[Miak]

Thanks for the help! Yeah, I think I am going to drop the translation work idea for now. By the way, the 0.40$ was taken from a website that had no idea what they were talking about. It was stupid of me to even include that figure.

You are also right about the over-working situation. That was a bit naive of me to state I could work 28 hours a week, on top of school work, in the document. Just wandering though, it is legal to work 28 hours while under the visa status "college student" if you recieve permission from your school and the immigration office, correct?

I was also looking into the Monbukagakusho. The competition is very steep, although that is not to say I won't give it a shot. It appears as though many people take the test and interview with no knowledge of the Japanese language...yet still pass. I read one blog where a guy was talking about how he guessed on most of the questions, and didn't answer anything on the Japanese test, yet he was still awarded the scholarship. I know this isn't the case for everyone, but it still gives me a bit of hope. I would assume being fluent in Japanese (yet not being of Japanese origin) would only benefit you in the application process.

There are many other scholarships besides the Japanese government scholarship, such as the ones from JASSO, and private organizations. A student loan would be last resorts.

Based on your answer, I am going to try to cut down on the work, and look into scholarships and student loans instead. I have heard, from many people, that University education in Japan is very poor, and not very demanding. Supposedly, many students go out and get drunk and party. I know it would be ignorant for me to believe this fully, but I think that led me on to thinking I would have a lot of free time. Do you agree/disagree with this idea the Universities in Japan are less demanding than their American counterparts?

By the way, I have no particular preference to Osaka University. I would study in any major city, so if you have suggestions, please state them.