Hi all,

I've just passed the Primary Screening for the MEXT research student scholarship, and am wondering what the chances of being approved by MEXT in the Secondary Screening are? I read somewhere that most applicants will get through if they are approved by the embassy, but it this true? Two of my potential supervisors have already agreed to supervise my research and given me letters to confirm this.

if you've passed the initial embassy screening, are able to get tentative acceptance at a Japanese uni, and haven't committed any major felonies then you're good to go. I have no idea what goes on at the "second screening" at the ministry, but it seems cases of people suddenly failing at that stage are rare.


There seems to be a fair amount of 建前　involved in the MEXT scholarship system, this might be your first taste.

If you could write a bit about your experience going through the process that would be great; I'm seriously considering applying for this in the near future.

[Zgarbas]

Each country has a quota for the second screening. For my country, one person (out of five) fail the secondary screening each year. There's no info or explanation as to what goes on. Just imagine that some guy from mext takes all the applications from one country and randomly removes one from the pile. It's mostly a matter of luck as far as i can tell.
So, try not to obsessively worry about it, and good luck with the wait! For me, the wait waa definitely the worst part of the application process.

Zgarbas Wrote:Each country has a quota for the second screening. For my country, one person (out of five) fail the secondary screening each year. There's no info or explanation as to what goes on. Just imagine that some guy from mext takes all the applications from one country and randomly removes one from the pile. It's mostly a matter of luck as far as i can tell.
So, try not to obsessively worry about it, and good luck with the wait! For me, the wait waa definitely the worst part of the application process.

I can hardly believe this! Truly a set of rare circumstances. Most places I've heard of (that aren't India or Malaysia.. or even the Philippines - they have truly unique circumstances) have a near perfect acceptance rate after the Exams and Interviews. If you are able to get the Letters of Acceptance - or better yet, three of them - I think there is no chance of you being turned down.

Congrats to the TC for making to this stage... Now begins the long wait for April (or October, depending on when you are going).

What is your field?

[Zgarbas]

To take part of the secondary screening you have to have the letters of acceptance .
The mext threads of jref always have 1-2 people who fail it (and one girl managed to fail the february screening, after having been accepted, which no one even knew you can fail); one guy had the saddest post about how the embassy calling to tell him he failed made him want to jump off a window (he got better). Most people pass, but not everyone. a few years back MEXT would reject 2/5 in the secondary screening, apparently, but they upped the quota recently. You probably just met the people who were lucky.

Any updates on your nomination OP?

Flamerokz Wrote:If you could write a bit about your experience going through the process that would be great; I'm seriously considering applying for this in the near future.

Don't seriously consider it. Do it, every year skipped is a chance lost! And one year you will be too old to apply.

There are plenty of countries/regions that still have MEXT opportunities go completely not applied for in certain years. The Japanese government wants applicants, and does not want spaces to go unfilled.

kapalama Wrote:

Flamerokz Wrote:If you could write a bit about your experience going through the process that would be great; I'm seriously considering applying for this in the near future.

Don't seriously consider it. Do it, every year skipped is a chance lost! And one year you will be too old to apply.

There are plenty of countries/regions that still have MEXT opportunities go completely not applied for in certain years. The Japanese government wants applicants, and does not want spaces to go unfilled.

I still have stuff in the states to finish up (bachelors+masters), but yeah I'd love to be able to do it. I'm mostly hesitant due to my garbage speaking ability, should I make it to the interview stage. So I would like to gauge roughly how often people who go in with minimal/nonexistent Japanese ability get it.

I should really flesh out the rest of my Japanese instead of my reading ability... Sigh.

(For the record, I'm American and I would be applying through the the consulate in Boston so it would be likely somewhat competitive).

Unless something has drastically changed they are looking for people to come study in Japan. That does not require any language ability since many graduate programs, research programs, and in fact, entire universities happen in English.

If your field is done in English, then you can go in English.

As much as anything, I am encouraging to start now, so you have a goal to shoot for.

Also, why not have the Japanese government pay you to go to school, rather paying out of pocket to go to school?

Flamerokz Wrote:I should really flesh out the rest of my Japanese instead of my reading ability... Sigh.

If you can't find conversation partners around but do think you'll wind up in Japan for some length of time in the future I'd suggest just going nuts with reading until you're awesome. Unless you're already awesome. In which case... MORE awesom! Being around people speaking Japanese for any significant length of time (and, of course, talking with them) will pull out your ability to use all of the things you've learned in an actual conversation. That's how it worked for me, anyhow!

If, however, you're unsure about your future Japan plans I'd suggest doing lots of listening practice with TV and the like and trying to get into chatting or conversation online!

drdunlap Wrote:

Flamerokz Wrote:I should really flesh out the rest of my Japanese instead of my reading ability... Sigh.

If you can't find conversation partners around but do think you'll wind up in Japan for some length of time in the future I'd suggest just going nuts with reading until you're awesome. Unless you're already awesome. In which case... MORE awesom! Being around people speaking Japanese for any significant length of time (and, of course, talking with them) will pull out your ability to use all of the things you've learned in an actual conversation. That's how it worked for me, anyhow!

If, however, you're unsure about your future Japan plans I'd suggest doing lots of listening practice with TV and the like and trying to get into chatting or conversation online!

True - your vocabulary would be impressive. However, using some specific, or advanced words in conversation without the ability to first develop context or implied meaning through usage/sentence tone, etc. might cause a problem. You might be writing the kanji into your hand to show people quite a bit. That actually sounds really fun though!

At least a couple of people from my town were nominated with zero Japanese. They were grad students.

Currently in the midst of the long wait for final confirmation after submitting my 3 LoAs.....

Thank god I am busy with school here.

[Zgarbas]

You should be getting a phonecall/e-mail within the next 2 weeks if you're lucky. A lot of unis ignore the recommended MEXT deadline to get over the bureaucracy faster (the embassy will ask you to not publicise your early results tho, and they'll phrase it along the lines of 'we're informing you that you are still a valid applicant' rather than 'congratulations on being accepted'). Some unis genuinely wait until february, but that's quite rare I think. Which was your first choice?

Flamerokz , Don't worry about your speaking ability. In my case, I think that my terrible speaking abilities actually helped! The Japanese people at the embassy were really impressed by my 頑張る気持ち. Apparently the other applicants did it in English and it wasn't really a problem. I was applying for 1 English and 2 Japanese language programs (ended up doing it in Japanese), so you'd think my Japanese would've been a deal-breaker, but Japanese don't really fuss over such things.

(2015-11-26, 8:50 pm)Zgarbas Wrote: Flamerokz , Don't worry about your speaking ability. In my case, I think that my terrible speaking abilities actually helped! The Japanese people at the embassy were really impressed by my 頑張る気持ち. Apparently the other applicants did it in English and it wasn't really a problem. I was applying for 1 English and 2 Japanese language programs (ended up doing it in Japanese), so you'd think my Japanese would've been a deal-breaker, but Japanese don't really fuss over such things.

その通りだ

Zgarbasさん、お疲れさまでした

Since this thread is already here, I have a couple of questions:

How many schools did you have picked out (and how many does one need)?
For the kind of graduate program I want, I've only found two schools I'd want to go to (Nagoya University or Ritsumeikan University; for electronic engineering; I like the range of topics they cover and the kind of research they've done). From my understanding, its expected that you'll have a couple of choices other than your first pick (or even second pick), but how many do I need?

What kind of academic adviser are they referring to in the school's application instructions (the 'needs approval from an academic adviser' part)? Is this just someone from the college I'm doing my undergrad at?

From the old test papers I've looked at (here: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e-32.html#1 ) they don't look too demanding, but how did you find them?

Is there some magic guide to all of this that I haven't found? The details of the scholarship are everywhere, but details of the application process (other than "apply through one of these and do the stuff") and other related information seems to be scattered in bits and pieces, or at least isn't as prominent.

I'm hoping to get most everything figured out before too long (soon after the JLPT), so that I can focus on getting used to more technical language and learning all the terminology I need; I only have a couple of years left.

[Zgarbas]

The MEXT application process is not transparent at all and there are no official guidelines. All you get is people from past years who were nice enough to share their experience. The embassies usually will not know (or not be allowed to disclose) a lot of information that you'd need/want.

For grad school applicants, the MEXT exam is really easy compared to the undergrad ones, with more focus placed on background (in some countries) and interview... and luck. You can apply to up to 3 universities, but if you only have 1 or 2 that you want then you can only list those in your file. Most applicants get into their first pick (if the professor accepts them, and professors very rarely say no to a MEXT applicant). Usually public universities like Meidai are preferable to private ones like Ritsumeikan, though a lot of MEXT scholars go to private unis.

*after* you've passed the first screening, you are expected to contact a professor from your desired university and ask them to be your advisor. They will usually say yes and send you a letter (called Letter of Acceptance) which you then submit at the embassy for your second screening. You have to list your potential advisor's name on your file (just go through the Meidai and ristumeikan faculty list and choose the prof which is closest to your field), and it is no problem if during the second screening that professor says no and you find a different advisor within the same university. An advisor is a person who will guide your dissertation, and you will be expected to work in his lab; this means that you'll research will usually change into something in his field (whether you like it or not), so choose carefully.

Keep in mind that getting the scholarship does not necessarily mean that you will get admitted to that University. Some unis allow you to take the entrance exam while you're still in the US, but usually people come over as research students and take the exam here. Before, the scholarship would automatically extend for anyone who passes the exam, but there are some budget cuts scheduled next year so chances are somewhat lower than in previous decades =(. The engineering dept budget is ridiculous though, so even if you lose the scholarship you can easily apply for a private one here.

Thanks for the explanations!

Another question, if you don't mind:

Zgarbas Wrote:[...]but usually people come over as research students and take the exam here.

Can you explain what being a 'research student' entails while aiming for a graduate program? Pretty much everything I've seen suggests that its a glorified paid-vacation that gives you a chance to settle in and prepare for your chosen school's entrance exam; does it just depend on the school or adviser?

[Zgarbas]

It's a glorified paid vacation, really. One thing that baffles everyone is the fact that usually there are absolutely no set expectations regarding what a research student is supposed to do. There are some people who just slack off for a semester waiting for school to start, but usually people take advantage of the time to audit classes, prepare their research proposal, get a head start on their dissertation, study for their entrance exams, take Japanese classes... anything really. Usually you are expected to take your entrance exams and start Uni ASAP.

It does depend on your advisor though; some will expect you to spend your research student period in their lab studying for your entrance exam, and some profs kind of expect you to start doing lab work and research as soon as you get here, even though you're not technically a student yet.

(2015-11-26, 8:50 pm)Zgarbas Wrote: You should be getting a phonecall/e-mail within the next 2 weeks if you're lucky. A lot of unis ignore the recommended MEXT deadline to get over the bureaucracy faster (the embassy will ask you to not publicise your early results tho, and they'll phrase it along the lines of 'we're informing you that you are still a valid applicant' rather than 'congratulations on being accepted'). Some unis genuinely wait until february, but that's quite rare I think. Which was your first choice?

The past two years in Canada a FEW people heard from their universities in late-Dec early-Jan, but word from the embassy didn't come until late-January.

I don't expect much right now but I have heard that in the UK and Greece people have been contacted. 

First choice Kobe, second Sophia, third Tsukuba.

EDIT: Local consulate confirmed my passing the second screening today. They are now in discussion with my selected unis, it seems.

WHAT! I had never heard of MEXT before O_O
It almost sounds too good to be true... Any Canadians here? I'm a bit puzzled by the Embassy's info for Research Students. They say it's for 18-24 months, but doctorate studies take (a minimum of) 3 years to complete, even in Japan! I suppose that means we're accepted as "Research Students (non-regular student)" ? And then if all goes well, we apply for an upgrade to the "full" Research Student?

I had no plans to go further than a Master's (in Chemistry btw), but I might just change my mind ^^

[Zgarbas]

Congrats! It's all bureaucracy from now on, but if you got the december call you're good to go

Comeauch: research student is just a general term for 'anyone planning on attending grad school'. The redearch student period is just unofficial time you spend in uni (usually prepping for the entrance exam) and the scholarship extends as you move on to the next level. you can change your mind and apply to a higher level, or change your mind and not even sign up for an MA there's no time limit, but if you need more than the official time to finish your studies (2 years for Masters, 3 years for PhD) you're on your own thereafter.

Thanks, I'm excited to get some info from my school.

I'm Canadian fyi - pm me if you want some specific info

Edit: my supervisor has confirmed me. I'll be going to Kobe next October.