MEXT Scholarship (Graduate Students) 2017

[AruanM]

Sure if you want to join the party you can just drink non-alcoholic drinks and I'm sure no one will mind. However if you just don't like going to drinking parties for whatever reason, I'm sure that other people will respect that too. What I meant to say is, I don't think "never say no to an invitation" is good advice. Just give your reasons so that no one's offended.

I personally agree with you, man. But it's not the first time I've hear that Japanese take some offense from refusing invitations to this kind of meeting. Either way, I don't believe it's a matter of life or death either.

 

[hsark]

Hey everyone,
Yesterday my local consulate promoted an instruction meeting for all MEXT students, informing all necessary information from cultural shock experiences to bureaucratic procedures at our arrival. Really worth it.

From that meeting, I really would like to share with you the following universal advises given by the consulate personnel. Most of them are known to us, but who knows. This might help someone. Here are the tips:

- Never confront your teachers, even when you know you are right on the subject;

That's what I can remember. Thanks for your attention!

I would say be careful on how you handle that, as you will sell yourself short there is a way to tell a Prof. is wrong....., Professor as are also more understanding as your a foreigner but just saying yes yes yes you miss out on gaining an important social skill and will kill you if you every intend to have a global career.

 

[hsark]

I personally agree with you, man. But it's not the first time I've hear that Japanese take some offense from refusing invitations to this kind of meeting. Either way, I don't believe it's a matter of life or death either.

in the office place+ Lab oriented departments its really important as that the place to vent, tell someone you agree or disagree honestly you will never climb the social ladder in Japan without it but you can refrain from drinking alcohol its the same with being invited to an onsen by a family member in Japan

 

[AruanM]

I would say be careful on how you handle that, as you will sell yourself short there is a way to tell a Prof. is wrong....., Professor as are also more understanding as your a foreigner but just saying yes yes yes you miss out on gaining an important social skill and will kill you if you every intend to have a global career.

Agree with you as well. I'm waiting to get the feeling of the situation there, so I can judge these things by myself, too. That list was just what was told to me from people who have been there and done what we will do. But I do believe these situations will change from person to person, too. I understood the warning they gave as something like: "in the western you may be used to have a free dialog with your superiors, but there you should watch what you say and how you say considerably more".

 

[Salpies]

Are you flying to KIX? I got my ticket to Haneda! I was hoping there would be more MEXT people on the plane to get all hyped with.

Edit: oh wow for some reason in my head I kept reading "Hiroshima" as "Hokkaido" this whole time. Of course you'd be going to KIX!

Are you flying direct? I have a massive layover in Bangkok before I arrive at KIX the next day.

 

[Kiraboshii]

Are you flying direct? I have a massive layover in Bangkok before I arrive at KIX the next day.

Yep, direct! I'm so happy because the last few times I've been to Japan have been with long layovers. It seems weird to me that they don't get us all there direct and then do the connections via Haneda, but whatever system they have works, I guess?

 

[hsark]

I understood the warning they gave as something like: "in the western you may be used to have a free dialog with your superiors, but there you should watch what you say and how you say considerably more".

true..you can speak to your professor after class or during drink session if you think he/she is wrong however I`ve found some Professors love foreign students because of this dialogue or exchange ideas.

on the flip side some Japanese students tend to struggle because of this non-direct social norm. when taking classes outside Japan . In my program(Architecture/design) its common for Prof./Teacher to tell your work is crap and you have to defend it directly..... I`ve heard of Japanese students breakdown because of this even if there english level its at 110% .....this game of `when to be submissive` will be one we all have play

 

[butsuriinsei]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask since this is the thread for the previous year's program, but I suppose you all have fresh experience with this.

I understand that the application for the 2018 research student scholarship will open in April, and you'd have to complete the embassy application process roughly by mid-June, so they could screen you and invite you for a test and interview in mid-July. If you pass it, you have up until the end of August to finish up the application process with the 3 universities you've chosen, and then you need to wait for the LOA.

I appear to be in quite a pickle, as far as this timetable is concerned, as I will be finishing my final physics undergrad examinations and lab reports/projects in mid-July, and one of the laboratories is notorious for holding out on the final grades all the way into September-October.

This creates an uncomfortable situation, and while I can mitigate the last problem by making the professor aware of my time constraints, I am very uneasy about it, and I wanted to hear your opinions/experiences on this matter.

Am I even eligible to participate in next year's scholarship, since they require one to have "completed" their studies in advance? Have anyone here encountered such a problem?

 

[madphysicist]

I appear to be in quite a pickle, as far as this timetable is concerned, as I will be finishing my final physics undergrad examinations and lab reports/projects in mid-July, and one of the laboratories is notorious for holding out on the final grades all the way into September-October.

I don't believe this will be a problem. I finished my master's degree in September but in fact the embassy never asked for proof that I'd graduated. Only a month or so ago did the university finally ask for my degree certificate. However if you are really concerned about this, the best thing is to contact the embassy in your country and ask directly.

What you will certainly need is a letter from your university showing you're enrolled and stating your expected graduation date.

 

[Salpies]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask since this is the thread for the previous year's program, but I suppose you all have fresh experience with this.

I understand that the application for the 2018 research student scholarship will open in April, and you'd have to complete the embassy application process roughly by mid-June, so they could screen you and invite you for a test and interview in mid-July. If you pass it, you have up until the end of August to finish up the application process with the 3 universities you've chosen, and then you need to wait for the LOA.

I appear to be in quite a pickle, as far as this timetable is concerned, as I will be finishing my final physics undergrad examinations and lab reports/projects in mid-July, and one of the laboratories is notorious for holding out on the final grades all the way into September-October.

This creates an uncomfortable situation, and while I can mitigate the last problem by making the professor aware of my time constraints, I am very uneasy about it, and I wanted to hear your opinions/experiences on this matter.

Am I even eligible to participate in next year's scholarship, since they require one to have "completed" their studies in advance? Have anyone here encountered such a problem?

I only found out I'm eligible for graduation in February of this year for my Masters. All I had to do was present a letter from my university saying I was on path to graduate by this time and that was all they ever asked for. I didn't even finish my graduation thesis until October of last year and there didn't seem to be any concern from any party. Honestly, you should be more than good to go!

 

[indojindesu]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask since this is the thread for the previous year's program, but I suppose you all have fresh experience with this.

I understand that the application for the 2018 research student scholarship will open in April, and you'd have to complete the embassy application process roughly by mid-June, so they could screen you and invite you for a test and interview in mid-July. If you pass it, you have up until the end of August to finish up the application process with the 3 universities you've chosen, and then you need to wait for the LOA.

I appear to be in quite a pickle, as far as this timetable is concerned, as I will be finishing my final physics undergrad examinations and lab reports/projects in mid-July, and one of the laboratories is notorious for holding out on the final grades all the way into September-October.

This creates an uncomfortable situation, and while I can mitigate the last problem by making the professor aware of my time constraints, I am very uneasy about it, and I wanted to hear your opinions/experiences on this matter.

Am I even eligible to participate in next year's scholarship, since they require one to have "completed" their studies in advance? Have anyone here encountered such a problem?

I was in a similar situation. I'm going to complete my Master's course in May 2017 and will get my degree by July or August 2017.
I contacted the embassy and they told me that they needed a letter from my university stating that I will graduate by May 2017. I have to hand in my diploma by September, I think. (They have mentioned this in the rules saying the October applicants need to have their degree by September but they haven't asked me specifically to hand in the degree certificate yet)
The only point of concern was the departure date. I had to select October departure instead of April, which I was going to do anyway.

The best option is to contact the embassy of Japan in your country.
Hope this helps.

 

[hsark]

I'm just going to add me 3 I just got a letter for my University saying that I had met all my requirement to graduate from my masters. I only got my certificate during the interview phase so it doesn`t really matter

 

[butsuriinsei]

Thanks for the replies. There is another question I have which might sound quite silly. I have skipped a grade in elementary school and so I don't actually have the required 16 years of education to qualify (technically), and I've read that @indojindesu's first time application got rejected because he "only" had a 15 years education. I should note that I'm over 22 years old (I'm 25), but the eligibility section's formulation is very confusing, at least when it comes to what examination I must have completed to be deemed equivalent of having a 16 years education.

In my country, the majority of B.Sc. programs for natural sciences are 3 years long, so even if I didn't skip a grade and had been a regular graduate, I would still have only 15 years worth of education. I'm kind of anxious about this, even though it seems silly, so I would be glad if someone could elucidate me on this as well.

Special thanks to @madphysicist for the very informative and wonderful blog (it helps also that we share the same major, and prior to this I couldn't find any information on physics grad students on MEXT research student scholarships).

 

[hsark]

hey does anyone know which airlines there flying with ??? hoping to fly with emirates or qatar

 

[Frida]

Not sure if it's the right place to ask since this is the thread for the previous year's program, but I suppose you all have fresh experience with this.

I understand that the application for the 2018 research student scholarship will open in April, and you'd have to complete the embassy application process roughly by mid-June, so they could screen you and invite you for a test and interview in mid-July. If you pass it, you have up until the end of August to finish up the application process with the 3 universities you've chosen, and then you need to wait for the LOA.

I appear to be in quite a pickle, as far as this timetable is concerned, as I will be finishing my final physics undergrad examinations and lab reports/projects in mid-July, and one of the laboratories is notorious for holding out on the final grades all the way into September-October.

This creates an uncomfortable situation, and while I can mitigate the last problem by making the professor aware of my time constraints, I am very uneasy about it, and I wanted to hear your opinions/experiences on this matter.

Am I even eligible to participate in next year's scholarship, since they require one to have "completed" their studies in advance? Have anyone here encountered such a problem?

I would recommend that you ask your embassy directly, there are countries where it's ok to present a letter from the University saying you meet al requirenment, while there are other countries, like mine, that will not let you participate in the selection process unless you already have your diploma.

Regarding the 15 years of education, there are many of us that had that "problem" and it was due to Universities offering 3 year courses.
However, if you read the school history part of the forms, there is a small lettered note that sayd that if you skpped a school year or had any abnormal situation on school you should write it and clarify it on separate.
For example, I missed a school year do to moving from one country to another, so I hace a "blank" year between middle and highschool, I just wrote that my family moved a lot diue to my mom's job at that time, and that the school systems where not compatible there and I missed the year.
Never heard anyone ask me about it at all.

 

[indojindesu]

Thanks for the replies. There is another question I have which might sound quite silly. I have skipped a grade in elementary school and so I don't actually have the required 16 years of education to qualify (technically), and I've read that @indojindesu's first time application got rejected because he "only" had a 15 years education. I should note that I'm over 22 years old (I'm 25), but the eligibility section's formulation is very confusing, at least when it comes to what examination I must have completed to be deemed equivalent of having a 16 years education.

In my country, the majority of B.Sc. programs for natural sciences are 3 years long, so even if I didn't skip a grade and had been a regular graduate, I would still have only 15 years worth of education. I'm kind of anxious about this, even though it seems silly, so I would be glad if someone could elucidate me on this as well.

Special thanks to @madphysicist for the very informative and wonderful blog (it helps also that we share the same major, and prior to this I couldn't find any information on physics grad students on MEXT research student scholarships).

A majority of Bachelor's degree offered in India (for pure science and not engineering or medicine) are of 3 years. This 15 years education criteria might differ from country to country (like frida said) .

"You were rejected because you have a 15 year education background" was a vague answer I received from the embassy. They refused to elaborate and just told me to apply after I enroll in a course (which I did).

So it might just depend on your Embassy's selection criteria.
I should add that the procedure changed this year. Until last year the Indian government was involved in the selection procedure , whereas this year only the Embassy was involved and they have categorically mentioned on their website that they need the applicant to have A Bachelor's degree (the year thing wasn't mentioned) So maybe there was some confusion last year.
( Also, its she not he )

You should contact the Embassy and ask this stuff because we can only speculate here.


Also, please remember that there is no harm in trying. If you are not sure about getting selected , dont bet everything on this scholarship. (I did that, took a year off because I was confident that I'l get selected and ended up getting rejected)
Have a back up plan.

You can apply for this scholarship two times in a year, once via Embassy recommendation again in October via University recommendation. Thats another option you can consider if you are worried about your diploma.

If you get rejected in either situation, you can apply again.

 

[indojindesu]

hey does anyone know which airlines there flying with ??? hoping to fly with emirates or qatar

Mostly JAL.

 

[butsuriinsei]

So basically there's no avoiding asking the embassy directly? They have individual consultations and a fairly active email for these inquiries, but the reason I'm asking elsewhere is that I have a feeling asking these sorts of questions might jeopardize my application, in a "if you have to ask you probably can't afford it" kind of way. Of course it's most likely unwarranted, and looks like there's no escape from an official inquiry.

I have a backup plan, of course, but I'm not very enthusiastic about it. If I don't qualify for the embassy recommendation this round, I'll just apply to university recommendation, GSGC/Special Selection, etc., or apply next year (all while being in grad school).

My university is a bit free-form, as in, you don't have to partake in the officially structured program and you may take courses at your pace (though you stop paying tuition and start paying on a per-course basis once your "official" degree term ends), so they don't have an automated process of giving "this person will complete their degree in july 2017" certificates. I will probably have to get a vice-dean or a dean to sign a document like this, based on which courses i'm taking this semester and whether passing them all would qualify me for a degree. Is such a "conditional" document permissible?

 

[madphysicist]

hey does anyone know which airlines there flying with ??? hoping to fly with emirates or qatar

I'm going with British Airways and Finnair.

So basically there's no avoiding asking the embassy directly? They have individual consultations and a fairly active email for these inquiries, but the reason I'm asking elsewhere is that I have a feeling asking these sorts of questions might jeopardize my application, in a "if you have to ask you probably can't afford it" kind of way. Of course it's most likely unwarranted, and looks like there's no escape from an official inquiry.

I asked my embassy loads of probably-a-bit-basic questions, I still got the scholarship. About the number of school years, well I was taught at home until secondary school and therefore did not have any formal years of education up to that point... it didn't seem to be a problem.

I'm glad you found my blog useful. I will try to remember to update it with some info about what it's actually like studying on the MEXT program, since there's not that much information around about that either.

 

[madphysicist]

We had a meeting for scholarship students this week. None of the information is worth repeating, just really obvious stuff like "remember to register your address when you arrive" and "you should really learn some Japanese". I was surprised that most people didn't speak a word of Japanese which is perhaps why the advice assumed we knew absolutely nothing about Japan. Everyone except me is going to Tokyo.

Often people ask on this forum how humanities students are viewed, especially artists. Not everyone came to the meeting but there were more humanities students than science/engineering students and there were a couple of artists. They did seem to have research with a strong link to Japan so I'd suggest to art students they need to emphasise that.



Also just to correct a statement I made earlier on this thread:
Before I posted about the IIJmio data-only SIM card and said it gives you a Japanese number...
well technically it does but I'm fairly sure now that you can't receive calls on that number. So why they told me my number at all is a mystery.

I have found this company that says they'll give you a SIM without needing a bank account and they have English support, but I haven't tried them myself:
Japan Unlimited SIM Card | Fast Unlimited Japanese Data, No Contract!
It's rather expensive but perhaps not much more than renting a phone.

Actually I think my research group will give me a phone in the office so I can use that if I need a phone number. This might be the case for some of you too.

 

[Sosoighile]

I was booked on Lufthansa

 

[Frida]

I finally received my reservation, I will be travelling Mexico-Narita-Kansai April 2nd to arrive April 3rd !!!

Also, some recommendations from yesterday's meeting with ex-MEXT:
1. For those staying at a cheap dorm, save money, you will need it for when you need to move out of the form. Don't spend it all!
2. If someone gives you a bike, before accepting it check at the police station if it doesn't have a stolen report or if it doesn't have unpaid fines.
3. If someone offers to give you their TV, wash machine, etc, because they don't use it/are moving out, check first if it works correctly, and if you are not receiving a bigger problem. Getting rid of those things cost a lot of money in Japan, so people prefer to give them away, but it might become YOUR problem to get rid of it.
4. MEXT scholarship money is deposited through Japan Post Bank, be sure to open the account as soon as you can.
5. Everyone should get assigned a MEXT sempai-tutor, they get paid to help you the first 6 months you are there, so don't be shy to ask for help.


I think that was the most important part of it all everything else was as has been discussed before.

 

[Centuries]

Congratulations all! Reading this thread and seeing everyone succeed has been really great.

I didn't see a thread for this year's

I am hoping to apply for MEXT this year, but I had a question about the three choices for universities... must you have three/did you all put three choices on your applications? I have found two programs that fit my research very well, but not a third. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[indojindesu]

I finally received my reservation, I will be travelling Mexico-Narita-Kansai April 2nd to arrive April 3rd !!!

Also, some recommendations from yesterday's meeting with ex-MEXT:
1. For those staying at a cheap dorm, save money, you will need it for when you need to move out of the form. Don't spend it all!
2. If someone gives you a bike, before accepting it check at the police station if it doesn't have a stolen report or if it doesn't have unpaid fines.
3. If someone offers to give you their TV, wash machine, etc, because they don't use it/are moving out, check first if it works correctly, and if you are not receiving a bigger problem. Getting rid of those things cost a lot of money in Japan, so people prefer to give them away, but it might become YOUR problem to get rid of it.
4. MEXT scholarship money is deposited through Japan Post Bank, be sure to open the account as soon as you can.
5. Everyone should get assigned a MEXT sempai-tutor, they get paid to help you the first 6 months you are there, so don't be shy to ask for help.


I think that was the most important part of it all everything else was as has been discussed before.

We had a meeting for scholarship students this week. None of the information is worth repeating, just really obvious stuff like "remember to register your address when you arrive" and "you should really learn some Japanese". I was surprised that most people didn't speak a word of Japanese which is perhaps why the advice assumed we knew absolutely nothing about Japan. Everyone except me is going to Tokyo.

Often people ask on this forum how humanities students are viewed, especially artists. Not everyone came to the meeting but there were more humanities students than science/engineering students and there were a couple of artists. They did seem to have research with a strong link to Japan so I'd suggest to art students they need to emphasise that.



Also just to correct a statement I made earlier on this thread:
Before I posted about the IIJmio data-only SIM card and said it gives you a Japanese number...
well technically it does but I'm fairly sure now that you can't receive calls on that number. So why they told me my number at all is a mystery.

I have found this company that says they'll give you a SIM without needing a bank account and they have English support, but I haven't tried them myself:
Japan Unlimited SIM Card | Fast Unlimited Japanese Data, No Contract!
It's rather expensive but perhaps not much more than renting a phone.

Actually I think my research group will give me a phone in the office so I can use that if I need a phone number. This might be the case for some of you too.

Thanks guys. Will post your replies on the facebook group too!

 

[indojindesu]

Congratulations all! Reading this thread and seeing everyone succeed has been really great.

I didn't see a thread for this year's

I am hoping to apply for MEXT this year, but I had a question about the three choices for universities... must you have three/did you all put three choices on your applications? I have found two programs that fit my research very well, but not a third. What are your thoughts on that?

You can list only 2 universities. I did that.
And please , go ahead and start a thread for this year's applicants (or maybe i'l start one and paste the link here)


Edit : Created one ! Thread for 2018 : MEXT Scholarship (Research/Graduate students) 2018 | Japan Forum