MEXT Scholarship 2015 (Research Students)

[BD2K15]

I think that even though the submission dates for LoA differ from country to country, the date when the LoAs have to have arrived at MEXT is the same for all countries. Correct me if I'm wrong. I was told at first that I can submit my LoA by the end of September so I can take my time considering the preferences, but after getting the last LoA I was asked to submit it a bit earlier than September 30 because the LoAs had to be at MEXT by October 3.
It certainly is weird that some embassies contact the successful applicants now and some seem not to do the same. It might be different embassy procedures. I recall reading here in one of the threads on MEXT scholarship from previous years that someone was contacted first by the university in December and asked about their accommodation preferences while they still had no info about the outcome of the second screening.

Thanks Kurapan

 

[MedRamy]

Hi everyone !
I'm from Tunisia and I was contacted by the Embassy last week to tell me that I passed the second screening.
Still waiting for the final decision.
Anyone contacted by a university of his choice to confirm something or send docs ?

 

[rider]

Well, I received an email yesterday an according to it all the candidates from Mexico passed the second screening
The email also said that MEXT asked for the following:

1. Do NOT contact the universities/professors who issued the LOA
2. To let us know that it may not be possible to be placed in our first choice
3. To confirm whether we want to continue with the selection process or we want to decline

And this came in bold hahaha "please do not assume that you have been granted with the scholarship". So, according to this I wouldn't recommend you @twonavels to submit your letter of resignation. Either way, according to my embassy we should know the final result by early January.

That's what we have been told here in Mexico though, I don't know if you guys received something different.

 

[P Yk Chong]

Well, I received an email yesterday an according to it all the candidates from Mexico passed the second screening
The email also said that MEXT asked for the following:

1. Do NOT contact the universities/professors who issued the LOA
2. To let us know that it may not be possible to be placed in our first choice
3. To confirm whether we want to continue with the selection process or we want to decline

And this came in bold hahaha "please do not assume that you have been granted with the scholarship". So, according to this I wouldn't recommend you @twonavels to submit your letter of resignation. Either way, according to my embassy we should know the final result by early January.

That's what we have been told here in Mexico though, I don't know if you guys received something different.

In our country we don't receive such mail, but before the submission of LOA, the embassy had stated clearly that contacting professors/ universities after august are prohibited (not sure it is because of LOA or in other case). Anyway, some of the recipients were notified by their prospective professor on the acceptance, so probably not violated the rule if the professor gave the reply on the selection.
Anyway, we still need wait from official university placement annoucement from the MEXT tokyo headquarter that is expected to release within mid Jan to mid February.

 

[kurapan]

Well, I received an email yesterday an according to it all the candidates from Mexico passed the second screening
The email also said that MEXT asked for the following:

1. Do NOT contact the universities/professors who issued the LOA
2. To let us know that it may not be possible to be placed in our first choice
3. To confirm whether we want to continue with the selection process or we want to decline

And this came in bold hahaha "please do not assume that you have been granted with the scholarship". So, according to this I wouldn't recommend you @twonavels to submit your letter of resignation. Either way, according to my embassy we should know the final result by early January.

That's what we have been told here in Mexico though, I don't know if you guys received something different.

I received a very similar mail, just different wording of the same information. But it didn't mention anything about your point number 1, not contacting them. However, I'd say that's pretty much obvious. I wouldn't be surprised if they kept sending this line in bold you posted until issuing the flight tickets in the second half of March.
If I were in @twonavels's shoes, I'd wait at least until getting either some mail from the university or some official confirmation from MEXT.

 

[bcaapower]

We got our results yesterday in the Philippines. I passed! I'm so happy.



So, I was wondering, do you think it's okay to tender my resignation from work in January (effective end of February), so I can have a one month break? Or is it too soon? I'm afraid I might jinx it! :nailbiting:

Congratulations to everyone who passed, and I hope we can all see this through!

Dear twonavels,

DO NOT tender your resignation yet, its still too risky. I am in the same position, I finished my master in pharmacy this May and been working in pharmacy since then. I applied for Monbusho since this job is boring as hell and want to specialise in one field of science, but need to earn some money till MEXT decide for sure. Moreover, recently I bumped into a new job offer ( monitor of clinical trials) and now imagine this situation - I refuse this new job offer because I want to go to Japan but MEXT decides in January that they wont give me the scholarship. Not even to mentioned that I changed my departre date to October due to work circumstances...

Therefore, I absolutely understand your frustration and tension! We need to endure it and hope for the best. I envy all the guys who are still students :/

 

[Nonia]

It's very confusing at the moment looking at what the other embassies have sent their candidates! We got phone calls congratulating us on massing the secondary screening, pending final approvals from universities. The Embassy staff were very optimistic about us getting the scholarship and there's even the following lines on our embassy website:

• An answer from MEXT regarding the final placement may come any time from December of the current year till March of the following year. Meanwhile:
  • Successful candidates must contact their professors to prepare for their studies.
  • They should also contact their universities' international student offices or equivalent regarding travel, accommodation, etc. Do this as early as possible.

Hopefully everyone will get positive answers soon! I am in the same boat as some of you, as I need to tender in my resignation and prepare my replacement to take on my duties!

Good luck everyone!

 

[twonavels]

@ rider, kurapan and bcaapower, thank you for your advice. I will just wait for at least confirmation from the university before I resign. But man, the final results are really short notice! You have to uproot your life, and you'll only have around a month to prepare for it, including the resignation. It's especially hard for me because my employer requires a 30-day notice, so that must mean that I might still be working by late March. Geez.

But anyway, I'm happy we passed and here's to hoping we make it through the final stages!

 

[bcaapower]

@ rider, kurapan and bcaapower, thank you for your advice. I will just wait for at least confirmation from the university before I resign. But man, the final results are really short notice! You have to uproot your life, and you'll only have around a month to prepare for it, including the resignation. It's especially hard for me because my employer requires a 30-day notice, so that must mean that I might still be working by late March. Geez.

You are welcome, twonavels.
Pitty that it takes them so long to finish whole process,feels like they dont realise there are some grantees who have to live nad make some money by the time they finally decide

I think it will be good for you as long as you manage to submit your letter of resignation by the end of February. I assume we would have our final confirmation meanwhile, good luck then.
Just few more months and you are going to Japan, my time will be in October

 

[nekojita33]

I'm just curious, if you get the scholarship, where do you intend to live ? Student dorm, corporate dorm, shared/gaijin house, own apartment ? As I am in my 30s and been there done that with the shared houses/apartments and student dorms, I'm wondering how I'll manage to pay for an apartment in Tokyo... When I was a student at Waseda back in 2004-2005, I first tried to look at apartments but it was very difficult to find any landlord ready to let me rent their apartment although I had money, was going to a prestigious uni, could speak Japanese, had plenty of Japanese friends (old and young) ready to vouch for me, etc. still couldn't find a place that was relatively affordable (60 000 - 75 000 yen/month) so I had to give up and move to the student dorm, which with the never ending list of rules really wasn't that much fun at all ! I don't really like to be told what to do, especially when said things don't make any sense to me... go figure now why I love Japan a country well-know for its rigid bureaucracy and numerous rules ! Still, I'm one that loves things when they are organized so... anyway I'll be in Japan to do research if I get the scholarship but I love Tokyo and the whole country and just really want to enjoy it as much as I can't. Life isn't always easy for a gaijin and I'd rather have my own place to retire to when I feel like it. Any thoughts on that lodging thing ?

 

[miles5]

I'm just curious, if you get the scholarship, where do you intend to live ? Student dorm, corporate dorm, shared/gaijin house, own apartment ? As I am in my 30s and been there done that with the shared houses/apartments and student dorms, I'm wondering how I'll manage to pay for an apartment in Tokyo... When I was a student at Waseda back in 2004-2005, I first tried to look at apartments but it was very difficult to find any landlord ready to let me rent their apartment although I had money, was going to a prestigious uni, could speak Japanese, had plenty of Japanese friends (old and young) ready to vouch for me, etc. still couldn't find a place that was relatively affordable (60 000 - 75 000 yen/month) so I had to give up and move to the student dorm, which with the never ending list of rules really wasn't that much fun at all ! I don't really like to be told what to do, especially when said things don't make any sense to me... go figure now why I love Japan a country well-know for its rigid bureaucracy and numerous rules ! Still, I'm one that loves things when they are organized so... anyway I'll be in Japan to do research if I get the scholarship but I love Tokyo and the whole country and just really want to enjoy it as much as I can't. Life isn't always easy for a gaijin and I'd rather have my own place to retire to when I feel like it. Any thoughts on that lodging thing ?

Some info my friend passed me:
SAKURA HOUSE® - Furnished Guest houses, Apartments, Share houses for rent in Tokyo, Izu and Kyoto since 1992.

http://www.waseda.jp/cjl/dat/jlp/enrollment/housing_information.pdf

 

[kurapan]

I'm just curious, if you get the scholarship, where do you intend to live ? Student dorm, corporate dorm, shared/gaijin house, own apartment ? As I am in my 30s and been there done that with the shared houses/apartments and student dorms, I'm wondering how I'll manage to pay for an apartment in Tokyo... When I was a student at Waseda back in 2004-2005, I first tried to look at apartments but it was very difficult to find any landlord ready to let me rent their apartment although I had money, was going to a prestigious uni, could speak Japanese, had plenty of Japanese friends (old and young) ready to vouch for me, etc. still couldn't find a place that was relatively affordable (60 000 - 75 000 yen/month) so I had to give up and move to the student dorm, which with the never ending list of rules really wasn't that much fun at all ! I don't really like to be told what to do, especially when said things don't make any sense to me... go figure now why I love Japan a country well-know for its rigid bureaucracy and numerous rules ! Still, I'm one that loves things when they are organized so... anyway I'll be in Japan to do research if I get the scholarship but I love Tokyo and the whole country and just really want to enjoy it as much as I can't. Life isn't always easy for a gaijin and I'd rather have my own place to retire to when I feel like it. Any thoughts on that lodging thing ?

As you seem to be comfortable with Japanese, you can try this website to search for an apartment and ask about one after another. http://www.homes.co.jp/chintai/tokyo/price/
Some entries specifically say that you don't even need a guarantor.
There are a lot of foreigners in Tokyo and they all have to live somewhere, so it can't be like that it's impossible to rent an apartment if you're a foreigner.

 

[nekojita33]

Some info my friend passed me:
SAKURA HOUSE® - Furnished Guest houses, Apartments, Share houses for rent in Tokyo, Izu and Kyoto since 1992.

http://www.waseda.jp/cjl/dat/jlp/enrollment/housing_information.pdf

thank you miles5, but I've lived both in a Sakura house and in Waseda's student dorm... two interesting and fun experiences when you are in your early 20s, but at 34 years old and for two years, I'll pass on those thank you though !

 

[dmnte]

I'm just curious, if you get the scholarship, where do you intend to live ? Student dorm, corporate dorm, shared/gaijin house, own apartment ? As I am in my 30s and been there done that with the shared houses/apartments and student dorms, I'm wondering how I'll manage to pay for an apartment in Tokyo... When I was a student at Waseda back in 2004-2005, I first tried to look at apartments but it was very difficult to find any landlord ready to let me rent their apartment although I had money, was going to a prestigious uni, could speak Japanese, had plenty of Japanese friends (old and young) ready to vouch for me, etc. still couldn't find a place that was relatively affordable (60 000 - 75 000 yen/month) so I had to give up and move to the student dorm, which with the never ending list of rules really wasn't that much fun at all ! I don't really like to be told what to do, especially when said things don't make any sense to me... go figure now why I love Japan a country well-know for its rigid bureaucracy and numerous rules ! Still, I'm one that loves things when they are organized so... anyway I'll be in Japan to do research if I get the scholarship but I love Tokyo and the whole country and just really want to enjoy it as much as I can't. Life isn't always easy for a gaijin and I'd rather have my own place to retire to when I feel like it. Any thoughts on that lodging thing ?

I am in a similar position. have looked quite extensively for for reasonably priced apartments that arent studio without much luck. The TIEC dorms in odaiba are an option although they are an hour commute to waseda. they have a international building with family sized apartments.

 

[nekojita33]

As you seem to be comfortable with Japanese, you can try this website to search for an apartment and ask about one after another. http://www.homes.co.jp/chintai/tokyo/price/
Some entries specifically say that you don't even need a guarantor.
There are a lot of foreigners in Tokyo and they all have to live somewhere, so it can't be like that it's impossible to rent an apartment if you're a foreigner.

lol ! I know kurapan, I've lived in Japan for four years, there are a lot of foreigners but as you may know they are not always welcome everywhere... maybe I'll be luckier now that I am older. I've been looking on Chintai, it's a great place to start.

 

[nekojita33]

I am in a similar position. have looked quite extensively for for reasonably priced apartments that arent studio without much luck. The TIEC dorms in odaiba are an option although they are an hour commute to waseda. they have a international building with family sized apartments.

yeah Odaiba is nice and I've also checked the dorm there, but it really is a pain to get there and it does not come cheap transportation wise either... haven't rejected the whole idea yet, but it's my plan E or F lol ! you have been thinking to look around where ? i think this whole apartment hunting thing must be really difficult for people who haven't yet lived or spent a good amount of time in Tokyo... it's always easier and better to know the areas you'd be interested in living in or around. As for myself I'm thinking around Nishi-Nippori, something like a bit central and north...

 

[AmerikaJin5]

I'm just curious, if you get the scholarship, where do you intend to live ? Student dorm, corporate dorm, shared/gaijin house, own apartment ? As I am in my 30s and been there done that with the shared houses/apartments and student dorms, I'm wondering how I'll manage to pay for an apartment in Tokyo... When I was a student at Waseda back in 2004-2005, I first tried to look at apartments but it was very difficult to find any landlord ready to let me rent their apartment although I had money, was going to a prestigious uni, could speak Japanese, had plenty of Japanese friends (old and young) ready to vouch for me, etc. still couldn't find a place that was relatively affordable (60 000 - 75 000 yen/month) so I had to give up and move to the student dorm, which with the never ending list of rules really wasn't that much fun at all ! I don't really like to be told what to do, especially when said things don't make any sense to me... go figure now why I love Japan a country well-know for its rigid bureaucracy and numerous rules ! Still, I'm one that loves things when they are organized so... anyway I'll be in Japan to do research if I get the scholarship but I love Tokyo and the whole country and just really want to enjoy it as much as I can't. Life isn't always easy for a gaijin and I'd rather have my own place to retire to when I feel like it. Any thoughts on that lodging thing ?

If I get the scholarship, I would be moving to Japan with my wife and we want our own apartment (obviously). I've been looking at some gaijin-friendly websites (www.realestate.co.jp , apartments.gaijinpot.com/en) just to get an idea of what I'm in for...conclusion: prices depend on where in Tokyo you want to live, with the housing trade-off being transportation cost.

My 1st choice university (Rikadai) is in Katsushika-ku (northeast) and it's pretty common to find a 40-50 m2 apartment for 60,000-75,000 yen/month. However, my 2nd choice (Tokodai) is in Meguro-ku (southwest - closer to central) and good luck finding that size for anything less than 170,000 yen/month.
Both of these universities offer assistance in finding accomodation for couples/families who can't/won't live in student dorms, but I'm not sure about other schools like Waseda.

Either way, I'm prepared to live in a very small apartment (my place in the US right now is about 92 m2, equivalent to 100,500 yen/month), and I can't even express how excited I am to experience the culture for 3-4 years...but I'm hoping that I'll get to attend my 1st choice university (for many reasons) and that way my wife can also enjoy life in Japan without being stuck in a tiny crackerbox

 

[AmerikaJin5]

I am in a similar position. have looked quite extensively for for reasonably priced apartments that arent studio without much luck. The TIEC dorms in odaiba are an option although they are an hour commute to waseda. they have a international building with family sized apartments.

Yes, the TIEC dorms certainly look great! And I think the 'couples' dorms are close to 80 m2 for only 650,000 yen/month, which is amazing -- especially for their location. However, like your problem with commuting to Waseda, I would have a 80-min commute to my 1st choice school (but only 40-min to my 2nd choice).
If I understand correctly, we don't apply directly to TIEC but our university applies on our behalf? Does anyone else have similar thoughts?

 

[kurapan]

lol ! I know kurapan, I've lived in Japan for four years, there are a lot of foreigners but as you may know they are not always welcome everywhere... maybe I'll be luckier now that I am older. I've been looking on Chintai, it's a great place to start.

Yeah, I know. I just tried to look at it in a more positive way. You're older and 10 years have passed since then. I believe that if you keep "spamming" them with enquiries, you will find some in the end.

If I get the scholarship, I would be moving to Japan with my wife and we want our own apartment (obviously). I've been looking at some gaijin-friendly websites (www.realestate.co.jp , apartments.gaijinpot.com/en) just to get an idea of what I'm in for...conclusion: prices depend on where in Tokyo you want to live, with the housing trade-off being transportation cost.

My 1st choice university (Rikadai) is in Katsushika-ku (northeast) and it's pretty common to find a 40-50 m2 apartment for 60,000-75,000 yen/month. However, my 2nd choice (Tokodai) is in Meguro-ku (southwest - closer to central) and good luck finding that size for anything less than 170,000 yen/month.
Both of these universities offer assistance in finding accomodation for couples/families who can't/won't live in student dorms, but I'm not sure about other schools like Waseda.

Either way, I'm prepared to live in a very small apartment (my place in the US right now is about 92 m2, equivalent to 100,500 yen/month), and I can't even express how excited I am to experience the culture for 3-4 years...but I'm hoping that I'll get to attend my 1st choice university (for many reasons) and that way my wife can also enjoy life in Japan without being stuck in a tiny crackerbox

Tokodai is located in an upscale area of Tokyo. Denen-Chofu and Jiyugaoka are one of the most popular Tokyo districts to live in. It might be wise to look for an apartment a bit south or southwest of it if you want to keep the price lower and still be quite close, for example somewhere on Toyoko Line or Denen-Toshi Line in Kawasaki.

 

[konhoshi]

Actually I'd love to have anyone's advice about living in Tokyo. I have experience in living in the Kasai area near Osaka in a student dormitory, but do not have much experience of Tokyo, where are good places to live etc. I'm still open to the idea of living in student dorms, as I enjoyed living in that kind of social environment previously, and wondering if this is a good option for Tokyo as well. What kind of prices should I look for? I'm not sure how much daily life costs in Tokyo compared to other cities and how far the stipend would last.

The dormitory I lived in before was really strict, all female, daily cleaning, roommate, 10pm curfew, so I've been fairly toughened up to it!

 

[Ing17]

I'm guessing most people will know for sure if they are going by the end of this month right?

 

[MedRamy]

They say that generally it's around mid January or February...but let's hope it will be sooner

 

[AmerikaJin5]

They say that generally it's around mid January or February...but let's hope it will be sooner

Yeah I hope they announce it sooner...it's so hard to wait! Especially with several other attractive (but by no means equal) PhD opportunities being offered to me right now -- I'd like to know if I'm going to Tokyo!

I browsed the "MEXT 2014" thread from last year, and it looks like some people heard from their universities around Dec 15 - Jan 10, and then from MEXT by Jan 10 - Feb 20...so I'm not sure how long we have to wait.

 

[Frida]

I've been reading this forums for almost 2 years but today I fanlly decided to register and post

It never stops exciting me when I start reading those "embassy just contacted me" posts.
Congratulations to all of you. It's a long process and really requires mental strength and patience :nailbiting:

I decided I will try it out for myself next year and I hope to get a possitive answer like all of you. I would like to research and make a Master course in the Sociology Field.
Any of you applied to something similar? :notworthy:
My japanese is still very basic, I started studying it this year and presented the N5 test last week.
With this, should I stick to the G30 Universities?
Or do you think the 6 month Language Study plus the time until the scholarship starts would be enough for me to consider Japanese Language Master Classes?

Again congrats to you all!

 

[Grandpa Frank]

In case you forgot Frida , you have registered for the third time. You opened an account in June under "Sanos" and another account under "Blue Girl" in October and today under "Frida". I will attempt to merge the older two under Frida. PLEASE don't open another account!