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.
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:
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.
- Do NOT contact the universities/professors who issued the LOA
- To let us know that it may not be possible to be placed in our first choice
- To confirm whether we want to continue with the selection process or we want to decline
That's what we have been told here in Mexico though, I don't know if you guys received something different.
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:
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.
- Do NOT contact the universities/professors who issued the LOA
- To let us know that it may not be possible to be placed in our first choice
- To confirm whether we want to continue with the selection process or we want to decline
That's what we have been told here in Mexico though, I don't know if you guys received something different.
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!
@ 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.
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'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 ?
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
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.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 ?
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.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.
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...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.
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.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 ?
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).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.
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.
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
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!They say that generally it's around mid January or February...but let's hope it will be sooner