Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Postgraduate!!

[ooilingfan]

My chosen Prof. informed me that a LOA was sent to me end of last week. It hasn't reached me yet (feels like its taking forever..). And the Embassy has informed me that they are posting my application forms to Japan today. They assured me that I need not worry because they can send the LOA to Japan on its own as soon as I receive it - but I am worried. I have every reason to worry, don't I?

If they say you don't have to worry then you don't have to.
It took about 10 days for postage to reach me last time. It may take longer to Malawi as it's further than M'sia from Japan i guess.

Hajime mashite
Minna san Douzo Yoroshiku.
I'm a newcomer from Indonesia and I am a candidate for MEXT Research Student 2010. I already got LOA from Nagoya Univ (Graduate School of Economics) and Kobe Univ.(Graduate Scholl of Business and Administration).
Waiting for your sharing. Thanks =)

Nothing to share. Just send them in and wait for the official letter next Feb.
There are tonnes of Indonesian students all around Japan, the same should apply to Kobe and Nagoya as well. Usually you guys will form your own Indonesian groups so your senpai will take good care of you. Needless to worry.

[gilmwa]

Ooilingfan
If it took ten days for postage to reach you then I was unjustified to worry. It has only been 6 days since the LOA was supposedly sent to me, hence I really have no reason to worry. Besides, I think its best not to assume that I will be confirmed by MEXT anyway (although menrui wrote somewhere that there is a 98% chance of confirmation).

[NeoXtremeX]

Congrats to wulanrahmadhany and gilmwa!

I just got accepted to Tohoku University myself. I am also waiting for replies from Keio, Waseda, Hitotsubashi, Handai and Meidai (nagoya univ). All in the economics department, so I hope I get to see you there gilmwa!

I want to thank everybody for their advice and consideration! You the best!

EDIT: I just got accepted to Osaka University (Handai). I want to scream in exciment!!!... but its night so I can't lol.

[gilmwa]

Congrats to you NeoXtremeX. Isn't it going to be a tough choice between Osaka and Tohoku? I am hoping to go to Gifu University (chemical engineering).

[menrui]

osaka horah~~~

anyways, if i were you, i would stop at 2 LoA. No more than 3. You will have to write apology letters and such. The profs, all of them, probably think you will definitely attend their university...

[ekoy]

CONGRATULATIONS to gilmwa and wulanrahmadhany!

I just got accepted into Osaka as well! Now, I'll have to decide between Kyushu and Osaka... *cries*

By the way, has anyone here thought of signing themselves into any Japanese Language courses in your home country? Well, at the very least, we do need some Japanese Language skills to maneuver around Japan on the first day ne?

To the Malaysian senpai(s) in Japan, it's almost Merdeka day - so Happy Merdeka! :)

[NeoXtremeX]

Euhm, I applied to 4 more universities. I thought it was like the american system where you applied to many schools, got into some, and then picked the best. The embassy recommended that, so that I had options.

What do you guys say?

To Ekoy: Yes I have! I even wrote in my study plan in my application hehe!

[jitney]

Euhm, I applied to 4 more universities. I thought it was like the american system where you applied to many schools, got into some, and then picked the best. The embassy recommended that, so that I had options.

What do you guys say?

To Ekoy: Yes I have! I even wrote in my study plan in my application hehe!

To NeoXtremeX:

How many schools and professors did you contact before you got your LoA?

I have contacted 3 schools and 7 professors so far and have only gotten 3 rejections from profs who say they can't take in anymore students.

[NeoXtremeX]

Hmm, let's see. I contacted 7 schools and over 30 professors. I have gotten 2 official Letter of Acceptance from Handai and tohokudai, which I seriously didn't expect, and a verbal letter of acceptance from Hiroshima University.

The reason I tried to contact so many professors was because a lot of economics professors do research on what I like. Furthermore, as time went by and i didn't get ANY response at all from my 3 original choices, I grew DESPERATE and expanded my search to other universities. In the end, I just applied through the center of international students/education for my 3 original choices. That was about a week ago and I am still waiting for a response from those. Finally, I guess I'd rather have an option of where to go rather than have mext pick for me. I dread the thought of being sent to hokkaido or to kyushu,.. no offense meant to those going though.

I guess that if i actually get accepted to more universities I'll have to write quite a few apology letters. I feel bad about it already.

I hope this was helpful.

[wenti07]

HEY! VERY URGENT: does anybody out there have the PLEDGE to the minister that we have to sign when we accept the monbukagakusho scholarship? I need the ones from 2006 and 2007. If anybody has a copy, could you please, please let me know? It's really urgent. Thanks so much!!!!

[jitney]

How is everyone doing in their quest of obtaining a Letter of Acceptance (LoA)?

So far its been harder that I thought. I have only gotten rejections from professors who say that their labs are all full and they have no more capacity to supervise anymore applicants.

For those who did manage to get a LoA, how did you find your professors?

Did you try to find profs whose labs had international students or had an English version of the lab's homepage?

[arap]

Hi all
It's been a while for me to visit this thread,
@jitney
For finding Professor, I used http://read.jst.go.jp/index_e.html sites and try searching based on my research theme, it will then list all of the names of Professors which after that I try to track them by putting their name on google and usually will take me to their respective Lab and their email to contact them...and voila !!!
well it does seem complicated but it works fine with me.

BTW It's not like I had no problem with my LoA, I had problem with one of my Professor due to misunderstanding, I don't know why but my Professor misunderstand me to apply as Phd student while I want to apply for master degree.

I had wrote e-mail to correct this but until now he didn't reply yet...I can only hope he doesn't get disappointed with this :(

[dalmatian]

heey

Ajay:


I'm going into bioengineering (I have an "Engineering for the Life Sciences" MEng) and I started writing to profs around the end of May. BUT I would recommend starting a little earlier - some of the professors I contacted suggested alternatives for funding so if you want to explore those, start early. Also.. sounds harsh but don't be discouraged from 'shopping around'. Look up the profs, read their papers. Spend time on it.. it's 2(+) years of your life!!

It's the blood tests that are killing me financially :( £100 for the chest xray, £200 for the blood tests.. and probs £85 for the medical >< that's like.. $650 USD? thats a lotta moolah for someone used to public health care T_T

Dalmatian:


thanks~ ^^ and good luck with yours! i'm sure you'll get in. I am getting a certificate of acceptance (it's in the post) from the school of engineering. They didn't mention anything about a meeting :s and they were pretty quick - I guess it depends on the faculty, and maybe how speedy your prof is with paperwork. Do you know when that meeting is? Let me know what the result is - maybe I'll be seeing you there?!

i'm gonna go off and sulk some more about the price of blood tests..
mwahz xx

hi ellefruit,

The result is out today. I am in ^^ Now I have to wait for the mail delivery of the certificate of acceptance. But actually, on the attachment form I put Todai as my 3rd University o__O I am wondering, will it matter for the final placement?

[dalmatian]

hi arap,
I hope everything will be fine. I think he will not be disappointed regarding the misunderstanding on the degree.

Actually when I tried to translate one of my LoA (I ask friend who understands Japanese), there is also misunderstanding because it is written that I've done similar research as I submitted to monbukagakusho o__O (I sent my CV, but never said that I've done similar research).

[arap]

Hi dalmatian,

It's been a while since the last time we talked, Congratulation for the acceptance in Todai and thank you for your concern regarding my problem.

Actually I already received the reply from my Professor and he said he don't mind it which greatly put my mind on a relief.

Anyway how about the other LoA besides Todai ? have you receive them ? or maybe you already submit them to the embassy ?
I already received the LoA from Waseda and Tsukuba, now I'm waiting for my final one from Shizudai. I will submit them to the embassy as soon as I have all three together

[dalmatian]

hi arap,

Thank you for the congratulate. I am glad everything is ok. I hope all of us can be granted the scholarship.

Yes, I have submitted 2 LoA (Tsukuba and Kyushu) to the Embassy. Actually I submitted the LoA as soon as I received it without waiting for other LoA. ^^

[Sorin86]

Hello , I am new on this forum (and from Romania) but after spending a few days reading some posts I figured out the main ideas and I have some questions i hope somebody will answer me. :D

1. How would you approach a profesor from a japanese university to ask him to be your supervisor? I dream about the "research student" scholarship and it would be kinda akward just to throw the glove from the first mail. "Hi, this is me...this is what I plan to do..
ehm...Will you be my research supervisor?"

2. I am currently in a master program in my home country and I'll graduate on july next year. I plan to submit my aplication for Monbusho on june (last month for submission). The problem is that all the graduation certificates are hold by my faculty and they will have those return to me a year after I graduate. I might ask for a certification that would replace those or a legalized copy(i guess this is the term) of them, but I don't know if that would be a solution accepted by the embassy.
Anyone knows a similar scenario?

3. I might sound lazy, but can anybody please post a link to the english tests of the previous years? Thank you :)

4. The 2 copies of the recommendation letters should be with the original in the same sealed envelope?

That's it for now and I hope that someone will answer at least some of the questions. Sorry for bothering you. ;)

Bye

[SOLDIER1st]

Hi!

Just got the CoA for Todai's Graduate School of Information Science and Technology (Information Physics and Computing). Anyone else (probably) going to Todai next year? =). This was my first choice. Haven't got any more LoAs yet... Does someone know how to reach professors at Keio? It seems that e-mailing them is not a way to do it :S.

Congratz to everyone who got the CoA from Todai. For those who didn't get it, you have two more Unis to go! so cheer up! and besides, MEXT is King! and can put you in Todai even if they say no =P.

[nyfa]

@dalmatian,
Hellow senpai~, long time no talk, lol. Congratulations once again for Toudai! =D

@arap,
I hope you're fine. It's been a while since we last chatted. Glad to know that your professor doesn't mind about the misuderstanding :).

@SOLDIER1st,
Congratulations! I also got a CoA from School of Information Science and Technology (Information and Communication Engineering). If we bump into each other next year, it would be great =D.

[dalmatian]

@nyfa and SOLDIER1st:
Hi and Congratulations for you too! ^^/
Seems that all of us are admitted to the same graduate school. If we are all granted the scholarship and the final placement is Toudai, then I think we could meet one another. ^^/ can't wait for the final results.

[ellefruit]

hey heys

congrats indeed to all you with LoAs/CoAs! Dalmatian: i'm sure putting them 3rd isnt a problem.

I got my toudai CoA a while back and sent it in to the embassy last week. At first they insisted I needed to get the LoA completed though.. is this going to be a problem? the CoA has no indication of proposed research, just the subject & supervisor, but when i asked if they'd also send me an LoA they said no, it's their "official policy" not to. The lady at the embassy then said, "ok well i'll send off your CoA and we'll see how it goes." How much like "fingers crossed!!" does that sound? i need something more definite!!

With regards to multiple LoAs.. I only applied for 1.
I contacted 2/3 profs prior to prelim. screening, then only my first choice after passing that. To be fair, he was pretty quick at responding, and positive, so I was lucky. But my dad happens to be a Prof in the UK, and he advised me not to contact other profs, seen as I had my first choice. Reckoned they might be pretty pissed after all that correspondence if you turned them down. But it sounds like most applicants have done so.. so maybe they're used to it. Thats my 2 cents worth anyhow.

[nyfa]

I got my toudai CoA a while back and sent it in to the embassy last week. At first they insisted I needed to get the LoA completed though.. is this going to be a problem? the CoA has no indication of proposed research, just the subject & supervisor, but when i asked if they'd also send me an LoA they said no, it's their "official policy" not to. The lady at the embassy then said, "ok well i'll send off your CoA and we'll see how it goes." How much like "fingers crossed!!" does that sound? i need something more definite!!


Hey ellefruit,

Now I'm a bit worried. I don't know how my embassy would react if they found out that I am only going to send CoA from Toudai to them.. But I suppose Toudai has been doing this kind of procedure for a long time and MEXT should aware of it, right?

[Ajay]

I also got positive replies from two professors from toudai, both are fairly interested in taking me (at least that is what I can make out of the emails). One of the is my first choice, other was from Graduate School of Info. Science. and. Tech (GSIST) who replied in early august. My first choice prof replied like at the end of the august after one month. As per the guidelines from the embassy here, I notified both of them about the fact that I am also applying to other profs as well in toudai. Finally the prof who is my first choice quickly sent me the letter of acceptance, at that time the date for 'second meeting' for finalizing the candidates in GSIST was not past, so I told about my decision to the prof there that I will be going with the first one to avoid any misunderstanding later and my application under him may be withdrawn. I did this as having two LOA from the profs from same univ isnt good as surely you wont be joining at least one of them. Though in this process I might have annoyed him as well, but then it I thought it may be worse if it happens later as right now he might have few more application which he may consider... Really, it is a bit troublesome job to get a letter of recommendation without offending a prof... Dunno what is the best strategy. One way is to apply in a serial order. Apply to one prof then wait for his reply if he rejects then apply to the next. This is though not best for us. Another trouble is that some (most?) times profs dont reply. My first choice prof replied after like one month. What did you folks do for this?

[NeoXtremeX]

Personally,

I applied to different schools and within those schools to different professors. Then I hoped for the best. Recently, I have been getting responses from the universities I applied to like Handai, Tohokudai, Meidai and Hitotsubashi. All have been positive so far, except for Hitotsubashi because I haven't gotten a definitive yes from them yet.

When I first started looking for supervisors, I sent ONE email to my first choice in Keio University. After a week and no response, I sent another more elaborate email and still I got no response. I then proceeded to call his office. He wasn't there either. Eventually, I gave up and tried emailing more professors within that deparment. NO RESPONSES after a week or so. By this time summer recess had begun so I my hopes for a response started to dwindle.

This is when I grew desperate and started to look at other universities for a similar professor. In the end, when I realized I had no choice, I mailed the application to the International Students department of each of my top 3 Universities. Like 3 days later, I started receiving letter of acceptance emails from the universities I mentioned earlier. It was my little WTF moment because the first 3 i mention (handai, tohokudai and meidai) were my backup and not in my preferences panel.

I guess that in the end, I will have to send a bunch of emails yet again to apologize. Again, I hope this was helpful.

[ellefruit]

Hey ellefruit,
Now I'm a bit worried. I don't know how my embassy would react if they found out that I am only going to send CoA from Toudai to them.. But I suppose Toudai has been doing this kind of procedure for a long time and MEXT should aware of it, right?

yah lol. I'm sure Tdai wouldnt send them out without checking that they would be acceptable.

I was thinking about my last comment and the replies and it occurred to me, I have no back up if Tokyo falls through?! Also from Ajay's post it sounds like the prof didnt mind so much that he'd applied elsewhere.. maybe this is all standard procedure. Plus, things are way different in the UK.. it just feels like a messy system. is that just me?

on another note: i'm struggling to find something to do until April T_T I didn't think I'd get the scholarship to be honest and I hadnt planned anything.. anyone else in the same boat?

[SOLDIER1st]

yah lol. I'm sure Tdai wouldnt send them out without checking that they would be acceptable.
I was thinking about my last comment and the replies and it occurred to me, I have no back up if Tokyo falls through?! Also from Ajay's post it sounds like the prof didnt mind so much that he'd applied elsewhere.. maybe this is all standard procedure. Plus, things are way different in the UK.. it just feels like a messy system. is that just me?
on another note: i'm struggling to find something to do until April T_T I didn't think I'd get the scholarship to be honest and I hadnt planned anything.. anyone else in the same boat?
Well... It's really complicated to look for something to do in just 7 months. For example, in my case, I'm a recently graduated engineer. I can't study (I mean a serious, complex academic course) because there is not enough time. Most companies won't hire me because I'll leave in a few months and even If I hide the fact that I'm going to Japan (I'm pretty confident, huh? :-) ), It would make me look like a jerk if I tell to the company, that after 7-6 months, I'm leaving because I got a scholarship... or at least that's what I think...
So I'm pretty much tied to the scholarship. I wouldn't like to apply to big companies because I don't want to mop the floor with my reputation (you know, cold hearted unethical bastard XD ). So my only shot is to aim for a shabby company and make some time. I'm planning to take japanese classes to improve my japanese skills, even though many of us will get an intensive course when we arrive.
Those are my ideas. Does someone have other ideas to share?
And on a side note about the scholarship: Are we required to return to our country when the scholarship's over? or we can stay if we find a job or something reaaaally nice in Japan... =P I'll appreciate the help :wave:

[Rica]

Hi everybody,
It looks like most people are having good luck finding supervisors, that's great!
I just got my LOA from Keio. I'm so excited! It will be the only one I submit, as Keio was my first and only choice. I guess sometimes putting all your eggs in one basket does pay off.
To everyone still trying, don't give up! Good luck!

[arap]

yah lol. I'm sure Tdai wouldnt send them out without checking that they would be acceptable.
I was thinking about my last comment and the replies and it occurred to me, I have no back up if Tokyo falls through?! Also from Ajay's post it sounds like the prof didnt mind so much that he'd applied elsewhere.. maybe this is all standard procedure. Plus, things are way different in the UK.. it just feels like a messy system. is that just me?
on another note: i'm struggling to find something to do until April T_T I didn't think I'd get the scholarship to be honest and I hadnt planned anything.. anyone else in the same boat?

Well... It's really complicated to look for something to do in just 7 months. For example, in my case, I'm a recently graduated engineer. I can't study (I mean a serious, complex academic course) because there is not enough time. Most companies won't hire me because I'll leave in a few months and even If I hide the fact that I'm going to Japan (I'm pretty confident, huh? :-) ), It would make me look like a jerk if I tell to the company, that after 7-6 months, I'm leaving because I got a scholarship... or at least that's what I think...
So I'm pretty much tied to the scholarship. I wouldn't like to apply to big companies because I don't want to mop the floor with my reputation (you know, cold hearted unethical bastard XD ). So my only shot is to aim for a shabby company and make some time. I'm planning to take japanese classes to improve my japanese skills, even though many of us will get an intensive course when we arrive.


Hi ellefruit and Soldier1st

Same boat here, I was thinking I'm the only one with this problem :relief:

Well what a coincidence, I had the same idea as Soldier1st, I initially planned to find a job again (Yeah it's again because I resigned one earlier) in a "shabby" company...but that's tentative plan though coz' even until now I'm still lazy to apply for one

My concrete plans for now are to learn Japanese language and take JLPT exam at December which I already done both. Other than that I usually learn more about my research topic or anything related with them (well.. I do spent much time on watching movie though)

I don't really have any complain with learning part but I must admit I feel tormented between finding a job or just waiting for the announcement. One part of me think "just be patience, u will get your scholarship soon" but another one think "Don't be arrogance !!! Do u think the success rate for getting the scholarship is big ? I do have a fair chance to be failed also so let's try find a job now to be safe"

well that's what I'm experiencing now, waiting for another suggestion from you guys

[ellefruit]

yay!!! i'm not alone!! XD

in my case, I'm a recently graduated engineer.

same!! Freshly graduated engineer, as of july. And yah.. I pretty much dismissed finding a job once I passed this. I thought internships might be the way to go, but finding one right AFTER summer is a little tougher >.< plus.. being a recent grad, i have (next to) no experience.. which apparently makes me difficult to hire >.>

exactly the same with the japanese course and jlpt O_o i guess its one thing you can easily set up for the short term.. and its useful.

lastly I can't shake the thought that this'll probably be the closest thing to a gap year I'll ever get.. I'd love to throw caution to the wind and go travelling.. but i have no £££ and none of my friends have a spare 7 months.. T_T

[nyfa]

yay!!! i'm not alone!! XD
same!! Freshly graduated engineer, as of july.

So.. how many freshly graduated engineer here, lol? We're on the same boat actually :). I just graduated too this July, but luckily I found a job with only 6 months contract until this December.

I also don't have that much of confidence of this scholarship though.. so I don't know what I should do if my contract ends and I failed this scholarship ..

[gcarmelino]

Hi all guys, I ve been reading this post since mmm 2007 when I applied to mombusho for the first time. Finally this year i could pass the english proficiency test. Usually we are 250 candidates for the test. Then like 25 candidates for the interview. At the end I classified as substitute so im crossing my fingers to have a chance. Currently I m assistant professor on architectural design here in Peru and I m looking forward to going to tsukuba university as a research student for architecture. My embassy told me they will inform me between october and november, I would like to know if it is the same date for you guys?.

[Kairu88]

Hello, sorry to go off topic a bit, but I have a couple of questions regarding the scholarship that I was hoping someone where might be able to answer... I apologize if some of these questions have already been asked!
What does it take to be accepted as a research student? If you pass the Japanese and English tests and pass the interview, are you accepted? Is that all the application process is based upon? I'm guessing it's not so easy...
Is the interview in English or Japanese?
Also, do you need to submit a transcript of your undergrad studies?
Lastly, I heard that if you're accepted you undergo Japanese language training before beginning your studies at your university in Japan. Does that mean your thesis and classes would all have to be in Japanese?
Thanks a lot!

[menrui]

soldier1rst,
"we find... something reaaaally nice in Japan", hehe are we thinking the same thing? anyways, what you do after the scholarship is up to you of course. but your student visa will surely expire.

Kairu,
What does it take to be accepted as a research student?
-there is a guideline you can download at your embassy website, probably. or you can just gooogle for it.
If you pass the Japanese and English tests and pass the interview, are you accepted?
-there is a good chance
Is that all the application process is based upon?
-the initial application takes some time(and money), and requires you to write a research proposal.
Is the interview in English or Japanese?
-both, but the japanese part is basic conversation
Also, do you need to submit a transcript of your undergrad studies?
-yes
Does that mean your thesis and classes would all have to be in Japanese?
-thesis, depends on your major/department. there is a good chance that, most(if not all) of your classes will bbe in japanese.

[SOLDIER1st]

Hi menrui!

"we find... something reaaaally nice in Japan", hehe are we thinking the same thing?

Indeed my friend! Indeed! :D Thanks for the answer! :wave:

[arap]

@gcarmelino
Actually your schedule is faster than us in Indonesia because we've been told that the tentative announcement will come in December, although we don't know the exact date yet..some says it's in the middle of December.

@Soldier1st & Menrui

"we find... something reaaaally nice in Japan"
Hahaha maybe the majority of a single male here, if not all, thinks the same thing as we are..or maybe not ? I don't know bout the ladies though ^ ^

[akaitsume1]

Hi everybody,
It looks like most people are having good luck finding supervisors, that's great!
I just got my LOA from Keio. I'm so excited! It will be the only one I submit, as Keio was my first and only choice. I guess sometimes putting all your eggs in one basket does pay off.
To everyone still trying, don't give up! Good luck!

Sweet!! That means I'll see you there!! What are you going to study again? I'm going to be on the Shounan Fujisawa campus. :-)

[nyfa]

@gcarmelino
Actually your schedule is faster than us in Indonesia because we've been told that the tentative announcement will come in December, although we don't know the exact date yet..some says it's in the middle of December.

Actually, it was Mr.Kabul who said something about middle of December.. And arap, what does tentative mean? Does it mean it's not confirmed yet?


@Soldier1st & Menrui

Hahaha maybe the majority of a single male here, if not all, thinks the same thing as we are..or maybe not ? I don't know bout the ladies though ^ ^

LOL. When I read this post the first time, I didn't think of something about ladies xDD.

[arap]

Hi nyfa,

Nah it's just my word because as far as I know the official one will be out in February, so I call the one in December as tentative one although in most case I heard in the past if we are already confirmed in December, it will most likely we will get the scholarship

[nyfa]

Hi nyfa,

Nah it's just my word because as far as I know the official one will be out in February, so I call the one in December as tentative one although in most case I heard in the past if we are already confirmed in December, it will most likely we will get the scholarship

Hi arap,

Hmm, I don't know that there's going to be two phases of announcement, cause my seniors said that there's only going to be one official announcement from embassy. But anyway, let's wait and see..

[SOLDIER1st]

Hi guys!

I just received Todai's CoA ( I mean, the real, physical one).Since I live far, far way =P I suppose that all you guys from Todai (specifically Information Science and Tech) have it too amirite? Just wanted to let you know, just in case you're wondering when will the real deal arrive :-)


Now...to wait for December.... I think these will be the longest months of my life. :wave:

[Rica]

Sweet!! That means I'll see you there!! What are you going to study again? I'm going to be on the Shounan Fujisawa campus. :-)
Woo hoo, how exciting!
I'll be doing Media Design at Hiyoshi campus. What will you be studying?

[akaitsume1]

Woo hoo, how exciting!
I'll be doing Media Design at Hiyoshi campus. What will you be studying?

Systems Biology. I have no idea what that means, but at least I'll get to study with the prof I found!! :relief:

[jitney]

You guys are pretty lucky that you have already gotten your Letters of Acceptances (LoA).

I still haven't gotten one although I have gotten an email "verbal" acceptance from a prof. at Hiroshima University.

Does anyone knows what MEXT does if you can't get a LoA?

Also, because we handed in our "Attachment" before we started contacting the profs/universities, what happens if we do get a LoA from a school not on your original preferred list?

[ooilingfan]

Hi nyfa,

Nah it's just my word because as far as I know the official one will be out in February, so I call the one in December as tentative one although in most case I heard in the past if we are already confirmed in December, it will most likely we will get the scholarship

Last year we received a letter in December stating that we were "Tentatively Selected as a scholarship recipient" , "however, you are still subjected to successful placement in a university etc etc etc....". That letter simply means that your criteria, proposal and interview results have been screened by MEXT and they accepted your embassy's recommendation and have no doubt that you are a qualified candidate. At that point, they are still finalizing your university (especially for those who proposed 2,3 universities or more). Hence you will only receive a final final confirmation bearing the date of departure plus the details of your University, department, supervisor in Feb.

Personally i think if you receive the tentative letter in december, you are quite safe to go. There are hundreds of universities in japan. Chances of not being able to place you into any of them are almost nil, unless your research proposal is so weird that no lab dares to take you in.

[gilmwa]

If the professor indicated that he is interested in taking you as a student then I think you need not worry. My preferred professor took two weeks to prepare and send my LoA. The LoA took a further 2 weeks (10 working days) to arrive (in Malawi). However, I do not know what MEXT does when the submitted LoA is not on the list in your application attachment.

[NeoXtremeX]

Hello everybody,

Quick question... has anybody applied to (or is familiar with) hitotsubashi university ?

[moonrayarc]

hola
it's been really time i haven't seen as many replies for one thread!!the subject deserves though :)
Well i'm student in civil engineering who will finish by june 2010 and i wish apply for monbusho research/master
my questions are :
-is it possible to orient my research project towards another field(economics) other than mine?
-about the university entrance exam,what does it contain?is it hard to pass?
-for those already in japan ,how many people you know from my country?

thanks a lot mates

[mounir]

You guys are pretty lucky that you have already gotten your Letters of Acceptances (LoA).
I still haven't gotten one although I have gotten an email "verbal" acceptance from a prof. at Hiroshima University.
Does anyone knows what MEXT does if you can't get a LoA?
Also, because we handed in our "Attachment" before we started contacting the profs/universities, what happens if we do get a LoA from a school not on your original preferred list?

hey, I got my LOA from a prf in Hiroshima university, its my first choice as well. Im waiting for the final word from mext though, and its no fun!!
I have a question, when accepted as an alternate, what does that mean? do u go only if someone else is rejected, coz that sucks!!

[gcarmelino]

yes thats it, as a substitute you only will be eligible whether a candidate is rejected or simply when he or she rejects the scholarship, and yes that sucks, im on the same situation :(

[moonrayarc]

hey mounir,you're the first moroccan i found here and 'im glad.i wish you could help me with some informations about the application the research subject ...

[akira0404]

Hi there. I have some questions here, I hope someone would help me to answer it.
My situation is I was missed out the MEXT scholarship for 2010 (I wasn't graduate yet that time), and I wish to apply MEXT in next year.

1) I saw many times of "Letter of Acceptance" in this forum (forgive me, I have not read through all the posts coz 112 pages for me!!), what is that? Letter from Embassy upon successfull received a scholarship? Am I need to contact my prospective supervisor and ask him to write this letter for me if he is willing to take me before I can apply the MEXT scholarship in next year? So I can attach it for Embassy, and they will select me as one of the recipient? Actually I did contacted my prospective supervisor, he is quite positive on taking me as his student, so should I ask him to write the "Letter of Acceptance" to me for next year MEXT application?

2) I know that we could apply MEXT scholarship via University Recommendation, right? So would it be higher chanced for getting the scholarship? Limited quota for MEXT, as I know 30 places for postgrad study in Malaysia, even it is subject to change, but sounds insecure to me. I don't have proper Japanese learning background (my level just remains somewhere in manga/anime and drama only).

I hope to see a reply from u guys soon.
thanks in advance.

[akaitsume1]

akira: The letter of acceptance is (in the US, anyway, and I'm assuming it's the same elsewhere) a document that the Embassy will give you if you pass its preliminary screening. You then send it off to your potential advisor to be filled out. Unless you pass the tests and interviews, the LoA isn't something you need to worry about.

I'm not sure if university recommendation has a higher chance...either route is very difficult to obtain. I went the embassy recommendation route, and was lucky enough to pass the preliminary screening. (I can't emphasize the "lucky" enough. I have no idea how they made some of their decisions.)

[akira0404]

akira: The letter of acceptance is (in the US, anyway, and I'm assuming it's the same elsewhere) a document that the Embassy will give you if you pass its preliminary screening. You then send it off to your potential advisor to be filled out. Unless you pass the tests and interviews, the LoA isn't something you need to worry about.

I'm not sure if university recommendation has a higher chance...either route is very difficult to obtain. I went the embassy recommendation route, and was lucky enough to pass the preliminary screening. (I can't emphasize the "lucky" enough. I have no idea how they made some of their decisions.)

akaitsume-san, thanks for reply me... hmm... so the letter of acceptance is actually issued by Embassy which shows that applicant is qualified to accept the scholarship so that I get my "chip" to negotiate with my prospective supervisor (like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties).... if that supervisor is willing to take me as his student, so i can just skip the interview and tests? hmmm.... I thought every applicants are required to attend EJU test and interview before they make the final decision, am I wrong?

[silveraven]

actually...i thought a LoA is like an offer letter... i was wondering though, does everyone have to sit for the japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

[arap]

akaitsume-san, thanks for reply me... hmm... so the letter of acceptance is actually issued by Embassy which shows that applicant is qualified to accept the scholarship so that I get my "chip" to negotiate with my prospective supervisor (like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties).... if that supervisor is willing to take me as his student, so i can just skip the interview and tests? hmmm.... I thought every applicants are required to attend EJU test and interview before they make the final decision, am I wrong?

Hi AKira, so I just curious what do you mean by skipping the interview and test ? did you mean the test for becoming a degree student ?

I think the answer in general is no..even after you've been accepted in the university, assuming your come there as a research student , you have to go through some test to be accepted as a degree student, well I think most applicant did this although there are some who come there directly as a degree students or eventually become a degree student without taking any test and also some who prefer to become just a research student.

(like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties)
Oh yes....I agree with you on this but I must say...you have to deal with this situation whether you like it or not..Pardon my words because I kinda sensitive with this issue especially now because I did take this gamble (in my case the biggest gamble yet I have take in my life so far) despite the risk and the low percentage for me to passed even for passing the embassy selection and believe me I do afraid of the consequences if I failed, my only driving motivation was because studying in Japan had became my dream and it's beats my fear. I believe all of the applicants who apply for this scholarship know that there are nothing certain in this process (and I do believe there nothing certain even in this life), there always be risk and all.

does everyone have to sit for the Japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

in Indonesia, it's mandatory..although they did announce after 10 minutes the test sheet have been given, for anyone who already gave up working on the Japanese test can just collect the sheet and go home after 30 minutes has elapsed :D
I myself only answer 5 of 20 answer on the Japanese test

[akira0404]

thanks for arap, hmmm... maybe my assumptions are wrong. Let me put in this, if i get the LoA, meaning I hv passed the EJU and interview section as preliminary selection, am I wrong? so I just need to find my prospective supervisor after that, isn't it? If he/she accepts me as one of his/her student, i just need to wait for another letter (addmission letter) from the uni, am I right? so, how about the entrance test of the uni or interview? do i need to go thro these 2 procedures? forgive my ignorance, if i was wrong.

[ekoy]

actually...i thought a LoA is like an offer letter... i was wondering though, does everyone have to sit for the japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

In Malaysia, it is not mandatory to do so. But then of course, your knowledge in the Japanese Language would be an added advantage. :)

[bharatsriv]

hi ,
i am a new member , can u please guide me as to which colleges are the best for doing masters in technology in computer science branch.
i am an engineering graduate and i have good academic record consistently as well as good extra curriculum and co - curriculars .
also can u please tell me were to contact and when to contact for the MEXT scholarships in INDIA . what is the procedure and what are the deadlines and were to contact.
also i wanted to ask in which college are good and its details , also can u tell me the average cost and will it be better for me to come as a research graduate or directly for masters ..
please do tell me
hoping for your kind reply ,
thanking u
bharat

[HappyAQ]

Hi Akira0404,
Similar with you, I am also interested in applying for the Monbusho scholarship and hopefully entering the graduate school in year 2011.

I am thinking if we would have higher chances when we have already determined which Univ and which professor will guide us along the way while doing the course/research.

Questions to helpful forumers:-
1) Is it possible to get into Masters/PhD without going through the process of being a research student? How is that?

2) Having working experiences already, possible of skipping Masters and go straight to PhD?

Thanks fellows~

[akira0404]

hi HappyAQ, nice to see a person who has same goal as me! however, i dont sure bt the research student and personally think it is possible to skip. i dont know, maybe i am wrong... sorry, couldnt help u...

[menrui]

bharatsriv,
I dont know which university would be good for your field, sorry.
There should be a website that you can visit provided by your government... I did a quick search and found the following link:
http://www.education.nic.in/scho_announcements/Japanese2010.asp
good luck

HappyAQ,
yes it is possible to skip the research student phase. I'm not completely sure about the details, but its up to your prof and the department. your embassy can only send you there as a research student i think.

[ooilingfan]

bharatsriv,
I dont know which university would be good for your field, sorry.
There should be a website that you can visit provided by your government... I did a quick search and found the following link:
http://www.education.nic.in/scho_announcements/Japanese2010.asp
good luck

HappyAQ,
yes it is possible to skip the research student phase. I'm not completely sure about the details, but its up to your prof and the department. your embassy can only send you there as a research student i think.

It is possible. Menrui is one example.
First you have to understand that the purpose of Research Student stage is to: 1. Build up your Japanese Language proficiency 2. Give you sufficient time to prepare yourself/catch up on your research field to fill up any gaps between your current level and Master's/PhD. Some tough fields like Japanese Literature/Arts subjects requires a student to undergo 2 full years of research student before admission into regular Graduate School.
So to skip it, you have to prove that you surpass the above 2 points
There are a few scenario leading to this situation:
1. Your Japanese proficiency level is superb that you can read, speak and write academic related texts. Or at least possess JLPT level 2 and above.
2. Your Japanese proficiency is enough to survive/carry yourself through your years in Japan.
3. Your program is fully conducted in English, and your labmates/professors/faculty members all speak english that you won't have a communication problem.
4. You are way way qualified for the Graduate program and no preparation is needed for the entrance exam (90% of the time, an entrance exam is still inevitable), some tough programs, like political science has very low entrance exam success rate, most int. students will have to fail a couple of times before passing, so that will take you 1-2 of Research Student years.
5. Your professor is convinced that the Research Student year is a total waste of time for you and he wants you to start your work immediately. (as in Menrui's case i suppose =p)

To sum it up, the person MOST concern about your qualifications in terms of language and professional skills is --> your supervisor. If he's satisfied with you and willing to back you up. Nobody will object. Cause ultimately, you will affect the integrity and efficiency of his research.

However, bear in mind one point that this decision is being made between your professor/uni with MEXT Japan when they communicate with each other some time around Oct/Nov. The Embassy won't entertain you on such issue during your application. So if you want to be exempted, talk to your supervisor, simple as that.

Wakaru? :relief:

oh one more thing, don't compare japanese university system with M'sia's.
You will get frustrated on why certain things can be done in M'sia but not in Japan. So don't, they are just different.
If you are really in a hurry to complete your degree, do it in M'sia. You can skip Master's easily.
And no, though i don't have evidence, I am convinced that Japan Uni won't allow you to substitute working experience for a Master's Degree. There are many who came here at 30years old to do their master's. If they can substitute working experience, they would've.

[bharatsriv]

@menrui
thanku for taking out your precious time to solve my query and it is dearly appreciated , please can anyone suggest me how should i contact the professors of my chosen institutes , and what are the contents of the e mail. also can some one guide me about the steps as to how to write a research proposal

[NeoXtremeX]

The best way to contact professors is by going to each university's website, and then to your chosen graduate school.

In the grad school's website, for example, the Tokyo University Graduate School of Economics, you should be able to find a faculty directory with each professor's research interest and emails.

good luck!

[bharatsriv]

thank you @neoxtremeX
, i have followed your advice and i have gone through many universities websites and have noted many relevant email id's of professors .thank you it really helped a lot, now can you tell me which are the best universities of pursuing AI ( artificial intelligence) and NLP ( natural language processing), as i although i have gone through many sites but i can't decide up on the best one here. your guidance is needed , also can u tell me how to write a research proposal for the relevant fields

[HappyAQ]

Thanks ooilingfan and menrui's advice.
I think the first step I should do from now till April is to contact the professors and narrow down the research topics that I want to work on.

Try for Univ. recommendation and then for via embassy.

Thank you for all the help~~ Good luck to you guys in your postgraduate studies~! :)

One humble request, probably menrui or ooilingfan or successful monbusho scholars could share your postgraduate experiences in Japan? That would definitely be a good sharing for us applicants~ :)

[menrui]

im in the lab all day and im incapable of getting a girlfriend :(

[NeoXtremeX]

thank you @neoxtremeX
, i have followed your advice and i have gone through many universities websites and have noted many relevant email id's of professors .thank you it really helped a lot, now can you tell me which are the best universities of pursuing AI ( artificial intelligence) and NLP ( natural language processing), as i although i have gone through many sites but i can't decide up on the best one here. your guidance is needed , also can u tell me how to write a research proposal for the relevant fields

Honestly, I know nothing about AI or NLP besides basic stuff, so I wouldn't be able to help you out with that request. Because of that, I wouldn't be able to help you with your research proposals either.

Try using the search function for this board or perhaps looking at japanese university rankings for the science departments. However, one thing i must say is that you can't go wrong with any of the former imperial universities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Tohoku and so on...

im in the lab all day and im incapable of getting a girlfriend :(

I think that's a "problem" easier to address than those you face at the lab. True story.

[bharatsriv]

@neoexremeX and@Menrui
thank you very much for your kind and patient reply , finally i ghave rounded about 10 mAIL ID'S and 4 universities for my prospective masters from japan, now i think i will start the second stage that is contacting the individual prodfessors and try to get a recommendation from him / her. but basically i am facing a dilemma in writing my research proposal , can any one of you guide me , can u tell me what have you people written in yiur research propsal and what points to be included, i just want to have a basic outline as i will write the research proposal in my field of interest on my own.
your help will be deeply appreciated
yhanking u
bharat
mail me at :- bharatsriv(at the rate of)gmail(dot)com

[Ajay]

Bharat, a research proposal is a formal document specifying your research theme, its need, your research methodology, any previous work done in this field (briefly) and references. I can provide you with one example from University of Tokyo, http://www.iba.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~caranha/projeto-child.pdf , I used this one to get started. Once I am done with this whole MEXT scholarship business, and if I am successful, I shall also post my own research proposal and other documents here. Further I will also suggest you to start searching on the internet regarding your research theme and finally specific topic on which you might want to work. Though be forewarned that your prospective guide may not exactly let you work on it, mine (though not confirmed :) nothing is solid till I get a green from MEXT in Japan) hinted me by saying in his initial reply that he is willing to have me in his lab given I am open to other topics. Lastly as your fellow countryman I will suggest you to what I call, doing the hardwork yourself :).
Here are some general tips, you might know them beforehand :) and others may share more of them too.

1. While searching in Google, use site specific filter to narrow your search. eg, if you are interested in tokyo university use <yoursearch> site:u-tokyo.ac.jp you will be surprised at how many things people post but it slips because you are not looking at the right place.

2. Use IEEExplore for finding interesting papers. If you dont have access to it because of your college not having it you can also try looking at the researcher's homepages. Another good source is google books. You can preview books and at times that is the only thing you need. Though it may be considered as a bit immoral by copyright fanatics :P

3. Choose a theme first, say data mining in AI, then find all the profs in that area working on that theme. Look at their research topics, publications etc. See how you can fit in. There is an aweful lot which you can find about them this way. Also you can look at their old version of pages to find about people who worked there earlier. You can use internet archive website for this.

4. Next choose a topic which is being studied by a sufficiently large number of professors. Mail them specifying your interest in working under them, tell them that you will also be applying for the MEXT scholarship, lastly ask if there are any positions for research students or graduate students available in their labs.

[bharatsriv]

@AJAY SIR
thank u sir for great words of wisdom , it really catapulted my preparations to a new level , i am trying to implement your advice and trying to write a decent reseqarch proposal , when it is complete i will send it to you for review , please review it then . also sir , i wanted to know in which field are you going to do research

[jeanmarie]

Hi there
I'm also a scholarship grantee of this year. Thanks a lot to those who posted here during the process as I could get a lot of information from you when I needed it.
I just received all 3 LoAs and brought them to the embassy. They said the final answer from MEXT will come on February, and that they might contact me before that only in case there is a missing document in my application, which happens normally when the MEXT contacts other universities than those you mentioned in your "attachment" document by order of priority. So if you get no information before february it's a good sign. From then on I'll be waiting and trying to find a cool job, and more than anything else enjoy the time I have left before next April as I should be overwhelmed by work the moment I'll enter the lab I chose...
I have a question for those of you who are studying in Japan now : I read that you have to prove your presence every month for the scholarship to be given to you the following month, how do you do that ? Does your advisor also have to do anything for you to continue getting the scholarship ?
Thanks,
JM

[menrui]

-You "prove your presence" by going to the office and signing something.

"Does your advisor also have to do anything for you to continue getting the scholarship ?"

-um, i dont think he/she has to do anything once you are in, besides acknowledge that you are part of the lab. to extend the scholarship, he/she has to sign some paper work.

hehe sounds like you are trying to run off with the scholarship

[arap]

hehe sounds like you are trying to run off with the scholarship

I hope he doesn't plan that...in my case, it left a bad, if not worst, experience yet in my life

[jeanmarie]

menrui : thanks, it's true I'm planning in last resort, if I can't handle the workload, to run off with the scholarship ^^

..Just kidding, in fact I heard you might be in certain cases forced to give all the money back in case you're judged unable to complete the curriculum !

I'll do my best of course !

[jeanmarie]

As for the Japanese courses offered together with the MEXT scholarship, do you have to take them while you study in the lab (or while you attend the courses at the university), or is it a period where you only study Japanese (let alone the work done to pass the entrance exam for graduate school) ?

[menrui]

hmm i thought i answered your post already...

all that is up to you and you're prof. Most people take the first 6month to study japanese and prepare for the entrance exams with out doing any research.

[jeanmarie]

thanks a lot for your answer. I'll try to convince my prof that it's a good idea to work towards the entrance exam while taking the Japanese courses. I passed the 2kyu level 2 years ago, but I feel I lost a lot.

I have another question for you menrui and for the others out there who are studying in Japan, how often can you go back to your country ? of course it depends on the distance and probably on the professor too, but I wonder how different the life in a Japanese lab is from a Japanese company : how much holidays do you have ?
Vacation is not the most important when you do what you like to do, but I am leaving in my country my girlfriend, so that's an important point to me ! I haven't found any answer to this question in the forum.

JM

[ooilingfan]

hey JM

basically there're no holidays in japanese labs
even during national holidays, you will still find someone working
so it all depends on your supervisor.
if he's 優しい人 then lucky you, you can take breaks and holidays from him
if he's a workaholic, then may God bless you.
My professor works throughout the night most of the time. But he's quite nice so he works hard but doesn't demand the students to be as devoted as him. So i have my freedom of time in the lab, sometimes.
my tutor works up till 11pm everyday, including weekends.
That's how crazy they can be.
Going back to your country depends on your supervisor and money of course. The govt/MEXT/immigration doesn't impose any restrictions on you. As an undergraduate, you will have semester breaks, as long as 2 months during summer. But as a research student/postgraduate student, there's no such thing. You take breaks upon requests.

[menrui]

You're going to love my answer...
Anyways, again like ooiling said, it depends. My lab is pretty much like a "Japanese company", what ever that means.

here is my situation:
money-
I have to fly to the other side of the world, so its kind of expensive. I dont see myself going back too often. I dont have a gf, so its ok.
Lab hours-
10 to 10 and 10 to 7 on saturday. yes i know it sucks.
lab holidays-
we only get national holidays, not even school holidays. otherwise, we have to request holidays. I got a week for summer. I just ask for 2 weeks for christmas to go back to the US, although my prof didnt really like the idea :( .

This isnt really common so dont freak out. my lab is just at the worst end of the spectrum.

I have ranted.

[Oddel]

I was curious if anyone took test for undergraduate studies. I am planing to do that so for now I am readying myself for it, but...I saw 2009,2008,... years tests and i have to say its quite different from things that I study in school and also from school exam that i will take. In this English test that they give i cant really understand 3 task, that tells : "In the following ones underline part is incorrect. Choose the incorrect part". Even so I understand what it wants, I can't understand how I choose what to cross. I asked even my English teacher even she couldn't get that. I hope that someone will be able to help me.
I have to say that tests that they give are difficult, If I would compare them with things that I study at school. It doesn't give much of confidence.

[jeanmarie]

menrui and ooilingfan, thank you
I think I'll be close to your situation menrui as my boss is known to be very demanding, I'll be in the medical school of Tôdai (I got the LOA but I'm still waiting for mext's last decision in fact) and even the people I know from there who have never known him personally are amazed at my bravery (in their mind) to go to this lab ! I must say this does freak me out ^^
Some well informed people have spoken of students working at the lab during the night as if it's totally normal there. I've been doing this a few years ago, and I don't wanna do that ever again !! I don't fancy karôshi, except for the aesthetics of it perhaps..

@Oddel :
The exercise 3 is indeed difficult, if I remember well it is the one where all parts of the sentences seem correct, but they're not. There is always one incorrect part and this is only sensed by very skilled English speakers, whether native or not. Of course natives usually get the best scores. I think it's a fine exercise to detect who has a quite advanced level, as opposed to the other parts that are not so difficult. Anyways no need to worry as the exam this year was MUCH easier than previous years, nothing like that. However, the Japanese exam was difficult in my opinion (or maybe I found it difficult because I was't expecting this), 20 texts to read and each time 1 question (5 answers possible), just 1 hour to answer all 20 questions. Although one can train for that, it does require good reading skills you don't have under say 2kyu level. The good thing is that you can practice this for next year instead of practicing JLPT-like tests of previous years, it's much more interesting and useful. I'm giving this information because you're in the "postgraduate" thread, as for your problem, I also took the undergrad exam 2 years ago to go to language school in Japan (didn't get it, but I was recommended by the embassy), and if this is what you're talking about I can answer your questions. I remember the English exam was pretty much the same as for the postgraduate scholarship, but the Japanese test was different (JLPT-like, level 1/2kyû), hopefully you'll have a test like the one we had this year for postgraduate scholarship as it is easier.

JM

[akaitsume1]

Wow, jeanmarie, you must have done insanely well to even get recommended by the embassy for the undergraduate scholarship. One of the people involved in the process told me that they get so anal about it that out of all the people in the US who applied last year, only 1 was sent. One person.

Of course, since it's 4 years of study at a Japanese university, I guess I can understand how worried they would be that you could accurately learn and communicate. :/

[jeanmarie]

Hi akaitsume1
I wasn't clear : I didn't take the undergrad tests to do an entire curriculum in Japan, but the undergrad tests for Japanese language, where they offer a scholarship to enter the chosen Japanese university just to study Japanese in a special course. In my country, only 1 person got it last year as well...

By the way, I was wondering, how many research scholarships (postgraduate) do they offer in your respective countries ? In France 18 people were selected this year, but I heard it's even less in some countries.

JM

[akaitsume1]

@jm: Ah, gotcha. I'm actually surprised by how many people (even with a recommendation) got turned down for the language studies scholarship. I wonder if they're not putting as much money into it.

I guess they just want more students in the actual universities instead of special programs. Who knows?

[NeoXtremeX]

In my country 2 candidates are selected for postgraduate studies.

[Oddel]

jeanmarie, thank you a lot for your answer.

[ooilingfan]

generally arts courses are more difficult to get in compared to sciences.
this is the case in Japan nowadays.
usually postgraduate research student for literature, cultural studies, philosophy, language kind of programs will fully utilize 1-2 years of their research studenship to enter the regular graduate school. Which makes the total to 3-4 years for a Master's degree. You may also need to fail and repeat the entrance exam a few times cause you will be competing with regular Japanese students. Whereas in most science programs, there are special allocations for foreigner students.

[jeanmarie]

akaitsume1 :
If we imagine that a scholarship is one of several diplomatic tools for country A to prove it is willing to share a good relationship with country B, by creating means for good nationals of B (read "ones whom A can trust to be good ambassadors, insiders, prophets to B", or at least leaders in their field who will most probably bind Japan to their success) to be welcomed in A, then they will give more to countries they value most.
I guess in the case of Japan, the undergrad scholarships proved to be highly inefficient in creating good ambassadors of Japan in their country of origin, or maybe all of them failed (demonstrating the inefficiency of all the tests they have to pass to get the scholarship), or maybe it cost too much in regard of the reward..So they still want to use it as a diplomatic tool, saying "we ve got this scholarship", with all the fuss and advertising, and give only 1 per year thus limiting the loss of money while keeping this scholarship alive. It's harsh to say to a country "this year no scholarship of this kind, sorry we used to give it to you but now you don't deserve it any more", instead of "as usual, we've got this one for you, the number of grantees is to be determined later" and it turns out to be 1. But it's just my guess...

neoxtremx:
Only 2 candidates in the US !!?? I thought it was much more ! Did they cut down the number ? Here it was 20 for the past years, 25 I think back in 2005 and maybe more before, and now it's lessening again. I checked on the Korean embassy's website and it's 56 this year, only one less than past years.

ooilingfan :
Are you sure ? In Tôdai the Medical school only takes students in April, which makes it compulsory to be a research student for a year before entering the graduate school, and since the doctoral curriculum in this particular graduate school takes 4 years, that adds up to 5 years instead of 3, and I will have to pass the entrance exam of the medical school competing with Japanese students as well. Where I may agree with you is that it might be more difficult for arts students to get in, probably because they are the most numerous in the beginning (in some countries), but then again they usually select an equal number of students from arts and social studies, and from science (in my country science students are as much attracted to Japan as arts students can be, lots of otakus in science), and I guess they respect this equality until the end although I cannot prove it. As for the fact that literature, philosophy etc students have to pass the entrance exam in Japanese, this is absolutely normal : it is what they will be judged for ! There's no need to test mathematical knowledge in Japanese since Japanese isn't the object of the studies, not even a tool useful for the study of maths, but to study Japanese literature you sure have to be at least as proficient as a Japanese native.
I think we can say that some graduate schools in some universities are easier to get in, but not that science courses in general are.

[NeoXtremeX]

No, my country is Dominican Republic sorry. I guess i should have been a bit more specific.

[dalmatian]

hi everyone,

Anyone knows from the previous experience whether we should submit documents or something else to Embassy during December? (Perhaps we were asked to submit additional documents?).

thanks. :)

[menrui]

dalmatian,
during the waiting period, you shouldnt have to summit any documents.

jeanmarie,
if you had received the language school scholarship, you would have to forfeit the graduate school one(from what i seen, you only get 1 gov scholarship). I think the graduate school one is the best one.

other things:
I think the reason why US only gets 1 undergraduate scholarship slot, is because that scholarship is suppose to give priority to developing countries(according to the guidelines). The graduate scholarship doesnt have that priority, so I think the US gets around 30 each year.

[arap]

Menrui,
Oh..I was wrong then..I used to assume that graduate had the developing country priority also

Dalmatian,
Have fun in your business trip

[dalmatian]

@Menrui and arap: thanks ^^

[jeanmarie]

menrui :
what I heard is that you can legally get both scholarships if it is successively, but I guess they will have no reason to give 2 different scholarships to the same guy (except if this guy is "recommended" from upper than the embassy's normal cultural services ;)). Of course I couldn't have had both, but having failed to get the undergrad one I tried to get the postgraduate one a year after.

[apnea]

Hi, I'm new here and have a quick question, probably asked several times already but anyways, if I were to apply for the Postgraduate Scholar when it opens this coming 2010, should I apply for a place in the Universities now or should I wait till I've been asked to. Many thanks in advance.

[Scalemx]

Apnea, you can already try to befriend a possible supervisor in a university if you want to. It will most likely be considered as an argument in your favor if you already have a place or multiple places to go, if you were to receive the scholarship.
However, you should keep in mind that a lot of professors in Japan prefer to wait until you get the scholarship, before they give you their support.

I would recommend you to try and get some contacts in Japan beforehand, because the period in which you have to select your Universities of preference, is rather short (and is also a holiday period for professors). You can try to find some Japanese professors who are researching in the same field of expertise and send them an e-mail.
This e-mail would include who you are, what you are studying now, that you will apply for the monbusho scholarship, a short summary of your proposed field of study (10 lines) and the question if the professor would be willing to read a full proposal (about 1 page) so that he or she can decide whether he or she would like to become your supervisor in case you got the scholarship.

I would recommend that you wait a little while longer to send out those e-mails. It is not even 2010 yet. :-) Maybe in February or March would be a good time.

These are just mere suggestions of how I would do it, feel free to go your own way or listen to the suggestions of other people.

[apnea]

Apnea, you can already try to befriend a possible supervisor in a university if you want to. It will most likely be considered as an argument in your favor if you already have a place or multiple places to go, if you were to receive the scholarship.
However, you should keep in mind that a lot of professors in Japan prefer to wait until you get the scholarship, before they give you their support.
I would recommend you to try and get some contacts in Japan beforehand, because the period in which you have to select your Universities of preference, is rather short (and is also a holiday period for professors). You can try to find some Japanese professors who are researching in the same field of expertise and send them an e-mail.
This e-mail would include who you are, what you are studying now, that you will apply for the monbusho scholarship, a short summary of your proposed field of study (10 lines) and the question if the professor would be willing to read a full proposal (about 1 page) so that he or she can decide whether he or she would like to become your supervisor in case you got the scholarship.
I would recommend that you wait a little while longer to send out those e-mails. It is not even 2010 yet. :-) Maybe in February or March would be a good time.
These are just mere suggestions of how I would do it, feel free to go your own way or listen to the suggestions of other people.

Awesome suggestion. Thank you! :relief:
Yeah, I was thinking it is a bit early to start sending out those letters. Shall bear this in mind and send those letters out sometime in February or March. Many thanks!