MEXT Scholarship 2016 (Research)

[bononogram]

To those who have already had their interview and exams:

What was the exam like? Can you compare it to the example exams available to us online (2009/10)

I'm a week out from my interview and compiling all the INTEL I can to reduce the chances of any big surprises.

Thanks a lot and good luck to all!

 

[indojindesu]

To those who have already had their interview and exams:

What was the exam like? Can you compare it to the example exams available to us online (2009/10)

I'm a week out from my interview and compiling all the INTEL I can to reduce the chances of any big surprises.

Thanks a lot and good luck to all!

Hey there! I gave my exam and interview a few days back! The papers were exactly the same as the previous question papers (a combination of all the questions asked the previous years) . The english test was not that difficult, but the japanese was! You have to write kanjis (there is a question like that) . There are 3 sections in the Japanese test. 1st is N5 to N4 level, 2nd is N3 to N2 and the last is N2 and N1 . The Japanese test was optional. Also, people who scored less than 50 marks in the english test were not allowed to sit for the interview! (Not sure if this happens in all the countries, in India we had too many applicants ,around 400, so maybe they used this to reduce the numbers? XD ) There were 2 interviews conducted for us, one by the government officials (experts in your selected field) and another by the embassy representative. I am a masters applicant so they didnot go into details about my research proposal , but they did check my knowledge on the field i had selected. That interview lasted about 15 mins. And the embassy interview lasted for 10 mins. I was asked questions like, why did u select japan? Who told u about this Scholarship, etc.
Hope this helps! Best luck!

 

[indojindesu]

1-3 days in my country, never more...

thanks a lot for your reply! We were told it might take a month or so.. i hope i survive the wait

 

[NumesSanguis]

Hey! I'm new here, but I also applied for MEXT in The Netherlands. Yesterday I received my letter that I'm invited for the English and Japanese test in the morning and the interview in the afternoon on July 9th. I'm applying as 1st choice for Kyoto University and 2nd choice Osaka University in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

I was wondering if anyone else here is from NL or wants to go to Kyoto or Osaka?

I'm applying for a full English master, so I hope they don't care too much about the Japanese test :') anyone knows this? Although of course I'm planning to learn Japanese by the time I arrive in Japan!

 

[tolly]

Hi there! Yesterday I had the exams and interview.
English exam? Piece of cake. Actually, I was told that it was way easier that the ones from years before (that doesn't boost my confidence at all haha). The Japanese one was optional, and I'd say that the first part was an N4 (I was told that at the embassy too).
In my case we had to score at least 70 to pass the English exam. This helped to reduce the number of applicants to half.
I can't give really you useful info about the interview. It was pretty related to me and my particular application but here is what happened anyway: They asked me to introduce myself (be prepared if this happens to you) and they started to ask questions related to what I told them. They were mean and rude but I tried to answer all of it anyway (at least I thought I wouldn't be meekly quiet). One of the questions was if I was ready to give up my current job to go to Japan (don't hesitate here!).
I want to clarify something we have been discussing here (remember that this only my experience), they didn't understand anything about my proposal, they had no idea what I was talking about, so I had to go and focus on why it was important, the benefits, why Japan. This was pretty hard because my proposal was pretty useless here, even when I tried to not be THAT technical. So yes, I felt helpless, which you can be sure added to my nervousness.
Remember, their job is to see if you are ready for this, so they aren't going to be nice, just don't crumble and and answer without hesitation.
I still can't believe I went to through all that, I failed the interview because I was pretty nervous, I'm sure they didn't like me. So I wish you good luck, I hope you do better.

 

[NumesSanguis]

Hey Tolly, thanks for the information! Although unfortunately of your interview.
Did they send you a message that you failed or that's just what you think will happen?

 

[tolly]

Hey Tolly, thanks for the information! Although unfortunately of your interview.
Did they send you a message that you failed or that's just what you think will happen?

I have to wait 2 weeks for the official results but I'm pretty sure I failed. I was nervous and just blurted out whatever came first to mind.
By the way, they didn't attack my proposal, but I think that was because they didn't have the knowledge to do so.

 

[bononogram]

Hey there! I gave my exam and interview a few days back! The papers were exactly the same as the previous question papers (a combination of all the questions asked the previous years) . The english test was not that difficult, but the japanese was! You have to write kanjis (there is a question like that) . There are 3 sections in the Japanese test. 1st is N5 to N4 level, 2nd is N3 to N2 and the last is N2 and N1 . The Japanese test was optional. Also, people who scored less than 50 marks in the english test were not allowed to sit for the interview! (Not sure if this happens in all the countries, in India we had too many applicants ,around 400, so maybe they used this to reduce the numbers? XD ) There were 2 interviews conducted for us, one by the government officials (experts in your selected field) and another by the embassy representative. I am a masters applicant so they didnot go into details about my research proposal , but they did check my knowledge on the field i had selected. That interview lasted about 15 mins. And the embassy interview lasted for 10 mins. I was asked questions like, why did u select japan? Who told u about this Scholarship, etc.
Hope this helps! Best luck!

Hi there! Yesterday I had the exams and interview.
English exam? Piece of cake. Actually, I was told that it was way easier that the ones from years before (that doesn't boost my confidence at all haha). The Japanese one was optional, and I'd say that the first part was an N4 (I was told that at the embassy too).
In my case we had to score at least 70 to pass the English exam. This helped to reduce the number of applicants to half.
I can't give really you useful info about the interview. It was pretty related to me and my particular application but here is what happened anyway: They asked me to introduce myself (be prepared if this happens to you) and they started to ask questions related to what I told them. They were mean and rude but I tried to answer all of it anyway (at least I thought I wouldn't be meekly quiet). One of the questions was if I was ready to give up my current job to go to Japan (don't hesitate here!).
I want to clarify something we have been discussing here (remember that this only my experience), they didn't understand anything about my proposal, they had no idea what I was talking about, so I had to go and focus on why it was important, the benefits, why Japan. This was pretty hard because my proposal was pretty useless here, even when I tried to not be THAT technical. So yes, I felt helpless, which you can be sure added to my nervousness.
Remember, their job is to see if you are ready for this, so they aren't going to be nice, just don't crumble and and answer without hesitation.
I still can't believe I went to through all that, I failed the interview because I was pretty nervous, I'm sure they didn't like me. So I wish you good luck, I hope you do better.

Thanks so much guys - I know this is helpful to not only me but the many others who read this thread.

I'm so nervous.

 

[heyjude]

Is the Japanese exam also optional in the U.S.?

 

[shinogi]

I doubt there are any fellow New Zealanders around?
It sounds like we had our exam and interview earlier than most other countries, ours were over 3 weeks ago.
Still impatiently waiting on the primary screening result though!

 

[TranSenz]

Hey all,
I used to work at a private university in Japan processing MEXT applications (Embassy and University). I can't really talk about the Embassy interview phase, which is where it sounds like most posters here are, but once you pass the Primary Screening, I've written up a guide based on my experience at the receiving end, for what it's worth:
MEXT Scholarship (Embassy) | TranSenz: Expat Living in Japan
I see from some of the posts here that a lot of you had to submit your university and professor choices ahead of time, a requirement that varies from country to country, but I wanted to chime in on the discussion about private university placement on the previous page. I was at a large, private university away from Tokyo and about 20% of the students we issued letters of acceptance to ended up coming to us. Almost all of our applicants had us as first or second choice. 30% MEXT scholars being placed in private universities is a pretty small number if it's true, since about 80% of universities here are private, but it is possible.

For the university application process, we wouldn't talk to applicants until after they had passed the primary screening. As hard as everyone's working for the Embassy screening though, keep in mind that none of that carries through. There's no communication between embassies and universities so when you hit the university, you're starting from scratch again and the Research Proposal is everything.
I don't handle applications anymore (so there's no conflict of interest), but I'd be happy to answer follow-up questions on the blog post above (sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep pace with this thread).
Anyhow, best of luck to everyone!

 

[foxfault]

For the university application process, we wouldn't talk to applicants until after they had passed the primary screening. As hard as everyone's working for the Embassy screening though, keep in mind that none of that carries through. There's no communication between embassies and universities so when you hit the university, you're starting from scratch again and the Research Proposal is everything.
I don't handle applications anymore (so there's no conflict of interest), but I'd be happy to answer follow-up questions on the blog post above (sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep pace with this thread).
Anyhow, best of luck to everyone!

Your guide is AMAZING. Thank you so much for doing that! Granted, I'm even more nervous now, ha, because I'm still only interested in applying for one (private) school... Eek.

I have a question you might not have any good answer to, but...you mentioned in the guide that sometimes universities don't have a single professor that can advise you, because they don't have anyone doing the same research you're proposing.

What if the university you're applying to has more than one professor that could advise you? For example, Keio University has several professors who have done/are doing research relevant to my proposal. Should I pick a single one anyway? Should I point out there's more than one option?

 

[eiraku]

I doubt there are any fellow New Zealanders around?
It sounds like we had our exam and interview earlier than most other countries, ours were over 3 weeks ago.
Still impatiently waiting on the primary screening result though!

Your Embassy screening schedule sounds a lot like the one we have over here in Malaysia. Our Exams were about a month ago, and the Interview a few weeks back. Similarly, I'm still (anxiously) waiting for the results myself.

It kinda looks like while the Exam and Interview schedule differs greatly from locale to locale, the time when the Result of Primary Screening does not, for some unknown reason. For most places it'a supposed to be end of July, so yeah a few more weeks to go, at most.

And @TranSenz, thanks for an AMAZING guide to Second Screening. It should help heaps - if... y'know... I even manage to get through the Primary one.

 

[GAugust]

Hi all,
First, i want to thank every one who have shared useful information and links on this forum , thank you very much and wishing all of you best of luck
I have a question :
Will universities request applicants to submit documents other than the ones being submitted to embassy in order to get the letter of acceptance?
Thanks

 

[shiro11]

Hi all,
First, i want to thank every one who have shared useful information and links on this forum , thank you very much and wishing all of you best of luck
I have a question :
Will universities request applicants to submit documents other than the ones being submitted to embassy in order to get the letter of acceptance?
Thanks

it depends
for example, Waseda University has their own format for MEXT applicants. others might just request what you already sent to the embassy/consulate

 

[GAugust]

it depends
for example, Waseda University has their own format for MEXT applicants. others might just request what you already sent to the embassy/consulate

I am asking regarding English proficiency tests(toefl, ielts), will they be requested by professors or universities in order to get the letter of acceptance especially when applying to engineering graduate schools?
Thanks...

 

[indojindesu]

Thanks so much guys - I know this is helpful to not only me but the many others who read this thread.

I'm so nervous.

You are welcome! Even i'm nervous now! Not sure if i have passed the interview e.e

 

[indojindesu]

Hey! I'm new here, but I also applied for MEXT in The Netherlands. Yesterday I received my letter that I'm invited for the English and Japanese test in the morning and the interview in the afternoon on July 9th. I'm applying as 1st choice for Kyoto University and 2nd choice Osaka University in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

I was wondering if anyone else here is from NL or wants to go to Kyoto or Osaka?

I'm applying for a full English master, so I hope they don't care too much about the Japanese test :') anyone knows this? Although of course I'm planning to learn Japanese by the time I arrive in Japan!

Hello! I'm planning to apply to kyoto and osaka unis! (i'm Indian tho xD )

 

[indojindesu]

Hey! I'm new here, but I also applied for MEXT in The Netherlands. Yesterday I received my letter that I'm invited for the English and Japanese test in the morning and the interview in the afternoon on July 9th. I'm applying as 1st choice for Kyoto University and 2nd choice Osaka University in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

I was wondering if anyone else here is from NL or wants to go to Kyoto or Osaka?

I'm applying for a full English master, so I hope they don't care too much about the Japanese test :') anyone knows this? Although of course I'm planning to learn Japanese by the time I arrive in Japan!

If you are not applying for Japanese language studies then they dont really consider your Japanese score!

 

[indojindesu]

Your Embassy screening schedule sounds a lot like the one we have over here in Malaysia. Our Exams were about a month ago, and the Interview a few weeks back. Similarly, I'm still (anxiously) waiting for the results myself.

It kinda looks like while the Exam and Interview schedule differs greatly from locale to locale, the time when the Result of Primary Screening does not, for some unknown reason. For most places it'a supposed to be end of July, so yeah a few more weeks to go, at most.

And @TranSenz, thanks for an AMAZING guide to Second Screening. It should help heaps - if... y'know... I even manage to get through the Primary one.

Primary screening result usually doesnt differ because the Japanese universities are on break after 31st august, which means we are given a month or so to contact the universities and professors and get the LOA xD

 

[shiro11]

I am asking regarding English proficiency tests(toefl, ielts), will they be requested by professors or universities in order to get the letter of acceptance especially when applying to engineering graduate schools?
Thanks...

In that case especially after the primary screening- yes it is important those scores or some accept any other indicator of your English level *either a letter from a professor or such*

I think it would be safer to check for MEXT applicators requirements for each uni you are applying for

 

[indojindesu]

Hey all,
I used to work at a private university in Japan processing MEXT applications (Embassy and University). I can't really talk about the Embassy interview phase, which is where it sounds like most posters here are, but once you pass the Primary Screening, I've written up a guide based on my experience at the receiving end, for what it's worth:
MEXT Scholarship (Embassy) | TranSenz: Expat Living in Japan
I see from some of the posts here that a lot of you had to submit your university and professor choices ahead of time, a requirement that varies from country to country, but I wanted to chime in on the discussion about private university placement on the previous page. I was at a large, private university away from Tokyo and about 20% of the students we issued letters of acceptance to ended up coming to us. Almost all of our applicants had us as first or second choice. 30% MEXT scholars being placed in private universities is a pretty small number if it's true, since about 80% of universities here are private, but it is possible.

For the university application process, we wouldn't talk to applicants until after they had passed the primary screening. As hard as everyone's working for the Embassy screening though, keep in mind that none of that carries through. There's no communication between embassies and universities so when you hit the university, you're starting from scratch again and the Research Proposal is everything.
I don't handle applications anymore (so there's no conflict of interest), but I'd be happy to answer follow-up questions on the blog post above (sorry, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep pace with this thread).
Anyhow, best of luck to everyone!

Thanks a lot ! Its very helpful!!

 

[indojindesu]

Ouu btw, anybody aiming for the tokyo university? XD

 

[indojindesu]

I am asking regarding English proficiency tests(toefl, ielts), will they be requested by professors or universities in order to get the letter of acceptance especially when applying to engineering graduate schools?
Thanks...

If all your education , till date , has been in english i dont think they will ask for any extra documents, plus u have already passed the test by the embassy. But it would be nice if you have a TOEFL score or something like that to prove your proficiency level. (Although not required if u are a native english speaker)

 

[indojindesu]

Is the Japanese exam also optional in the U.S.?

Its optional everywhere! (Unless you are applying for a major in Japanese)