MEXT Scholarship (Graduate Students) 2017

[Tagy]

Kyushu is pretty big and with a number of distinct regions and cultures (these are, for the record, a few of the aspects of it which made me fall in love with it) - where are you talking about, specifically?

I am Talking about kyushu university, but they provide master program in communication and informatic, which i am not interested in.
what is your field !
and what about the accommodation !!

 

[arcane]

I think they increase the stipend a bit for the students who will live in Tokyo (or other big cities, expensive ones) not sure though.

thanks again man

I am always kind of bummed that I was not accepted to Kagoshima University - where an excellent researcher in my field is - when I think about how much money I could bank.

Alternatively, I had always hoped that there would be a leading expert at Nagasaki University, or somewhere on that side of Kyushu even near Fukuoka, so that I could live down there on the scholarship. As I am not planning on doing a PhD in Japan, it wasn't NECESSARILY required that I go to a big name school ... but alas, the archives and conferences are all seemingly in Kansai and Kanto, so ....

I should also confess that my heart truly lies in Kyushu.

Would you mind telling me how did you find a leading expert in your field. Right now I'm browsing each university's directory but this seems very inefficient.

 

[Lawrence1]

thanks again man

Would you mind telling me how did you find a leading expert in your field. Right now I'm browsing each university's directory but this seems very inefficient.

Well, unfortunately the only real way to find a professor that you think is a leading expert is to check out the university directory. Here are some tips:

Look at the homepage of your professor. In general the leading experts has tons of collaborations and so tends to keep their website up to date. They should also mention a few collaborations that they are doing (look especially for visits to secondard/primary schools). It is best when they team up with other laboratory although make sure they are the hosting laboratory in the team up. Also see if they do research collaborating with local government/private companies. Also keep an eye out if their website has an english option because if it does then it shows that they probably have collaborated with english speaking researchers and shows that they have a wider/more international network of researchers.

If you can't find anything on their website, another good source is to look your professor up in google scholar. Google scholar will tell you about your professor's hi-index and how much publications and citations they get each year. It can also give you a trend of their progress. It is best to work with a professor that has an increasing trend since it shows that they are continuously doing good or better work.

It is also good to see if they are doing many conferences although this can be tricky since sometimes professors may be too busy with their current research and classes so they can only do a few conferences a year. Although it is important that they do some each year or most years.

Finally, and the most important, look at their publications and the the type of journals their publications are in. Some journals are hard to get into and thus show considerable effort and good research capability. The most important consideration when selecting a laboratory is the compability of your research experience/future desires, with the work happening in the laboratory of your choice.You can get a great idea of this by reading the publications they produce. You can also get an idea of the environment/amount of work that gets done in the lab, and the more that gets done (by you) the better your career in the future (if you have interest in academia).

 

[arcane]

Well, unfortunately the only real way to find a professor that you think is a leading expert is to check out the university directory. Here are some tips:

Look at the homepage of your professor. In general the leading experts has tons of collaborations and so tends to keep their website up to date. They should also mention a few collaborations that they are doing (look especially for visits to secondard/primary schools). It is best when they team up with other laboratory although make sure they are the hosting laboratory in the team up. Also see if they do research collaborating with local government/private companies. Also keep an eye out if their website has an english option because if it does then it shows that they probably have collaborated with english speaking researchers and shows that they have a wider/more international network of researchers.

If you can't find anything on their website, another good source is to look your professor up in google scholar. Google scholar will tell you about your professor's hi-index and how much publications and citations they get each year. It can also give you a trend of their progress. It is best to work with a professor that has an increasing trend since it shows that they are continuously doing good or better work.

It is also good to see if they are doing many conferences although this can be tricky since sometimes professors may be too busy with their current research and classes so they can only do a few conferences a year. Although it is important that they do some each year or most years.

Finally, and the most important, look at their publications and the the type of journals their publications are in. Some journals are hard to get into and thus show considerable effort and good research capability. The most important consideration when selecting a laboratory is the compability of your research experience/future desires, with the work happening in the laboratory of your choice.You can get a great idea of this by reading the publications they produce. You can also get an idea of the environment/amount of work that gets done in the lab, and the more that gets done (by you) the better your career in the future (if you have interest in academia).

Thanks a lot man. I want to work either on robotics or cybersecurity. I know they don't seem related (and they're not) but that's what I like. I hope I find a supervisor soon.

 

[Frida]

Thanks a lot man. I want to work either on robotics or cybersecurity. I know they don't seem related (and they're not) but that's what I like. I hope I find a supervisor soon.

You might want to take a look at 研究者検索 - researchmap
Not all profiles are updated, but at least it can give you an idea of the professors interested in your topics


I just received my second LoA TT____TT I'm so happy

 

[arcane]

You might want to take a look at 研究者検索 - researchmap
Not all profiles are updated, but at least it can give you an idea of the professors interested in your topics


I just received my second LoA TT____TT I'm so happy

Congratulations that's great. I'm still trying T_T

 

[Tagy]

Congratulations that's great. I'm still trying T_T

what is your field, i may help

 

[Tagy]

You might want to take a look at 研究者検索 - researchmap
Not all profiles are updated, but at least it can give you an idea of the professors interested in your topics


I just received my second LoA TT____TT I'm so happy

Very good, I received two LOA also.
is there any one gonna to kyushu ??

 

[arcane]

what is your field, i may help

Can we talk in private ?

 

[Cecilz21]

Hi All!!

First of all, congratulations to those who passed, haha!

Well, I am finally getting ready to get my LOAs after getting the documents mailed to me from my embassy. However, I am currently in a dilemma and I would appreciate any input.

In the application form, I proposed my study period to begin in April. However, one of the university that I am interested in has the following statement in their website:
" The university will accept MEXT scholars only for the period needed to complete the degree for which the scholar plans to enroll. An additional 6 months of Japanese language training is not necessary for MEXT scholars."

I e-mailed their admission office and the reply that I got was as follows:
" The time of enrolment of is Fall term (beginning in September of each year). So please choose October."

My question is, am I allowed to choose both of the departure dates? Personally, I would like to begin at April, but choosing October in order to coincide with this particular university's intake might lengthen my waiting time to get there. I would really want to start as soon as possible even though the other two universities are OK with both April and October departure.

What should I do? :arghh::arghh::arghh:

 

[Geminz]

Hi All!!

First of all, congratulations to those who passed, haha!

Well, I am finally getting ready to get my LOAs after getting the documents mailed to me from my embassy. However, I am currently in a dilemma and I would appreciate any input.

In the application form, I proposed my study period to begin in April. However, one of the university that I am interested in has the following statement in their website:
" The university will accept MEXT scholars only for the period needed to complete the degree for which the scholar plans to enroll. An additional 6 months of Japanese language training is not necessary for MEXT scholars."

I e-mailed their admission office and the reply that I got was as follows:
" The time of enrolment of is Fall term (beginning in September of each year). So please choose October."

My question is, am I allowed to choose both of the departure dates? Personally, I would like to begin at April, but choosing October in order to coincide with this particular university's intake might lengthen my waiting time to get there. I would really want to start as soon as possible even though the other two universities are OK with both April and October departure.

What should I do? :arghh::arghh::arghh:

Here's the reply I got from the embassy previously for your reference. My concern was the entrance exam so it's a bit different from yours, you may wanna consult with the embassy again regarding your concern.

Q. Can I submit LOA with different admission period? E.g. University A (April) while University B (Oct)
The reason is that some universities held entrance exam twice a year while some others only once.

(A) No. Please be noted that you will generally be sent to Japan as "research student" first for a period of two years (April departure) or one and a half years (for Oct departure) (including 6 months of Japanese language course). During this period, you may sit for as many entrance exams as you wish, until you manage to get yourself in. Therefore, it is advisable for you to choose April for all universities to increase your chances to sit for as many entrance exams as you could.

 

[Cecilz21]

Here's the reply I got from the embassy previously for your reference. My concern was the entrance exam so it's a bit different from yours, you may wanna consult with the embassy again regarding your concern.

Q. Can I submit LOA with different admission period? E.g. University A (April) while University B (Oct)
The reason is that some universities held entrance exam twice a year while some others only once.

(A) No. Please be noted that you will generally be sent to Japan as "research student" first for a period of two years (April departure) or one and a half years (for Oct departure) (including 6 months of Japanese language course). During this period, you may sit for as many entrance exams as you wish, until you manage to get yourself in. Therefore, it is advisable for you to choose April for all universities to increase your chances to sit for as many entrance exams as you could.

Hey! Thank you so much for your help and I was able to get a clearer picture on my problem.

I was quite worried when I saw the section on Qualifications and Conditions where they stated 'scholars who cannot arrive in Japan during the period designated by MEXT or the accepting university' will be ineligible for the scholarship.

I have e-mailed their admission office hoping for an exception.

But I guess we can't have everything our way, sigh. Might have to proceed with September departure, but at the very least, getting the scholarship is the key.

 

[Geminz]

Hey! Thank you so much for your help and I was able to get a clearer picture on my problem.

I was quite worried when I saw the section on Qualifications and Conditions where they stated 'scholars who cannot arrive in Japan during the period designated by MEXT or the accepting university' will be ineligible for the scholarship.

I have e-mailed their admission office hoping for an exception.

But I guess we can't have everything our way, sigh. Might have to proceed with September departure, but at the very least, getting the scholarship is the key.

I suppose the course in that university will be taught in English without any Japanese requirement, and the university is willing to accept MEXT scholars as master student directly, skipping the research student+Japanese class period. This is actually good that it saves your time, unless of course you prefer to take Japanese class.

By the way is this your first choice? If it's not I would suggest to choose your departing month based on first choice instead.

And well, if you passed the interview stage, I personally think that your chance is >90%, unless you fail to secure any LoA or there's something wrong in documents you submitted (e.g. fraud).

 

[Kiraboshii]

Hello!

I just found this forum after searching for how others were going with the LOA process. I've read in a few places that to get placed at Keio, you should only submit that LOA. Is there anyone who has been accepted by Keio in previous years who can confirm/deny this? I am worried because I do have KyuDai on my list of preferences, and if I get both LOA's I don't want to miss out altogether by just submitting the Keio one...

Also, for anyone applying to Keio: have you been able to contact any professors? The only contact I have been able to find has been internal use only. I do have a prof I was talking to at Keio who said he might be able to help me, but because he is in a different faculty he said it might be difficult even for staff to contact each other.

 

[indojindesu]

Hello!

I just found this forum after searching for how others were going with the LOA process. I've read in a few places that to get placed at Keio, you should only submit that LOA. Is there anyone who has been accepted by Keio in previous years who can confirm/deny this? I am worried because I do have KyuDai on my list of preferences, and if I get both LOA's I don't want to miss out altogether by just submitting the Keio one...

Also, for anyone applying to Keio: have you been able to contact any professors? The only contact I have been able to find has been internal use only. I do have a prof I was talking to at Keio who said he might be able to help me, but because he is in a different faculty he said it might be difficult even for staff to contact each other.

Haven't applied to keio, but your best bet will be to contact the graduate school. They can put you in contact with a Professor!

 

[minader]

I got my first LoA!!! clap clap for me

At this point it is sure that I've been accepted by the university right? The professor just sent me a scan of the LoA but no news from the university international office. Perhaps I still need some kind of official ok from them?

 

[Kiraboshii]

Haven't applied to keio, but your best bet will be to contact the graduate school. They can put you in contact with a Professor!

Thank you! I ended up doing that but was curious to hear if other people managed to get to them directly c:

 

[lesychawz]

Just got a LOA from kyushu university

 

[lesychawz]

I got my first LoA!!! clap clap for me

At this point it is sure that I've been accepted by the university right? The professor just sent me a scan of the LoA but no news from the university international office. Perhaps I still need some kind of official ok from them?

It means the university has offered you an unofficial letter of admittence. The letter will only become official after MEXT has agreed to offer u the scholarship.

I think you will soon hear from the admissions office since

however u may not hear from them at all depending on wether yr sensei has already done the process for u

 

[Frida]

I got my first LoA!!! clap clap for me

At this point it is sure that I've been accepted by the university right? The professor just sent me a scan of the LoA but no news from the university international office. Perhaps I still need some kind of official ok from them?

Congrats!
I first also received my letters by email, but later they came through DHL and Fedex. Why don't you contact them and ask them about it.
At least here in my country we are to hand in the originals to the embassy, email copies are not good enough.

 

[lesychawz]

Hey! Thank you so much for your help and I was able to get a clearer picture on my problem.

I was quite worried when I saw the section on Qualifications and Conditions where they stated 'scholars who cannot arrive in Japan during the period designated by MEXT or the accepting university' will be ineligible for the scholarship.

I have e-mailed their admission office hoping for an exception.

But I guess we can't have everything our way, sigh. Might have to proceed with September departure, but at the very least, getting the scholarship is the key.

By the way if u do not mind, which university are refering to?

 

[Cecilz21]

By the way if u do not mind, which university are refering to?

Hi! Err, as I intend to study International Studies.I had a few universities in mind, there's Waseda, International University of Japan, Nagoya and Kobe.

Only IUJ has a fixed admission date in Fall and does not accept research students.

I ended up choosing Fall departure because of some personal issues and I intend to increase my chances of getting into IUJ as well, haha!

 

[kobayakawa]

Dear everyone,

I am happy to share with you the good news. Finally, the Japan Embassy Manila (Philippines) has released the results of the embassy screening this morning and I am very fortunate to be part of the successful applicants. For everyone's reference, here is the content of the embassy email:

"We would like to inform you that you have been selected by the screening committee as one of the applicants to be recommended by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan for the 2017 Research Scholarship Program.

In relation to this matter, please contact the universities of your choice in Japan until the end of August and make the utmost effort to obtain a Letter of Acceptance until SEPTEMBER 24. The number of universities of your choice must be limited to three (3). As soon as you are granted the Letter of Acceptance, kindly send the original document to our office immediately. You may send a soft/scanned copy first, followed by the original document. Kindly advise our office if in case there will be a delay in the submission of your Letter of Acceptance.

We will provide you the documents (Preliminary screening Certificate and 1 set of your documents submitted to the embassy) needed to obtain the Letter of Acceptance. Enclosed is another blank sheet of the Placement Preference Form. Please accomplish the form as soon as you have the name of the universities where you acquired the Letter of Acceptance and submit to us the soonest possible time.

The final decision will be made by MEXT, which will probably be in December. We will inform you of the results as soon as we have them. If there is any change in your contact information (email, mobile number, home address, work), you are required to notify our office immediately. In any instance that you decided not to pursue the scholarship, please send us a duly signed letter of withdrawal to the address stated on top of this letter."

Any Filipino applicants who received the good news today as well?

 

[indojindesu]

Dear everyone,

I am happy to share with you the good news. Finally, the Japan Embassy Manila (Philippines) has released the results of the embassy screening this morning and I am very fortunate to be part of the successful applicants. For everyone's reference, here is the content of the embassy email:

"We would like to inform you that you have been selected by the screening committee as one of the applicants to be recommended by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan for the 2017 Research Scholarship Program.

In relation to this matter, please contact the universities of your choice in Japan until the end of August and make the utmost effort to obtain a Letter of Acceptance until SEPTEMBER 24. The number of universities of your choice must be limited to three (3). As soon as you are granted the Letter of Acceptance, kindly send the original document to our office immediately. You may send a soft/scanned copy first, followed by the original document. Kindly advise our office if in case there will be a delay in the submission of your Letter of Acceptance.

We will provide you the documents (Preliminary screening Certificate and 1 set of your documents submitted to the embassy) needed to obtain the Letter of Acceptance. Enclosed is another blank sheet of the Placement Preference Form. Please accomplish the form as soon as you have the name of the universities where you acquired the Letter of Acceptance and submit to us the soonest possible time.

The final decision will be made by MEXT, which will probably be in December. We will inform you of the results as soon as we have them. If there is any change in your contact information (email, mobile number, home address, work), you are required to notify our office immediately. In any instance that you decided not to pursue the scholarship, please send us a duly signed letter of withdrawal to the address stated on top of this letter."

Any Filipino applicants who received the good news today as well?

Congratulations!!!! Good luck with the LoAs It will be easy for you since you know a few professors already!

 

[kobayakawa]

Congratulations!!!! Good luck with the LoAs It will be easy for you since you know a few professors already!

Thank you! I have already emailed the professors from Toudai, Kyoudai and Meidai who I know personally.

I am hoping they would respond asap (cause it's already summer vacation).

We have enough time to submit LOAs to the embassy (Japan embassy Manila) but we will have about 11 days to do the legwork in securing LoAs from Japenese universities. >_<