Question About Financial Aid - Printable Version

Question About Financial Aid - Printable Version

+- kanji koohii FORUM (http://forum.koohii.com)
+-- Forum: Learning Japanese (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: JLPT, Jobs & College in Japan (http://forum.koohii.com/forum-12.html)
+--- Thread: Question About Financial Aid (/thread-4563.html)

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-04

So I would like to go to a school called Shinjuku language institute. I have sent in most of my documents, but my dad would like me to find out about financial aid. Is there any general kind of financial aid I can get by attending a language institute? When at the language institute I would be on a student visa. So in an effort to follow-through with the application process, if you can provide me any available financial aid it would be much appreciated.

Just to clarify, I'm looking for something similar to FAFSA, that would help pay off the cost of schooling, homestay, or anything else. (Doesn't necessarily have to fill all of those categories, I just need some sort of aid.)

If you need any more information, feel free to ask.

Thanks for your time.

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-04

check out the Gilamn's scholship.

http://www.iie.org//Content/NavigationMenu/Programs7/Gilman_Awards/Home8/Home.htm

I got it many years ago. It's 4000 dollars towards your study abroad. Dont have to pay it back and can use however you like (Read-buying beer for girls at bars)

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-04

Thanks.

Now how should I go about this? I've never been good looking into scholarships. Seems like a daunting process.

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-04

I would start by reading the website.

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-04

Of course, I checked out the website you linked, as well as those from IceCream (the PDFs). It's all overwhelming.

In regards to you, Zazen, I'm not sure if language schools would constitute as undergraduate. Perhaps, though. I have to look into it more, of course. It will be no easy task.

I will continue bothering the language school as well. They should be helping the process of financial aid, not just the application. That Gilman scholarship would be great though, as the language school itself isn't too expensive for a year considering it's only for language.

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-04

If the language school is outside of a university system, there will be much less scholaships avaible. You can ask the school but I doubt they will be very helpful, as most of thier students will be priavetly fianced.

try a keyword search of

private japanese language study grants

Question About Financial Aid - Jarvik7 - 2009-12-04

I thought you couldn't get a student visa from a non-accredited school... It looks kind of suspicious since they will sponsor your visa but not be your visa guarantor.

-edit-
That school looks like a ripoff.. 7man just to apply? I don't have any experience with Japanese language teaching businesses, but I'd rethink which school you want to go to. I hear Yamasa is the best.

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-04

A reliable friend of mine said he had a friend who recommended the Shinjuku language institute, which is why I went ahead with it. Yeah the whole "friend of a friend" thing sounds fishy, but I trust him.

By the way, it's 7,000 yen for all of it; but you have to pay it at the beginning. That's for a year.

I am looking into this Yamasa school. Seems very professional, and I will look into them further.

P.S. I guess SNG is accredited then. I just wasn't sure.

Question About Financial Aid - Jarvik7 - 2009-12-04

It's 70,000 yen, just to apply. That's roughly $700us. Tuition is an additional 660,000yen (~$6600us) per year, and there are a number of other fees.

This place is more expensive than just going to a real university, yet they can't design a professional looking website.

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-04

You right. I'm wrong, it's about 700,000 yen I meant. Right?

Anyway, you've heard good things about Yamasa? You might've changed my mind. I'm wondering if I can still get in for the April enrollment, but I see they are pretty selective in the whole decision process to maintain balance and quality.

I'm looking around to see what financial aid is offered.

And you're right, the Shinjuku language institute website is horrid.

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-05

Okinawa is cheaper, if you are so inclinded.

Question About Financial Aid - pm215 - 2009-12-05

Jarvik7 Wrote:I thought you couldn't get a student visa from a non-accredited school...

There are two different kinds of student visas: pre-college and college. I think language schools typically arrange pre-college student visas (certainly that's the kind I had for studying at Yamasa). SNG also claims to be accredited this way. However this doesn't mean that they count as undergraduate study for purposes of getting grants.

I agree that requiring a guarantor seems a bit fishy, but perhaps it's just an oversimplification of the fact that immigration requires a guarantor for applicants from certain countries (Yamasa lists them, and they don't act as guarantor in these cases either).

(Yamasa is very good, incidentally, although I don't have any experience elsewhere to compare it with. And if you're applying from outside the country then their website has vastly more detail than anybody else's. I suspect that's one reason why they (a) get a better balance of applicants and (b) can afford to be a little picky.)

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-05

Thanks for the information. This has definitely made me rethink my options. I didn't very much want to study in Tokyo anyway, considering not only is it cheaper to study elsewhere, but I didn't want to interact with other Americans. I've never been to Tokyo, but I am sure it has many more foreigners that I might incidentally interact with than would be best for immersive Japanese.

I am looking into Yamasa. Through my quick skimming I did not find if they were still accepting Americans, but if you guys know where to look I would appreciate the information. I will look into the application process further, but I believe I pay about $200 and send them some information and they tell me in late February if I'm accepted.

This place looks great. (The only downside is their student videos and such. They seem really outdated; a minor point to complain about.)

Question About Financial Aid - bluemarigolds - 2009-12-05

I know nothing about Yamamasa, but I attended Arc Academy (http://en.arc-academy.net/) at the Shibuya school. There is a placement test, and I was able to talk my way into a higher level. They used Minna no Nihongo as a text, and the teachers were pretty helpful (some more than others). We did an excursion to see Kabuki, which was kind of fun. I was there for a little over two months, and my Japanese speaking ability definitely did improve, though the material was mostly review for me. Classes were kind of boring, though I will say they do try to teach your correct pronunciation. You do get nightly homework, and I believe there are quizzes/tests...though I don't remember. Take a look at Minna no Nihongo, because that's basically what your classes are going to be like.

Not a lot of Americans. I think I was the only one. A lot of Chinese students studying for entrance exams. There was an older Korean gentleman who was in Japan for military purposes. So, no one with which to speak English at school, but then again it was difficult to make friends as I was coming in later in the term and I didn't speak Chinese.

I'm not sure how Arc compares to others. They do offer homestays (at an additional price, of course), which I did not do. I stayed in a gaijin-house through Sakura house (http://www.sakura-house.com/). I'm not sure how that would work if you are a minor.

Bottom line, I would not not recommend them. It was a good experience, but the students who went to not-for-profit/university-affiliated study abroad programs via ICU (International Christian University), Princeton in Japan, etc. progressed much more than I did. However, you need to be an undergrad for that and have some training in Japanese, I believe, for most of them.

Hope this helps.

Question About Financial Aid - pm215 - 2009-12-05

TheVinster Wrote:I didn't very much want to study in Tokyo anyway, considering not only is it cheaper to study elsewhere, but I didn't want to interact with other Americans. I've never been to Tokyo, but I am sure it has many more foreigners that I might incidentally interact with than would be best for immersive Japanese.

I think that regardless of location, if you're attending a language school then by default you're going to be spending a lot of time interacting with non-Japanese people anyway, in the form of your classmates :-)

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-05

Well I mean foreigners who would tempt me to use English.

Anyway it looks like the deadline has passed for Yamasa for those seeking a student visa. They said you could figure a tourist visa until one would be able to receive a student visa, but then it requires leaving the country and such, when changing.

Maybe it could still be figured out.

Question About Financial Aid - Jarvik7 - 2009-12-05

You don't need to leave the country when changing visas anymore.

Question About Financial Aid - TheVinster - 2009-12-05

Really? That's good to hear. I filled out the application and sent an email to get a hard copy of the application kit. I think my dad will like this school better because it actually provides accurate information (in proper English) on pretty much everything.

Are homestays still good to try? I want to sign up for it, but I am constantly turned off by the cheesy and outdated photos from 20 years ago. Haha.

P.S. How close is this place to Osaka? I have a pen pal in Osaka and maybe we could exchange houses.

Question About Financial Aid - bluemarigolds - 2009-12-05

There is an ARC Academy branch in Osaka located near Namba Station. Osaka's about an hour away by train from Kyoto, a place I highly recommend visiting. I know Kyoto's not too far from Nara, if you want to see the really old capital and feed senbe to the deer. ;-)

Talk to your friend in Osaka and see if you can do the house exchange--that'd be the cheapest and easiest way of finding living arrangements.

Otherwise, a homestay might be a good option, simply because it would give you a guaranteed conversation partner, a local who knows the area well, and someone who is experienced with dealing with foreigners. I don't know much about the homestays this company offers, but my experience has been positive. You do need to be pretty flexible, and they're much more rewarding if you really integrate with the family and do stuff with them (but only if they invite you to do so).

If you do plan on doing a homestay, find out what happens if it's not a good match. If you pay for a 3 month period for a homestay and it doesn't work out, will they find you a new family? Will they refund your money? Will they help you find an apartment?

If you don't do the homestay route (I didn't, in Tokyo), what you can do to practice outside of class is find a conversation partner. Post on craigslist that you're looking for a conversation partner, you meet up with them and do 30 minutes of conversation in Japanese, 30 minutes in English...or however you decide to do it.

Hope this helps.

Question About Financial Aid - Jarvik7 - 2009-12-05

I did homestay in Osaka when I was in university and they sucked. I moved in with my girlfriend after a few months.

Question About Financial Aid - Nukemarine - 2009-12-06

Jarvik (and others),

Not that it impacts me, what are the downsides of home stay programs?

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-06

Nukemarine Wrote:Jarvik (and others),

Not that it impacts me, what are the downsides of home stay programs?

I did a home stay and it was great! It's just the luck of the draw really. What they are expecting and what you are expecting have to mash up (just like a room mate or partner even!).

If you were planning on doing one, then like anything, I would suggest trying to get as much info as possible before hand.

Oh, and that goes for a school as well, especially a privagte language school.

Question About Financial Aid - Jarvik7 - 2009-12-06

Mine sucked because they didn't feed me enough, they had 6 annoying loud dogs, they had no kids, the father was always away on business trips, and the mom worked every day until 7 (so we literally never did anything, and only talked for about 20 minutes during dinner).

Basically, I was renting a room in a house, not living in a homestay. It was obvious that they were only on it for the money.

Question About Financial Aid - zazen666 - 2009-12-06

I can remember a fellow high school class mate hosted a Japanese exchange student in the states when I was a kid and it sounded much like your experience Jarvik7. what a bummer.