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I'm not familiar with studying abroad programs. So what are the chances of a a student getting into the program if he's majoring in electric engineering, computer science, or art (degree dealing w/ artist endeavours)? Is there any prerequisites depending on the colleges? Such as having high GPA (of course), being a 2-year resident the college, or something else?
I'm trying to get more insight in people studying abroad in Japan. I'm going to contact the college I plan on attending and look at sites offering more informations. It would help me a lot if anyone who has prior experience to being in the program would tell me a bit about their planning (e.g., paperwork, struggle, etc), how many years into college before getting into the program and leaving for Japan, and did you receive your undergraduate degree before leaving for Japan or not. Thanks a bunch!
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At my university, the only requirement was to have a good GPA. The university I went to (Kansai Gaidai) had programs on Japanese business, Japanese industry, Japanese fine arts studios, etc, so people of various majors could still earn non-elective credits.
I had no real hassles other than getting various professors to promptly fill out recommendations (since I applied for exchange study after the deadline in a last-minute decision). I applied for exchange study as a third year science major with 4 semesters of Japanese under my belt, but Japanese knowledge wasn't a requirement (and I still sucked at Japanese then anyways). I studied for a year in Japan, changed majors to Japanese language, and studied another 2 years at a different university in Canada. Yes, filling out my 学歴 when I apply for jobs is complex.
Every school is different though, and your paperwork will be especially different if you (hope to) receive a scholarship from 文部科学省 or somewhere else.
Edited: 2009-11-17, 4:54 am
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Now that I'm older and have no chance of this happening, I realize how awesome it would have been. If you have -any- chance to do this, you should take it.
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It'll likely depend on the type of program you go on... but I'd start with getting in touch with the study abroad office at your home institution, as they'll be able to answer any questions like that for you. I did two study abroad programs during my undergrad - a semester exchange in Tokyo and then a 3-week study tour to Japan, China, and Korea.
For the semester exchange, I went to Senshu University during fall semester of my junior year. When I came home, I worked as the student coordinator of the program for about a year and a half (my job was recruiting, holding information sessions, doing orientations, reviewing applications, etc). While the program was specifically designed with business majors in mind, it was open to applicants of all majors (I think only 2 of the 6 in our group were business majors... others were International Studies, Computer Science, Journalism, and Geology??... haha) The only requirement was that you be in "good academic standing" at the University (officially, you had to have a GPA over 2.5, but we'd review things on a case by case basis). Most of us had had some Japanese course work (I'd had 4 semesters), but there wasn't a language requirement for my program.
I filled out one paper application at my home university - personal data, an essay, and a couple of reference letters. I think I applied about 10 months before I actually went on the program. Once accepted by my home institution, there was another round of paperwork (application and placement test) that was submitted to Senshu U. I ended up with a JASSO scholarship, so I had a few extra things to track down in terms of paperwork (I had to apply for a student visa as part of the scholarship. Everyone else simply got Temporary Visitor stamps). When I returned to the US, I had about a year and a half left before I graduated, but since I went on an exchange catering to my field, the semester abroad didn't set me back any in terms of my anticipated graduation date.
Honestly, most of my paperwork/running around prior to departure had more to do with scholarship applications than actually applying to my program. And since my exchange was a direct exchange program administered by my university with a set course of classes, I didn't have to worry about any of the paper work involved with credit transfer, etc. Although friends of mine who did different exchanges did have to worry about that.
Like I said though, just get in touch with the study abroad office on your campus, as they'll know the most about the specific exchanges that they have. And if you know it's something you definitely want to do, go ahead and discuss it with your academic adviser. They're also likely to know a bit about the programs available and be able to help you with fitting it into your individual degree requirements.
But definitely seize any opportunities that arise. I know a lot of people who regret not studying abroad when they had the chance. I can't say enough about how much my experience impacted me... and I was only gone for a semester. It's definitely worth doing while you've got access to scholarships and financial aid... even if you have to delay graduating for a semester or a year.
Edited: 2009-11-17, 12:24 pm
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Wow! Only several post and I'm already being inspired while learning a lot about the program. I hope more people could have the time to share with us their experiences. Thanks again.
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I also went to Kansai Gaidai. It was easy to get in. I had a GPA of around 3.0 (not great), and probably very kind recommendations from my Japanese professors.
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I was working on a B.A. in Studio Art. I was also minoring in Japanese. I applied in September (I think, it was years ago) and was accepted in October. I arrived in mid-January for the Spring semester.
If you have any other questions I'll do my best to remember.
