MEXT Scholarship 2012

[neuro11]

good read from some experienced people and honestly i never thought that the final confirmation matters that much. so thanks for the good information.

One of the professors said,may be i need to sit for exam on Feb to start course in April or will have to wait for September for the next exam being a research student for half an year if MEXT pays for that. So my question, is it confirmed that we are going to be a 6 months research student or there is a possibility to sit for exam in February as well. Though i have mailed my local embassy about it , just sharing with you.

I never knew the importance of research proposal. I thought its just a screening criteria just like for admissions in the UK,USA,Canadaian uniz. I never knew they will ask me to do that specific project/research in Japan. One professor replied that my research is not suitable for his lab, but i actually mailed him because i liked his projects and my qualifications suit for his current projects. But he totally rejected me looking at my proposal. I actually did not put much time preparing it. If i knew this before i would study into professors websites before writing it.

At last i got a positive reply....which is giving me some hope.....wish all of u get ur desired reply....

 

[samuro]

Yah I also totally agree with you luck plays a big factor. and I also have told my family this time that I will go only when I get a final confirmation for MEXT. This was not the case when I was nominated for junior scholarship a few years back, and everybody including me was celebrating and finally the news came that I was not going. and my dreams shattered, it took over 6 months to get out of that shock. hope I have enough of good luck this time.

that's exactly the same case as me , though we're having no celebration here
even my senpai who has been there told me to relax as if it's almost obvious that i'll go there
the reality? vice versa
now i'm reapplying for the scholarship, trying harder in the exam, but put lesser hope there
i'm having a hard time before coming to the conclusion (to reapply monbusho) such as when thinking of an exchange to japan, waiting till i'm done with my undergraduate course,etc
so perhaps, i've got no other choice but to get back to the terrifying procedure of application

 

[kouun9]

that's exactly the same case as me , though we're having no celebration here
even my senpai who has been there told me to relax as if it's almost obvious that i'll go there
the reality? vice versa
now i'm reapplying for the scholarship, trying harder in the exam, but put lesser hope there
i'm having a hard time before coming to the conclusion (to reapply monbusho) such as when thinking of an exchange to japan, waiting till i'm done with my undergraduate course,etc
so perhaps, i've got no other choice but to get back to the terrifying procedure of application

Yes its really very tough to pull up your socks again and go through the whole procedure. I went through all this 4 times, and embassy people have now started recognizing me with name now. I don't know whether even after getting a nomination this time too, I will be going or not. Got many negative replies, also have a couple of positive replies. Hope I land in Japan next year. The mind of Japanese professors is so difficult to understand. One prof gave me a positive reply, and asked me my address, and now suddenly he has refused. Don't know the reason. They even don't care how the other person might feel.

 

[waitingiskillingme]

I totally agree with you. I still tell my friends and family that it isn't a confirmed thing until I receive the final approval from MEXT next year. But I guess I should upgrade my statement to be like yours, 'no plane ticket, no belief that I'm going Japan'
Just to release some tension a little, where are you planning to go?

Belief is good, expectations are wrong

I have been accepted by Mie Daigaku. The professor over there who accepted to be my mentor is very very kind from the beginning.
It is not a very big city but it is close to Nagoya (80km) and just between Tokyo and Osaka. Kyoto is very close, too. My wife had a wish to be at least at the seaside so I guess she would be happy
@kyuun9
I also got negative replies last years but always kind and with some excuse such as "full lab", "retirement", "not able to teach on a doctor course",... Japanese are like that, they always try to evade to say clearly "NO", but when they say it (with a smile of course) that means: "do not ever ask again"
I think three most important things are
1- good, detailed and interesting research proposal
2- that there is a free spot in their Lab
3- their wish to teach a foreign student
When you find the right one he will definitely be kind and warm in communication, cause they are really all like that

 

[kouun9]

@kyuun9
I also got negative replies last years but always kind and with some excuse such as "full lab", "retirement", "not able to teach on a doctor course",... Japanese are like that, they always try to evade to say clearly "NO", but when they say it (with a smile of course) that means: "do not ever ask again"
I think three most important things are
1- good, detailed and interesting research proposal
2- that there is a free spot in their Lab
3- their wish to teach a foreign student
When you find the right one he will definitely be kind and warm in communication, cause they are really all like that

I understand what you are saying that they politely refuse and usually mention the reasons too. But this particular professor did not even mention the reason and mailed me just one word "I refuse". I was completely shocked to see the sudden refusal. I sent a mail to him apologizing that there might be some mistake on my part. and a reply came from him stating the reason being "you asked me to send the LOA by mail, I think that's not acceptable to me". After learning Japanese langauge for almost 8 years now, I always used the most humble form of language in mails, and in what else manner he could have sent it to me. I also gave him the option to send by email. But now I have decided that even if he gives me an LOA I am not going to do my research under such prof.

 

[mitch2526]

How are you guys?

I've had 3 professors who replied positively, but it's been a while since we last emailed. :?

I know I shouldn't worry or what but I had mailed 2 unis, and emailed another one.

They had all said something like "It would be lovely to have you on my lab"
which of course made me happy. One prof sent only that email, didn't ask anything else, and didn't reply to my response.

Another prof, said OK, but suggested to change scope of proposal. I said, "Ok, i'll do as you suggest sensei" and he hasnt replied. It's been nearly 2 weeks.

Another has asked about my resources in the proposal, and I felt stupid because there was one source I didn't put in the References. I worked soooo hard on that, and I realized there's been a tiny lapse on my part.



I just had to let it out here, knew you guys would understand. But I'm trying to get busy with work and studying so that I don't think about it too much. Although I have 3 weeks left, the last week of August is like holiday in my country. No office

Hope I get good news like the rest of you who have LOAs on the way!!

 

[ffxyunajo]

Belief is good, expectations are wrong
I have been accepted by Mie Daigaku. The professor over there who accepted to be my mentor is very very kind from the beginning.
It is not a very big city but it is close to Nagoya (80km) and just between Tokyo and Osaka. Kyoto is very close, too. My wife had a wish to be at least at the seaside so I guess she would be happy

that's really nice! i wish to be close to Kyoto too, it's a really lovely place! i applied for universities in both Kanto and Kansai region

How are you guys?
I've had 3 professors who replied positively, but it's been a while since we last emailed. :?
I know I shouldn't worry or what but I had mailed 2 unis, and emailed another one.
They had all said something like "It would be lovely to have you on my lab"
which of course made me happy. One prof sent only that email, didn't ask anything else, and didn't reply to my response.
Another prof, said OK, but suggested to change scope of proposal. I said, "Ok, i'll do as you suggest sensei" and he hasnt replied. It's been nearly 2 weeks.
Another has asked about my resources in the proposal, and I felt stupid because there was one source I didn't put in the References. I worked soooo hard on that, and I realized there's been a tiny lapse on my part.

I just had to let it out here, knew you guys would understand. But I'm trying to get busy with work and studying so that I don't think about it too much. Although I have 3 weeks left, the last week of August is like holiday in my country. No office
Hope I get good news like the rest of you who have LOAs on the way!!

mitch2526, everyone makes mistakes, so don't feel too bad about it. maybe you can try reminding them via email again? maybe your professor is waiting for your documents, and once they received it, they will officially accept you

kouun9, that's so depressing to receive such a reply. i guess if you know you're not going to be comfortable with that professor, there's no need to force yourself to be under him/her and face them for the next few years.

 

[waitingiskillingme]

I understand what you are saying that they politely refuse and usually mention the reasons too. But this particular professor did not even mention the reason and mailed me just one word "I refuse". I was completely shocked to see the sudden refusal. I sent a mail to him apologizing that there might be some mistake on my part. and a reply came from him stating the reason being "you asked me to send the LOA by mail, I think that's not acceptable to me". After learning Japanese langauge for almost 8 years now, I always used the most humble form of language in mails, and in what else manner he could have sent it to me. I also gave him the option to send by email. But now I have decided that even if he gives me an LOA I am not going to do my research under such prof.

hehe, that guy is really weird :131:
don't bother with him
you are on a good way ﾂ心窶掏窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩ窶堙按
I am also learning Japanese for 8 years (I am somewhere between lev3 and lev2, jlpt) but I am not confident that much to e-mail them in Japanese, I think there is too many things to screw up when using humble forms. I just send them introducing letter in Japanese which I wrote with my Japanese teacher explaining most of the things.
It's so cool if you can write them in Japanese
whats your jlpt level?

 

[kouun9]

hehe, that guy is really weird :131:
don't bother with him
you are on a good way ﾂ心窶掏窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩ窶堙按
I am also learning Japanese for 8 years (I am somewhere between lev3 and lev2, jlpt) but I am not confident that much to e-mail them in Japanese, I think there is too many things to screw up when using humble forms. I just send them introducing letter in Japanese which I wrote with my Japanese teacher explaining most of the things.
It's so cool if you can write them in Japanese
whats your jlpt level?

Yah using humble form is very difficult. we might end up conveying something totally opposite. Though he is not the first prof whom I communicated in Japanese. I keep communicating with my Japanese friends and some of professors in Japanese universities in Japanese. But this sort of thing has happened for the first time. If I get a chance to go to japan I wish to improve my Japanese language to next level and want to study/learn more about japanese mentality. and I have cleared my jlpt level 1, almost three years back. But this incident has totally changed my perception about japanese ppl. and of course my wish to learn about their culture and language first hand has grew more stronger.

 

[neuro11]

Some shocking experience from you guyz and i am definitely going to be afraid.....I so far received only one positive answer and i thought its done(on LOA part )!!!!! But now i feel nothing is done till i get the hardcopy of LOA from the prof.

@kanun its shocking !!! how on earth someone can refuse a student just for his of using language when even his first lang is not Jap... thats truly shocking!!!! especially after giving so much hope. Anyway i pray that never happens to anyone else anymore and wish you good luck....

BTW what are the possible ways to receive LOA's from professor??? I thought its only by POST and embassy here also indicated something like that. DO you think a scanned version will be ok???

 

[ffxyunajo]

BTW what are the possible ways to receive LOA's from professor??? I thought its only by POST and embassy here also indicated something like that. DO you think a scanned version will be ok???

neuro11, i believe the best possible way is by post. scanned copy of the LOA would be a little risky if the embassy decides not to accept it, don't you think? especially when time is running short

 

[ferursine]

Hi everybody \o/

I will try an undergraduate scholarship for 2013, and I don't know what I have to do yet (besides study like if there's no tomorrow).

So, I've printed the last 4 year tests and started solving it. Is this enough? Which is the proficiency level for the japanese and english tests? And, could you give some tips on "what and how to study?"

窶堙ｦ窶堙ｫ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｭ窶堋ｨﾅ?ﾃｨ窶堋｢窶堋ｵ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ

 

[neuro11]

Could someone please help me with the following query:
1. is there any specific instruction needed to provide to the professor about filling up the LOA, like i cant remember where i heard that professor need to put his seal on LOA. Please help if any of you know anything about this.
2. do any of you guyz have a soft copy of LOA?? if so could you please attach that here or can send me through email.......
thank you

 

[kouun9]

weekend is over, why did it fly by so fast

 

[Charchoal]

Hi I got an email from a professor that ask me to send to him some documents (CV, research proposal, past projects) by airmail. Does it mean that he will accept me as a research student? Should I ask him for the LOA, or is it too early?

 

[kouun9]

some universities require the documents to be sent to them before they give u LOA. one of my profs also asked me the same, I airmailed it and sent an email that I have sent the docs by post and by next day she completed all the formalities and sent me a soft copy of LOA and the hard copy was posted to my address next day. so if the professor is asking the docs it might be a signal that he/she is willing to accept you.

 

[Charchoal]

Oh, I think I should send it soon then, because I was unsure and was asking her for clarifications but that was 2 weeks ago, and just this week, she just replied "Thank you for the mail", without answering my questions

 

[kouun9]

why is it so that the jap profs first say yes and later just stop responding to your mails.

any one else experiencing this.

 

[ffxyunajo]

why is it so that the jap profs first say yes and later just stop responding to your mails.

any one else experiencing this.

Have you sent your documents over for processing before they stopped responding? I think the profs are waiting for your documents to be sent over before they can proceed with anything else.

 

[kouun9]

I have already sent them all required docs.

 

[ffxyunajo]

I have already sent them all required docs.

I guess you gotta give them some time. Some unis require your documents to go through screening by the graduate school committee members before accepting you despite having consent from your profs (that's what some profs told me). And since they're having their summer holidays right now, I guess the profs' response are gonna be a little slower than usual? ☝
If they don't respond soon, perhaps you could give them a ring and remind them that you're chasing for time? Since I'm sure you are proficient enough in your Japanese to communicate with them

 

[neuro11]

I have a kind of mixed feeling about the whole process. So far i have contacted with around 20 professor with only 3 bothered to reply. One of them was positive and he asked me to send a scanned copy of LOA. I asked him politely to send me back the hard copy of completed LOA by post. Interestingly, he never asked me to send him hard copy of any docs. Even though the lady in the embassy asked me to send all hard copies of document to him, i din bother to do that as he din ask me anything about that. I don think i will receive any more replies.

 

[kouun9]

I have a kind of mixed feeling about the whole process. So far i have contacted with around 20 professor with only 3 bothered to reply. One of them was positive and he asked me to send a scanned copy of LOA. I asked him politely to send me back the hard copy of completed LOA by post. Interestingly, he never asked me to send him hard copy of any docs. Even though the lady in the embassy asked me to send all hard copies of document to him, i din bother to do that as he din ask me anything about that. I don think i will receive any more replies.

neuro11 please read the instructions given on the first page of LOA, it clearly says that we need to send a set of docs to the univ.

and u will receive replies, not from all but some will reply late. I got one of my reply today almost 2 weeks later

 

[kouun9]

finally got one of my much awaited reply.

 

[Charchoal]

Hi, I've just got a reply from a professor that he can accept me into his lab!
But now I'm wondering if I should still send the documents that a different professor requested, so that I can know their response. Is there still time to compare between both professors, do u think? (If we are not following the deadline?)