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Help MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship 2018 to 2019 Application Inquiries [CANADA]

MMA-EE

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22 Sep 2017
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Hello, I have been thinking about applying for the MEXT Scholarship program for many years now but felt discouraged. In Canada, the embassy has only provided information about successful applicants who applied for Social Sciences. Currently, I am in university doing a diploma in engineering for the first two years. After these two years, I can directly go into degree 3rd year or attend another university for engineering with these credits transferred for 3 more years and thereafter receive my degree.

The main reason why I want to study in Japan is my undergraduate major. I am studying a specific major in engineering involving electronic devices (EE). I always wanted to study abroad in Tokyo and attend The university of Tokyo one of the Top 20 universities in the world of education providers of EE. But, I also like Japanese culture and spirituality. I am willing to study Japanese and prepare for the examinations offered by MEXT. If you have information, tips and advice about preparing for the examinations, please comment below.

Before I even consider applying to MEXT, I would like to know if I meet the gpa requirements. For many years, people have applied to MEXT without even seeing if they meet the age requirements and gpa requirements. I know for certain I meet the age requirements because I can finish my degree here for another 3 years and still be eligible for the undergraduate program OFFERED BY MEXT.

The following are my marks for the first three terms in university in no order: A-, A-, A, A+, B-, B-, B-, B-, B, B+, C, D, TR and TR as well as all grades are 3 credits. TR means those credits were transferred from IB program. However, percentages for grades are not given by my university making it hard to calculate and they only provide ranges for percentages. Sometimes you may have 0.5 percent above the range into getting a B, but they do not round up. So I ended up with many B-'s due to this.

When I do the calculations for my MEXT gpa I get 2.69 since I made some of my B- to B as they fall into that MEXT category due to the 0.5 rule. Can someone else please give me their opinion about my gpa? And do TR count as Bs or As, I did not factor it in? Also, it says in the application guidelines that the last two years of schooling will be used, so does this mean I will have to include a high school transcript in my application?

***IF you finished reading this so far, thank you for your patients. I will just summarize all what I mentioned here in question format.

Summary:

1. Am I eligible for MEXT based on my gpa? If I am, please answer the following questions below.
2. Should I apply to MEXT even though I do not know if any successful scholars within' my major received it from my home country?
3. What resources are out there to prepare for the examinations? When would be a good time to start preparing for exams? As an engineering major, I need to schedule this since I will be applying after I complete my Dip.
4. What level of proficiency in Japanese should I have? Tips for learning Japanese? Know of anyone tutors using MNN 1 and MNN 2? [Minna no Nihongo]
5. If my Japanese is bad, could I get placed in a university with English degree program and compulsory Japanese language classes?
6. How do recommendation letters work for university students? Could I have a passed employer fill out the recommendation letter or is it mandatory to have a academic adviser do this?
7. For the Certificate of Health, does suffering from mild anxiety mean I am ineligible? Do I need a whole body physical?
 
All your questions are answered at the the embassy website.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but as I understand it you are already enrolled in a Canadian university? I'm pretty sure you can still apply but you'll have to use your high school grades.

You should apply if you want to, worst case scenario they say no. You can view past exams here and plan your schedule accordingly (keep in mind the application for 2018 is closed).

If your Japanese is bad you might be placed in a 1 year Japanese program at TUFS or Osaka University. Don't be discouraged about Japanese. I got the scholarship (Research) without doing it, the font was too small...

Recommendation letters should be from your high school's principal or a teacher who knows you well.

You can check out the format of the CoH and see exactly what medical tests you need. Are you taking pills for your anxiety? Is it managed? Keep in mind that moving to a new country with a different language is hard and you should make sure you can handle it.
 
Thanks for feedback. But, is it really necessary to ask for a reference from my high school teachers or principal? I have been in university for over 2 years now and my high school has over 2000 students. I think a teacher would forget you after several years.
 
That's what the guidelines for undergrad scholarships say. I'd check with your embassy to be sure. Have you considered graduating and going for a research scholarship?
 
Yes, I have but as an engineering major, I am worried about gpa considerations for graduate school in Japan. Was gpa of grave importance when you applied for research? What kind of research did you do abroad?
 
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