in Kyudai.

Osaka U-Program (Guest Post by Devangi Yadav)

Hey everyone! As you know, I've been asking people to come and guest blog about your experience about MEXT. I mean, I'm only one person, and I only went to TUFS. And for all you people wondering about Osaka U, well, you should really be thankful to Devangi for guest blogging about the Osaka U-Program. 

She covers the dorm, the room (which automatically makes this more detailed, because my TUFS post was only the room, if I remember correctly), her schedule, and she drew a self-protrait!

And unlike what she said, she was not annoying at all. I'm really glad that she's my kouhai now. 

Devangi: Thank you so much for doing this, and I hope the rest of your MEXT life is equally fun! Ganbatte for the September exams!

*******

Hello everyone!

My name is Devangi and I will do my Bachelors in Japan under the MEXT scholarship for Undergraduate studies, I started this year so I’m just at the beginning of my journey and I’d love to introduce you to the place where it started, in Osaka! For those of you who don’t know: the Undergraduate Program scholars are split into two groups, one goes to Tokyo University of Foreign Studies or TUFS (like Eustacia Senpai 3 years ago!) and the other group goes to ‘Center for Japanese Language and Culture’ (CJLC) in Osaka University, for their Language training.

So we are basically called the ‘U-Program’ students over here, you can find the basic information about our program in Osaka in the following link:

About U Program


Moving on, I’d like to share some pictures of my Dorm.

I know everyone says this before the share these pictures, (I'm looking at you Eustacia Senpai ) but viewer discretion is advised, the following pictures of my room are a bit messy! (There are a lot of pictures)

Common Facilities:

Each Floor has their own kitchen, laundry room and common seating area.

(Note from Eustacia: Devangi gave me this very nicely arranged word document, but Blogger won't let me put two picture next to each other without combining them into one image. So in case you get confused, images first, then explanation)

Kitchen! We share our Kitchen, but it’s pretty cool since we also eat together some times.

The Laundry Room and Our Mail Boxes

Elevator and the Common Table where we sometimes eat. (My Floor)

The Common Area of Dorm 2, A TV, Ping Pong Table ☺

Souvenirs from different parts of the world! Left by previous senpais. (That is in Dorm 1)

That is a picture of Dorm 2 and the one beside it shows a part of the Osaka University, Minoh Campus.

Dorm 1 has 4 floors for Boys and 1 for Girls, It has shared bathrooms. Dorm 2 is Girls only, and also private bathrooms!! ;)

Link to the street view of the Campus:

In front of the Dorms!

My Room!

It really is very messy so I'll use a sketch to show how it is.

Hope you get the Idea!

I am in the Natural Sciences – A Category so this is my schedule:

Btw if this crazy question popped up in your mind,

“Is this all in Japanese?”

- “Yes, it is.”

But don't worry, I didn't know any Japanese either. Yet, I am alive!

That is a random sketch of me!

It was really fun making this, because I enjoy it here a lot. So I wanted to give people something to look at while they waited for the loooong MEXT selection process to get done with (I annoyed Eustacia Senpai a lot and also stalked her blog day dreaming all the time ;))

It's going to be one of the best experiences of your life, I am not whining (yet) because the September Exams are still quite a few days away!

Best of Luck to everyone who applied for this!!

Thank you Eustacia senpai for allowing me to do this post!

 - Devangi Yadav 
Mext Undergrad 
2015-2020

*******

I hope you enjoyed this really informative post. If you're a MEXT scholar and you have something you want to share (about application, your university, or your own take on TUFS/Osaka U/Kyushu U), please drop me a comment or an email. I'd love to feature more of your stories here! 

Frequently Asked Questions III

Pic unrelated. But Ajisai season was just over! 

Are you shocked? After doing on FAQ a year, I'm suddenly releasing a third one, what, 3 months after the second one came out. Well, I've been getting a lot of questions lately, and I realised that applications are around now. (Singaporeans, your application deadline is 25th July (Friday) )

Scholarship-related:

Is there a bond? (This questions is specific to Singaporeans)

Nope, there is no bond, but if you decide to take up the scholarship through the Singapore government, you do have to serve a bond. I believe it's about 6 years. You also get a bit more money is month.

Do you have to pay the scholarship money back?

Nope, not at all.

Who wrote your applications? Your teacher or your principal?

I'm not too sure, since I didn't open the envelope to check (it was sealed), but I think my teacher wrote it for me, and then the principal signed off it. It makes sense after all, because my teacher knows me better than my principal.


University related:

What is your opinion on the English language programs vs the Japanese language course? Is it riskier to apply to an English language course?

I'm in the Japanese course, so I'm obviously biased to that. I think, if you want to master the Japanese language by the time you graduate, you should go for the Japanese course. In the English course, there is less opportunity to intensively practice and study Japanese - there are Japanese classes, but things like reports do require lots of practice, I'm still learning about it!

As for the risk, I have no idea. I'm not MEXT and I didn't apply to any English course, so I can't help you there.

Are most Economics/Business related courses internationally recognised?

Probably. If you go to a public school, and especially if you go to an ex-imperial university, your degree will probably be recognised worldwide.

(By the way, Econs/Business people should consider Kyushu University (Kyuda) because we have QREC)

Does Japan have a double-degree program?

Sadly, no. But in Kyudai (at least), you can get an additional degree (actually, a diploma) with your bachelor's degree. Examples include the EUIJ program (stay tuned for more information), the 21st Century Challenge and the Japan-Korean college. I'm in the EUIJ program, so I can tell you that if you choose your modules carefully, you can graduate with an extra diploma without having to take extra courses. I'm not sure about other universities though, you'll have to check with them.

In your opinion, how academically rigorous is university in Japan (in reference to the Tofugu post about university being the spring break of life)?

So you saw Austin's post! Todai seems very very lax, but I study more than him (I think). Then again, Austin is also smarter than me so.... Personally, I think it depends on the major. For Kyudai Engineering students, they need a high GPA in order to be able to specialise in the area they want. But for Economics students, there's not GPA requirement (we do have to pass some modules). But I do believe some exchange programs require a minimum GPA.

Life in Japan:

How expensive is it to live in Japan? Is the scholarship money enough?

(This answer is the updated answer from the first FAQ)
The answer is: it depends. Tokyo is expensive, Fukuoka, not so much. While I was in a dorm in Tokyo, and in Fukuoka, the scholarship money is enough. Of course, if your rent takes up half your allowance, like in Tokyo, then it's probably not going to be enough :p

Are we allowed to do part-time work?

(Again, updated answer from the first FAQ)

The answer is "no" for TUFS and "yes" for university (after you apply for a permit for part-time work. It will limit the number of hours you can work per week - but be careful not to fall into the trap and work too much. Japanese students can afford to fail/retain, but I think we have to at least pass/graduate on time).

What is the weather there like? Is it dangerous to live in Japan? (Mudslides/Tsunamis/Earthquakes etc)

It depends on which part of Japan you're at. I haven't felt an earthquake since I moved to Fukuoka, and even the recent typhoon decided to avoid us. So I live in a safe area (with regards to natural disasters). I do remember experiencing more earthquakes in Tokyo though, although I hear that the recent typhoon was a non-event there too. (It was terrible in Okinawa though)

By the way, weather is... seasonal. I'm not sure how to describe it other than that. There's spring, summer, autumn and winter. If you're from a tropical climate, I guess it could take quite a lot of adjustment.

Is it tough living in Japan by yourself?

What a loaded question, I honestly think my answer will differ depending on my mood. But basically, it depends on the person. I'm fine, but there are people who find it tough. It depends on your lifestyle now and whether you feel homesick and all that.

(Also, I'm so tempted to do an in-depth post about it one day)

Personal questions: 

Why did you choose to study in Japan?

To cut a long story short (hmm... maybe I should blog about it one day?). I went to Kyushu for my ROCS3 program in school and fell in love with the place. Then in JC, I learnt about Kaizen, 5S systems, read Shusaku Endo and decided to come study here

And of course, I really wanted to learn Japanese, and for me, the most effective way is by immersion. So, uni in Japan it was! :D

Many thanks to Sagar, Seany, Keefe, Drew and others for the awesome questions! And thanks to everyone who wrote in with their experience and questions, I love hearing from all of you :D

Please check out the first FAQ, the second FAQ and the anti-FAQ as well. If you have any questions not covered by the FAQs or any past blog posts, or you want to read about a certain topic in-depth, let me know in the comments or through email.

Do My Bank Books Hate Me?

I was actually about to blog about Tosu Premium Outlets today, but then this happened.

When I say this I mean to say that I had to get a new bankbook. This makes it my fourth bank book, and I'm only entering my third year here.

Now, these bank books are insanely useful. I didn't use them very often in TUFS, but since I moved to Fukuoka and started to pay things through my bank account, I've found them to be very helpful in tracking my spending habits. Withdrawing money through the ATM card is convenient, but it doesn't tell you if you're withdrawing money too frequently, or if there are other purchases you made but forgot about.

And for some reason, ever since I moved here, I've had three bank books die on me. It appears that something went wrong with their magnetic strip at the back of the book.

So, for all of you living in Japan (and all of you to come), here is the advice that I've gotten from the people at the Yuuchou bank:

• Don't put two or more bankbooks together. Apparently the magnetic strip is very sensitive and the fiction can spoilt it. 
• In that vein, placing pieces of paper (like receipts) and such with your bank book is also a rather bad idea. 
• In fact, you should totally keep it in the plastic case they gave you. 
• And because these magnetic strips are so sensible, don't keep them in your bag with your handphone for long periods of time. Apparently the handphone will ruin your magnetic strip. 

Now that I know all this, here's to hoping that my fourth bank book will last much longer than the previous three. 

Misc. News.

1) +InasWH, my junior studying at TUFS now has made a video about studying in TUFS. For all your prospective scholars curious about MEXT/TUFS, you should definitely go watch it!

2) Today is commonly celebrated as International Labour Day, but you might not know that this is the day that Minamata disease was officially diagnosed (the things I learn in the doctor's office). Minamata disease, if you didn't know, is one of the four big pollution diseases of Japan and came about due to companies not caring about the environment. If you're ever in Kumamoto and near Minamata, you should go to the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum. If you're not, well, I did transcribe an account that I heard from a survivor. You can find it here. Let me warn you though, I only transcribed it, which means the grammar is a little choppy. 

Frequently Asked Questions II

SPRING :D 

Hey everyone! It's been a really long time since my previous FAQ (I think it was almost a year!) and since there are still lots of questions to be answered, I've decided to make a Part 2. So, I sent an email asking for questions to people who recently emailed me and dredged through my inbox.

Before I start, Inas, Sara and Valerie, thank you so much for replying!

Ok, on to the questions! They're all mostly about studies and MEXT, but to be honest, if you have questions about living (and to a smaller extent travelling) in Japan, feel free to ask me. I'll probably turn the questions into Part 3.... next year (looking at how I procrastinate :p)

MEXT Scholarship Questions
What are the chances of furthering my studies after MEXT?
From what Sara and another senior told me, it is possible to further your studies under MEXT. For example, if you're in the undergraduate program, you can study to a Masters degree. For a graduate, you can go to a PhD. I'm not too sure about the details though, so please check with the embassy/university.

What happens if you fail the December exam?
Oh no! Ok, this is a matter of how badly you've failed. If there's a university that will take you in, you will go there. If no university wants you (which means you must have skipped all your lessons or something), then I think you'll have to go home. The school will do its best to help you get in.

Related Question: What happens if my first choice university rejects me? 
The school will help you find another university. I'm not sure how this is done though.

How do you pick your university?
There are a few stages (this is TUFS specific. If any Osaka people could chime in, that would be awesome):
Stage 1: You get back your results (and then you celebrate or mope around - no prizes to the correct guess for my experience)
Stage 2: You go for a consultation with the teacher (In TUFS' case, Tani Sensei) as to which universities you can probably get in.
Stage 3: You apply and wait for MEXT to give it's approval.
Stage 4: If MEXT gives the green light, you either go for the exam/interview (if there's any) and then continue waiting for the official university letter.

How are the students divided? Can you choose your language school?
I'm not too sure, although we're divided pretty evenly between Osaka and Tokyo. And no, we can't pick our language school.

How many people get in overall?
There were about 60 people in my year, so I'm guessing about 120 people worldwide. This is for my batch (those that came in April 2012), so I'm not too sure about the latest numbers.

What kind of language test do you get when you first arrive?
For TUFS, it was a general Japanese language test. Gosh, I just realised I forgot :O
I'm pretty sure reading, writing, speaking (like conversations with the teacher) and listening are all tested though.

Life in Japan (Language and other stuff)
How good should my Japanese be?
Erh, erh, you're asking me? My Japanese friends still have to help me check every single one of my papers for grammar mistakes *blushes*. Just rest assured that by the end of the one year, you should be good enough for university. And the language schools will teach you from zero, so there's absolutely no need to worry.

Osaka people: is Kansai-ben very different from Standard Japanese?
I'm not sure why I was asked this, but let's just say it's different. It's not like Chinese, where knowing Mandarin doesn't help with Cantonese or Hokkien, but you will have a few problems understanding. At least, that's my experience with Hakata-ben and Kita-kyushu-ben.

Are there any student mentors when you first arrive?
Yes! There's an advisor on each floor of the dorm, and he/she will help you settle in, bring you to get your yuuchou bank account set up and all that. In fact, my advisor was the person who helped me find a doctor when I was sick and checked up on me.

Should I bring my laptop over? and Is a laptop necessary for the first year?I
It's up to you. It's not that necessary for your first year, although I'm using it for school assignments a lot more since I entered university. If your laptop is new, it may be worth using an adaptor for at least the first year. If your laptop is old and you were thinking of getting a new one anyway, wait till you come before you buy a laptop (and there are normally lots of student discounts in April, when the new school year starts).

Is it expensive to live in Japan? Do I need baito?
Living expenses vary from region to region. Kyushu is actually pretty ok, I managed just fine without baito for my first year. I just started teaching English, but that's because I made a few extravagant purchases this year. It's pretty normal to have baito though.

What can you buy at the 100yen stores?
EVERYTHING. Notebooks, snacks, drainage nets (get those, they are insanely useful if you hate scrubbing the plastic draining thing in your sink), little boxes, house slippers/house socks, etc. The only thing I would caution you against buying there would be cooking utensils, because I heard a horror story (from my senpai) about them melting under heat.

How do I pay my rent/set up my bank account?
When you first arrive in Japan, TUFS will help you set up a bank account. From there, they'll deduct the rent (automatically). You can set it up so that your water bills, electricity bills, phone bills, etc are all deducted automatically, but you'll have to fill in a separate form for each.

Personal Questions
How do you cope with homesickness?
It probably varies from person to person, but I find that going outside and doing something helps immensely. The whole point of this is to leave your house/room and get some fresh air. So at the very least, walk to a nearby store/conbini (you don't have to buy anything). Better yet, go do something, like kendo practice. Be warned, you will not feel like going out, but you should force yourself to do so. I normally feel this sense of inertia before kendo, but I never regret going.

I hope this was useful! Let me know if there are any other questions that isn't covered in this FAQ or the previous one.

Also, I'd love to do an FAQ for Kyushu University, to try and convince more of you to come here. So ask away in the comments or email me with your questions!

I Graduate Today!!!

Today (as you can obviously see from the title), is the day I graduated from my one-year course at TUFS. The reason why this post is written so late is that today was also the day of my farewell from Kendo, and a last class dinner.

For some reason, I was chosen to be the representative of the humanities students, which means that I was the first one to get my certificate, and I got it way way earlier than most of my friends:

Oh happy day!

After the party (which had a lot of food), I went for a second lunch with the kendo team! They were all so sweet! I got some awesome presents from them (no photos sorry! Do you want to see it very badly? I could take one and upload it I guess....)

I love my kendo team. Kohai's: Go join kendo! 

Incidentally, I was told that my clothes were very casual by the kendo team. O.o I thought I was semiformal!

Sorry, this is the only full-body pic I have (I think) It's not very good.

Also, I got my official acceptance letter from Kyushu University!

And if you're wondering what the graduation certificate looks like, these two photos should satisfy your curiosity:

The cover

The left side is in English, the right side is in Japanese

I'm happy to graduate, but I wish I didn't have to leave my friends behind. Sadly, I'm the only one going to Kyushu University.