University in or around Tokyo

[Drkns]

Hey all,

I currently have one more academic year (starting in September 2004) of 6th form college in the UK, and then it's off to University or another path. I am seriously considering University in Japan (in or around Tokyo if possible), but I currently speak no Japanese and am unsure of being able to get accommodation, the necessary funding (for living expenses, tuition, and entrance), and even entrance into a reputable Japanese University.

Given the opportunity, I suppose a gap year in Japan would provide me with the best insight into the culture and atmosphere. However, my year group are the last year who can escape the somewhat significant tuition fees increase in the Universities in England - and that is only if we don't take gap years.

Thus, I seek guidance from you. If I plan to make a life in Japan after university there, which university would be the most appropriate? And which universities teach in English? (Presumably only some lessons as opposed to all of them.)


I have searched these forums and found links and information regarding scholarships (e.g. Monbukagakusho) and guides for foreign students in Japan, but just how difficult is it to enter a reputable Japanese university, which would lead one to a good career in the future?

As for the various Visas, my understanding is that with a Student Visa, one cannot work, even part-time. I understand that one could not entirely pay off the university fees through a part-time job, but earning some money would still be useful. Is there a Visa which would allow me to study at University and work part-time?

Finally, have you yourself or somebody you know come from the UK or another country and entered Japanese University (preferably from the start, rather than completing a Masters degree etc.)? If so, how did everything go? What were the greatest difficulties? And what were you able to do as a foreigner once completing your University course?


My apologies for the long post, but I have so many questions to ask and just don't know where to start. :relief:

Thankyou in advance,
Drkns.

[Drkns]

*bump* Anybody? Please?

I have searched the forums and read up on all that I could find, but I seek direct advice and personal experiences. I really need to know, as there would be no going back if I decided to go to Japan for University. Please?

Many thanks,
Drkns.

[budd]

does the university (in england) have a japanese studies/international studies department?

[Buddha Smoker]

Have you checked out Sophia University in Tokyo? It's been a long time since I been to the campus there even though it's only about an hour or so away from me. They might have a program of studies for you. If you type in just about any search engine then you should get it no prob. I think the website was something like www.sophia.co.jp or similar. LOL..it's not that link...let me see if I can find it.


Here it is....I was close :D

www.sophia.ac.jp

[Drkns]

@budd: I am not currently attending a University.
@Buddha Smoker: Thanks for the link, but the website is in Japanese LOL. FYI: I can't understand Japanese :). I think I found an English version here: http://www.sophia.ac.jp/e/e_toppage.nsf

Could you please confirm that this is the same University? Also, is this University well respected in Japan (i.e. considered the best / one of the best) or is it not so well respected?

Thanks for your help,
Drkns.

[Buddha Smoker]

@budd: I am not currently attending a University.
@Buddha Smoker: Thanks for the link, but the website is in Japanese LOL. FYI: I can't understand Japanese :). I think I found an English version here: http://www.sophia.ac.jp/e/e_toppage.nsf

Could you please confirm that this is the same University? Also, is this University well respected in Japan (i.e. considered the best / one of the best) or is it not so well respected?

Thanks for your help,
Drkns.

I'm sorry...I meant to put the English one and yes it is the same university. It is also a very famous university is Japan and high quality...I know in the States that they accept most of their credits and vice verse....I recommend it.

[Drkns]

Okidoke. I'll take a closer look and hopefully it'll meet all my hopes/requirements, and I'll be one step closer to attending University in Japan. Thanks again for the link :D.

[Buddha Smoker]

Okidoke. I'll take a closer look and hopefully it'll meet all my hopes/requirements, and I'll be one step closer to attending University in Japan. Thanks again for the link :D.

I hope it works out too..No prob. :cool:

[japandan]

i have friends who started from undergrad here - i will ask them; give me a few days....

BUT: as far as i know, to even *enter* a japanese uni course, you have to pass the highest level japanese exams, which usually involves 6mths - 1 year of study, depending on you language aptitude - for me, i would never make it :p

you do this 1/2 or full year first, the start uni, so it adds an extra year to the course... but means you can speak the language really well :relief:

hv fun.

[Buddha Smoker]

i have friends who started from undergrad here - i will ask them; give me a few days....

BUT: as far as i know, to even *enter* a japanese uni course, you have to pass the highest level japanese exams, which usually involves 6mths - 1 year of study, depending on you language aptitude - for me, i would never make it :p

you do this 1/2 or full year first, the start uni, so it adds an extra year to the course... but means you can speak the language really well :relief:

hv fun.

This is true too but there are international universities in Japan as well. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in your studies. :wave:

[BlogD]

I don't know if it would suit your needs exactly (I have no idea what "6th form college" is), but there is also Lakeland College (03-5285-5573), an accredited American college which teaches the first two years of a Bachelor's degree. The school is relatively inexpensive, is centrally located (Shinjuku), and all classes are taught in English. We have had students transfer to UK schools before, with class credits accepted. The students are primarily Japanese, but five American students will kick off the non-Japanese contingent this Fall (starting from September).

[Buddha Smoker]

I don't know if it would suit your needs exactly (I have no idea what "6th form college" is), but there is also Lakeland College (03-5285-5573), an accredited American college which teaches the first two years of a Bachelor's degree. The school is relatively inexpensive, is centrally located (Shinjuku), and all classes are taught in English. We have had students transfer to UK schools before, with class credits accepted. The students are primarily Japanese, but five American students will kick off the non-Japanese contingent this Fall (starting from September).

I've heard of Lakeland College too....haven't heard anything bad yet. I would recommend it too.

[jOshe]

hmmm... what about tokyo university?

my friend told mi that if we have no knowlege on japanese, we need to spend 1 more year on the language itself before going into out course... izzit? :?

[Ewok85]

$$$

Without going through your university and getting a scholarship it will cost big big bucks. Japanese of a high level may also be required

[Eden]

Hey im going to sophia this sept! Since you're not attending university yet, you could try visiting the embassy of japan in your place and ask about the scholarships that they have for you.. i think you'll have to pass tests though (and most of their tests require you to be really smart in math)

i got into sophia thru the exchange student program in my school.. maybe you should attend university first in your country and then try out for the exchange program once ur in..

[Ewok85]

Hey Eden, you can say hello to a friend for me! :D

A scholarship/exchange program is the best way to attend or else it will add up to a big big bill.

[Eden]

Yes thats true ewok85..bout the bill i mean.
OMG, yeesss, okay id loveee to say HI to a friend for you! is he cute?? haha its ok, even if hes not cute ill still say hi. haha!

[Mike Cash]

Here's a thought.....

Since you speak no Japanese now, the chances that you would derive any benefit whatsoever from being in a typical Japanese college are close to zero.

If you're going to have to hunt up a college that can offer some/most of the instruction in English, then the only real benefit to going to a Japanese college would be that your non-college hours of the day would be spent in Japan, and the bulk of whatever positive value you would get from the stay would be in those hours, when you can conveniently get out and about to experience the place and people a bit.

Have you considered the alternative of looking into doing a working holiday in Japan for six months or a year instead? I'm not positive, but I believe Ukland has a reciprocal arrangement with Japan allowing for this. You would be just as conveniently located for experiencing the country, and you might even save up a little bit of money to help you through University, and perhaps lessen the pain of those tuition increases.

If you really do think you might want to make your life in Japan, then my recommendation would be to forego wasting an educational year farting about playing skool at a Japanese university and to dive right into your University studies in your home country, the quicker and better to make yourself eligible and prepared for living here. In the meantime, use the net to try to get info and to make contacts with foreigners already living in Japan and working in the professional field you are interested in.

[Ewok85]

Mike, im afraid your wrong on this one. Its becoming popular in Japanese uni's to teach japanese to foreigners.
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/E/E_exchangeprograms.nsf/Content/exchpro
http://www.waseda.jp/cie/index-j.html

To get into uni and do a normal course you must have an appropriate level of Japanese and pass an enterance exam like every one else. (I think the Japan federation do it but I cant find it atm...)

[Mike Cash]

Mike, im afraid your wrong on this one. Its becoming popular in Japanese uni's to teach japanese to foreigners.
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/E/E_exchangeprograms.nsf/Content/exchpro
http://www.waseda.jp/cie/index-j.html

To get into uni and do a normal course you must have an appropriate level of Japanese and pass an enterance exam like every one else. (I think the Japan federation do it but I cant find it atm...)

I'm sitting here trying to figure out what it is I was "wrong" about, since I never addressed the issue of Japanese universities teaching Japanese to foreigners.

My main point was really that if he thinks he may want to come to Japan to settle (and I have never understood people who think that way despite never having been here and knowing practically nothing about the place), then a better use of his time in preparation for that would be to dive right into his studies right where he is.

[Ewok85]

Since you speak no Japanese now, the chances that you would derive any benefit whatsoever from being in a typical Japanese college are close to zero.
That bit. Dont mind me too much, i posted in the wee hours of the morning :'(

[Mike Cash]

I meant "typical" to mean your average run-of-the-mill college which focuses on providing an average run-of-the-mill college education in the Japanese language to the average run-of-the-mill Japanese college student, which you have no doubt figured out by now.

For what very, very little it is worth....

In 1988-1989 I was a Monbusho exchange "scholar" at Hirosaki National University. They had as much business hosting foreign students as I have performing brain surgery for fun-n-profit. I could post an extremely long rant about those days, but I don't feel like it at the moment.

[Drkns]

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who posted useful advice and comments.

Secondly, I have decided to study Japanese at University in the UK, if I am able to gain entrance to a good University, and from there I will either move into a career involving translations and such, or continue my studies through the subject of Law (at this moment in time I am hoping to avoid the latter).


My main point was really that if he thinks he may want to come to Japan to settle (and I have never understood people who think that way despite never having been here and knowing practically nothing about the place)

Finally, in response to the quotation above, I would like to point out to you mikecash, that I have visited Japan. Several times. Every day I strive to learn more about the country, it's people, and it's culture and I think it's slightly narrow-minded of you to assume that every member of this forum who posts a thread regarding living is Japan has never even visited the country. :wave:

Once again, thankyou for your help everyone,
Drkns|Yami.

[sbv0001]

Finally, in response to the quotation above, I would like to point out to you mikecash, that I have visited Japan. Several times.

You didnｴt mention it anywhere. After I read through your post I had the following opinion:
"This guy does know nothing about this foreign country. How can he think of going and live there like going on a holiday trip to Paris?"

My interpretation of your post clearly was based on the lack of information you gave......
Am I narrow-minded also????? ;-)

[Mike Cash]

The parenthetical comment was meant as a generality. As sbv pointed out, you certainly gave no information to the contrary. And your comment about speaking no Japanese whatsoever would tend to make one think you have never been here, rather than having visited several times. Especially given the tendency of many people who know three words of Japanese to claim they speak "some" Japanese or are an "advanced beginner" or some such.

And if the comment didn't apply to you (and it wasn't meant to apply to you specifically to begin with) it does apply to no small number of people I have encountered on the net.

[TwistedMac]

In 1988-1989 I was a Monbusho exchange "scholar" at Hirosaki National University. They had as much business hosting foreign students as I have performing brain surgery for fun-n-profit.
you should totally do that..

[Mike Cash]

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who posted useful advice and comments.

Secondly, I have decided to study Japanese at University in the UK, if I am able to gain entrance to a good University, and from there I will either move into a career involving translations and such, or continue my studies through the subject of Law (at this moment in time I am hoping to avoid the latter).



While I have no delusions that my words influenced your decision, I do find it interesting that you took the path recommended by the most narrow-minded respondent to your inquiry.




Finally, in response to the quotation above, I would like to point out to you mikecash, that I have visited Japan. Several times. Every day I strive to learn more about the country, it's people, and it's culture and I think it's slightly narrow-minded of you to assume that every member of this forum who posts a thread regarding living is Japan has never even visited the country. :wave:


I think it displays poor critical reading skills to arrive at the conclusion that I said any such thing. Is knee-jerk hyperbole all the fashion in Ukland now? Or is that just a personal thing?

[ragedaddy]

I went to Sophia University as a transfer student for about a year, and to say the least I wasn't that impressed. Although, Sophia University has a decent size campus in Yotsuya, the classes taught in English are located in one building (Ichigaya Campus) in Ichigaya. There is one more building which consists of Teachers' offices and a library. The choices of classes is not that huge, and registering for classes uses old school pencil and bubble card forms. It is very difficult to get guidance there for what classes to take and how to transfer credits. The staff was not very helpful to me at all, and it was said that just having a college transcript and a course description book was not enough. They wanted me to bring in like syllabi from all the classes that I had completed at other schools, which was rather asking for the impossible. With the combination of that, and the lack of classes, I decided to go back home to the U.S. to finish up.

I am not saying don't go to that University, because it's not that bad. It just wasn't that convenient for me at that time. My recommendation is that if you go to Sophia University do it as a study abroad program, because you will avoid the high entry fee you have to pay for a new or transfer student. I think that you would have an excellent experience as a Study Abroad student. There are not any exams you have to take to get in, but I had to send in 3 letters of recommendation and atype an essay (but that is for becoming a transfer student). You need no Japanese Language experience to become a Student there.

If you get accepted to Sophia Univeristy, I would recommend applying for a Homestay, because this can have the potential to be a very rewarding experience, and you can really learn a lot about the Japanese culture. When I was studying at a Japanese Language School in Tokyo, I was with a homestay family for about a year. We went many places together, I was made delicious meals by the Mother, and I learned tons about how a Japanese family lives. I stayed in the Sophia Boys Dorm for a year, and that was another mistake. The building was totally old, dirty, and the cafeteria food was pretty much lacking. Showering together Onsen-style got a little old, since there was no privacy, and everything about living there got tiresome. (I'm not sure about the Girl's dorm though)

I know there are some people out there looking for language schools, and Sophia offers an Intense Japanese Language Program, for those who want to study Japanese at an accelerated pace. I was very impressed with the language program there, and I think it is far superior to many language schools' in Tokyo. If you have a decent grasp on Japanese, then I would say that this is an excellent choice.

I had a couple of buddies who came on a study abroad program from England. I am sure if you search around at those English Universties, you should be able to find information about attending Sophia University as a Study Abroad student.

There is also one more Japanese University that teaches classes in English, and that is Temple University. The address is:Here (http://www.tuj.ac.jp/newsite/main/index.html)
You might want to check that out.

Also, this is just my opinion and experiences that I had, and I am sure there a re a lot of people who had an awesome time at Sophia University. I am just merely expressing my thoughts.

[Drkns]

It would appear that I was made to eat my own words (in part) by mikecash and company, and I accept that on my part I was overreacting. My apologies. However, I didn't feel that mentioning my previous visits to Japan was all that relevant, as it seemed to me that one would indeed be foolish if one were considering attending University in a foreign country that one hadn't even visited.

Also, knowing three or even fifty words in Japanese would undoubtedly be insignificant on the academic level of a University course and would most likely not even remove all of the problems that arise in everyday life. Thus, stating 'I can say a limited range of basic phrases and am making progress learning the Kana (Katakana and Hiragana)' would not be of much help, in my opinion.

*breathe* Regardless, I am most definitely at fault for jumping to conclusions and you have my sincerest apologies :sorry: .


As ragedaddy stated in his post above, Sophia is not the most appealing of Universities - that was the conclusion I reached after researching online and he has just confirmed it. While the University may suit some, I do not feel that it would suit my requirements.

My decision to attend University in England was not based solely upon a narrow-minded perspective. The fact of the matter is, attending University abroad is expensive and while I like to consider myself relatively intelligent, it seems unlikely that I could come out top in scholarship/sponsorship exams for either the British Government or a Corporation. Thus, it is highly unlikely that I would be able to gain the necessary funding to attend University abroad.

Unlike life and University in the UK, I know relatively little of that in Japan, which could only lead to difficulties and possibly failure. Many people speak of homestay families and such, but my personality would make it excruciatingly difficult to live in such a situation.

The most significant factor was the simple fact that unlike in Japan, I have a better chance of getting a job in the UK. After University, with a qualification (hopefully :relief:) from a respected English University, the likelihood of my being accepted for a job in both the UK and Japan increases, whereas it would most likely decrease or remain unchanged were the qualification from an 'unknown' Japanese University.

This may appear to be a misinformed decision, but I do not know what other action to take when the 'definite' positive aspects of attending University in the UK greatly outweigh the 'definite' positive aspects of attending University in Japan.

P.S. I used 'definite' because I still know little of the Japanese Universities, whereas I can ask my friends and family attending University in the UK.

Once again, many thanks to you all.
Drkns|Yami

[Drkns]

Update:
Well, I had the feeling that I should update this thread, so here goes...

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise once again to mikecash and the other parties involved for my immature and overly aggressive responses when this thread first came about in '04. Now, onto the update.

Having considered all the various options (university in Japan, university abroad elsewhere, university in the UK), I chose to study Japanese in the UK - as can be seen above. The course lasts four years, the third year of which is spent living in Japan and attending a Japanese university. Depending upon your university, you can indicate a preference from a number of Japanese universities with which yours is affiliated. There are no additional university fees for your year abroad because you effectively pay for a Japanese student to attend your university for a year, while that student pays for you to attend their university for a year. At least, that's how it works out in the end - or so I have been led to believe. :relief:

One studies not only the Japanese language, but also East Asian history and civilisation. As I have not yet begun my studies, I'm afraid I cannot provide extensive details regarding specific course topics.

The universities which currently teach Japanese in the United Kingdom can be found by visiting the UCAS website: http://www.ucas.com
From there, search for Japanese under the 2006 courses and you can find quite a lot of information. For further information I would recommend contacting the specific institution(s) and/or requesting a prospectus.

If anybody has any questions regarding this topic, I will do what I can to help you out, so fire away! Hopefully I'll be able to help even more once I actually start my course, as I'll know more about the specific subject areas we cover.

N.B. I will be starting my course in just over two weeks' time! :D

[Mike Cash]

Thanks for the update, and best of luck to you.