Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Postgraduate!!

Hi there. I have some questions here, I hope someone would help me to answer it.
My situation is I was missed out the MEXT scholarship for 2010 (I wasn't graduate yet that time), and I wish to apply MEXT in next year.

1) I saw many times of "Letter of Acceptance" in this forum (forgive me, I have not read through all the posts coz 112 pages for me!!), what is that? Letter from Embassy upon successfull received a scholarship? Am I need to contact my prospective supervisor and ask him to write this letter for me if he is willing to take me before I can apply the MEXT scholarship in next year? So I can attach it for Embassy, and they will select me as one of the recipient? Actually I did contacted my prospective supervisor, he is quite positive on taking me as his student, so should I ask him to write the "Letter of Acceptance" to me for next year MEXT application?

2) I know that we could apply MEXT scholarship via University Recommendation, right? So would it be higher chanced for getting the scholarship? Limited quota for MEXT, as I know 30 places for postgrad study in Malaysia, even it is subject to change, but sounds insecure to me. I don't have proper Japanese learning background (my level just remains somewhere in manga/anime and drama only).

I hope to see a reply from u guys soon.
thanks in advance.

akira: The letter of acceptance is (in the US, anyway, and I'm assuming it's the same elsewhere) a document that the Embassy will give you if you pass its preliminary screening. You then send it off to your potential advisor to be filled out. Unless you pass the tests and interviews, the LoA isn't something you need to worry about.

I'm not sure if university recommendation has a higher chance...either route is very difficult to obtain. I went the embassy recommendation route, and was lucky enough to pass the preliminary screening. (I can't emphasize the "lucky" enough. I have no idea how they made some of their decisions.)

akaitsume1 said:

akira: The letter of acceptance is (in the US, anyway, and I'm assuming it's the same elsewhere) a document that the Embassy will give you if you pass its preliminary screening. You then send it off to your potential advisor to be filled out. Unless you pass the tests and interviews, the LoA isn't something you need to worry about.

I'm not sure if university recommendation has a higher chance...either route is very difficult to obtain. I went the embassy recommendation route, and was lucky enough to pass the preliminary screening. (I can't emphasize the "lucky" enough. I have no idea how they made some of their decisions.)

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akaitsume-san, thanks for reply me... hmm... so the letter of acceptance is actually issued by Embassy which shows that applicant is qualified to accept the scholarship so that I get my "chip" to negotiate with my prospective supervisor (like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties).... if that supervisor is willing to take me as his student, so i can just skip the interview and tests? hmmm.... I thought every applicants are required to attend EJU test and interview before they make the final decision, am I wrong?

actually...i thought a LoA is like an offer letter... i was wondering though, does everyone have to sit for the japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

akira0404 said:

akaitsume-san, thanks for reply me... hmm... so the letter of acceptance is actually issued by Embassy which shows that applicant is qualified to accept the scholarship so that I get my "chip" to negotiate with my prospective supervisor (like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties).... if that supervisor is willing to take me as his student, so i can just skip the interview and tests? hmmm.... I thought every applicants are required to attend EJU test and interview before they make the final decision, am I wrong?

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Hi AKira, so I just curious what do you mean by skipping the interview and test ? did you mean the test for becoming a degree student ?

I think the answer in general is no..even after you've been accepted in the university, assuming your come there as a research student , you have to go through some test to be accepted as a degree student, well I think most applicant did this although there are some who come there directly as a degree students or eventually become a degree student without taking any test and also some who prefer to become just a research student.

(like gamble, isn't it? so many uncertainties)

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Oh yes....I agree with you on this but I must say...you have to deal with this situation whether you like it or not..Pardon my words because I kinda sensitive with this issue especially now because I did take this gamble (in my case the biggest gamble yet I have take in my life so far) despite the risk and the low percentage for me to passed even for passing the embassy selection and believe me I do afraid of the consequences if I failed, my only driving motivation was because studying in Japan had became my dream and it's beats my fear. I believe all of the applicants who apply for this scholarship know that there are nothing certain in this process (and I do believe there nothing certain even in this life), there always be risk and all.

does everyone have to sit for the Japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

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in Indonesia, it's mandatory..although they did announce after 10 minutes the test sheet have been given, for anyone who already gave up working on the Japanese test can just collect the sheet and go home after 30 minutes has elapsed
I myself only answer 5 of 20 answer on the Japanese test

thanks for arap, hmmm... maybe my assumptions are wrong. Let me put in this, if i get the LoA, meaning I hv passed the EJU and interview section as preliminary selection, am I wrong? so I just need to find my prospective supervisor after that, isn't it? If he/she accepts me as one of his/her student, i just need to wait for another letter (addmission letter) from the uni, am I right? so, how about the entrance test of the uni or interview? do i need to go thro these 2 procedures? forgive my ignorance, if i was wrong.

silveraven said:

actually...i thought a LoA is like an offer letter... i was wondering though, does everyone have to sit for the japanese test for the scholarship? or is it optional?

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In Malaysia, it is not mandatory to do so. But then of course, your knowledge in the Japanese Language would be an added advantage.

hi ,
i am a new member , can u please guide me as to which colleges are the best for doing masters in technology in computer science branch.
i am an engineering graduate and i have good academic record consistently as well as good extra curriculum and co - curriculars .
also can u please tell me were to contact and when to contact for the MEXT scholarships in INDIA . what is the procedure and what are the deadlines and were to contact.
also i wanted to ask in which college are good and its details , also can u tell me the average cost and will it be better for me to come as a research graduate or directly for masters ..
please do tell me
hoping for your kind reply ,
thanking u
bharat

Hi Akira0404,
Similar with you, I am also interested in applying for the Monbusho scholarship and hopefully entering the graduate school in year 2011.

I am thinking if we would have higher chances when we have already determined which Univ and which professor will guide us along the way while doing the course/research.

Questions to helpful forumers:-
1) Is it possible to get into Masters/PhD without going through the process of being a research student? How is that?

2) Having working experiences already, possible of skipping Masters and go straight to PhD?

Thanks fellows~

hi HappyAQ, nice to see a person who has same goal as me! however, i dont sure bt the research student and personally think it is possible to skip. i dont know, maybe i am wrong... sorry, couldnt help u...

bharatsriv,
I dont know which university would be good for your field, sorry.
There should be a website that you can visit provided by your government... I did a quick search and found the following link:
http://www.education.nic.in/scho_announcements/Japanese2010.asp
good luck

HappyAQ,
yes it is possible to skip the research student phase. I'm not completely sure about the details, but its up to your prof and the department. your embassy can only send you there as a research student i think.

menrui said:

bharatsriv,
I dont know which university would be good for your field, sorry.
There should be a website that you can visit provided by your government... I did a quick search and found the following link:
http://www.education.nic.in/scho_announcements/Japanese2010.asp
good luck

HappyAQ,
yes it is possible to skip the research student phase. I'm not completely sure about the details, but its up to your prof and the department. your embassy can only send you there as a research student i think.

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It is possible. Menrui is one example.
First you have to understand that the purpose of Research Student stage is to: 1. Build up your Japanese Language proficiency 2. Give you sufficient time to prepare yourself/catch up on your research field to fill up any gaps between your current level and Master's/PhD. Some tough fields like Japanese Literature/Arts subjects requires a student to undergo 2 full years of research student before admission into regular Graduate School.
So to skip it, you have to prove that you surpass the above 2 points
There are a few scenario leading to this situation:
1. Your Japanese proficiency level is superb that you can read, speak and write academic related texts. Or at least possess JLPT level 2 and above.
2. Your Japanese proficiency is enough to survive/carry yourself through your years in Japan.
3. Your program is fully conducted in English, and your labmates/professors/faculty members all speak english that you won't have a communication problem.
4. You are way way qualified for the Graduate program and no preparation is needed for the entrance exam (90% of the time, an entrance exam is still inevitable), some tough programs, like political science has very low entrance exam success rate, most int. students will have to fail a couple of times before passing, so that will take you 1-2 of Research Student years.
5. Your professor is convinced that the Research Student year is a total waste of time for you and he wants you to start your work immediately. (as in Menrui's case i suppose =p)

To sum it up, the person MOST concern about your qualifications in terms of language and professional skills is --> your supervisor. If he's satisfied with you and willing to back you up. Nobody will object. Cause ultimately, you will affect the integrity and efficiency of his research.

However, bear in mind one point that this decision is being made between your professor/uni with MEXT Japan when they communicate with each other some time around Oct/Nov. The Embassy won't entertain you on such issue during your application. So if you want to be exempted, talk to your supervisor, simple as that.

Wakaru?

oh one more thing, don't compare japanese university system with M'sia's.
You will get frustrated on why certain things can be done in M'sia but not in Japan. So don't, they are just different.
If you are really in a hurry to complete your degree, do it in M'sia. You can skip Master's easily.
And no, though i don't have evidence, I am convinced that Japan Uni won't allow you to substitute working experience for a Master's Degree. There are many who came here at 30years old to do their master's. If they can substitute working experience, they would've.

@menrui
thanku for taking out your precious time to solve my query and it is dearly appreciated , please can anyone suggest me how should i contact the professors of my chosen institutes , and what are the contents of the e mail. also can some one guide me about the steps as to how to write a research proposal

The best way to contact professors is by going to each university's website, and then to your chosen graduate school.

In the grad school's website, for example, the Tokyo University Graduate School of Economics, you should be able to find a faculty directory with each professor's research interest and emails.

good luck!

thank you @NeoXtremeX
, i have followed your advice and i have gone through many universities websites and have noted many relevant email id's of professors .thank you it really helped a lot, now can you tell me which are the best universities of pursuing AI ( artificial intelligence) and NLP ( natural language processing), as i although i have gone through many sites but i can't decide up on the best one here. your guidance is needed , also can u tell me how to write a research proposal for the relevant fields

Thanks ooilingfan and menrui's advice.
I think the first step I should do from now till April is to contact the professors and narrow down the research topics that I want to work on.

Try for Univ. recommendation and then for via embassy.

Thank you for all the help~~ Good luck to you guys in your postgraduate studies~!

One humble request, probably menrui or ooilingfan or successful monbusho scholars could share your postgraduate experiences in Japan? That would definitely be a good sharing for us applicants~

im in the lab all day and im incapable of getting a girlfriend

bharatsriv said:

thank you @neoxtremeX
, i have followed your advice and i have gone through many universities websites and have noted many relevant email id's of professors .thank you it really helped a lot, now can you tell me which are the best universities of pursuing AI ( artificial intelligence) and NLP ( natural language processing), as i although i have gone through many sites but i can't decide up on the best one here. your guidance is needed , also can u tell me how to write a research proposal for the relevant fields

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Honestly, I know nothing about AI or NLP besides basic stuff, so I wouldn't be able to help you out with that request. Because of that, I wouldn't be able to help you with your research proposals either.

Try using the search function for this board or perhaps looking at japanese university rankings for the science departments. However, one thing i must say is that you can't go wrong with any of the former imperial universities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Tohoku and so on...

menrui said:

im in the lab all day and im incapable of getting a girlfriend

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I think that's a "problem" easier to address than those you face at the lab. True story.

@neoexremeX and@Menrui
thank you very much for your kind and patient reply , finally i ghave rounded about 10 mAIL ID'S and 4 universities for my prospective masters from japan, now i think i will start the second stage that is contacting the individual prodfessors and try to get a recommendation from him / her. but basically i am facing a dilemma in writing my research proposal , can any one of you guide me , can u tell me what have you people written in yiur research propsal and what points to be included, i just want to have a basic outline as i will write the research proposal in my field of interest on my own.
your help will be deeply appreciated
yhanking u
bharat
mail me at :- bharatsriv(at the rate of)gmail(dot)com

Bharat, a research proposal is a formal document specifying your research theme, its need, your research methodology, any previous work done in this field (briefly) and references. I can provide you with one example from University of Tokyo, http://www.iba.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~caranha/projeto-child.pdf , I used this one to get started. Once I am done with this whole MEXT scholarship business, and if I am successful, I shall also post my own research proposal and other documents here. Further I will also suggest you to start searching on the internet regarding your research theme and finally specific topic on which you might want to work. Though be forewarned that your prospective guide may not exactly let you work on it, mine (though not confirmed nothing is solid till I get a green from MEXT in Japan) hinted me by saying in his initial reply that he is willing to have me in his lab given I am open to other topics. Lastly as your fellow countryman I will suggest you to what I call, doing the hardwork yourself .
Here are some general tips, you might know them beforehand and others may share more of them too.

1. While searching in Google, use site specific filter to narrow your search. eg, if you are interested in tokyo university use <yoursearch> site:u-tokyo.ac.jp you will be surprised at how many things people post but it slips because you are not looking at the right place.

2. Use IEEExplore for finding interesting papers. If you dont have access to it because of your college not having it you can also try looking at the researcher's homepages. Another good source is google books. You can preview books and at times that is the only thing you need. Though it may be considered as a bit immoral by copyright fanatics

3. Choose a theme first, say data mining in AI, then find all the profs in that area working on that theme. Look at their research topics, publications etc. See how you can fit in. There is an aweful lot which you can find about them this way. Also you can look at their old version of pages to find about people who worked there earlier. You can use internet archive website for this.

4. Next choose a topic which is being studied by a sufficiently large number of professors. Mail them specifying your interest in working under them, tell them that you will also be applying for the MEXT scholarship, lastly ask if there are any positions for research students or graduate students available in their labs.

@Ajay SIR
thank u sir for great words of wisdom , it really catapulted my preparations to a new level , i am trying to implement your advice and trying to write a decent reseqarch proposal , when it is complete i will send it to you for review , please review it then . also sir , i wanted to know in which field are you going to do research

proof of presence

Hi there
I'm also a scholarship grantee of this year. Thanks a lot to those who posted here during the process as I could get a lot of information from you when I needed it.
I just received all 3 LoAs and brought them to the embassy. They said the final answer from MEXT will come on February, and that they might contact me before that only in case there is a missing document in my application, which happens normally when the MEXT contacts other universities than those you mentioned in your "attachment" document by order of priority. So if you get no information before february it's a good sign. From then on I'll be waiting and trying to find a cool job, and more than anything else enjoy the time I have left before next April as I should be overwhelmed by work the moment I'll enter the lab I chose...
I have a question for those of you who are studying in Japan now : I read that you have to prove your presence every month for the scholarship to be given to you the following month, how do you do that ? Does your advisor also have to do anything for you to continue getting the scholarship ?
Thanks,
JM

-You "prove your presence" by going to the office and signing something.

"Does your advisor also have to do anything for you to continue getting the scholarship ?"

-um, i dont think he/she has to do anything once you are in, besides acknowledge that you are part of the lab. to extend the scholarship, he/she has to sign some paper work.

hehe sounds like you are trying to run off with the scholarship

hehe sounds like you are trying to run off with the scholarship

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I hope he doesn't plan that...in my case, it left a bad, if not worst, experience yet in my life

menrui : thanks, it's true I'm planning in last resort, if I can't handle the workload, to run off with the scholarship ^^

..Just kidding, in fact I heard you might be in certain cases forced to give all the money back in case you're judged unable to complete the curriculum !

I'll do my best of course !