Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Postgraduate!! [Archive] - Page 6

pipokun

Oct 26, 2008, 19:58

就活の負担トップは交通費来春入社予定の大学生調査
...
これまでの就職活動にかかった経費は３万超－６万円が２７％で最も多く、６万超－９万円が１７％、３万円以下が１６％の順。一方、９万超－１２万円が１５％、１２万超－１５万円が９％おり、３０万円超も３％いた。
http://www.47news.jp/CN/200805/CN2008052901000729.html

A survey, "Job-hunting... quite a burden, transportation"
...
According to a survey by a consulting firm, many students spent much money on transportation for their job hunting. (About 4800 students answered)
27% student spent from 30000 to 60000 (JPY);
17% from 60000 to 90000;
16% less than 30000;
***
3% paid more than 300000JPY!!!

Of course, it depends upon each student.
When your professor has strong networking with companies and you get an almighty reference from him/her or when you are eager to climb an academic ladder, it does not matter at all.

But if your university is on the top of Mt. Fuji, you should also keep fit...

The visa extension scheme did not exist when a friend of mine was here a few years ago, though he is now happy with his decent job in his country.

Japan Study Support
http://www.jpss.jp/index.html
GUIDE ON LIFE IN JAPAN for International Students from Scholarship to Visa=>
10-2. Working Visa
10-2-1. Job searching could be continued after graduating from university
Foreign students who graduated from college, undergraduate course or graduate school want to continue job searching could change their status to ‘short term stay’ after their visa’s deadline. This new law has been implemented from 2004. 180 days stay is possible after graduation.

menrui

Oct 27, 2008, 05:33

http://www.jpss.jp/index.html

wow, that looks like a really good website for foreign students. thanks alot

kawabanga

Nov 1, 2008, 19:26

ooilingfan

Nov 1, 2008, 19:34

Hi, I am new here. Like many of you, I have been recommended by my country's embassy for the scholarship and am tormented by the wait, which could either lead to a joyous celebration or extreme disappointment. I sure hope it's the former for ALL of us!

Hi kawabanga, fellow malaysian, welcome to the forum.

Btw,few days back my kiasuness kicked in and decided to make a quick check with our Embassy. The answer is simple: no updates/news.
Hence, the wait continues...
(well, on the bright side, at least there're no bad news =p)

menrui

Nov 2, 2008, 05:01

welcome to the club kawabanga. nice name by the way

oolingfan,
hmm, last years' applicant fromt he forum ALL recieved their results in february around the same week. that includes applicants from malaysia, US, and elsewhere. so i wouldnt even bother asking them at this time. i think even the osaka university web site said that they give results in february. pantiences~

ooilingfan

Nov 2, 2008, 11:08

oh i'm not checking on the results. It'll be next year alright.
Just to check whether there are any news, any delays or review of next year's program due to the current economy scenario etc.

Btw, Menrui, you're voting tomorrow right?
make the right choice ya =) goodluck
we're anticipating a great leader from your country and the world economy

menrui

Nov 2, 2008, 12:07

good to hear that there isnt any bad news due to the economy.

i actually voted last week (early voting). i voted for obama. whoever becomes president, i just hope he can get us out of this crisis.

kawabanga

Nov 2, 2008, 15:59

Thanks ooilingfan and menrui. :-)

ooilingfan

Nov 2, 2008, 17:58

good choice menrui.
don't know bout americans, but at the other side of the world here, we love obama.
Go Obama! =)

kimberleylhj

Nov 3, 2008, 00:07

Great choice menrui! We are just as eager to see who will be the next president.. although not as eager to know whether we'll be getting the scholarship. Haha..

Nall-ohki

Nov 3, 2008, 03:59

hmm, last years' applicant fromt he forum ALL recieved their results in february around the same week. that includes applicants from malaysia, US, and elsewhere.pantiences~

I got mine January 3rd, as alternate.

menrui

Nov 3, 2008, 04:34

^GAH! i dont remember reading that... sorry. ok, MOST applicants recieved their final results in february.

anyways, yeah obama is great. according to the polls, alot of people like him here too haha. he played basketball at my school once as a campaign thing. his teams' name was "hope", which was pretty cheesy i thought. "hope" won obviously.

skfer

Nov 4, 2008, 13:57

Nall-ohki , I want to ask you a quistion .. when the embassy told you that you are sellected as an alternate, did they tell you in which university you will be studying emmidiatly or they told you have been sellected only ? and when did you travel to japan ?

Nall-ohki

Nov 5, 2008, 03:25

ooilingfan

Nov 5, 2008, 07:57

Nall-ohki
so in the end you filed for a fresh application right?

c0ok1e

Nov 5, 2008, 18:14

Japan in recession now..getting very worried..we are born in the wrong year..

ooilingfan

Nov 5, 2008, 20:31

Actually the economy cycle is unavoidable. The advantage of an economic downturn signals a new cycle, where demand will drop, prices of goods going down (as of petrol currently),and cheap investments popping up.
A good time for us, the new generation to go into the market as oppose from the peak point of the stock and property market 2 years back.
As long as you're not 'burnt' this round, optimistically it's an advantage.
By the time the economy recovers in 5-6 years time, young graduates today would have gathered enough experience and capital to take on the next Bullish economy.
Just my 2 cents, i made some losses in the stock market due to the fall, but it's good experience.

menrui,
happy for your country, heading for change.
Hope that will bring some positive impact to the financial market.
Yen is getting more and more expensive, we need to start saving more for our initial spending there =p
Ringgit is weakening

c0ok1e

Nov 5, 2008, 23:03

ooilingfan,
what u say i good for us if we made it to japan and graduated but what im worried is because the recession in japan, maybe the govrnment will select 4 or 5 people for the scholarship only..they recession need money to help their economy

Nall-ohki

Nov 6, 2008, 03:38

Nall-ohki
so in the end you filed for a fresh application right?

Yep. Just filed the next year (this year) for it again. It probably helped me get the recommendation again, but no clue if it will help me get the scholarship or not.

menrui

Nov 6, 2008, 04:43

cookie,
ahh~ we already discussed what effects this recession will have on the scholarships in the previous page. first of all, the budget for our scholarship program is very small compared to other spendings:
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/yosan/001.htm
so cutting off fundings for the scholarship will do very little.

second, according to these charts and statistics:
http://www.jasso.go.jp/statistics/intl_student/data07_e.html
the amount of scholarship students has continued to increase slowly from 1983 to now, despite the major recession in japan around the mid '90s or any of the global recession periods(1985 qualify: 1990-1993, 1998 and 2001-2002, via wikipedia)

i hope this cheers you up. keep your head up guys, i know we're all a little worried.

oolingfan,
yeah im happy too. honestly, i never really liked that "change" slogan of his. anyways, lets hope every thing goes up from here. also, i think they give us some initial spending money, i think its around 20000yen? im not sure, i know its not alot haha.

ooilingfan

Nov 6, 2008, 09:34

Menrui,

initial spending of 20000yen? that's great, haha.
I've been saving hard for that on my own since august. =p

cookie,

I don't think a few millions will help their economy much.
The crisis involves billions of USD and also, they will rather cut a few major budgets than cutting 100 minor budgets in every govt. departments.
And like menrui mentioned, the funds for next year has already been budgetted and allocated. So we cannot lose hope yet. not until we get rejected!!!

Nall-ohki

Nov 6, 2008, 13:36

So we cannot lose hope yet. not until we get rejected!!!

Hmmm... I don't like that wording... :souka:

arjaysy

Nov 6, 2008, 18:49

hello there! i'm on my last year as a master's student under the monbukagakusho scholarship and i've been hoping to continue until doctor's degree. i've just submitted my extension of tenure application to my sensei and he said that some applications may not be granted as there have been budget cuts. i've asked my foreign friends here in the university and said they didn't know of anyone here who has been denied of an extension. i'm not sure about the other universities here but has anyone been denied an extension (unless of course his/her work was unsatisfactory or he/she violated some rules ;-))? thanks a lot!!!

ooilingfan

Nov 6, 2008, 20:02

i've just submitted my extension of tenure application to my sensei and he said that some applications may not be granted as there have been budget cuts.

oh no no no. That is BaaAaaaD news.....
Budget cuts on scholarship programmes doesn't sound good at all.
seems like the situation is getting more serious than we thought.

arjaysy, kindly keep us posted on the latest developments on MEXT postgraduate ya.
So far we've got no news on our side (new applicants)
For my friends who will be completing their undergrad (on MEXT undergrad scholarship) next april, both have submitted their extension to do Masters. One already got accepted to transfer to Tokyo Uni from Kyoto U. Perhaps they're still waiting for approval on the scholarship part.
Will update you if i hear anything from them.

c0ok1e

Nov 6, 2008, 22:04

which uni u from?? is there any other scholarship offered by the uni other than monbukagakusho? if monbukagakusho dun give extension then u can apply for other financial aid

menrui

Nov 6, 2008, 23:36

oh man, i so did not want to wake up to this...

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 02:01

which uni u from?? is there any other scholarship offered by the uni other than monbukagakusho? if monbukagakusho dun give extension then u can apply for other financial aid

that is correct, cookie.

But we are still doomed if it applies to our category. we have very limited or no options

menrui

Nov 7, 2008, 09:17

seems like arjaysy post the same information/question on a seperate thread and gave some more info:
http://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40137

it seems like she was under the assumption that all current scholars will automatically receive the extension if they apply. also, she was unaware that you must compete for the limited, PhD student slots. in that sense, i think when the professor told her "budget cuts", i think the prof was referring to the university itself, so maybe he/she meant there are less slots. i dont think the professor would be able to know if MEXT was making a budget cut, unless MEXT announced it to the public. just my theory.

Eri-ChanRakkii

Nov 7, 2008, 10:16

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 11:07

hi I'm eri from Dominican Republic and I have applied twice to monbusho, for undergraduated students, I haven't been choosen but I want some advice! I know a lot about the program but i still have bad points that I have to fix, anyone there? would help me?

Hi,
Actually first of all you have to understand that it is super competitive and very very difficult to get a MEXT scholarship for undergrad due to very small allocation.
In malaysia, I think we have less than 5 recipients every year, out of hundreds that applied.
MEXT scholarship for postgrad have a higher allocation.
In previous threads, i remember reading some stats, something like the success % of postgraduate is 3% and undergrad 0.3%.
So if you don't get it, don't be discouraged. Keep trying, but you may want to consider other options, such as doing your undergrad locally or in other countries that have more scholarships. You may not want the scholarship application to hold back your tertiary education.
After your undergrad, then you can start applying for MEXT postgraduate scholarship if you still wish to study in Japan.

Menrui,
you've got a point. a comforting one for us. haha
anyway, all progressive students need to apply fresh the MEXT scholarship. I'm not sure whether you can call it an 'extension', but continuing students need to first secure a place in university, via entrance exam, getting supervisor etc before applying the scholarship, perhaps the advantage to them is they stand a higher chance.
Regarding budget cuts,
according to my friend, MEXT performs 'budget cuts' every year.
Their allowance have been shed from the initial 137,000yen to the current 126,000 yen within 4 years.

I just realised that we malaysians are having a much much harder time saving for our initial spending of about $3000-4000USD compared to menrui and those from U.S. Our salary is like what, RM 2000? and they in US are earning $2000-3000.
the weak Malaysian ringgit is making us work so hard for so little to gain....sigh

Vyen

Nov 7, 2008, 11:44

hey, guys...
Calm down...worrying won't make the situation better...:relief:
IMO, the Monbusho won't cut the number of scholars since they got a 30,000 ppl's target to hit. I think they will just cut the budget for the monthly stipend, for example to 140,000 yen per month? i saw the monbusho's budget and they did allocate part of the fund in setting up more dorm for foreign students. Maybe they will cut the budget for that instead of the scholarship.
So, better think positively and we will live and work happily for the following months...hehe:cool:

menrui

Nov 7, 2008, 11:49

erichan,
of course we would do our best to help you. but sorry to say, most of us here are going for the "research" scholarship. so you probably know alot more about the application process than we do. anyways, just ask your question and we will attempt to answer it.

oolingfan,
According the the MEXT 2008 "undergraduate" application, the allowance is 137,000yen for the first 2 years, and 126,000yen for the rest. so that was part of the of the scholarships plan, not due to a budget cut haha. equivalent to the "research" students' 170,000 to 160,000yen drop.

compared to menrui
yea... dont even put me in that category. im living off savngs and *cough* mom and dad(and sometimes big brother). also, initial spendings of 3000-4000USD? did i miss something? do we really need that much? if so, im going to be really short...

did you mean 2,000-3,000USD a week? the average middle class earns about 67,000 USD a year.

kimberleylhj

Nov 7, 2008, 12:41

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 12:43

menrui,
we graduates in malaysia, we earn 2000-3000 RINGGIT per Month.
Young graduates rarely exceed annual income of 35000 RINGGIT, unless they have side income or involve in commission based jobs.

67000USD is a senior manager or CEO/COO's pay in malaysia.
That's how pathetic we are.
And don't bother to start comparing our cost of living. Our honda civic here is RM 130,000. In U.S. is less than 20,000 USD. And bear in mind we're earning 30000RINGGIT vs 67000 USD !
It's a miracle we didn't starve - i'm not kidding. If i have a wife, 2 parents, 2 in laws and 2 kids to feed. I'll be starving now.

K
Back to the initial spending. I take into consideration all expenses that may incur, including the first 1-2 months of spending (assuming the 1st debit of our allowance will be late), a laptop, cellphone (i heard our cellphone cannot be used in japan) some clothings, documentation costs (visa, passport, immigration etc), some appliances and basic furnishing needed there, deposits for our dorm, registration, etc etc. hmm..what else?

Vyen

Nov 7, 2008, 13:06

Kimberleylhj,
From which university that you received the email? It seems that Monbusho had choose the university for us and just waiting for the falculty's final decision.

ooilingfan,
Talking about laptop, you guys plan to buy which brand? I am considering Sony or Apple from the perspective of service provided in Japan.Plan to buy in the coming PC fair so that can deduct my taxable salary for this year.hehe..

clockworkorange

Nov 7, 2008, 14:23

Quote:Yes, we received the official application for the 2009 MEXT students from Monbukagakusho this week, and we are going to bring it up at the next faculty meeting.:Unquote
From an email I received one hour ago from the university that I've applied to. What a long process.......

Hi kimberly,

How is it that the university just emailed you? Did they email you just to notify that they have now received the official applications or are you always in correspondence with the university to check for updates?

I've not contacted my professor or university since receiving my LoA. I thought I should wait for the scholarship results. Has everyone been keeping in contact with their professors all these time? I ask cause I don't want to be thought rude or anything else by my professor. I'm sure he's pretty busy. Geez, these things never occur to me.

To eri-chan,
haha...what bad points are those? I will try to help if its within my ability to do so. What are your plans now really?

I've read the posts about money. Very depressing. I haven even considered my expenses although mine should be considerably more as i plan to buy TWO computers - one for me and another for my mum so we can keep in touch. Also, i was thinking that if i get the scholarship, i might want to go to japan earlier (on my own expenses) so that i can get an idea of where i can live - just get a general idea of the place. i was thinking of getting my japanese teacher to act as my guide. I haven actually thought of how much all these would cost me. (though obviously there is a general number in my mind).

Depressing.

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 15:58

Kimberlylhj,
all the very best to you.

Vyen,
I'm considering either Dell, HP/Compaq or Fujitsu.
I'm very fussy on laptops so i'm basically still waiting for my ideal laptop to come out. haha
i was hoping to get a tablet(or touch screen laptop) of 12 or 13 inches, with my preferred keyboard layout, weight and at less than rm3000.

clockwork,
seems like you will be spending a lot also...
perhaps you should just go with the crowd, it's cheaper
and can take care of each other on the journey
The dorm shouldn't be too much prob or creepy like malaysian hostels.
My friend just checked in Tokyo Uni last month, so far no complaints, she blended in and is enjoying herself. =)

menrui

Nov 7, 2008, 16:13

oolingfan,
hmm i guess i should think about initial expenditures more, but im not really needy. but overall, im not too worried about it. i think im willing to wait a month for the first stipend(hopefully). im mostly worried about getting a dorm/apartment. im really hoping to stay in the dorm for a couple of months to settle in. plus, its alot cheaper. honestly, the monthly stipend is about 4 times more than what i spent a month during my college years. so im pretty excited about it.

clockwork,
you should think about living in the dorms until you settle in too. its really cheap and it would eliminate all those early travel expenses. just a suggestion.

hmm, so if they just got our applications, that means they have like 2 months to make their decision. i guess it jsut a really long and hard process. im really curious about how the process actually works. my coordinator told me that MEXT has to "negotiate" with the university about tuition and such. i didnt really understand what he meant. maybe its like an ebay auction? like they are trying to give us away at the lowest price? haha not really sure at all.

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 16:29

Menrui,
It is advisable to bring more cash there initially. I was thinking of taking a loan from my mum if i cannot make up the sum.
We're so far away and without any foreign accounts, should we have financial problems, it's hard for our parents to 'save' us immediately.
Never underestimate the expenses in Japan. =p
I'm expecting everything to cost at least double as compared to my home country.
There are also some unexpected emergencies such as if we fall sick or unable to adapt to the food or weather there, then medical expenses is expensive. There are also others, well just in case. We can always save up the extra money we brought maa. =)
Yen is getting more expensive, which is good if we are successful in getting the scholarship.

menrui

Nov 7, 2008, 17:16

I stayed in japan for about a month last summer, so i have a small idea about expenses of japan (^.^)v .

i have some financial links to my bank accounts and parents. when i was in japan, i was able to use my bank card and credit card at the post office ATMs to withdraw cash. my parents can add money to my bank account or pay off my credit card from home, but i never needed them to. convenient right? also, if i need a loan, i could just use my credit card. but i dont know how i would pay it back with yen.

an advice, do not bring "cash" unless you desperately need an easy access to money. when you exchange foreign money, they can charge as much as 5%(banks, etc) to 10%(airport) of your money. using my bank card from the post office only charged me about 1%, so that was really cool. the next best thing is travelers check, i forgot how much they charge, but it less then 5% for sure.

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 18:49

i see...
cool.

if i were to bring, i'll of course bring yen with me

kimberleylhj

Nov 7, 2008, 20:07

clockworkorange, i haven't been in contact with my university of choice since the LOA too. i contacted them yesterday due to another reason (nothing to do with monbusho), but she was kind enough to give me that update. thought that it will be useful for all of you to know. meaning to say, that the universities are just receiving our applications in within this week. so it takes time for them to further discuss with MEXT regarding tuition fees and all before coming back with a positive answer that we have secured the scholarship.

about spending, i've asked the few japanese/ppl who are living in japan that i know. seriously, it's more than enough for us to lead a decent life there. so don't worry too much guys.

so, are u guys planning to get your laptop in msia or japan?

JapanDream

Nov 7, 2008, 20:53

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 20:57

agreed, kimberly
i'm not worried about the money actually, as long as the scholarship is in place =)

about the laptop,
again, my friends' advise is, there's not much difference in pricing. So unless you wish to get a laptop with japanese system, japanese windows etc, for me i would prefer to buy here.
Hopefully can catch up on April's PC fair (which is quite unlikely.....)
I'm not buying in Dec due to the risks of not getting the scholarship eventually (i have a good PC and company's laptop currently).
But i think it's good to plan early, you can set up your system before you go. Backup all your favourite files, photo albums, music, data + get use to it before going there.
I'm going to hunt for an electronic dictionary/translator only after reaching Japan. I saw my sensei using one, quite cool =) she bought it in japan for a few hundred ringgit.
So that's where most of my money will go, haha.

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 21:06

Hi Guys,
Speaking of living in Japan-- is medical/health insurance part of the Monbusho Scholarship package? Ooilingfan's comment about emergencies and falling sick triggered me to bring up this question and I'm not sure if it has been discussed before. :-) How much does a typical medical insurance policy cost for foreign students in Japan, anyone knows? Thanks in advance!

I think we will have some form of coverage. Either as part of the fees or whatever.
But it's gonna be minimal, and the claiming and everything is a lot of hassle. cash is always best during emergencies.
I'm not sure my credit cards will still be as convenient there, might just cut all of them before going. Payment is definitely a problem.

Anyways, we can find out how to work out the finances once we secure the scholarship. How to get our bank account, do transactions, get credit cards etc. Shouldn't be a big deal. =)

kawabanga

Nov 7, 2008, 21:07

I have always thought USD 1000 would be enough to study in Japan with the scholarship. The thought of needing much more than that, as suggested here, has never occurred to me. I really doubt the stipend will be delayed, considering the efficiencies of the Japanese.

Ooilingfan, if your laptop budget is strictly RM 3000, I suggest getting a Dell performance wise, at least that is guaranteed during the first year of purchase. I personally love HP Pavilions for their stylish design, finishing and quality. For the past 10 years, I have had two Pavilion desktops and they were great in everyway, not to mention HP's customer service. Fujitsu is of course well known for its quality. I had a colleague who once dropped his Fujitsu laptop from he's work desk of typical height and it didn't need any repair. A fujitsu having the same specifications with a Dell comes by much more expensive. If I were to replace my one year-old and a half Dell laptop, I will definitely consider Mac, simply because it is impeccable in anyway possible! But I have no idea where to source for the money for one.

ooilingfan

Nov 7, 2008, 21:26

kawabanga,
get a RM1300 netbook. Go to japan, save up for 1 year. Get a MacBook Air.
=)

I've been using Dell, after 2 systems for more than 5 years. It was pretty good till now, the service and warranty is great. But i was thinking of trying other brands for a change. Fujitsu 10" or 8" tablet laptop seems quite cool at about RM 3699 last PC fair.

Vyen

Nov 7, 2008, 22:24

guys,

netbook is a good choice if you are not using it for gaming or graphic processing...

about bringing cash to japan, did anyone of you plan to bring a credit card?I plan to apply HSBC or Citibank..thinking that maybe a credit card is useful if we are in emergency situation..:blush:

menrui

Nov 8, 2008, 02:20

^yea~ i want a netbook too! you can get a good one for about 300$ nowadays. if not, i was thinking of getting a lenovo or a dell if they have a good deal.

credit cards can be useful.. but they might not work are every ATM. so you're basically taking a gamble with them. im not sure how to determine if your credit card will work over there or not. both my cards worked at the post office ATM and post offices are everywhere, so i was lucky. they were both "visa" bank/credit card. also, japan is not very big on credit cards, at least compared to the US they arent.

kouki

Nov 8, 2008, 09:27

Just would like to confirm:

1. Cell Phones
Are there any special rates offered for buying cell phones, when we are subscribing a certain network service? It is true that Japan and Korea are the only two countries which are using different system in the cell phone network. FYI, most of the countries are using GSM, which usually requires SIM card.

2. Computers
I heard that prices of computer in Japan is a little cheaper than you can find in Malaysia. What I am thinking is that, since we would need to input and read Japanese characters, wouldn't it be better if we can use a computer with keyboards in Japanese, as currently, if we would like to switch the language, from English to Japanese, and vice versa, it is a bit troublesome. However, IMO, we definitely would have to switch our OS to Japanese one, since currently, we cannot still view some of the Japanese characters. Some computers would not even recognise the character we typed and sent to them, it is called 'moji bake' in Japanese, and it is really troublesome to have to face it in our daily life.

Nall-ohki

Nov 8, 2008, 10:09

I really doubt the stipend will be delayed, considering the efficiencies of the Japanese.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Man, I would NEVER make a decision based on that.

That said, the year I had my scholarship, I never had a problem with the stipend being late.

As always, bring extra money for emergencies - medical care is covered, but you often have to pay for it up front, and then be reimbursed. If there is any problem, you could be in a bad position.

menrui

Nov 8, 2008, 10:20

1. dont know

2.
I think the most common way of typing in japan is using a standard qwerty "english" keyboard, then type the romanized kana, and then have it converted on the fly using some thing like IME(which is a basic program on windows). so you dont need to buy a japanese "kana printed" keyboard.

for example, i type this on my english keyboard:
menruigasukidesu.
and it is converted to this:
麺類が好きです。

there is not really a japanese OS. they mostly use windows in japan. and windows is compatible with many languages, including japanese. and it isnt really troublesome to switch from english to japanese. i just hit ALT+SHIFT to switch between languages.

"moji bake" is a encoding software problem, not an OS problem(well, i guess it could be). with windows, you can just download the "eastern asian" language package and you should be able to read close to 100% of every thing japanese, or asian. i think alot of the "unreadable" problems occurs when exchanging email because of encoding conflict due to email provider/program.

anyways, you shouldnt have to worry about japanese compatibility if you are using windows.

ooilingfan

Nov 8, 2008, 23:28

hi, i have a quick question (perhaps a stupid one) to fellow malaysians who has relevant experience.
Once we're in Japan, lets say long term, are we still able to access our online bank accounts as usual? Such as Maybank2u, Cimbclicks to do transactions, pay our credit cards (i still have easy payment balance), transfer funds from between foreign accounts to malaysian banks via internet transactions?
It seems rather stupid, as websites are usually not constrained to international borders/networks.
But, just to be cautious.
anyone has an answer? thanks

Charles Barkley

Nov 9, 2008, 15:21

ooilingfan

Nov 9, 2008, 20:47

how come? due to different ISP (internet service provider) and local networks?

kawabanga

Nov 10, 2008, 18:34

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Man, I would NEVER make a decision based on that.
That said, the year I had my scholarship, I never had a problem with the stipend being late.
As always, bring extra money for emergencies - medical care is covered, but you often have to pay for it up front, and then be reimbursed. If there is any problem, you could be in a bad position.

I do not have extra to bring, so I have to count on to that. But I always hold on to this Chinese proverb, "When the ship arrives, the jetty will be there to welcome it" (which simply means things will eventually and naturally work out without having to worry extensively). :bluush:

menrui

Nov 11, 2008, 03:38

^yes! you and me both! (sort of)

Eri-ChanRakkii

Nov 11, 2008, 12:05

Menrui,
yup yup thanks so much! I know a lot about the process but i dunno about how do they qualify each applicant? the points and all that stuff!; how many points do I have to achive to go to the interview,
2-what does happen if I'm not in college and I'm just studying Japanese?
3-does maths exam have any influence about the points?what about Japanese exam?
4-and if I change my major what does happen then?

Thxs!!! I will wait for answers!!!! *(^0^)*

pilarika

Nov 11, 2008, 22:29

People living in Japan can't access any of the same sites that people not living in Japan can. That's why, even though this is a Japan themed website, you won't find any people living in Japan who post on here.
Hi!... I kind of found this a bit worrysome. what exactly do you mean? If things go well and I get the scholarship, I still need to be alble to acces websites from my country. I mean, pay credit cards and social security issues I can't leave unattended. Can you please explain a little better?:blush:

ooilingfan

Nov 11, 2008, 23:57

exactly pilarika
we got commitments, loans to repay, investments to manage
can someone in japan help out?
my friends in Japan are those who left malaysia after high school, so they don't have such prob

menrui

Nov 12, 2008, 06:04

yea, post from charles was a bit confusing... i didnt have any problem accessing websites, even my banks website, when i was in japan

eri-chan,
errr dont thank me just yet. because i cant really answer any of your questions, sorry to say. im hoping someone else can help you.

JapanDream

Nov 12, 2008, 08:47

People living in Japan can't access any of the same sites that people not living in Japan can. That's why, even though this is a Japan themed website, you won't find any people living in Japan who post on here.

Hi Charles,

Like Menrui, I'm confused too. You're now living in Japan and still able to access this online forum, right?

senseiman

Nov 13, 2008, 14:40

I live in Japan and am posting this from Japan so (obviously) it is possible to access this website from Japan!

Perhaps Charles was referring to certain bank websites or something.

Charles Barkley

Nov 14, 2008, 18:33

I was hoping the fact that I was being facetious would be obvious, since I am in Japan and you all are not in Japan and we are using the same website.

Anyway, nothing on Japan's end is going to block websites for you. The only possibilities I could see would be sites that show media content, such as sports/news broadcasts. I cannot, for example watch basketball highlights from yahoo! sports because I am in the wrong area.

menrui

Nov 14, 2008, 22:45

yes, we can really detect sarcasm on message boards (<-- sarcasm FYI)

now that i think about it, how am i suppose to watch the Houston Rockets championship run!?

Charles Barkley

Nov 15, 2008, 11:43

They have a regular schedule of games, about 4 or 5 a week, and obviously will show more of the playoffs, on japanese network TV.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/sports2/basket_nba/basket_nba.html

Though sadly NHK won't pick up games that don't happen, so good luck with finding that playoff run on TV. ;-)

c0ok1e

Nov 15, 2008, 17:27

so the only thing we cannot access through japanese network is online video streaming. other websites we can access like normal. thats not too bad accept we cant use youtube anymore..:(

menrui

Nov 15, 2008, 22:16

im sure you should be able to access youtube in japan just fine

ooilingfan

Nov 15, 2008, 22:34

whoa....no youtube, no life.
haha

kawabanga

Nov 16, 2008, 02:01

With the Japanese scholarship, I believe I can live happily without YouTube.

Nall-ohki

Nov 16, 2008, 03:29

With the Japanese scholarship, I believe I can live happily without YouTube.

I don't know, that's a big sacrifice - where else am I going to find such a wealth of intelligent, lucid comments?

menrui

Nov 16, 2008, 06:42

japan isnt going to take away your youtube!

ooilingfan

Nov 16, 2008, 09:46

With the Japanese scholarship, I believe I can live happily without YouTube.

haha, that's true man.

gosh, i had a nightmare last night. Dreamt that the results were out, and only half got it, only those who applied for PhD. Those who went for Master's all failed.

c0ok1e

Nov 16, 2008, 11:57

U applied for masters only?? I mean theres one column which ask if you r going to stop at masters or phd right?? How many applied to go through to phd? or how many applied to go to masters only?

ooilingfan

Nov 16, 2008, 12:16

well,mentioning that. I'm still worried whether i've made a mistake in filling that column.
I remember the wordings were "research student through to master's" and "research student through to PhD".
I'm not sure what the 'through to" means, and whether the "through to PhD" means Research student -- Phd OR Research student -- Master's -- PhD.
If it's the first one then i'm screwed cause i filled the Phd one.
Research student -- PhD might mean that you already have a Master's. Now you're applying to be research student preparing to enter PhD. Well, i'm only a degree holder hence applying straight to become a research student for PhD might get me disqualified easily.
Anyway, it'll be much clearer if they have separate forms for Master's and PhD applicants...sigh

c0ok1e

Nov 16, 2008, 12:34

menrui

Nov 16, 2008, 13:11

i also circled "research to phd". i really dont think it means "research student directly to Phd."

anyways, i think they will use it as a reference for the final selection. i was certainly questioned about it from the interviewers and my professors. but i dont know how much weight it holds.

kawabanga

Nov 16, 2008, 13:46

japan isnt going to take away your youtube!

Can't agree more!

I don't know, that's a big sacrifice - where else am I going to find such a wealth of intelligent, lucid comments?

Hmm, that's a tough question. Erm...maybe from forums, like this one? :blush:

ooilingfan

Nov 16, 2008, 20:27

I also put in phd..then we can go through our journey together..but i dont think it will matter much to the monbusho side because entering as masters or phd depends on your supervisor right?? So if you already discuss with your supervisor to enter as masters im sure they wont reject based on what u write in your application form

yea. I too think it's silly to penalize us on that. My supervisor has stated very clearly my 'pathway' should i be accepted in his email. I think the duration of studies, terms and conditions will all be clarified between MEXT and the Uni. This scholarship is quite a yearly thing, so should be quite straight forward for them.

ooilingfan

Nov 17, 2008, 16:37

kawabanga

Nov 17, 2008, 17:34

c0ok1e

Nov 17, 2008, 20:53

I just received some good news from my supervisor.
He has been contacted by MEXT and said he will reply positively. yay!
He made it very clearly to me that i need to go through the course, and research student stage and entrance exam before enrolling officially into grad school as Master's student. So the master/phD column in the form that we mentioned earlier shouldn't be an issue.
Wish you guys goodluck! Results might be less than 2 months away.

How u receive news from your supervisor?

1) U correspond with him allthese while never stop? He so free to email you like a friend?
2) U send him an email asking about the master/phd column then he reply?

or

3) He send u the email by his own iniative telling u that?

What do u mean he reply positively? Before that he didnt mention anything to you about your plan in Japan? Please give some clearance.. Im very interested in that issue as it is good news for u...since he had plans for u then your chances are >9k

ooilingfan

Nov 18, 2008, 00:53

haha
cookie, calm down.
First, i'm not that 'good friend' with him.
I haven't contacted him since the LoA, so just dropped him a casual email asking how's everything, any news from mext or anything.
(It took him almost 2 weeks to reply. And i was so worry sick for that 2 weeks! It rarely take him more than 2 days =p In the past, he would've told me if he's on holiday or overseas.)
He did mention the exact same thing before, kinda worried why is he so 'kan chiong' about my study plan. Like afraid i'm gonna run off halfway, hehe.
He was like "I will reply positively if you're fully agreeable to the conditions: You will study for how long and how long and so on and so forth....." Just a short and serious reply.
Perhaps he just wants to make it clear to me that my research will start sooner than i expect, and the duration will take 3 years instead of 2. (Which i'm fully aware =p) I don't care how many years it'll take, as long as i got the scholarship, i can stay there for 10 years if i have to. =p
Since things have been considered going quite well (no hiccoughs due to the economy downturn), we should be expecting our results as we were told, perhaps sooner.

menrui

Nov 18, 2008, 04:21

>9K <---- haha it took me a while to get that. my professor gave me the notion that he wanted me to go as far as the phd course.

good work oolingfan! it seems like good communication with the supervisor is a must. its good to know that they are working on getting us into our desired universities now.

ooilingfan

Nov 18, 2008, 08:53

yea,it's good to know there're some progress going on.
btw, i still don't get it. '9k'?

menrui

Nov 18, 2008, 10:58

its a reference to a horrible dubbing of Dragonball Z. some guy's "power level" is unbelievably "over 9000" and vegeta states it out loud. it is basically means a good thing.

Nall-ohki

Nov 18, 2008, 11:39

yea,it's good to know there're some progress going on.
btw, i still don't get it. '9k'?

This should explain it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBtpyeLxVkI

c0ok1e

Nov 18, 2008, 11:56

its a reference to a horrible dubbing of Dragonball Z. some guy's "power level" is unbelievably "over 9000" and vegeta states it out loud. it is basically means a good thing.
LOL..u can remember dragon ball?? I didnt expect anyone to understand that >9k thing..hehe.. :-)
Anyway, what kind of research u applied for and where you going to?

menrui

Nov 18, 2008, 12:22

remember? how can i forget? i use to love dbz... but now i hate it. i didnt really think the whole "over 9000" thing was funny at all, but it seems to be really popular in the otaku community.

my research topic is in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. its basically about creating a new method of forming a chemical bond. im hoping to enter osaka university. how about you?

c0ok1e

Nov 18, 2008, 13:29

Nall-ohki

Nov 18, 2008, 13:51

How about ooilingfan?? So fast u got your project title already which is new methos to form chemical bond? Im hoping for hokkaido..anyone here going 2 hokkaido?

My order is:
1. Tokyo University
2. Waseda University
3. Hokkaido University

c0ok1e

Nov 18, 2008, 14:51

My order is:
1. Tokyo University
2. Waseda University
3. Hokkaido University

Oh cool.. is your order just an order or do u really have a strong preference over one another?? Maybe we can meet in hokkaido u..hehe.. so what kind of research u into?

ooilingfan

Nov 18, 2008, 19:01

hey menrui, finally you revealed your university of choice. haha
remember you were very secretive about it previously.
Hope to see you in Osaka.

cookie,
I don't have a specific title yet. But my research will be revolving around DNA replication mechanisms, determination of replication origins using fission yeast etc
It's good in studying replication abnormalities and understand why cells go cancerous and replicates crazily.
I hope it's as interesting as it sounds. =) my initial interest is on stem cell research. But molecular biology is fine by me.

Menrui, is yours related to proteins? I saw in one website that MEXT has a huge allocation in protein research. They are very active in that field and is one of the key players in Asia. Too bad i don't like studying proteins, i suck at biochem. =p

menrui

Nov 18, 2008, 20:39

kawabanga

Nov 18, 2008, 21:27

was i really? i dont remember being secretive about osaka... oh well

btw, your research sounds really complicated haha. i was never really big on biology, even though my major is biochemistry. i was always leaning towards the chemistry side. my research involves proteins(conisting of 2 amino acids), but it doesnt mainly concern them. i think its strictly chemistry.

Not to be critical and technical here, but if the compound consists of only two amino acids per molecule, i don't think it qualifies to be called a protein, but a dipeptide. :bluush:

Proteins are such fascinating biomolecules, don't you agree? Well, I hope you will find a cheaper way to synthesize them for those in need of synthetic proteins.

ooilingfan

Nov 18, 2008, 21:28

yea, actually i don't quite understand much of it myself.
Anyway, looking forward to learning more in that area next year. haha
can't wait can't wait.

Not to be critical and technical here, but if the compound consists of only two amino acids per molecule, i don't think it qualifies to be called a protein, but a dipeptide. :bluush:
Proteins are such fascinating biomolecules, don't you agree? Well, I hope you will find a cheaper way to synthesize them for those in need of synthetic proteins.

well kawabanga, really technically speaking, menrui's research will be on chemical bonding, so looking into 1 bond between 2 amino acids will be sufficient, since all amino acids in a protein are bonded by 1 type of common bonding. So his research will eventually contribute to constructing a full protein using a new bond, which will start off by forming a dipeptide, oligopeptide, and so on....
hence, we can cut him some slack on the terminology. haha :p

menrui

Nov 18, 2008, 22:11

hehe, i think kawabanga is right. proteins are usually 20 or more amino acids and some kind of 3d structure. i never really call it a protein in my research proposal, i also called it a dipeptide. also, im using it in form of a dipeptide "ring", so its really not a protein at all.

anyways, its about making a single common bond while inducing enantiomer selectivity. whether it will be used for synthesizing protein is not up to me.

Nall-ohki

Nov 19, 2008, 04:30

Oh cool.. is your order just an order or do u really have a strong preference over one another?? Maybe we can meet in hokkaido u..hehe.. so what kind of research u into?

I'm interested in computational linguistics, specifically Natural Language Processing as it applies to Machine Translation.

Tokyo U has the most attractive-looking research group, but the other two are very interesting as well.

I'd be happy at any of them, though.

(Also, I'd really love to be in Tokyo or Fukuoka (Tokyo U and Waseda, respectively) , though Sapporo looks fun, too.)

c0ok1e

Nov 19, 2008, 10:32

I dunno what u guys talking about but protein is a damn hard subject... Cant really understand those protein and so manythings have to know about protein to be able to do the research..good luck bro u muz b a very talented scientist to work with protein

c0ok1e

Nov 22, 2008, 16:45

Ppl say that internet connection in Japan wil have to pay and subcribe right? Then initial 6 months we will be going for the language course somewhere else before going to our respective univeristy. Just wanna ask that during the 6 months course, we will not get internet access?? because we didnt have our own permanent room yet.. probably accomodation will be provided right..so cant online for 6 months?

ooilingfan

Nov 22, 2008, 23:36

well, my friend who went there on Oct got her internet connection on Day 2.
She got everything done so quickly, phone, number, shopping, bank accounts etc.

menrui

Nov 23, 2008, 05:40

hey oolingfan, if we both get into osaka, maybe we could kill 2 bird with 1 stone, and do all those stuff together, with help from your friend? or something like that?

im not really sure how the accommodations work. but if there is no internet access there and short term residency prevents you from getting it, you can always go to an internet cafe, which are like everywhere.

Charles Barkley

Nov 23, 2008, 11:51

short term residency prevent you from getting internet? Huh?

You just go through ntt, no matter where you are living. Best way is to go through Vic or Yodabashi camera, you can get really sweet deals (I got first 2 months free plus 2man gift certificate at Vics, and I will be breaking my contract soon cause I am moving).

kawabanga

Nov 24, 2008, 00:10

ooilingfan

Nov 24, 2008, 11:15

Oh come on! Are you guys seriously worried that a scholar, that is if awarded, is unable to access the internet in a country like Japan?!
I will jump off the cliff this instant if someone says yes. LOL
My only concern with the internet in Japan is that it will be so fast and easily accessible that I lose my focus on my research, due to excessive surfing of the internet. :p

true kawabanga.
Hey guys, i guess i'm the culprit for starting all these. :p
But my initial concern was not the internet, but access to MALAYSIAN SECURED WEBSITES. such as maybank2u, bursa malaysia, credit card companies, bills etc.

kawabanga

Nov 24, 2008, 12:38

true kawabanga.
Hey guys, i guess i'm the culprit for starting all these. :p
But my initial concern was not the internet, but access to MALAYSIAN SECURED WEBSITES. such as maybank2u, bursa malaysia, credit card companies, bills etc.

It's really nobody's fault. Anybody and everybody can voice their opinions and comments pertaining to the Japanese scholarship in this forum.

Anyway, this is really not the appropriate channel to post this, but I simply MUST! :p As you all know, Christmas is just around the corner. So, I would like to recommend you guys a fantastic album for the holidays. It's Sarah Brightman's first ever Christmas album, called Winter Symphony. I just received a copy of the Japanese version today. It is simply marvelous! Do get one copy (or more if you wish to, LOL) for yourself, and if you can't think of what to get for your family or friends, this is the perfect gift. Even if you could, throw in this album as a pleasant surprise! :cool: Wishing you guys an early Merry Christmas!

c0ok1e

Nov 24, 2008, 15:54

kawabanga

Nov 24, 2008, 16:13

oh hi kawabanga, is Sarah Brightman's first ever Christmas album, called Winter Symphony heavy metal?? Cuz i mostly listen to metal songs.. Anyway, according to charles, does it mean that the internet connection is like wifi where u register for the account then u can surf anywhere in Japan?? IF thats the case its so convenient... maybe register my account during the language course in osaka then when i go over hokkaido can still use my account and surf..hehe

Fortunately, it is not of the Heavy Metal genre. Sarah Brightman is a Classical Crossover Giant in the music industry. In short, her songs fuse classical music with pop, and on several occasions rock and jazz. It's an album for easy listening during the peaceful and jolly season. You should try listening to it!

Regarding the internet accessibility in Japan, I have the least idea about it. :sorry:

JapanDream

Nov 24, 2008, 19:38

It's really nobody's fault. Anybody and everybody can voice their opinions and comments pertaining to the Japanese scholarship in this forum.
Anyway, this is really not the appropriate channel to post this, but I simply MUST! :p As you all know, Christmas is just around the corner. So, I would like to recommend you guys a fantastic album for the holidays. It's Sarah Brightman's first ever Christmas album, called Winter Symphony. I just received a copy of the Japanese version today. It is simply marvelous! Do get one copy (or more if you wish to, LOL) for yourself, and if you can't think of what to get for your family or friends, this is the perfect gift. Even if you could, throw in this album as a pleasant surprise! :cool: Wishing you guys an early Merry Christmas!

Hey Kawabanga,

Not a bad suggestion for early Christmas to get the mood going but I think nothing beats an 'Early Announcement of Japanese Govt Scholarship Results' for a holly jolly Christmas! :wave: For those of you in / from the US, Happy Thanksgiving!

kawabanga

Nov 24, 2008, 19:52

You are just right JapanDream!

silverPenciled

Nov 24, 2008, 23:34

Hey Guys ! am not sure if it's appropriate for me to ask this here, as someone else might have tackled the subject, well I got the Monbukagusho scholarship to get a masters' degree, and got an acceptance from the university a couple of months ago.
I do understand that the scholarship provides you with around (160.000-170.000) Yen to cover living expenses.
I need to know from other Monbukagusho scholars who have been already living in Japan. Is the money you are receiving from the scholarship enough for you to cover all your needs and to enjoy life in Japan to a certain extent ? or is anyone working besides studying to earn themselves more money ? (I know you need to get a work visa to be able to work there and i was wondering about that too . .. ) I don't intend to splurge at all when I go there but am over working here to have enough money as a back-up when I leave, but working for 16 hours a day is getting really tiring ....

Nurik

Nov 24, 2008, 23:54

Nall-ohki

Nov 25, 2008, 07:00

... well I got the Monbukagusho scholarship to get a masters' degree, and got an acceptance from the university a couple of months ago.

Greetings and welcome. It's always nice to get a new poster.

First of all, I'm guessing you've only gotten acceptance from a university and passed the first round of the scholarship (as I don't believe anyone receives a final notice until MEXT is done processing, usually early next year).

If this is not the case, and you have received official acceptance from MEXT including where you'll be studying, etc., we'd all love to hear about it.

I do understand that the scholarship provides you with around (160.000-170.000) Yen to cover living expenses.
I need to know from other Monbukagusho scholars who have been already living in Japan. Is the money you are receiving from the scholarship enough for you to cover all your needs and to enjoy life in Japan to a certain extent ? ...

This question has been answered before several times (in this very thread, I believe), so be sure to look back at previous posts in this forum for any questions you might have.

That said, yes - 170,000 yen / month is more than enough to live off of if you are single and don't have extravagant tastes. If you have a spouse, it may be more difficult.

That said, there is some variation depending on where you live. Tokyo, Osaka and the big cities often have much higher costs of living compared to less populated areas, but on the other hand, universities in those areas often provide VERY cheap dorm accommodation (mine was less than 20,000 yen a month including all utilities when I went the first time). That said, it will depend a lot on your living arrangement. If you want to get your own apartment, it will cost a lot more.

When I was there on a lesser scholarship as an undergrad, I usually had money left over at the end of the month without trying.

kimberleylhj

Nov 25, 2008, 09:49

Hi Nurlan, International University of Japan (IUJ) has International Relations Program in English too.

menrui

Nov 25, 2008, 12:10

guys~ i had this dream last night, that i got an email saying that i officially received the scholarship. then i woke up to check my email, yeah there was no such email :( .

silverpencil,
yeah we discussed this before. the scholarship is plenty of money. furthermore, they would prefer you not work while studying with the scholarship. so maybe you can say good bye to you 16hour work days.

nurik,
have you tried Waseda? according to chuck, waseda has courses in english too.

JapanDream

Nov 25, 2008, 12:20

Hello, guys.
I am really interested in getting Master degree in Japan.
But my japanese is not perfect, so I would like to study in English.
Does anybody know - what school and universities conduct studying in Englsih?
I have not decided exactly - in what field I want to make my MA.
But it will be either Public Policy (Administartion) or Political Science (International Relations).
I know that Asain Pasific University and Tsukuba University do conduct edu in English, but are ther any other?
thanks in Advance
Nurlan from Kazakhstan

Hi Nurlan,

Welcome to the forum :-) Check out National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies at www.grips.ac.jp
Do you plan to apply for the scholarship next year?

ooilingfan

Nov 25, 2008, 12:28

Hey Kawabanga,
Not a bad suggestion for early Christmas to get the mood going but I think nothing beats an 'Early Announcement of Japanese Govt Scholarship Results' for a holly jolly Christmas! :wave: For those of you in / from the US, Happy Thanksgiving!

JapanDream,
That would be the best christmas gift EVER!! =)
Early January would be excellent as well. So we can plan early for those working, especially people like me who needs to serve 2 months notice! :(

and Menrui, i keep having dreams on MEXT as well. Maybe we've been thinking about MEXT too much. It's all what our heads can think of. Haha.

kimberleylhj

Nov 25, 2008, 14:01

At least yours is a 2 months notice. I have to serve a 3 months notice. =(

ooilingfan

Nov 25, 2008, 14:26

At least yours is a 2 months notice. I have to serve a 3 months notice. =(

well, guess we have to pay certain amount of 'penalty' to 'buy ourselves out'.
haha
It's like slavery in old days

silverPenciled

Nov 25, 2008, 15:58

First of all, I'm guessing you've only gotten acceptance from a university and passed the first round of the scholarship (as I don't believe anyone receives a final notice until MEXT is done processing, usually early next year).

If this is not the case, and you have received official acceptance from MEXT including where you'll be studying, etc., we'd all love to hear about it.

I got an acceptance from the university , and the Embassy told me that I got the scholarship ... :S I even sent the Embassy asking if there is anything else that needs to be done , and they told me that all i have to do is wait.... They did tell me there is some sort of acceptance from Japan that will only come by the end of March and that I 'd be leaving in the first week of April. They even apologized for the short notice. I thought it was some sort of formality ... is it ?

Does that mean I still have other rounds to go for ?? :(:( and what are the chances of me still going and doing my studies there ? (Yes I am freaked out a lot now .... ):(

ooilingfan

Nov 25, 2008, 16:21

Well silverpencil,
you don't have to freak out, neither should you be too comfortable now :p
all of us here are with you in the same boat, waiting for the final approval by Tokyo MEXT.
Although chances are good, should be at least 70% and above conservatively based on past record, there is still a possibility of rejection. Hence yes, I am as anxious as you.
It is kind of premature for your country's embassy to tell you that you are granted the scholarship, as what they can do is guarantee on their part that you have passed their preliminary round. Final approval still comes from head office in Tokyo.
Some countries get their results as early as end of December, while some as late as february. So your embassy is right, what you can do now is wait. And perhaps brush up your japanese language and field of study. There are a lot of study materials online on Japanese language.

JapanDream

Nov 25, 2008, 16:32

SilverPenciled,

I am surprised too that you'd be notified so soon of the scholarship result. The embassy told you that you got the scholarship or did they tell you you passed the preliminary screening and is therefore nominated to MEXT in Tokyo? I'm guessing if someone has been granted the scholarship, he/she should receive an official letter from MEXT clearly stating that they have been accepted. Could anyone who's currently on the scholarship please confirm? What is THE LETTER like?

silverPenciled

Nov 25, 2008, 17:46

Yeah! I thought it was a bit weird by how fast things went , or maybe it was just my luck, I did work my *** out for it though!:( .. .I did obtain acceptance from the University and the professor by late September .. But had no idea that you still go through another phase of acceptance from MEXT themselves by next year ... :( I was like :eek:

Although chances are good, should be at least 70% and above conservatively based on past record, there is still a possibility of rejection. Hence yes, I am as anxious as you.

Did anyone get the scholarship from their own Embassy and an acceptance from a Japanese University but Still didn't get accepted by MEXT ?

I so know how you feel .. I really hope it works out for all of us ...

And for everyone Am sorry for tackling the subject of expenses when it was discussed before , I did search about the matter but I might have skipped a page or two ..GOMENASAI!!! :sorry: Thanks for the great info though ...

silverPenciled

Nov 25, 2008, 17:52

SilverPenciled,
I'm guessing if someone has been granted the scholarship, he/she should receive an official letter from MEXT clearly stating that they have been accepted. Could anyone who's currently on the scholarship please confirm? What is THE LETTER like?

Yeah Can someone please let us know what is the letter like ??
Thank you everyone

Charles Barkley

Nov 25, 2008, 23:20

Hello, guys.
I am really interested in getting Master degree in Japan.
But my japanese is not perfect, so I would like to study in English.
Does anybody know - what school and universities conduct studying in Englsih?
I have not decided exactly - in what field I want to make my MA.
But it will be either Public Policy (Administartion) or Political Science (International Relations).
I know that Asain Pasific University and Tsukuba University do conduct edu in English, but are ther any other?
thanks in Advance
Nurlan from Kazakhstan

Waseda, Tokyo Gaidai, and I have heard that, of this year, the University of Tokyo will as well. All 3 are political science/international relations programs.

I am in waseda's graduate school of asia pacific studies if you have any further questions.

Yeah Can someone please let us know what is the letter like ??
Thank you everyone

First of all, it is made of paper. Then there is black ink. If I remember correctly there was also some red ink.

menrui

Nov 26, 2008, 00:14

sarcasm alert(i need 20 more characters)

Nall-ohki

Nov 26, 2008, 02:45

Did anyone get the scholarship from their own Embassy and an acceptance from a Japanese University but Still didn't get accepted by MEXT ?

Again, please go back and read previous threads.

This happened to me last year.

silverPenciled

Nov 26, 2008, 05:37

First of all, it is made of paper. Then there is black ink. If I remember correctly there was also some red ink.
NO WAY ! FOR REAL ??? I thought they'd send you a holographic image of someone announcing your acceptance! You know with the whole monochromatic laser beams filling out your surrounding like fireworks!Couldn't imagine it being simply plain paper with black and red ink on ! … Oh well .. My bad! …:p
And to everyone in this forum… I sincerely apologize for asking about that matter before double checking previous threads.. :gomen:
I am new to this forum, and this is my first time applying for that scholarship .. I shall make sure I look before I ask… Sumimasen ! :sorry:
I guess all I have to do is wait for the MEXT acceptance, and improve my Japanese as much as possible … Gambarimasu !
Thanks everyone for the info, best of luck to everyone applying , and hope we all end up with getting what we want, we all worked hard for it … Gambatte Kudasai ! :-)

ooilingfan

Nov 26, 2008, 12:00

Did anyone get the scholarship from their own Embassy and an acceptance from a Japanese University but Still didn't get accepted by MEXT ?

silverpenciled,
No one can get the scholarship from their Embassy cause embassies don't give scholarships.
What they do is only RECOMMEND us to MEXT.
I think what you've got so far are the same as ours, an LoA from the Uni, and the Passing Cert (recommendation letter).

nice one charles,
we hope that paper with black and red ink will come in soon.
and holographic.... =.=

JapanDream

Nov 26, 2008, 16:45

And to everyone in this forum… I sincerely apologize for asking about that matter before double checking previous threads.. :gomen:
I am new to this forum, and this is my first time applying for that scholarship .. I shall make sure I look before I ask… Sumimasen ! :sorry:

Hi Silverpenciled,

This is a thread with over 50 pages, so it's not uncommon for people to overlook certain information. And for someone new like you to locate the exact page where that info of interest is available is going to take some time as well. :-) Don't worry about it.

ooilingfan

Nov 26, 2008, 17:37

yea. we really got loads of crap to talk about. haha
56 pages for a thread....
imagine new comers have to go through page by page to 'extract' information

wes

Nov 27, 2008, 01:59

Hey Everyone,

I've been reading this thread lately and have grown concerned that what I have tried so hard for in the last few months could fall through at the last moment! Someone said in the last few pages that the chances of being accepted (after having received the LoA) are about 70%--is that the consensus? Also, I've been wanting to ask you, Nall-Ohki (not to dredge up bad memories) if have any idea why you were wait-listed last year. Were there problems with your application or your adviser, or something?

Any info would be great. I'm trying to prepare for the possibility of being dropped so that I don't end up with nothing to do this Spring!

menrui

Nov 27, 2008, 05:35

yea. we really got loads of crap to talk about. haha
56 pages for a thread....
imagine new comers have to go through page by page to 'extract' information
yeah seriously. telling someone to read the whole thread would just be mean haha. and check out the post/views ratio, 1,383/82,699 . thats like, for every post, 80 people read it. seems like there are alot more applicants reading this thread outside of those who are posting.

wes,
i dont think 70% was a concrete statistic, just a guess, an underestimated guess IMO. according to previous posts, all we can say is "most" people who received the recommendation, received the scholarship, while a "few" didnt. i think only 1 person didnt ( :relief: we should really stop bringing this up...)

Nall-ohki

Nov 27, 2008, 07:36

Also, I've been wanting to ask you, Nall-Ohki (not to dredge up bad memories) if have any idea why you were wait-listed last year. Were there problems with your application or your adviser, or something?

Was it that:

I previously received a similar scholarship as an undergrad?
It's an Illuminati plot to keep me down?
I randomly selected from the number of people applying in the USA to be on the wait list?
My ex-girlfriend made an impassioned plea: "this country isn't big enough for the two of us!"
My embassy recommended more people than it could send?
There was a quota on the number of people they could send per discipline?
I'm on the NSA watch list and don't know it?
They found out about how I used to walk my cat like a wheelbarrow when I was in 3rd grade?

Bbbbt! Wrong!

The answer is:

Nobody knows but MEXT.

Honestly, it's a gigantic bureaucracy, and nowhere have I ever searched has had the criteria they judge applicants on other than the fact that they tend to favor poorer countries.

For all of you out there in wait:

There is a chance you will not be selected. It blows. Get over it and try to live your life, even if it's torturous to do so, because there is nothing you can do about it now. If you fail, it will be painful, and you will mourn the failure for a while, but that is the nature of high risk and high reward.

Nothing in MEXT's decision reflects on you. They are the gatekeepers, and they have their own priorities, which are far removed from yours.

Finally, I must emphasize again: Do not confuse your own self worth with receiving this scholarship. I know a lot of you are doing it as I did it.

If you need to get your mind off the scholarship, do this: plan what you will do if you fail to get the scholarship. Planning opens a lot of doors and frees your mind of the "all or nothing" mentality that this scholarship system seems to breed. It also helps because if the worst happens, you have other plans you can go to.

When the results come, you will know.

ooilingfan

Nov 27, 2008, 09:14

well summarised, nall ohki.

i dont think 70% was a concrete statistic, just a guess, an underestimated guess IMO. according to previous posts, all we can say is "most" people who received the recommendation, received the scholarship, while a "few" didnt. i think only 1 person didnt ( :relief: we should really stop bringing this up...)

I think in one of my previous posts i have written about a 70-95% success rate. The stats were provided by my country's embassy as a reference.
I believe there have been really bad times where they hit 70%. So i use 70% as the worst case scenario. But like we've all discussed, it's may be a different scenario next year due to the worst economy in 2 decades. Hence the probability widens. And i speculate if the worst really does happen, the success rate may even be cut to half.
And yes, i'm preparing for the worst, even if i'm being rejected totally with a big red R.

silverPenciled

Nov 27, 2008, 15:38

Yes planning is what we need to do ... at least planning that we are capable of! ... my ignorance about the MEXT selection was a bliss ... worrying about it wouldn't get me anywhere, I would have rather been unaware of it and even if I were not selected at the end , at least I would have it blown out in one gigantic go ! :D ... Am trying as much as possible to adapt to plan B ... got nothing to lose anyway ... One week ago I turned down a job offer with Triple (and yes I do mean it! ) triple my salary because I thought I was going for real in April, but still I don't consider it a loss at all, the whole thing was a great experience so far , and deserves even way bigger sacrifices if sacrifice is the word that is ! ... Hope we all get it in the end ! Good luck to everyone !
:cool:

ooilingfan

Nov 27, 2008, 16:58

whoa, triple salary? I would've gone for that regardless. haha
anyway, it's a cliche here, but, All The Best to Everyone.

silverPenciled

Nov 27, 2008, 17:09

yeah that's why i was horrified when I knew about the yet MEXT selection .... :shock: , I really had no idea... oh well ... at least you know you can get triple at some point ! Am really struggling not to think about it but my stomach keeps on churning, I really can't help it ... ! :p I should stop bringing this subject up ... :relief:

anyhow Thanks guys for the info , keep us posted if anyone heard news about anything ...! :wave:

c0ok1e

Nov 27, 2008, 17:23

waiting is making me go crazy.. is therr a chance the result will be out by the end of december or early january?? and while waiting i keep thiking i this thing came up to my mind.. if we were not successful will the embasy tell us that or just ignore and notify those successful applicacnt?? if thats the case, those unsucessful will keep on waiting and suffering:(

silverPenciled

Nov 27, 2008, 17:40

When I asked the Embassy they told me I could be even informed by March !! :(

I shall wait till February and if I don't get any response I shall call them myself. I guess we should keep each other informed of that matter ...

clockworkorange

Nov 27, 2008, 18:58

I would think that whoever got a call bearing good news would share it with us. That was how we knew about the shortlisted candidates and all right?

silverPenciled, i would have done the same thing you did. But maybe for different reasons. I am not fond of my job.

silverPenciled

Nov 27, 2008, 19:33

hehehe Clockworkorange Am not fond of it either ... but sometimes you have to take risks (though I didn't consider it that way ..) There's a saying in our country where it means that some things happen for yet better things to come instead ... If it 's not the scholarship maybe something else will come along your way ... (though honestly don't know what could be better! :D ) Fingers Crossed all the way!!! ;)

ooilingfan

Nov 27, 2008, 19:37

There is a chance that the results might be out in End Dec or early Jan. If i'm not mistaken, referring to one thread started by Nall Ohki, there are candidates who were informed in Dec 2007. But it depends on which country also. Some will come earlier while some late. So as soon as anybody got the confirmed results, we can start checking with our embassies weekly. We shall know what's the outcome like once the results started coming. For instance, if the success rate is high in a few countries which got early results, then it should be quite positive for the others.
Anyway, these are all speculations for comfort. Ultimately, it's the real letter, the legendary, infamous paper with black and red ink that matters. Or the one magic call from the embassy.
haha, i think i'm making everybody nervous now. =p

silverPenciled

Nov 27, 2008, 19:41

Holographic if you may! :D

dblbstrd

Nov 27, 2008, 23:06

yeah we discussed this before. the scholarship is plenty of money. furthermore, they would prefer you not work while studying with the scholarship. so maybe you can say good bye to you 16hour work days.

Yeah the scholarship is plenty of money (especially if you live pretty much anywhere other than Tokyo) but I don't know about the "prefer you not to work" thing.
A lot of other people I know, who have been on the program since well before I've been around, do things like teaching English (and some other languages if there's any demand) for extra money on the side. Yeah going to grad school can be a lot of work, but depending on your lab, you don't really have to be just plugging away at it 24 hours a day, you can have time for other things too.

And actually I really don't think they care too much what you do once you're here, as long as you aren't doing anything really bad or illegal (that would possibly get you booted from the scholarship), and are making OK academic progress.

c0ok1e

Nov 28, 2008, 13:50

kawabanga

Nov 28, 2008, 14:05

Any of you know the success rate if lets say we finish our masters and want to continue our phd with the scholarship?? Is it difficult to continue with the scholarship or easy? Do we need to get through the whole application process like we are doing now or there will be a short cut?

You can apply for an extension to continue with your PhD and there will be an application dateline, as always. Not too sure about the success rate though.

JapanDream

Nov 28, 2008, 14:23

menrui

Nov 28, 2008, 15:21

keep in mind that you also have to compete for those PhD course slots, which i think the success rate for that alone is low. then you apply for the extension, and i dont know the success rate for that either.

c0ok1e

Nov 28, 2008, 18:45

ooilingfan

Nov 28, 2008, 19:37

Do we have to apply for extension like 1 semester before our graduation for the phd?? The extension process will be a fast one or slow like what we are experiencing now?? I hope that the success rate will not be low as I feel that graduating with masters in my field is a little useless.. Its either degree or phd.. If i am to choose between graduating with a masters I think i will rather start working and not go for the scholarship..Its better for my career path..

well, it's pretty hard to foresee what is the outcome after our Master's.
And to decide base on that is quite risky.
Anyway, from the info i gathered, in order to extend the scholarship, first you need to secure a project or supervisor before graduating, confirm that there's a slot for you.
After that, you can only apply for the scholarship somewhere in March. Whether it's in the form of 'extension' or 'fresh application' i'm not sure, so are the procedures. But i guess it would be slightly different from those who applied the PhD FRESH from their home countries, perhaps slightly easier, assuming that you can skip the exam, sourcing of supervisor and interview with the embassy phase. So what you do is get a supervisor (final sem), apply (somewhere March), and wait for MEXT's approval. Thus the process won't take one whole year like what we're going through now, instead, if successful, there will be no gap and you can start your PhD immediately in the same year you graduate, that is, April. (Again, i'm not sure whether there's a separate entrance exam for PhD)

c0ok1e

Nov 28, 2008, 20:53

thanks ooilingfan... your comments sounds positive..::cool:
Scholarship discussion aisde, what can someone who have a masters in lifescience do? u cant be a lecturer and other jobs seems too low for your qualification where u will feel a waste if u applied for a job that only needs degree and u got a masters hence your slary = degree salary..sad..

kawabanga

Nov 28, 2008, 22:06

Master degree holders are absolutely qualified to be an undergraduate lecturer, at least in Malaysia. What can you do with a Master degree in lifescience? The more sensible question is what do you want to do?
Putting personal interest aside, international companies, especially those in the pharmaceutical industry are always in the hunt for people with postgraduate qualification (at least a Master degree) to join their R&D team. You can also choose to become a researcher in research institutes. In fact, some renowned research institutes in Malaysia take in Bachelor's degree holders as research officers.

Alternatively, if your passion does not lie in scientific research (but for some reason you decide to pursue a research-based postgraduate degree), you can always opt for the corporate ladder. Corporate companies are also always on the look out for individuals with a postgraduate qualification in science for these individuals are trained to be analytical, observant and have the technical expertise in areas which a non-science graduate could hardly pick-up just from work.

Regarding "Master degree salary = Bachelor's degree salary", I have never come across any reputable companies or institutions in the lifescience industry hiring individuals strictly with JUST a Bachelor's degree, definitely not for technical positions, but possible for sales. It is always the case of 'at least'. I find it unbelievable that a company would pay its Master degree employee a Bachelor's degree's salary. If that is truly the case, this company is probably not intending to develop and expand any further.

My advice is, be sure of what you want to do in the many years to come. Never pursue a Master degree or PhD just for the sake of it. They are just qualifications, important only for the initial recognition, but never for long. What makes a PhD holder stands out from the rest is his passion and sense of direction. I hope this does help you in certain ways.

c0ok1e

Nov 28, 2008, 23:02

pilarika

Nov 28, 2008, 23:17

Hi everyone!

Though the topic was some posts ago I thought I would share what my experience with the preselection and selection has been. I think it varies a bit from country to country and embassy to embassy. I guess they have different ways of selecting people, some might send more candidates than actual scholarship spots and wait for MEXT to choose, while other send just the exact number and assume MEXT will approve them all.

For instance, unlike Nall-Ohki, I was selected by the embassy here in my country as a substitute last year and I was told so by them all the way back in june 2007. They sent my papers to MEXT (save LoA, because I was a substitute I was not required to get one) all the time labeled as such, and sure enough by late December 2007 I was told by the embassy MEXT had confirmed as a subtitute. Back then the lady who handles the scholarship at the embassy told me they had selected the exact number of alocated spots for my country plus two subtitutes. The selected ones all got accepted and the other substitute and myself applied again this year.

This year I did get (pre)selected by the embassy as actual grantee, and was told by the same lady that since she has been working on the selection for the scholarship, MEXT has never objected to the selection done by them. I imagine something similar might happen in Jordan, that is why silverPenciled felt so assured by the embassy there that she was getting the scholarship.

Anyways, clearly there’s still another selection to go, but if things are as I was told at the embassy I should feel pretty certain (though I am not, hehe), especially since things did work as they said last year. Still my guess is we won’t know for sure until late December and January, so the only thing is wait and really hope for the best.

Good luck to all !!! :wave:

silverPenciled

Nov 29, 2008, 00:17

Heyy Pilarika! Am so glad you got selected for the scholarship, That's awesome news! Congrats! :flower:

Did you get to select an art university for your major ? (am sorry I couldn't get back to you with that list! ) , you really did give me hope with that post of yours, I really hope what you are saying is true. My case is that I wasn't told about the MEXT selection until I actually asked the Embassy which was a week ago ! :p

Like you mentioned each country differs from the others with their procedures. For instance they told me I shall be informed for sure in March! :( I hope I get informed earlier , This is really killing me! :P

Anyhow I hope we both get it ! And hope everyone else does as well !

wes

Nov 29, 2008, 07:26

Thanks, Pilarika! Though none of us know exactly what is happening behind closed doors, your information gives some insight into the process. Are you going for art? If so, can you tell me what and where you are hoping for? So far it seems like most everyone is in the sciences.

Also, are you from Bogota? Because I am planning a holiday trip to Colombia (in part to escape the New York winter, but also to get my mind off the upcoming results!) and am trying to find someone who can give me some info on what to do and where to go. anyway, thanks again!

menrui

Nov 29, 2008, 08:21

thanks for the information pilarika! my MEXT coordination only gave me the "you'll be fine" insurance. nothing concrete or statistical. he also said they were "hoping" to get results in Oct/Nov. but that doesnt seem likely. he also said results could be as late at feb, or even a week before departure.

c0ok1e

Nov 29, 2008, 14:53

thanks pilarika..hopefully will know by end of december

abeeyo_q8

Nov 29, 2008, 17:47

the woman at the embassy told me i'd hear at the end of this year or early next year if the ministry of higher education in japan had found me a spot, because i was unable to get a LoA

just this morning i recieved an email from a professor at kyoto university telling me i had been placed in his group and my paperwork is being processed for april 09

so results are out as early as now, but she did say that early next year was a possibility, so i guess it just means where on the list you are

oh does anyone know if the scholarship includes medical insurance or something like that? i can't remember??

oh also, does anyone know what happens if you say you wanna do you PhD then decide during your masters that you don't want to anymore...can it be postponed?

ooilingfan

Nov 29, 2008, 18:29

Kawabanga,
While your comments sounds positive and good, but it is merely theoretical and does not apply in Malaysia. Sure if you are working in SIngapore or other country which have a higher research profile. Companies in Malaysia usually focus on sales for their products and research are carried out in other countries. Our research industry is usually done in the government sector or Universities which do not pay much. For lecturer, I think they need phd as a lecturer now. Few months ago when I checked they still recruit masters but in later years I dont think it will be so. Are you doing lifesciences as well? We can exchange opinion

cookie,
For academic positions, it differs when you're talking about Private and Public. For public yes, 90% and above of lecturer positions now requires minimum PhD.
For most private colleges/universities, you are allowed to teach pre-university courses, foundation programs and some diploma subjects if you can prove yourself with a Bacelor's degree.
With a master's degree you can go for tertiary level teaching, and will be qualified to take up administrative positions such as deputy programme director, course development manager etc.
Reason being in public Uni, research is a must, academic and new discoveries come first. Whereas in private, not so much. Research is 'encouraged' usually. Hence PhD isn't as critical, unless you wish to go up to the top (head of programme etc). But i expect the industry to be more competitive over time.
For non-academic, especially for Sales, Business Development, Marketing, whatever you call them, it doesn't matter to them. They don't care, as long as you bring in the business. Hence degree and master's qualification doesn't bring much difference, people who join this part of the world should be well aware. Unless the sales job requires a lot of technical knowledge which can only be aquired via a higher degree like MSc., then perhaps it'll be different. If not, a degree holder is as competent as a master's holder.

There are degree holders who work side by side with a master's holder, and earning more pay. And of course the cliche that many successful busines owners don't even have a college degree.

Bottomline, your degree cannot choose your job or career for you. If you want a job that matches your degree, be it BSc, MSc or PhD, you have to hunt for one.

So like kawabanga said, it all depends on what you want to do. Knowing your own capabilities, potential and goals will open up unlimited opportunities. Whereas living blur won't take a person far, even if he/she owns a Post-Doctoral degree.

Pilarika,

Thanks for the new info.
Seems like different policies adopted by different embassies will affect the final outcome.
This forum is really useful in gathering all the bits and pieces from all over the world and paint a clearer picture of how this whole MEXT scholarship is done.

menrui

Nov 29, 2008, 19:40

zheng_ys

Nov 29, 2008, 22:50

Hi..For Malaysian...

All of you are welcome to Japanese Education Fair 2008 at PWTC on 6 & 7 Dec. Goh san (Jagam), Fukabori san (Japan Embassy) and Janette san (Jasso) had gv a briefing of the fair on press release yesterday in Japanese Club of KL and we are very welcome the people who are interested in the Mext scholarship to visit the fair. And I am sure that Jagam, Jasso, and Japan Embassy (Education) will give you a 1st hand help on Japan Mext scholarship. Other than that, 22 Japan Unis and 5 Japanese language schools will have a counter to serve all of you who need the education information. The profesors from Japan will be invited to give a talk on 7 of Dec. Please do kindly check the website of Facon Education Fair or check out the website of Japan Education Fair 2008 by Jasso.

**You can bring out any questions as you guys discussed in this forum. No worries..

See You!!:cool:

Cheers..!!

pilarika

Nov 29, 2008, 23:38

I am glad my post was of some help. It is really good to be able to share with others who are on the same situation. And like I said I hope we all receive good news soon.

Like menrui, I also believe things are happening, only we don’t know exactly what, and probably MEXT is waiting to have most people placed an stuff before releasing anything officially. Sadly this means we have to keep on waiting.

silverPenciled,
Last year I wasn’t aware either that there was a MEXT selection either. I was quite surprised when I got the call from the embassy on December, but since I already knew I was a substitute I wasn’t a disappointment at all or much of bad news.

As for the uni, I too gave up on Tokyo Geidai, I couldn’t get them to answer my mails again, plus at the embassy they told me you basically had to personally know someone there to even be considered. Besides soon after I received an e-mail from the School of Design in Kyushu University, saying they would issue me a LoA. I am actually a graphic designer, so now I am hoping to enter the Design Strategy master course, which seems really interesting.

wes,
I live in Bogota, so if you’d like any info just ask. There are plenty of cool places to visit and cool things to do. And although I have to work all throughout December maybe we could meet at some point, just let me know.

zheng_ys

Nov 30, 2008, 00:36

Hi All,

There is indeed a plan for japan to recruit more scholars from all around the world. They plan to bring 300,000 scholars until year 2020....This is the good news from Fukabori san (Malaysia_Japan Embassy) and Jannette san (Jasso) on press release at Japanese Club of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. So, you guys are stepping into the road to Japan. No worries..

Pilarika,
WoW!!! what a nice paradise...BOGOTA...that's a well planned city and car free city...I hope I can be there some day..!! I am learning urban planning, Bogota is the ideal city nowadays.

abeeyo_q8

Nov 30, 2008, 03:16

abeeyo,
wow, im very surprised. my theory was, if you didnt get a LoA, MEXT would try to save time and money by putting you in a univ that wasnt so popular. but they managed to place you in kyoto univ... MEXT is awesome~! (>9k)

moving on, were you informed by your prof but not but MEXT themselves? hmm, it seems like MEXT works on placing us somewhere one at a time, then releases all official news at the same time.

yeah it wasn't an official acceptance, like embassy still hasn't emailed me or anything about. i guess their waiting for all the paperwork to be done...but official or unofficial i feel like huge weight was lifted off of me.

i totally agree with the LoA theory, i was so sure i was gonna end up in some lil private uni with a horrible bio department...but then i think maybe the reason i ended up in kyoudai was because of the specifics of my major...iu'm guessing molecular and celluar bio isn't very common

i don't know if me getting in has anything ti do with my country either, i remmeber reading somehwere that someone had said MEXT tends to prefer poorer countries, Kuwait is def not poor...so i don't know

kawabanga

Nov 30, 2008, 22:01

Abeeyo_q8, are you placed in the School of Biostudies? If yes, we could be schoolmates!

dblbstrd

Nov 30, 2008, 22:18

Hi dblbstrd,
Good to know that there wouldn't be much of a problem associated with living expense. About your own time outside of studies and research, are you part of any clubs or societies on campus? What are the student activities like? Thanks for sharing with us =)
There are all sorts of clubs and activities on campus. You can do sports, music, dancing, cultural things, you name it. Whatever you like, there's probably a club for it. With most clubs you can just show up whenever you like or whenever you have time, and the kids will be pretty friendly, it's a very good way to make friends. The clubs also do nomikai (drinking parties) once in a while, and maybe even overnight or weekend trips to onsen resorts and things like that.

oh does anyone know if the scholarship includes medical insurance or something like that? i can't remember??

Medical insurance is not included, but you will basically be required to sign up for Japanese national health insurance. Since you're a student and the scholarship doesn't really count as "income," you can get the cheapest rates on it, and the rates kind of depend on what city you live in, but I pay a little less than 2000 yen a month for that.
Your school might also require you to pay for some kind of accident insurance or something, but the one I had to pay for was only like 2000 yen one time.

I've never used the national health insurance before, but I've heard that the system is not too bad.

abeeyo_q8

Dec 1, 2008, 04:21

Abeeyo_q8, are you placed in the School of Biostudies? If yes, we could be schoolmates!

YES I'M GOING TO THE SCHOOL OF BIOSTUDIES!! yaaay a schoolmate!!
i was placed in takeyasu kunio sensei's lab :D

ooilingfan

Dec 1, 2008, 10:06

Hi..For Malaysian...
All of you are welcome to Japanese Education Fair 2008 at PWTC on 6 & 7 Dec. Goh san (Jagam), Fukabori san (Japan Embassy) and Janette san (Jasso) had gv a briefing of the fair on press release yesterday in Japanese Club of KL and we are very welcome the people who are interested in the Mext scholarship to visit the fair. And I am sure that Jagam, Jasso, and Japan Embassy (Education) will give you a 1st hand help on Japan Mext scholarship. Other than that, 22 Japan Unis and 5 Japanese language schools will have a counter to serve all of you who need the education information. The profesors from Japan will be invited to give a talk on 7 of Dec. Please do kindly check the website of Facon Education Fair or check out the website of Japan Education Fair 2008 by Jasso.
**You can bring out any questions as you guys discussed in this forum. No worries..
See You!!:cool:
Cheers..!!

Anyone going to the fair?
Hope to meet up with you guys but I can't make it as i'm working that whole weekend till late evening...

c0ok1e

Dec 1, 2008, 11:27

Hi All,
There is indeed a plan for japan to recruit more scholars from all around the world. They plan to bring 300,000 scholars until year 2020....This is the good news from Fukabori san (Malaysia_Japan Embassy) and Jannette san (Jasso) on press release at Japanese Club of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia yesterday. So, you guys are stepping into the road to Japan. No worries..
Pilarika,
WoW!!! what a nice paradise...BOGOTA...that's a well planned city and car free city...I hope I can be there some day..!! I am learning urban planning, Bogota is the ideal city nowadays.

Wow that is certainly super good news...Hopefully your source is true then it means it will be easier for us to get the phd scholarship..:D

zheng_ys

Dec 1, 2008, 18:10

C0ok1e,
Of course that's true..I am at the scene that time..

About the number of the Malaysian Mext scholars for every year, they won't cut off the number of scholar obviously and the figure will be around that (30+ for postgraduate and 6-8 for undergraduate). This is because the total number of international students in Japan decreased gradually every year (from Goh san, Jagam). That's why Japan Gov (Education) came out with the indeed plan of bringing more students and target at 300,000 international students when year 2020.

The education fair in PWTC sure will helps alot. The professors from Japan will be there too.

oolingfan,
The fair only operate from 12pm to 6pm. Knowing that you need to work till late evening but hope you can visit there if you are available in the time. Please don't miss the chance.

**There are no counter set up by Japan Unis or scholarship organization at Penang Education Fair on 14 & 15 Dec. Please take note for those who wish to go to Penang Education Fair.

Cheers!!:-)

ooilingfan

Dec 1, 2008, 18:48

The Fair in KL features mainly Private Institutions...
for more info:
http://www.studyinjapan.org.my/11_JEF/index-jef2.html

kawabanga

Dec 1, 2008, 19:38

YES I'M GOING TO THE SCHOOL OF BIOSTUDIES!! yaaay a schoolmate!!
i was placed in takeyasu kunio sensei's lab :D
Cool! I will be in the Division of Systemic Life Science though. Hope to see you soon!
There are all sorts of clubs and activities on campus. You can do sports, music, dancing, cultural things, you name it. Whatever you like, there's probably a club for it. With most clubs you can just show up whenever you like or whenever you have time, and the kids will be pretty friendly, it's a very good way to make friends. The clubs also do nomikai (drinking parties) once in a while, and maybe even overnight or weekend trips to onsen resorts and things like that.

This is even cooler! Can't wait!
Anyone going to the fair?
Hope to meet up with you guys but I can't make it as i'm working that whole weekend till late evening...
I will most probably go on Sunday. Oh don't worry too much about not being able to be there, I'm quite sure those who attend will post the most important updates here.
Signing out...

c0ok1e

Dec 1, 2008, 20:41

C0ok1e,
Of course that's true..I am at the scene that time..
About the number of the Malaysian Mext scholars for every year, they won't cut off the number of scholar obviously and the figure will be around that (30+ for postgraduate and 6-8 for undergraduate). This is because the total number of international students in Japan decreased gradually every year (from Goh san, Jagam). That's why Japan Gov (Education) came out with the indeed plan of bringing more students and target at 300,000 international students when year 2020.

hmmm..good good...but then again the 30+ for postgraduates student does it include those already receiving the scholarship?? Like im at masters now and plan to continuing with phd and i reapply..am i categorize under the 30+ or separate quota...hehe..just curious...u might not know the answer...

Anyway as the result is approaching i can feel this forum getting more more and live ly...:D

abeeyo_q8

Dec 2, 2008, 03:47

Cool! I will be in the Division of Systemic Life Science though. Hope to see you soon!
This is even cooler! Can't wait!

darn! i'm pretty sure that i'm in "integrated sciences"

oh btw how fluent are you in jap? i asked my prof if there courses were taught in jap and he said the lectures are in jap but the coursework is not that intensive.

are you taking lang prep classes before you start your masters?

Nall-ohki

Dec 2, 2008, 04:27

darn! i'm pretty sure that i'm in "integrated sciences"
oh btw how fluent are you in jap? i asked my prof if there courses were taught in jap and he said the lectures are in jap but the coursework is not that intensive.

Unrelated, but bears repeating:

"jap" is not an acceptable abbreviation of "Japanese", and has very negative overtones to many people. Avoid using it.

abeeyo_q8

Dec 2, 2008, 04:47

Nall-ohki

Dec 2, 2008, 06:04

well it was obvious from my context that jap meanT japanese and not an actual person...you guys should pay more attention...in this day in age ppl are abbreviating everything...and you guys keep finding new ways to fit your ideals of "political incorrectness" into everything
when someone is referring to english they sometimes abbreviate as eng, you guys should lighten up...I WAS NOT REFERRING TO A PERSON

Excuse me? "I should pay attention?"

You're coming off as a bit of an *** now, and an arrogant one for such a new person to the forum.

Just because people tend to abbreviate things does not make them socially acceptable. I know you weren't talking about a person, but if I started yelling talking about N*ggers, Ch*nks, sp*ks, crackers, honkeys, white-devils or "jew" (which some people do say) as an adjective, you'd expect people to get a little bit ruffled.

"Jap" was used extensively to refer to all things Japanese during the second World War, and IS OFFENSIVE TO SOME PEOPLE. You'd think someone who A) posts on a forum about Japan, and B) is hoping to receive a scholarship from the Japanese government would have more respect.

You are in the wrong. Try to save some face.

Nall-ohki

Dec 2, 2008, 07:35

abeeyo_q8

Dec 2, 2008, 08:05

kawabanga

Dec 2, 2008, 10:12

darn! i'm pretty sure that i'm in "integrated sciences"
oh btw how fluent are you in jap? i asked my prof if there courses were taught in jap and he said the lectures are in jap but the coursework is not that intensive.
are you taking lang prep classes before you start your masters?

Indeed you are. No, I am not fluent in the language at all. I will most probably start taking classes once I receive the official letter of award, or earlier, depending.

(Bringing it up again :evil: : That's why I seldom use abbreviations, with the exception of scientific terms.)

abeeyo_q8

Dec 2, 2008, 11:53

Indeed you are. No, I am not fluent in the language at all. I will most probably start taking classes once I receive the official letter of award, or earlier, depending.
(Bringing it up again :evil: : That's why I seldom use abbreviations, with the exception of scientific terms.)

taking classes in malaysia before you go? or classes when you arrive in japan?
cause i'm supposedly starting april 09... and i'm just nervous about taking the classes in japanese

oh and when i emailed the ppl that were helping me through the process at the embassy they hadn't heard anything from MEXT...so i'm sure mext is just waiting til they get everything done before announcing anything official

zheng_ys

Dec 2, 2008, 11:56

c0ok1e,

I need to check with Fukabori san from Japan Embassy. Will give you the answer very soon.

wes

Dec 2, 2008, 17:36

wes,
I live in Bogota, so if you’d like any info just ask. There are plenty of cool places to visit and cool things to do. And although I have to work all throughout December maybe we could meet at some point, just let me know.

Hi Pilarika,

I would like to ask your advice about where to stay in Bogota but realize this is not the place for it--any way I could contact you outside the forum? Also, I am curious about what sort of materials you submitted as examples of your creative work--I am a bit worried because the instructions in the info packet asked for something like two printed out 8.5x11 pages, which is all I sent--an unimpressive portfolio for someone who wants to work with film and graphics! Did you send a complete portfolio?

Thanks!
wes

clockworkorange

Dec 2, 2008, 18:31

Hi everybody,

Regarding zheng's post, i'm quite interested in going to the education fair. I went to the website that zheng mentioned in his post but couldn't find any mention of the events that will be held by these institutions. I don't know if zheng or anyone else will be able to tell me but i thought i'd ask anyway:

Are the japanese representatives planning to give any talks about studying in Japan?

While i'd like to go, i can't help feeling that it could be a waste as we're already waiting for the scholarship. I went to the march facon fair and met the jasso representatives there and there was really not much info given apart from how to apply for the monbukagakusho. Of course, this time there will be universities as well (including the one i applied to) so perhaps more information can be gleaned from them. at any rate, if anyone knows what the japanese representatives have planned (for example talks or q&a sessions), i'd really appreciate it if you could let me know. or point me in a direction where there could be answers.

Thank you and we have one more month to go to next year. Results will be out soon!!

c0ok1e

Dec 2, 2008, 19:08

c0ok1e,
I need to check with Fukabori san from Japan Embassy. Will give you the answer very soon.

WOW..u can check with him?? didnt expect this kind of answer...are working closely with fukabori san or having a close relation with him? like friends?? and for the argument above i think abeeyo didnt meant to offend anyone with the words...its just some ppl are more open minded and never thought people will be offended..just like nigger being used..most ppl use it without the intention to offend although its not right to use these kind of words

ooilingfan

Dec 2, 2008, 19:18

hmmm..good good...but then again the 30+ for postgraduates student does it include those already receiving the scholarship?? Like im at masters now and plan to continuing with phd and i reapply..am i categorize under the 30+ or separate quota...hehe..just curious...u might not know the answer...
Anyway as the result is approaching i can feel this forum getting more more and live ly...:D

Don't worry cookie.
Those who reapply or 'extend' won't go through embassy recommendation anymore
That is under 'university recommendation'
remember there are 3 ways you can apply for MEXT?
1. Embassy recommendation
2. University recommendation
3. Government recommendation (your own govt.)

ooilingfan

Dec 2, 2008, 19:33

Hi everybody,
Regarding zheng's post, i'm quite interested in going to the education fair. I went to the website that zheng mentioned in his post but couldn't find any mention of the events that will be held by these institutions. I don't know if zheng or anyone else will be able to tell me but i thought i'd ask anyway:
Are the japanese representatives planning to give any talks about studying in Japan?
While i'd like to go, i can't help feeling that it could be a waste as we're already waiting for the scholarship. I went to the march facon fair and met the jasso representatives there and there was really not much info given apart from how to apply for the monbukagakusho. Of course, this time there will be universities as well (including the one i applied to) so perhaps more information can be gleaned from them. at any rate, if anyone knows what the japanese representatives have planned (for example talks or q&a sessions), i'd really appreciate it if you could let me know. or point me in a direction where there could be answers.
Thank you and we have one more month to go to next year. Results will be out soon!!

clockwork,
you can get some more info at JAGAM's website.
It's COOL that your university is setting up a booth there. At least you can ask some general questions like hostel, food, transportation, local dialect, or the enrolment process, orientation, anything special to look out for etc etc etc.
How I hope Osaka U is there...... that's why i may not go, plus i'm working that day....

c0ok1e

Dec 2, 2008, 20:40

zheng_ys

Dec 2, 2008, 22:13

WOW..u can check with him?? didnt expect this kind of answer...are working closely with fukabori san or having a close relation with him? like friends?? and for the argument above i think abeeyo didnt meant to offend anyone with the words...its just some ppl are more open minded and never thought people will be offended..just like nigger being used..most ppl use it without the intention to offend although its not right to use these kind of words

I will give a help on the Japanese Education Fair. So, you are from USM too..??..Me too..

The recommendation via university mean the recommendation from the japan university as oolingfan stated above..

c0ok1e

Dec 2, 2008, 22:43

I will give a help on the Japanese Education Fair. So, you are from USM too..??..Me too..
The recommendation via university mean the recommendation from the japan university as oolingfan stated above..

oh cool..wat r u doing now? working with the japanese embassy?? what course u from and whats your name? maybe we know each other..

zheng_ys

Dec 2, 2008, 23:11

c0Ok1e,
I was from HBP....I am the scholar of MEXT scholarship but not apply tru Japan Embassy. So I will be JEF to give a hand voluntary. Of course I have my job concurrently untill I departed to Japan by nexy year. Hope can see you guys in JEF and give the help as I able.

Charles Barkley

Dec 3, 2008, 10:08

i'd like to apologize to those that were "actually" offended by my abbreviation and to other forum members that had to witness something that can only be described as an ugly argument between 2 stubborn people
MOVING ON!! to what this forum is actually meant for
is anyone here actually in the graduate school of biostudies at kyoto university? to share their experiences and what not

There are Japanese people on this website, undrentide for example, who will say similar things whenever someone makes the "abbreviation" "jap." Your dismissive attitude belies the fact that you don't understand the context in which your words appear. When "stubborn people" try to give you advice, it would behoove you to listen rather than childishly putting your hands over your ears and saying "I can't hear you."

以上です。

kimberleylhj

Dec 3, 2008, 10:20

I guess most ppl understand that the abbreviation meant no harm and it was merely as an abbreviation. However, the advice was given coz although it meant no harm, it may be offensive for others. And to also inform just in case someone might not have known that it is offensive. I mean, I may use a word with no harm, and had totally no idea that it could actually offend somebody. In such situation, I would be really grateful for a piece of advice although I didn't mean to hurt anybody in the first place. We are all potential/current scholarship holders and I think no matter how great or significant we claim our research is during the interview shouldn't make us forget the basic politeness.

ooilingfan

Dec 3, 2008, 11:25

So let us all agree to be more sensitive and careful when making open statements/comments here.
It's very close to the results announcement and we hope our positions as potential scholars will not be jeapordized due to unncessary/inappropriate statements posted here. We have to think of other members of the forum who might get affected if this forum gets a negative label. People (and i hope doesn't include scholarship authorities/embassies) will look at us as a bunch of immature kids rather than deserving scholars.

Let us keep focus on the initial purpose of this forum, which is to discuss and share constructive information on MEXT postgraduate scholarship application. If anyone has any personal issues with another member. Please use the "Private Messages" feature.
The advantage is that it will reduce the number of threads a newcomer has to read, and avoid any unnecessary negative impacts on us.

pilarika

Dec 3, 2008, 23:13

Also, I am curious about what sort of materials you submitted as examples of your creative work--I am a bit worried because the instructions in the info packet asked for something like two printed out 8.5x11 pages, which is all I sent--an unimpressive portfolio for someone who wants to work with film and graphics! Did you send a complete portfolio?
Thanks!
wes

Well, the instructions we recieved here did not include the 2 printed pages bit. So both last year and this I sent a CD with an autorun file with my multimedia portfolio, plus a folder with plain jpg files of my work in case the multimedia didn't work. Last year MEXT approved my papers as a substitute grantee and I never heard that they had any trouble or didn't like the way I sent the examples of my work. I did the same when sending the papers to the universities when asking for the LoA, and never had any problems.

c0ok1e

Dec 6, 2008, 15:23

Recently i got an email from my supervisor asking me to fill in some personal history form..its a very simple form and very similar to our monbusho application form..just wondering if any of u get the same thing?? Maybe got some hint I will be getting the scholarship ..haha:p...just dreaming...but i scared it doesnt mean anything and maybe my supervisor just do it on his own initiative..then if didnt get will be dissappinted:(

Lancetology

Dec 6, 2008, 16:04

ooilingfan

Dec 6, 2008, 19:49

Dear all:

Hi to everyone, Im newcomer from Malaysia, juz joined this forum recently as I found this forum is really useful. Im planning to apply the MEXT scholarship as well next year. Hope can have some helpful opinions from you all....よるしくお願します

Hi Lancetology,
Welcome to the forum.
Basically, there's nothing much you can do now. And you have plenty of time, so no worries.
The application will be opened somewhere late February or early March if not mistaken.
You can get some of your documents ready, such as results, make some contact with your previous lecturers/supervisors from Uni as you'll need a recommendation letter from them.
You can also start thinking of what research you want to pursue, then do research on your research (sounds weird). Well, kinda have a rough idea. This year i was pretty rush on my research proposal as i only started thinking while filing up the application forms.
After you've decided an area of research you can start scouting for universities in Japan. There are more than 300 i suppose.
You don't need to rush into getting the details of the application process first. You can get them easily by reviewing past posts which contain some links to certain blogs, websites OR checkout websites of universities (some of them include very complete info on MEXT) OR just google around. But don't get panic if you see too much details. It will all work out eventually as the process takes 1 whole year, and things happen in stages.
You may start brushing up your english if your command of the language is not strong, especially the grammar part as the written test is kinda tricky. But overall it's kinda easy i would say. For Japanese test, you can skip unless you have JLPT 4 or 3.
Hope that helps.

Lancetology

Dec 7, 2008, 13:25

Hi Lancetology,
Welcome to the forum.
Basically, there's nothing much you can do now. And you have plenty of time, so no worries.
The application will be opened somewhere late February or early March if not mistaken.
You can get some of your documents ready, such as results, make some contact with your previous lecturers/supervisors from Uni as you'll need a recommendation letter from them.
You can also start thinking of what research you want to pursue, then do research on your research (sounds weird). Well, kinda have a rough idea. This year i was pretty rush on my research proposal as i only started thinking while filing up the application forms.
After you've decided an area of research you can start scouting for universities in Japan. There are more than 300 i suppose.
You don't need to rush into getting the details of the application process first. You can get them easily by reviewing past posts which contain some links to certain blogs, websites OR checkout websites of universities (some of them include very complete info on MEXT) OR just google around. But don't get panic if you see too much details. It will all work out eventually as the process takes 1 whole year, and things happen in stages.
You may start brushing up your english if your command of the language is not strong, especially the grammar part as the written test is kinda tricky. But overall it's kinda easy i would say. For Japanese test, you can skip unless you have JLPT 4 or 3.
Hope that helps.
Thank you very much Mr.ooilingfan, you have provided me an awesome general outline for the MEXT application. Its genuinely instrumental, once again, thank s a lot.
Well, I had already figured out the research proposals long time ago, just wanted to gather more information before submitting the very best for them. Yup, I did received offers (including the official letters) from 7 different universities in japan--Univ of tokyo, kyoto univ, osaka univ, Juntendo univ, Okayama univ, Niigata univ and Nagoya Univ. Hopefully to get some grant to support my stay over there.
Are you one of the successful applicants?If yes, congratulations. Which university you get in and what course?
About the recommendation letter, do we to submit for the very beginning of the application? I thought at the very beginning, I just need to fill up the application form, submitting the degree & results, then go for the English test. The recommendation letters will only be submitted after we have successfully pass through all the screening. Correct me if I'm have mistaken the procedures. Thanks :-)
About the Japanese language test, do you mean that we must have JLPT at least level 3 & 4 in order to skip the test?
Thanks

ooilingfan

Dec 7, 2008, 21:43

menrui

Dec 8, 2008, 01:16

Wow lancetology, you are way ahead of the pack. good job!

about your recommendations from the japanese universities, i think these are different from the "letter of acceptance" forms your potential supervisors have to fill out after you receive recommendation from the embassy. however, in the application, you have to list 3 univ. that you prefer, and then state whether or not you have made an effort to get accepted there. this would be a big advantage to you, especially for the interview. it really shows how serious you are, because most applicants wait until after the embassy recommendation to do this.

about the test, you are only required to pass one(we dont know the passing score). but im sure they will consider both of your test scores. afterall, it is a competition. also, i have to disagree with ooling, thought im not completely sure myself. knowledge up to jlpt lvl4 wont get you very far on the test. from what i experienced, most of the test consisted of materials from jlpt lvl3. and then there was also good portion of lvl2(mostly in the reading section).

anyways, good luck~

Lancetology

Dec 8, 2008, 13:29

Hi Lancetology,
Guess i wasn't very clear at the last part.
I mean, the japanese test is not compulsory, as oppose to some countries and some websites/uni may mention that Japanese language test is first priority. But, from our experience, the English test is First Priority for Malaysian Applicants, japanese language 2nd. (That's why the 6 months' preparatory course is compulsory for us)
And the standard of the japanese test would require JLPT 4 and above if you want to pass (as what i've read from some blogs). For people like me with almost 0 command of the language, I can forget about sitting for it. Hence i only sat for Eng. paper and blessed with a pass.
In short, the Japanese language test is especially useful for those whose command of English is not strong, if one doesn't do well in the English paper, then they will look at the japanese paper. (Applicable to Malaysian Candidates)
You can download past year questions with answers easily by googling around. (Sadly i only found out bout the existence of past year questions after i sat for the exam). So hope you won't go into the hall as blur as me.
Yes. You only need to submit ONE recommendation letter AFTER you passed the written test. Which you will hand in during your interview.
And you've already got official letters from Universities in japan??
You mean Letter of Acceptance? Seven? and so soon?
Finally,
No. I'm not one of the successful applicants.Well, at least not yet =p
I'm one of the 'hopefuls' that is waiting for the final results in February 2009. I applied to Osaka Uni for MSc in Molecular Biology btw.

ou...thank you very much. Mr.ooilingfan, in that case I will skip that japanese test....:D....well, mainly because of beside the English test, I'm planning to submit the TOEFL score as well.

Ou, Osaka univ...thats a good univ, dun worry (shinpai shinai) I'm sure you can get it. Molecular biology? in which area of research? Why dont you try Institute of Virus Research under Kyoto Univ, this is the best among the best, the average impact factor of their paper is around 10 above. I got offer (one of the offer) from this institute under the Lab of Molecular Genetics.

Ou..how come still got another final results in Feb? got two intake? But anyway..I'm sure you can get....wishes you all the best....:-)

Lancetology

Dec 8, 2008, 17:20

Wow lancetology, you are way ahead of the pack. good job!
about your recommendations from the japanese universities, i think these are different from the "letter of acceptance" forms your potential supervisors have to fill out after you receive recommendation from the embassy. however, in the application, you have to list 3 univ. that you prefer, and then state whether or not you have made an effort to get accepted there. this would be a big advantage to you, especially for the interview. it really shows how serious you are, because most applicants wait until after the embassy recommendation to do this......
anyways, good luck~
Hi, Mr.menrui, thanks a lot for the instrumental information. Yup, my offers from them is a bit different. Those letters of offer are indeed the professors offering me to study in their lab. Some of the professors even mentioned that they will support me through their research grant, not necessary need to wait until the application, and I can joined them next year (2009) around April straight away.
Ou, but the application form that I downloaded from the Japan embassy in Malaysia shows some discrepancies. I did not noticed there is any column asking me to state the 3 choices, & referring to the previous post, about the column to fill up "research student to Master/PhD student" also were not there. May I know where can I downloaded those forms that you guys mentioned? (maybe can send me a link:-))
Are you once of the successful applicants as well? If yes, congratulations (omedetou)...which course & university you enroll?

menrui

Dec 9, 2008, 01:20

oh wow, your power level is so far past 9000 right now(joke). im very envious.

anyways, heres a link to my consulate where i downloaded all my forms:
http://www.houston.us.emb-japan.go.jp/en/culture/page11-2.htm

if i remember correctly, the application process for Malaysia and US are a bit different, at least the order is. like, we turned in all the application, then went in for the test and interview. i think in malaysia, they fill out a a small application? then go in for a test? then turn in the full application? then interview? im not really sure. so maybe you dont have the full application yet.

as for me, im in the same boat as oolingfan. im waiting for the final results in february. the results we received after the interview is the "embassy recomendation". MEXT of japan has the final decision(whether or not we receive the scholarship, and which univ we will enter), which is usually released in feb. Im also hoping to get into osaka U too. if i do, i will be in the department of synthetic organic chemistry.

c0ok1e

Dec 9, 2008, 21:03

Don't worry cookie.
Those who reapply or 'extend' won't go through embassy recommendation anymore
That is under 'university recommendation'
remember there are 3 ways you can apply for MEXT?
1. Embassy recommendation
2. University recommendation
3. Government recommendation (your own govt.)

Just curious...while waiting for the results all sorts of funny questions came to my mind so hopefully can get some answers here... Lets say after finishing my masters then I play to continue with phd but in a different university then which way apply to me?? Go through the whole hassle of applying like we are doing now or university recommendation? but im applying for different university they wont know me and cannot recommend me right? So impossible to switch university?:souka:

dblbstrd

Dec 9, 2008, 22:36

Just curious...while waiting for the results all sorts of funny questions came to my mind so hopefully can get some answers here... Lets say after finishing my masters then I play to continue with phd but in a different university then which way apply to me?? Go through the whole hassle of applying like we are doing now or university recommendation? but im applying for different university they wont know me and cannot recommend me right? So impossible to switch university?:souka:

It's possible to switch universities when jumping up to the next level, but in practice I think they would only facilitate it if there was a really good reason for it-- i.e., what you want to study next is not offered or can't be accommodated by your current university.
I can't tell you for sure, but my *guess* on how it would work would be that, you'd first have to gain acceptance to the new university (by passing their screening, and entrance exam for the PhD level if they have one), and get an advisor to support you in applying for extension of the scholarship.
When you're staying at the same university, application for extension to the next level goes through your advisor, so I figure that's how they'd do it...

Lancetology

Dec 9, 2008, 23:12

oh wow, your power level is so far past 9000 right now(joke). im very envious.anyways, heres a link to my consulate where i downloaded all my forms:recomendation". MEXT of japan has the final decision(whether or not we receive the scholarship, and which univ we will enter), which is usually released in feb. Im also hoping to get into osaka U too. if i do, i will be in the department of synthetic organic chemistry.
ou.....maybe you are right. Or maybe Mr.ooilingfan can tell a bit :blush: Ou..Osaka univ....organic chem?under which department? I received offer from Osaka Univ too, which is the institute for protein research, under the Lab of Neuron regulation & development. wow...looks like if i wan to pass also a bit difficult like this...must be lots of people as good as you guys applying. Why dont you continued your study in the States? As the education (esp scientific research) over there are excellent :-)

Lancetology

Dec 9, 2008, 23:24

Just curious...while waiting for the results all sorts of funny questions came to my mind so hopefully can get some answers here... Lets say after finishing my masters then I play to continue with phd but in a different university then which way apply to me?? Go through the whole hassle of applying like we are doing now or university recommendation? but im applying for different university they wont know me and cannot recommend me right? So impossible to switch university?:souka:

I agreed with dblbstrd, I think you need to sit for the entrance examination of that university you plan to re-enter, then ask the supervisor to "help" you by recommending you for the scholarship again, but before that you must consult the supervisor whether they have "vacancy" for you. No point you pass the examination but they dun have place for you (student under supervision already maximum OR no research grant OR sumting..im not sure which field you are). If you are brilliant enough, I think the supervisor will support you by using their own research grant or other alternative, without necessary going through all those procedures. why you want to switch university? :-) which university you have chosen now? which area you are in? :-)

c0ok1e

Dec 10, 2008, 00:16

menrui

Dec 10, 2008, 01:00

Why dont you continued your study in the States?

hehe i've been asked this question several times. there are several reasons.
1) fundings: i havent even came close to receiving a scholarship as generous as MEXT here.
2) university choice: here, im most likely stuck going to a in-state university, and theres only 2 "good" universities in my state. 1 isnt for me, and the other i graduated from( its frowned upon to enter the same univ for grad school, i dont know why)
3) interest: i've taken 3 years of japanese classes, even though i wasnt required to take any language classes, and i really came to like japan and its culture.
4) school life: education is great, but i really value school life too. living in a country around the world from my own seems like an adventure to me. im really excited.
5) study field: synthetic organic chemistry actually flourishes more in japan than US, or so i read.

btw, my department is "synthetic organic chemistry"

ooilingfan

Dec 10, 2008, 02:13

no reason..just wondering...so if wanna continue phd different uni haf to sit entrance exam again..later fail then die..then i guess stay with the same university will be easier..no need sit anymore entrance exam right becuase already sat for it when take masters..all will be smooth if stay same uni:relief:

hmm...i'm not too sure about that.
Perhaps you'll need a PhD entrance exam even if you're continuing in the same Uni. We'll have to find out once we're there.

Lancetology,
About switching of Unis, my friend who's on MEXT undergrad in Kyoto Uni switched to Tokyo Uni when he applied for Master's.
True, he went thru the process you guys mentioned - secure a vacancy in Tokyo Uni, get a supervisor's support etc before applying for an extension. But that is from degree (non-research) to postgrad (research).
I'm not sure whether you can easily do that for Master's to PhD.
And i'm almost sure your Master's supervisor won't be happy bout it.
Unless they really cannot accomodate you and have to let you go.
Anyway, we shall worry bout that later. Things will always work out in the end. The immediate worry after the results is probably the entrance exam, which till now i don't even have the slightest clue. My supervisor seems to sound very serious on that, asking me to prepare as soon i can

skfer

Dec 10, 2008, 09:04

could anyone mention the phases from arriving to Japan until the leave in points please ?
I mean like this :
the first 6 months japanese school
enterence exam in the university ...etc
thank you

c0ok1e

Dec 10, 2008, 11:16

JapanDream

Dec 10, 2008, 11:51

To Malaysians,

How was the edu fair at PWTC on Sunday? Was there any info session / talks given regarding the process for scholarship recipients after they arrive in Japan? Any input will be great. Thanks!

Lancetology

Dec 10, 2008, 14:22

hmm...i'm not too sure about that.
Perhaps you'll need a PhD entrance exam even if you're continuing in the same Uni. We'll have to find out once we're there.
Lancetology,
About switching of Unis, my friend who's on MEXT undergrad in Kyoto Uni switched to Tokyo Uni when he applied for Master's.
True, he went thru the process you guys mentioned - secure a vacancy in Tokyo Uni, get a supervisor's support etc before applying for an extension. But that is from degree (non-research) to postgrad (research).
I'm not sure whether you can easily do that for Master's to PhD.
And i'm almost sure your Master's supervisor won't be happy bout it.
Unless they really cannot accomodate you and have to let you go.
Anyway, we shall worry bout that later. Things will always work out in the end. The immediate worry after the results is probably the entrance exam, which till now i don't even have the slightest clue. My supervisor seems to sound very serious on that, asking me to prepare as soon i can

ou....that means you are not guaranteed that you can further your study in Japan....if you fail, you will have to come back. As if I'm not mistaken the supervisor hv the power to exempt you from sitting the exam. some might take you in aso even thou after you fail in the exam...but if you really being Exempt.....that means you re damm BRILLIANT....as they wanted you so eagerly to become part of their team.... (seems like manager re buying players in football FC :blush:)

Lancetology

Dec 10, 2008, 14:27

yup im worried about the entrance exam also..not sure if its difficult and being sent back after 5 months..but we're all smart ppl here and previous applicant have been able to pass i think we should be able too...although not sure about the statistics how many being sent back..:relief:

:-)...those ppl wanted to enter Kyoto Univ shld worry more as their entrance exam are in Japanese. Osaka Univ are in english..you re very lucky. Tokyo univ required them to sit for some specfic subjects test as well, beside the general entrance exam of Todai (depends on which lab you want to enter).

ooilingfan

Dec 10, 2008, 22:52

:-)...those ppl wanted to enter Kyoto Univ shld worry more as their entrance exam are in Japanese. Osaka Univ are in english..you re very lucky. Tokyo univ required them to sit for some specfic subjects test as well, beside the general entrance exam of Todai (depends on which lab you want to enter).

Osaka is in English? Wow. that's great. :cool:

ooilingfan

Dec 10, 2008, 22:58

could anyone mention the phases from arriving to Japan until the leave in points please ?
I mean like this :
the first 6 months japanese school
enterence exam in the university ...etc
thank you

Well, nothing much actually.
You leave in April, start your 6 months japanese school, by October your research student phase will start in your uni,
Entrance exam in Feb, if you pass you'll start Grad school as an official master's/PhD student in April 2010. Then 2 years of Master's.
Total 3 years if everything goes smoothly.

skfer

Dec 11, 2008, 02:15

thanks ooilingfan, can I do the enatrance exam before Feb ?.. and can I do it in more than one university ?..
and if i failed that exam.. ? can I redo it again ..? how many times can I do it .. ?
thank you again

c0ok1e

Dec 11, 2008, 11:25

Well, nothing much actually.
You leave in April, start your 6 months japanese school, by October your research student phase will start in your uni,
Entrance exam in Feb, if you pass you'll start Grad school as an official master's/PhD student in April 2010. Then 2 years of Master's.
Total 3 years if everything goes smoothly.

2010 only can start? when come out will become old man...plus phd somemore dunno how..cannot get married and when got children you will be 50 and your child 14 yrs old..

I hope the entrance exam will be great too..im just worried if they start asking questions about japanese history, and some advance maths or chemistry...ill be dead

clockworkorange

Dec 11, 2008, 19:12

Hello everyone,

I went to the education fair on Sunday. Did anyone else go? I did not stay long so i'm afraid, JapanDream, that i cannot give you a concrete answer. However, my feeling is if you are already a candidate for the Monbukagakusho scholarship, there was very little new information. I could be wrong, of course. Plus there were 2 30 minute talks on studying in japan given on saturday. These may have address concerns we might have had but i did not attend so i don't know.

The reason i was there was because Tokyo University was there. My LoA was from Tokyo Uni so i went there to ask questions. It proved somewhat productive, most of all because i got to know Malaysian students who are already studying there. It provides me with a link that i did not have before as i do not have friends studying in Japan.

So JapanDream, what i'm trying to say (in a very roundabout way) is i think you did not miss much.

As for those worried about entrance exams, some can be obtained from the website of the university. or you can write to your professor to ask how you may obtain them. I have raised this question before and was given the same answer. I did manage to obtain Tokyo Uni's entrance exams from their website. It is in english and speaking to the Malaysian students at the fair, the exam is in english and HORRIBLY hard. :(

skfer, from what i understand, it depends when you get to Japan and the timing of the entrance exams. If you get to Japan in April, i believe you get 2 chances at entrance exams. For Tokyo University, entrance exams are every February and August. So if you come in in April, then you can sit for the August exam. If you fail, you may try for the next exam in February of the next year. If you get to Japan in October, then you can only try for the February exam. In both scenarios, you enter in April of the next year. This is what i understand. if i'm wrong, please be kind enough to let me know. I'd be very grateful.

To lancetology, i can only say i'm very very envious of you. To be accepted by 7 universities is a feat eh? i started getting my research proposal together only during the application itself and did not get into contact with professors until it was confirmed i passed the exam. So you're way ahead and if you ask me, have nothing to worry about. Anyway, the application for next year will probably come ard March. This year, it was out on March 12 or 15. (I know because i lurked at the Japanese Embassy website everyday until the applications were open).

Good luck.

ooilingfan

Dec 11, 2008, 20:17

So clockwork, are you saying we can sit for the August entrance exam as well if we go in april? that's good to have 2 tries for the April 2010 intake. At least don't have to wait another year.
I was told by my supervisor that the entrance exam will be in Feb. But hope i can go for the August one as well. Shall see how's it next year =)

Well clockwork, you may envy Lancetology but he has to turn down 6 universities later. =)

c0ok1e

Dec 11, 2008, 21:33

clockwokorange, what kind of questions do they ask in the exam??general language questions or the scientific questions?

if we go on april im still not sure if we can sit for the october exams because we have to go for the language course...dont know if we have enough time to prepare or will we get to our uni on time..what u guys think?

c0ok1e

Dec 11, 2008, 22:15

I saw in JASSO website that some courses dont require international students to sit for the entrance exam..the link is here http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/documents/degree_english.xls

im not sure i interpret it correctly..what do u guys think?

Lancetology

Dec 11, 2008, 23:03

Hello everyone,
To lancetology, i can only say i'm very very envious of you. To be accepted by 7 universities is a feat eh? i started getting my research proposal together only during the application itself and did not get into contact with professors until it was confirmed i passed the exam. So you're way ahead and if you ask me, have nothing to worry about. Anyway, the application for next year will probably come ard March. This year, it was out on March 12 or 15.
Good luck.
:-)...well...thanks from all of you..compare to some of my colleagues that had started their life in Oxford & Cambridge Univ...I'm quite a bit late, initially I taught that this application can be done within a few months, but never wonder it could take up to one year as well. .I do have worries too..about the english test...how to consider pass & will be call for interview...OR they have some quotas of number, & only choose the highest scoring within the number, others will consider disqualify...all these I have no idea..if you guys have any ideas..I'm more welcome to tell me...at least can help to alleviate some worries...:-)
Yes...its true...I'm being exempted from sitting the entrance examination from all those universities. This is why I have no worries other than just the first barrier (english & jap test)..if I can pass...I think shld be no problem. Shall I enclosed those offered letter as well during the application? (if all if us manage to get there...maybe can come-out & have a steambot fest during winter time:-))
Turning down other universities indeed a difficult decision, becoz the prof are really nice person & their research are very good...part of them invlv core science research, part of them offered applied research, esp in clinical approach. All are very interesting....tats Y my advice to all of you is, in Japan, no matter which lab or which univ you get into, the area must be your most like...but in terms of the subject (like the type of research), you can always proposed to ur supervisor & diversify them, but of course you need to know what methods or techniques, knwldge/skills that might involve, if the lab you join do not have those experts, & at the same time your idea is really BRILLIANT, I think your supervisor will be very glad to make a call or send an email to any of his/her colleagues in other labs/varsities to ask for collaboration (In that case you might have to do part of the wrk in other place)...
Every lab or univ in Japan I beliv they are all great. Please do not feel turn down when you did not get into TOP univ OR juz got accepted by only one or two (in terms of number). :-)

menrui

Dec 12, 2008, 00:24

judging from your post, im pretty sure you can pass the english test. its not too hard really.
it seems like the test is only used to trim down the amount of applicants. i dont think there is a quota. the interview is the biggest obstacle.

hmm, you probably shouldnt include those letters in the application. like i said, there is already a section for that in the application itself. plus, they will most likely ask you about it during the interview too. maybe you can include it with your LoA later. im not sure.

steambot fest? is that a robot thing? you probably meant "steampot." either case, count me in haha. we talked about having a get together before, but we decided to wait until everything is official before we plan anything.

ooilingfan

Dec 12, 2008, 09:10

looking forward to that get together =)

c0ok1e

Dec 12, 2008, 11:27

i think he mean steamboat..thats what we call it in malaysia...count me in too...but not sure if all of us going to the same place..:cool:

clockworkorange

Dec 12, 2008, 13:03

kimberleylhj

Dec 12, 2008, 15:55

Shabu shabu get together?? Hahaha...

JapanDream

Dec 12, 2008, 18:33

Hi Clockworkorange,

Thanks for sharing your experience at the edu fair. I was busy during the weekend studying for my JLPT so I didn’t get a chance to go. Looks like it was worth your time to be there as your univ had a booth set up where you were able to talk to the student reps and make new friends. Do they have something like a Malaysian Students Support Group over at U of Tokyo? Going to another topic, are entrance exams in Japan typically as tough as you said or is it just U of Tokyo (and someone mentioned Kyoto U, too)? What’s the passing rate?

Hi Lancetology,

It’s extraordinary to be accepted by 7 unis without having to take the entrance exams. I think you’re a sure-in for the scholarship. You must have an outstanding track record and a brilliant research topic. All I can say is I’m proud of you as a fellow Malaysian and I think Japan can definitely use a talent like you. :cool:

abeeyo_q8

Dec 12, 2008, 18:49

I saw in JASSO website that some courses dont require international students to sit for the entrance exam..

yeah some universities, like kyoto university, don't require government sponsored students (that would be us) to take entrance exams
but obviously not all unis exempt us from taking it, you have to check

I do have worries too..about the english test...how to consider pass & will be call for interview...OR they have some quotas of number, & only choose the highest scoring within the number, others will consider disqualify...all these I have no idea..if you guys have any ideas..I'm more welcome to tell me...at least can help to alleviate some worries...:-)

i don't think you should be too worried about the eng exam, your eng seems good enough

i remember the guy at the embassy telling me that you only needed like above a 50% on the eng exam, and that my scores on the japanese exam weren't as important

menrui

Dec 12, 2008, 22:32

I'm forever trying to put a face to each of you guys in the forum.
<== thats what the avatars are for... :wave:
i did some searching, yeah i think he means steamboat. i had some before, i just never knew the term for it. also, a steampot already has the ingredients inside, so its a bit different.

ooilingfan

Dec 13, 2008, 02:52

<== thats what the avatars are for... :wave:
i did some searching, yeah i think he means steamboat. i had some before, i just never knew the term for it. also, a steampot already has the ingredients inside, so its a bit different.

perhaps if given the chance to visit malaysia, we can bring you out for the malaysian style. Steamboat yin yang style (clear soup / tom yam soup) with bbq (hot grill). Even better, it's eat-all-you-can at only $5-6 USD. =) Best served with cold beer.

menrui

Dec 14, 2008, 05:48

thanks for the offer ooilingfan. wow, all you can eat at 5-6$ would be great. oh, and unfortunately, i dont drink alcohol :relief: .

speaking of which, it seems like its very common for colleagues to get together and go drinking or go "konpa" . i see it in anime and tv shows. every one is laughing and getting drunk. i would go with them of course, but would they frown upon for not drinking with them? at my university, people would give me a weird reaction when i tell them that i dont drink at all. and it doesnt help that my univ is rated the #1 party school, which is a good thing in the US haha.

its not a serious question, but i think about it sometimes.

Lancetology

Dec 14, 2008, 13:19

Lancetology,
Wow. I must say i'm very impressed by the fact that you don't need to sit for entrance exams at all. Is this a normal practice for Japanese universities? On what basis do you not need to sit for the exams? Excellent past results? Endorsement by the professors? An excellent research proposal? Does this then mean you will not need to pass the research student phase?.....

:-)....looks like you'r trying to search for "ways" to skip the entrance exam...well, your professor is the one that holds the "power" to decide whether to exempt you from taking the exam....depends on your BOSS...but based on most of the post from you guys, can see that your BOSS doesnt have intention to exempt you all from sitting the exam.

My dear lovely clockworkorange, there is no way that you can exempt from exam (including other people as well)...as for me is becoz I have an in depth research experience, of course, I had submitted a very brilliant research proposals, but in order to produce that, you must be very experience also in that relevant field, then only you can know more & know what, which and why is that important, how it can contribute & revolutionize the scientific area. This cant be done with just few weeks or months or juz read a few articles. I have publications in several good journals...I have done plenty of research...including constructing transgenic animals etc. all this I dun think you guys have.....thats why, standing from the point of view as your supervisor in japan, the mentality of you guys as a "post-graduate" is still suspicious. Furthermore, from the way you write your proposals, your prof already know your level of mentality in scientific integrative skills, way of expression, creativity & the most is, whether you know in depth about their research.

Compare to me, that is no doubt, thats why prof in japan are willing to support me by using their research grant, some are even willing to write a recommendation letter to me even thou they do not know me. I will start my postgrad project straight away during the period of research phase & continue, this is why if I really get the scholarship, I'm definitely CONFIRM in japan. but not for you guys. Now my job is just to pass the barrier during the screening in the embassy later.

My advice is...the six months as research student is very important for you all...becoz during this period, you are going to tell BOSS later...show them your mentality as post-grad level, show them you re hardworking, willing to learn, take advice, can get well with the staffs. But thats is not enuf, you must show your ability in scientific integrative skills, interpreting skills, troubleshooting...etc. who knows,you BOSS might change his/her decision & exempt you from sitting the exam...OR...even if you fail in the exam...they will still take you in as well.

So..nw you know why I'm so different...:-)..but I'm confident...you can do it...gal-mah..shld be more hardwrking derr....:blush: but of coz...I do have some excellent past track records as well....but I think thats not the main reason for them to offer me all those things...my ability in research is no doubt..this is the main reason.

But dun mis-understood, I'm nt an old man...Im just 23 years old...but I did pass through hard time before, I do struggle before, troubleshooting, optimizing, do research till late at night, no results after at d end of the exprimts which makes me felt depressed...all these make me grown & becm what I'm today. Tomorrow, monday, I nid to back to my lab & repeat some experiments, the results will be submitted for publication this year..my colleagues all already submitted, my prof is waiting for my part...!

Anyway, there is no shortcut to success in this world...my current prof is a Japanese too :-),he told me one thing before, which woke me up, now I pass to you:

"qualification is just a piece of paper, I can gv you that scroll within one or two days, but who you're, you dun have EXPERIENCE, you do knw how to give talks in international conference, you duno how to write good papers,you duno how to troubleshoot the problems. You are noting but juz an empty can with Master/PhD scroll (outlook is nice only)."

Hop this useful for you up too. You shld know how competitive the world outside is, I shall thanks my current prof for making me such an experienced scientists. Please dun take anything for simple...

But Dun worry...the I'm confident that all you guys can pass...gambateh kudasai...:-)

ooilingfan

Dec 14, 2008, 19:33

haha, seems like we're speaking to a Si Fu here.
all the best for your next year's application. Meanwhile, for the rest of us, results could be less than 50 days away.
I'm having quite frequent nightmares on failing lately. Perhaps due to fatigue from work. Got turned down by a scholarship days ago, doesn't boost my morale though. But shall hope for the best next Jan or Feb. All the best, guys!

silverPenciled

Dec 14, 2008, 21:44

50 days ?? I wish! AM having nightmares too and barely sleeping ... :(

Got turned down by a scholarship days ago Am Sorry to hear that ! Hopefully you will get this one by January ....

clockworkorange

Dec 14, 2008, 21:47

Lancetology,

Thank you very much for your clarification. I appreciate it. I do not, however, take very kindly to your condescending tone nor your insinuation that I am looking to take the easy way out.

I am not fearful of the entrance exams. Looking through the papers, the exams are undoubtedly difficult. But i think if you work hard enough, passing is not such an impossibility. I've always dreamt of studying in Japan. The research student phase is a good thing since it gives you an opportunity to learn the language and the culture but it takes time. I thought it a necessary thing since some courses are conducted in Japanese until you posted on this forum declaring that you did not have to. That is why i asked you if you were fluent in Japanese.

I am very well acquainted with hard work. I think most ppl posting in this forum are.

There is no doubt that you are a brilliant person, to have achieved so much at such a young age. And you probably meant well. But perhaps you should learn to phrase your words in a way that does not piss the crap out of ppl.

Also, my dear lovely lancetology, perhaps it is time to learn some modesty too, neh? :smug:

Best of luck for your application.

clockworkorange

Dec 14, 2008, 21:59

To ooilingfan,

regarding the entrance exam, i think i read it somewhere in this thread that if you are from the April intake, you have the opportunity to take the exam twice.

To cookie,

Well, the past year papers that i downloaded were pretty specific. I study chemical engineering - so its maths, chemistry (organic and inorganic)...the papers have pretty specific questions on each subject.

Very sorry for the late reply to you both. I must have overlooked your posts or else forgotten to reply while posting on the forum. I apologize.

To menrui,
I wonder about the same thing too - about the drinking. As i do not drink alcohol as well. My Japanese teacher commented that in Malaysia the drinking culture is not particularly strong. That surprised me a bit since i was under the impression that the drinking culture in Malaysia is thriving!!! My friends sometimes give me a hard time about not drinking, what a good girl i am, how they must get me drunk some time (ha, they can try!!) bla bla bla....so yeah i worry about how things will be in Japan (if i get there) but i figure i'll worry about it when i have too.

ooilingfan

Dec 14, 2008, 22:26

well, the average malaysians are not submerged in a strong drinking culture.
We have soft drinks, teh tariks, coffees, ICE LEMON TEA (my favourite) during meal times apart from sky juice instead of alcohols. Perhaps it's because we're in a muslim dominant country, we don't pick up the habit too easily.
Well, i think we shouldn't be too worried bout adapting to the drinking culture. If you really don't like alcohol, there's no need to force yourself.
And i always believe alcohol tolerance can be trained and if you find your right drink, you'll like it. Just like cheese.
For starters, you can take milder drinks such as mixing a little bit of chivas/whisky to coke. kanpai! :p

p/s: any hint of where to get my hands on some of the sample entrance exam papers?
just wanna get a peek on how tough it is =)

kawabanga

Dec 14, 2008, 22:43

Dear all, I have decided to start self-studying basic Japanese language. I find the following materials very good for self-study.

Book
Title: Japanese From Zero! 1
Authors: Trombley and Takenaka
Remark: This is the best out of quite a number that I have browsed through. The presentation of the language is very systematic.

Web Site
URL: triple w dot freejapaneselessons dot com
Remark: Free but less thorough than the book.

Online Audio Lesson
URL: triple w dot youtube.com/watch?v=k0oFzx9ikoY&feature=channel_page
Remark: Very interactive, but does not teach reading and writing the Japanese language (at least not in the first few lessons that I listened).

Check them out if you're interested.

The URLs are quoted in such a way because apparently I "do not have enough posts to post a third party URL". (What kind of rule is this?!)

c0ok1e

Dec 15, 2008, 01:26

Lancetology,

I got some good advice from your long post and appreciate some of the insight that you gave..Thanks...but then again, I think maybe u would like to rephrase your sentences..Some sentences felt like you are boasting although you may not mean to..It happens often when you communicate online because the tone of the voice is not there so the emphasis is on the sentences...

menrui,
I am a social drinker...I only drink when there's occasion or when people offer me but dont really go hunting for alcohol..I think that none of us should be worrying about the crinking culture there because those drinking culture usually occurs for those working people.. as a scholar I do no tthink we will get much offer to go out for a drink... even when they do im sure they will respect our decision to drink or not..

menrui

Dec 15, 2008, 08:58

hmm, i think im gong to pass on that steamboat thing...

ooilingfan,
about those sample exams, i think you have to ask your school/department for those(if they are not already online). or maybe you can the ask your supervisor. if you figure some thing out, could you inform me? speaking of which, my potential supervisor at osaka told me that the entrance exam is "easy"... and i really dont know what to make of that haha.

im not really worried about the "drinking" thing, im sure i will do just fine.

cookie,
even though we're not working, im sure colleagues often go out together. if i get the scholarship, i will be in a research group. and judging from their group photos, it seems like they hang out alot.
heres an example. one of my potential supervisors told me that he regretted accepting 1 of his students because he/she would seclude him/herself from the other students. then he wanted to know whether or not i was willing to interact with the other students by going to 'get togethers' such as "konpa". i was a bit suprised by this question, but i understand.

skfer

Dec 15, 2008, 10:44

It will be hard for Muslims to join the "konpa" sessions ...because Islam forbides drinking alcohol or setting on the same table with someone who drinkes.
will that effect the study of the person who don't drink ?

kimberleylhj

Dec 15, 2008, 10:45

From what I heard, drinking in Japan does not just concentrate on the working society. Lecturers and professors will actually bring their research team/students out for 'nomikai', Japan's popular drinking get together. Not only that, Japanese even offer alcohol during homestay programs if they know you drink. Haha.. But I'm sure they will respect if you don't drink. I mean, them being into alcohol doesn't mean they will force you to be into it as well. Just that probably Japanese themselves don't usually refuse an offer, so they may find themselves drinking though not really wanting to. I think we can share our side of the culture too. =P

As for the entrance exam, I am worried too especially since my university of choice is totally in Japanese. But according to my university, it's 'easy'. Hmm.. doubting that but I'm sure we will certainly do our very best. So, even if i did my best and still am not able to pass the entrance exam, well.. at least I shall enjoy my stint as a research student. That is if I actually get the scholarship of course!