Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Postgraduate!!

> menrui
thx 4 u'r advice... sure thing i'll start thinking how to write an apology letter...
i won't send the attachment form to the uni that wasn't in my list... that's kinda suicide
eventhough some prof. instantly agreed to accept me without even asking if i'm choosing others than them

i asked the embassy it seems that the Lo Admission is stronger than a Loa... i would gamble if the Lo admission didn't arrive on monday, it would stay in my pocket

just get informed that luckily Osaka uni could send the LoA for me on time... that means 2 LoA to be submitted on monday..
i'm glad that the osaka uni is on my prefer uni list... you're heading to osaka uni too, right menrui?

> charles
i really envy you... now that you've started u'r study in Japan... ^_^
btw, did you reserved your room before coming to Japan?
riding bycicle to campus sounds fun as long as we settled near the uni..

> nall-ohki
i met a guy who had a similar problem with u during my Mext interview... he also said that he'd been picked as an alternate last year..
it's kinda frustating to hear this... but i'll pray for our luck this year..

> oilingfan
i agree with u... i also had a weird feeling that might be the embassy people are reading these postings
i feel anxious too about the final result... it will be announced in January by the embassy here...
hope that everbody here would passed the the second screening.. ^o^

Yeah this forum thread has been very very active this year as compared to the previous 2 years when it was started in May 2006. And i think its the most active forum related to the scholarship by far. besides those who are posting, im sure there are plenty of other applicants who only visit this forum to read what we have posted. i wonder if we have caused a competition inflation? maybe we will clearly see it next year. Also, if the embassy does monitor this forum, i wonder if they would make the application/interview much more difficult since alot of people already know what to expect.

about research/masters course,
from interview and email exchange with the professor, it seems that they really prefer a student who has the intention of entering a master or PhD course. During the interview, i was questioned about future studies in japan etc. and 2 of my professors stated that they would surely accept me if i intend to go as far as a PhD degree.

cookie,
i have to disagree, i really think they can judge us base on the LoA. its more like a letter of recommendation from the professor. I have "tried" to read some of my LoA, and it really does say alot.

Ours is the most active thread for the year?? So we are actually doing the Embassy a favor by pulling more applicants next year.. We should be a very promising batch since we are so active and in this together lol...

I didnt know what the Professors write because my Japanese is not that good... but they dont know us much so what they write is only based on their own judgement and impression... But if it is based on the letter of acceptance hope i got some good recommendations from them..haha

cookie,
i 'm also curious about what the prof. write in my LoA... since my japanese is lousy i tried to translated it on online translator, here is a good web of online translator: excite . co . jp/world/english. The translation is not 100% exact, but it'd give u slight description on what is written in the LoA. If u had u'r copies of LoA in PDF form, first u have to convert it to japanese text/ word file by using the OCR software... (i recommend ReadIris pro 11 asian version for this; try 2 download the trial version ^_^)

athz,
im not "heading" anywhere exactly haha. But Osaka is my first choice and i really hope i make it in. ooilingfans first(and only?) choice is osaka too. it would be great all 3 of us get accepted there. Thanks for the program suggestion. I was looking for something like it, but i didnt know what to search. By the way, which graduate school/department are you entering?

cookie,
yeah, even if it is only their opinion, they are the professors, so i think it still has ALOT of weight. it is our job to build a relationship with them and make a good impression, even if it is by email...

about the LoA, I read through some of mine. i think there is a guideline for the prof at the bottom... my prof first talked about my research proposal and explained it. then they talked about me: what they know about me; how did we communicate; their opinions about me and my research proposal; how well they think i would adapt to their lab; etc. One of my professors talked about how much he wants me XD .

in other note, my coordinator read through my LoA s in front of me, and then told me that he doesnt think i have to worry too much about it. so that seems assuring.

hahaha... yeah i do mean that ^_^... osaka uni is my 2nd choice, the professor is very nice to me... that would be great if we could gathered there...
i'm purely an architect... but i will be entering the sustainable energy division since the global architecture division's lab is at full capacity.

Menrui,
Ya, Osaka is my one and only choice. Due to my suicidal approach of writing my proposal based solely on 1 professor. Anyway, i took a big shot and really hope the sincerity will convince the prof up till the last stage. (my biggest risk now is that if the prof switched dept or uni, Or changes his mind or something, grant problem, lab problem, capacity full or any other constraints and limitations, then i'm totally screwed...) who can predict what will happen in 1 YEAR anyway. Full of uncertaintees....

Anyway, as i agree with cookie, we won't be penalised of anything from what we post here. But it may affect the next batch and if anything happens to us, lets say we face any problems later, they may reconsider whether to help us.

Kouki,
I felt that as from the several tele-conversations and emails with the embassy, the person do reminded me to be careful especially when i'm quoting the email/phone conversations in my threads. Also they seem to know things that i didn't mention to them specifically, so i got a feeling they found out through my threads as well.

Anyway, this is purely a discussion but we should remember that this website is accessible to anyone, so we might want to be more cautious. Try google your nickname and you'll see direct links to your postings.

Ok, guys, lets continue to wait, and pray, and wait again...

If you make irresponsible posts here, as if you were on record making irresponsible remarks in any other public domain, I am sure that could be used as grounds for denying you the scholarship. Though it wasn't a student applying for a MEXT scholarship, I have heard of an individual who had been accepted to the JET program (also run by MEXT) who saw his offer rescinded after his embassy read distasteful comments he had made on a JET-related message board.

That is not to say that everyone should type as if big-brother is watching over your shoulder, but do be aware, particularly if you want to describe your past involvement with (or desire to continuing participating in after coming to Japan) illegal activities such as drugs, prostitution, etc. The JET I heard of was kicked out for drug related comments...

Charles Barkley said:

That is not to say that everyone should type as if big-brother is watching over your shoulder, but do be aware, particularly if you want to describe your past involvement with (or desire to continuing participating in after coming to Japan) illegal activities such as drugs, prostitution, etc. The JET I heard of was kicked out for drug related comments...

Click to expand...

I do agree with Charles. The person who came up with this forum / thread sure did not intend it to be used in 'distasteful' ways. Regardless of whether or not this forum is being monitored by the embassy, we're all responsible grown-ups and should know where to draw the line, even in this faceless cyberspace. And bear in mind that some people may get offended although the remark might not be made intentionally. Let's use some sensible judgement and show respect the way we want to be respected.

True true.. I agree as well.. This thread is created for people to discuss about their problems in applying and as well after applying for the scholarship.. Any personal comments should be discussed outside of this forum.. We should be a responsible person and that is what the type of people the Embassy is looking for..

I will be the first one to apologize for any wrong post that I have came up with and advice others to follow suit if they have came up with any unrelated discussion..

I get surprised everytime i log in to this forum after a few days of not having done so.

It was very interesting reading Charles' post about living costs and what you do as a research student. Frankly I'm still not clear on what a research student does. What i got from Charles' post was that research students seem to have quite a bit of free time. Or does this solely depend on which university you're going to or the supervisor you're
under? Charles also mentioned that you could do research as a research student. Does that mean doing your own research or helping out the research group with their tasks?
Or maybe I should be asking my supervisor all these questions instead?

Btw, what does it mean by auditing classes?

Anyway, I apologize if these have been asked before. I just really browsed through the messages posted on this forum so i might have missed some answers.

And while we're on the subject of living costs, i went through some websites that had guidelines on how to find reasonable accommodation in Tokyo. It seemed to me that some of these places are for males only. I can't help wondering if its more difficult for females to get a place to live in. I realize the majority of ppl posting here are guys but in case you guys have an idea, i just thought i'd ask anyway.

Also regarding the LoA, I thot I'd share what Ms. Yin told me. (I hope this is allowed since there is the possibility that we're being monitored or something like that - grin.) This is nothing new but if some of u guys are worried about the number of LoAs you sent in (I know i was worried), don't. Well, i dun think u have to. I sent in only 1 LoA from 1 uni. I was worried that this would affect my chances of getting the scholarship. Obviously, it can't be denied that having more than 1 gives MEXT more choice on where to send you. What happens is they go through your documents, contact the universities you selected, find out how many students have already been admitted, what your research is and if they can fit you in, they will. If they can't, they might try to find a suitable university for you.

My opinion is this: That its not solely based on the LoA. Sure, its very important but i think they would certainly consider other criteria: your research, your academic results, your performance on the tests you took and the performance on the interview and what your interviewers had to say about you.

Thats it. Nothing new but thot i'd share.

And, cookie, prostitutes eh?

lol clockworkorange.. So did you apply for Tokyo?? I did not apply to Tokyo U.. About the accomodation and living cost website you mentioned, did it have a list for other places?? Can you post the link here so that we can have a look? Thanks

Clockwork:

I 'tuned' back to the first few pages of this Title, dating back to Jan 2008, where our fellow malaysian seniors have been successful in getting the scholarship.

I notice some posts about a few candidates (some from other countries) submitted only 1 or didn't get any LoAs at all but still managed to get pass the final round as MEXT is able to find them a Uni.
Well, that's some comforting news that MEXT is actually taking the trouble and effort to contact Unis to get students in.

Hmm..."results not based solely on LoA, considering performance in interview etc..."
Kinda worries me as i'm not really at my best during the interview. And my proposal makes me almost impossible to be considered by other universities...

When is February coming??
Why is time passing so slow... sometimes getting so depressed =p

Nall-ohki,

I noticed that you've actually passed the Embassy Recommendation last year June (2007).
May i ask what happened after that that made them put you under a candidate substitute? Is it because of LoA or something happened during the Tokyo selection?

I'm pretty busy these days and that's good to get my mind off the scholarship result for a while. Seriously, I'll faint just thinking about it. February seems like a long time but if we are also constantly working on something now, I'm sure February will come soon. Let's all continue to work together to achieve our goal ya!

To cookie,
I have a feeling most of us in the forum have been to these websites but i'll mention them anyway. I went to the studyinjapan website. They have a section on living expenses if i'm not mistaken. I also went to the Tokyo University website. They have a section on accommodation. I did remember downloading something about international students living in japan, i'm not sure if i have it saved on my laptop at home, if i did i will attach it here somewhere or email it to you. If i don't, I'm sorry but i will try to find the website and let you know when i have the time. I apologize for not being very helpful, i looked for information BEFORE the interview. I don't do it very often nowadays because i'm trying to wait until its confirmed i get the scholarship.

One of the main things that got mentioned on these websites was the fact that they have company dormitories that are quite cheap but only available for males. Also some of the international dorms cater for males only. I might be mistaken - this was information i read quite some time ago but thats what i remember. Hence my question.

And yup, i applied to go to Tokyo Uni.

Hi ooilingfan,
I'm sorry if i have depressed you. It was most definitely not my intention to do that!!! If anything, i wanted to do the opposite. Most of what i posted earlier regarding how they'll consider the interview, academic results..etc is just my opinion. I certainly don't know how they actually go about it but i think my opinion makes sense (well, obviously, else it wouldn't be my opinion). I did not do well in my interview as well and i'm not saying it to make u feel better. I did not. But i'm sure there must be a reason why we passed the interview. I think kimberly and nall-ohki have it right. While we wait, we keep busy and enjoy life. After all, should we get the scholarship, Japan is faraway from Malaysia and no matter how much of a dream going to Japan is, I bet we will miss Malaysia. The food, the ppl, the language, family and friends. Maybe we should spend some time appreciating these things for now. And if the worst happens, there is always next year or other opportunities eh?

I guess what i'm trying to say is: Don't worry so much (i know its easier said than done)....we've done the best we can.

There are also plenty of places only for women--I would actually guess these to be as common if not more common than ones exclusively for men.

Today I had two orientations, one for my graduate school and one for the japanese classes I will be taking, so I will share a bit more about my situation. I will stress however that each university will be different and each graduate school within a university will be different. At my graduate school, for example, most of the classes are taught in English, we decide our advisor after studying here for awhile (it could but doesn't have to be the professor who filled out our LOAs), class size/assignments etc are dictated by the professor, etc. My point is that there will be many things that will vary a lot between schools, so when you read my experiences, please keep that in mind.

Anyway, I have to take at least one class in my graduate school and can take up to 10 classes per year. If I become a degree seekign student, I can apply up to 5 classes to my master's/phd, so I plan on taking two or 3 courses this semester and then using those when, hopefully, I begin as a degree student next semester. I do not think I will be doing any research on my specific project this semester--just taking regular courses and japanese courses.

Auditing classes is taking classes without actually receiving grades. I assumed I would be doing that but it looks like I will actually be receiving grades for them.

As for Japanese classes, after getting the scores from our placement test, I got a big book of classes that I am allowed to choose from. At my school, there is not set schedule if you are above a certain level, so I get to choose when, how many, and what kind of classes I want to take. I will probably take no kanji classes, no writing classes, one reading class, a pronounciation class, a couple of listening and speaking classes, and then some themed electives. Looking forward to all of those.

I will be packing my schedule to make myself busy and take advantage of all the opportunities here. But you could very very easily not do that. I would only be required to take one class at my graduate school, could get away with maybe 5 hours of japanese classes per week, no research, and have no problems. That would be the minimum requirements (at my school, remember yours may be very different).

It looks like eventually I will be part of a research team, probably doing my own specific research related to a large group theme. I am not sure about that though.

Tonight I will be reading through the course catalogs and trying to figure everything out....

clockworkorange said:

After all, should we get the scholarship, Japan is faraway from Malaysia and no matter how much of a dream going to Japan is, I bet we will miss Malaysia. The food, the ppl, the language, family and friends. Maybe we should spend some time appreciating these things for now. And if the worst happens, there is always next year or other opportunities eh?

Click to expand...

Make it a memorable wait. Tell the people around you how much you appreciate them. Imagine how you'd feel not being able to stay up late and go out for a quick bite at late nite hawker stalls after you go to Japan. (no more easy access to nasi kandar, teh tarik, char kway teow, satay, roti canai, nasi lemak,etc) Imagine how you will not be able to celebrate the festive season with your family for a few years. Cherish the things that you won't be able to do after going to Japan. Spend more quality time with your family and the people that really matter to you. Visit places in Malaysia that you have always wanted to visit but didn't find the time to.

Japandreams' suggestion is a good one.. Maybe take some pictures with all your friends and family because you will be going there for quite some time.. But I do not recommend doing that now.. Imagine how disappointed we will be if we do all that and then told that we didnt manage to get the scholarship.. It would be like the end of the world..haha

c0ok1e said:

Japandreams' suggestion is a good one.. Maybe take some pictures with all your friends and family because you will be going there for quite some time.. But I do not recommend doing that now.. Imagine how disappointed we will be if we do all that and then told that we didnt manage to get the scholarship.. It would be like the end of the world..haha

Click to expand...

haha, EXACTLY, cookie
I have thought about all those but i'm afraid as i do that i will really assume that i'm going in April for sure.

Maybe i'm pessimistic, maybe i'm not good enough to separate 2 emotions, and maybe i'm just lacking confidence.
Whatever it is, i'm not that kind of 'cool' person who can just "pick it up and put it down easily"
I take things a bit too seriously and have high expectations in everything i do. But with that comes passion and undivided dedication.
I find it quite hard to maintain detached and unemotional while putting in all my energy and effort. Bottomline, i'm emotional. =) but passionate.

clockwork,
don't worry bout it. It's not because of you.
I'm depressed solely because of my emotions.
When i'm trapped in between uncertainties, i feel depressed easily.
I too wish we will see each other soon.
perhaps some of us will be studying Japanese language together before departing to respective universities in Oct 2009.
Fingers cRoSSeD, and tied up. (keep it crossed)

Yup.. Lets just wait and hope together siliently.. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever get to meet the people in this forum..haha.. Not knowing each other in real life when we really do meet in Japan, we still dont know we actually talked so much before..lol

Charles,

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. I understand how it will be different depending on the university but at the very least, i have a general idea of what its like as a research student. It seems to me that the more adept you are at Japanese, the more likely you'll have an easier time there. And i don't know how sad this makes me but the idea of going through course catalogs deciding what to take excites me terribly.

Well, i wish everybody the best of luck. I actually applied to go in October instead of April so i still have quite a long wait to go even if i do get the scholarship. But no matter. Life doesn't begin AFTER you get the scholarship (actually if you go there and find yourself under a heavy workload, i think your life kinda ends). I'm trying to use the time to learn a bit of Japanese. Anyway, here's hoping for the best for all of us.

just curious..do u mind to share why you chose to go in OCtober?? Dont you want to experience it earlier?

clockworkorange said:

It seems to me that the more adept you are at Japanese, the more likely you'll have an easier time there.

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An important point and one that I am quite surprised some people don't seem to have considered enough before coming over. There aren't a lot of people like this, but I have met MEXT scholars who are surprised that their quality of life will suffer considerably if they don't have the japanese skills.

Getting things done quickly and efficiently; meeting people; feeling like you are aware of and a part of things; etc etc, all require a certain degree of Japanese proficiency.

If you aren't at that level yet, use the time you have now to study study study. Get a tutor, attend classes, etc.

You will thank yourself later (and it should be fun for you now)

I am trying my best to learn as much Japanese as I can. I take classes once a week nowadays (not enough, i know, i work irregular hours on weekdays) but i find it difficult to improve because i don't have anyone to practise speaking Japanese with outside of class. One of the things i thought would help me was to buy Japanese books. I can read hiragana and katakana so i bought those really simple children storybooks to read. It was all in hiragana. I could read but i didn't understand very much without the dictionary. All this frankly alarms me.

I also buy this self practice kanji books but i dunno how much it will help me. So anyone with some suggestions would find me very grateful!!!!

Cookie, my reasons for wanting to go in October:

1) So that i can learn a bit of Japanese before i go. I notice alot of the ppl here know some Japanese and most of the Malaysians know Chinese. I think being able to read Chinese would give you a good advantage in learning Japanese kanji. I don't know ANY Chinese or Japanese so i thot i'd give myself some time to learn the latter.

2) I want to gain more work experience. I'm an engineer and work experience is important as an engineer (actually work experience is important regardless of what profession you're in). I wanted to go to Japan with at least some work experience. I don't know what the possibilities are for getting an internship with a Japanese company as a graduate student there, I haven't researched anything but the possibility did occur to me. I didn't want to work for 5 years and then apply for the scholarship because by then i might have commitments.

3) To me going in April would bring the total years spent in Japan to 4 years. I know this is not necessarily the case but this is my assumption. I find this is rather long for a Masters. My worry is about the difficulty of finding a job once I get back to Malaysia. Having said that, if i do have to go in April (assuming i get the scholarship), I will. This is an opportunity rarely given.

So those are my reasons. Some of you might disagree with them but its just my opinion, really. i'm not saying going in October is any better than going in April. It just depends on what you want and what your perspectives are.

Charles,
How much Japanese do we need to know before going over that can be considered as suffcient over there?? I am not fluent in japanese and I cant read chinese as well.. I only have a JLPT level 4 so I am really not sure if my level is enough although I feel that wont be enough..haha.. care to share how basic we need to know before going over?

clockwork,
You mean masters in engineering takes 4 years in Japan?? Thats a very long time for just a masters..However, since you are already working and comfortable with your job, I think the time you choose to go is not important anymore..lol