Questions for college students (and alumni) who studied/will study abroad

[cdRC8R]

I am only looking for answers from college students or alumni who plans to or already studied abroad in Japan. Those who live in Japan can help answer too, but I do not want any high schoolers or under answering the following questions. These questions are to help me assess whether I want to study abroad in Japan or somewhere else. I'm looking for academic answers and not answers like anime, music, food, fashion, etc.

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?
2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?
3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?
4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?
5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?

I can get scholarships to study abroad in various countries and Japan is one of my main choices. I want to get the opinions of fellow college students as soon as possible. Thank you for your inputs.

[AAres]

Originally Posted by cdRC8R

I am only looking for answers from college students or alumni who plans to or already studied abroad in Japan. Those who live in Japan can help answer too, but I do not want any high schoolers or under answering the following questions. These questions are to help me assess whether I want to study abroad in Japan or somewhere else. I'm looking for academic answers and not answers like anime, music, food, fashion, etc.

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?
2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?
3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?
4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?
5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?

I can get scholarships to study abroad in various countries and Japan is one of my main choices. I want to get the opinions of fellow college students as soon as possible. Thank you for your inputs.

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?
Best place to learn the language
2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?
To learn japanese, and be in Japan.
3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?
Dunno
4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?
Care care
5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?
Culture?

[cdRC8R]

Hopefully it's not true that Japan Forum is full of high schoolers that only dream of going to Japan. There's got to be some people that are actually serious about studying in Japan and have made some attempts to actually go through with it.

[kenmei]

you are asking a bit much and it seems like you've not done the proper searching of past threads regarding these issues. there's a lot of members who've worked/live/live in Japan but it seems that the # of students is less. However, I'm sure someone will eventually pop up to give you some answers...in the mean time search around the forums if you're in a hurry.

[Nyororin]

Looks like no one else is going to volunteer - so I guess I`ll answer. After all, I did get a degree here...

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?

Academically? The initial choice was made because I had no money and wanted to find a quick route to a degree. I took a very short Japanese class sponsored by a local university in the US and found the language incredibly easy. The university offered credit for testing out of language classes in addition to counting any classes I completed while abroad. I figured I could study a year in Japan and have only about a year left toward a Japanese language degree when I came back.

In reality, when I did attend university in Japan, I was already married and went for a completely different degree. The real choice was made because I was living in Japan, could speak Japanese, and wanted to get a university degree. The degree I chose was chosen out of personal interest.

2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?

Besides the obvious answer of "Japan" - an education aimed toward use in the Japanese market.

3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?

In my case, I will take this as how did I prepare...
The initial situation - not at all.
When I actually attended, I bought supplies and then got around to actually taking the JLPT 1 - more to prove to myself that I could manage in class than because it was required.

4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?

I live here permanently - "political and social issues" ends up meaning those of Japan. I am not familiar with those elsewhere. As I live here and have a child here, the direction of things is of interest to me.

5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?

Other than the answer to the first question - the very fact that I live here had the greatest influence.

[xYinniex]

By the way, the answers i will provide are for joke purposes only


1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?
Learn to chat Japanese on online games.

2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?
excellent internet connection

3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?
ID CARD.

4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?
arcades, Ramen, speed racing

5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?
initial D.

[Hatredcopter]

Studied in Nagoya for one year.

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?
To learn Japanese, of course. Unless you already know Japanese, you'll only have a small amount of other things you can study aside from the language, depending on the school. I didn't choose to study in Japan strictly for academic reasons, as there are a lot of other places I could have picked if I wanted a top-notch education. I picked Japan because Japan is the place I want to be in.

2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?
Complete Japanese immersion and very intensive Japanese courses (15 hours of class time per week, 25+ hours of work outside class).

3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?
I prepared by studying as much Japanese as I could before I left, so I'd be able to do well on my placement tests and get into a challenging course (the school I went to in Japan had 7 different levels of Japanese language courses).

4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?
Mainly the role of Gaikokujin in Japanese society and the workplace. I also took a foreign policy class while I was in Japan, which I found quite interesting. Other than that, Japanese politics are dreadfully boring (especially now that Koizumi is gone :P)

5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?
The prospect of being able to work in Japan after graduation (which I now am). It's also a great way to get out and meet new people - I had the time of my life while I was studying in Japan.

[AAres]

Originally Posted by cdRC8R

Hopefully it's not true that Japan Forum is full of high schoolers that only dream of going to Japan. There's got to be some people that are actually serious about studying in Japan and have made some attempts to actually go through with it.

I answered the best I could, I will go to japan for 2 years from early 2010.
You can get your answers easly on the forum without making a new post.
I guess Im allready older then you. Not a high schooler.
And why sould politicals interest a exchange student?
And what other then culture can be answered on question 5?

And what makes you different from all the high schoolers that only dream of going to japan but never makes it?

AAres

[noodle]

1) Academically, why did you want to study abroad in Japan?

My decision to go for an exchange to Japan was not based on Academic reasons. For what I'm studying, Math and Physics, France, the country I'm studying in, already has one of the best reputations for it's Higher education in core science and engineering. So my desire to do this exchange comes from personal choice and preference. For me to describe it in one sentence, I would simply have to say that I want to experience something TOTALLY different whilst having decent "quality of life".

2) What can universities in Japan offer you that the universities back home cannot?

Nothing at all...

3) How are you preparing to meet your academic goals abroad?

I'm not too sure what you're trying to find out with this question, but your preparations for your goals should be the same whether you're in Japan or your home country. France is "abroad" for me, and the only prepartions I made was that I had health insurance!... lol

4) Are there any political or social issues that interests you about Japan?

... No... Not specifically.

5) Overall, what has influenced you to study in Japan (besides the obvious answer of culture)?

Already answered this... The will to experience something totally different. I believe that the best way to experience something is to live with it. I guess you could say it's the anthropologist within me that wants this!

[cdRC8R]

Thanks to all those that replied. I've got the answers I wanted.

Originally Posted by kenmei

you are asking a bit much and it seems like you've not done the proper searching of past threads regarding these issues. there's a lot of members who've worked/live/live in Japan but it seems that the # of students is less. However, I'm sure someone will eventually pop up to give you some answers...in the mean time search around the forums if you're in a hurry.

I have read the past threads and that's why I didn't want anyone that wasn't in college or living in Japan to answer. I just wanted more specific answers so I made this thread and yeah, eventually I got some answers I wanted.

Originally Posted by AAres

I answered the best I could, I will go to japan for 2 years from early 2010.
You can get your answers easly on the forum without making a new post.
I guess Im allready older then you. Not a high schooler.
And why sould politicals interest a exchange student?
And what other then culture can be answered on question 5?

And what makes you different from all the high schoolers that only dream of going to japan but never makes it?

AAres

Sorry if I sounded like I ignored your post, I actually appreciated it since you were the only one that answered at the time. It's just that I couldn't believe that only one person answered the questions, leading me to believe that the whole "95% of Japan Forum members will never go to Japan" comments I've read in other threads.

And what makes me different from the high schoolers is:
1) I'm a college student.
2) The only real reason I'm considering Japan as a study abroad option is that I'm practically guaranteed entrance to the University of Tokyo for their engineering and science program by my school's international center.
3) I'm a Japanese-American (full Japanese blood), so I get enough exposure of culture at home.