Monbukagakusho Scholarship for Postgraduate!!

[jim84]

i've just submitted my extension of tenure application to my sensei and he said that some applications may not be granted as there have been budget cuts.

oh no no no. That is BaaAaaaD news.....
Budget cuts on scholarship programmes doesn't sound good at all.
seems like the situation is getting more serious than we thought.

arjaysy, kindly keep us posted on the latest developments on MEXT postgraduate ya.
So far we've got no news on our side (new applicants)
For my friends who will be completing their undergrad (on MEXT undergrad scholarship) next april, both have submitted their extension to do Masters. One already got accepted to transfer to Tokyo Uni from Kyoto U. Perhaps they're still waiting for approval on the scholarship part.
Will update you if i hear anything from them.

 

[c0ok1e]

which uni u from?? is there any other scholarship offered by the uni other than monbukagakusho? if monbukagakusho dun give extension then u can apply for other financial aid

 

[menrui]

oh man, i so did not want to wake up to this...

 

[jim84]

which uni u from?? is there any other scholarship offered by the uni other than monbukagakusho? if monbukagakusho dun give extension then u can apply for other financial aid

that is correct, cookie.

But we are still doomed if it applies to our category. we have very limited or no options

 

[menrui]

seems like arjaysy post the same information/question on a seperate thread and gave some more info:
extension of monbukagakusho scholarship tenure

it seems like she was under the assumption that all current scholars will automatically receive the extension if they apply. also, she was unaware that you must compete for the limited, PhD student slots. in that sense, i think when the professor told her "budget cuts", i think the prof was referring to the university itself, so maybe he/she meant there are less slots. i dont think the professor would be able to know if MEXT was making a budget cut, unless MEXT announced it to the public. just my theory.

 

[Eri-ChanRakkii]

hi I'm eri from Dominican Republic and I have applied twice to monbusho, for undergraduated students, I haven't been choosen but I want some advice! I know a lot about the program but i still have bad points that I have to fix, anyone there? would help me?

 

[jim84]

hi I'm eri from Dominican Republic and I have applied twice to monbusho, for undergraduated students, I haven't been choosen but I want some advice! I know a lot about the program but i still have bad points that I have to fix, anyone there? would help me?

Hi,
Actually first of all you have to understand that it is super competitive and very very difficult to get a MEXT scholarship for undergrad due to very small allocation.
In malaysia, I think we have less than 5 recipients every year, out of hundreds that applied.
MEXT scholarship for postgrad have a higher allocation.
In previous threads, i remember reading some stats, something like the success % of postgraduate is 3% and undergrad 0.3%.
So if you don't get it, don't be discouraged. Keep trying, but you may want to consider other options, such as doing your undergrad locally or in other countries that have more scholarships. You may not want the scholarship application to hold back your tertiary education.
After your undergrad, then you can start applying for MEXT postgraduate scholarship if you still wish to study in Japan.


Menrui,
you've got a point. a comforting one for us. haha
anyway, all progressive students need to apply fresh the MEXT scholarship. I'm not sure whether you can call it an 'extension', but continuing students need to first secure a place in university, via entrance exam, getting supervisor etc before applying the scholarship, perhaps the advantage to them is they stand a higher chance.
Regarding budget cuts,
according to my friend, MEXT performs 'budget cuts' every year.
Their allowance have been shed from the initial 137,000yen to the current 126,000 yen within 4 years.

I just realised that we malaysians are having a much much harder time saving for our initial spending of about $3000-4000USD compared to menrui and those from U.S. Our salary is like what, RM 2000? and they in US are earning $2000-3000.
the weak Malaysian ringgit is making us work so hard for so little to gain....sigh

 

[Vyen]

hey, guys...
Calm down...worrying won't make the situation better...
IMO, the Monbusho won't cut the number of scholars since they got a 30,000 ppl's target to hit. I think they will just cut the budget for the monthly stipend, for example to 140,000 yen per month? i saw the monbusho's budget and they did allocate part of the fund in setting up more dorm for foreign students. Maybe they will cut the budget for that instead of the scholarship.
So, better think positively and we will live and work happily for the following months...hehe

 

[menrui]

erichan,
of course we would do our best to help you. but sorry to say, most of us here are going for the "research" scholarship. so you probably know alot more about the application process than we do. anyways, just ask your question and we will attempt to answer it.

oolingfan,
According the the MEXT 2008 "undergraduate" application, the allowance is 137,000yen for the first 2 years, and 126,000yen for the rest. so that was part of the of the scholarships plan, not due to a budget cut haha. equivalent to the "research" students' 170,000 to 160,000yen drop.

compared to menrui

yea... dont even put me in that category. im living off savngs and *cough* mom and dad(and sometimes big brother). also, initial spendings of 3000-4000USD? did i miss something? do we really need that much? if so, im going to be really short...

did you mean 2,000-3,000USD a week? the average middle class earns about 67,000 USD a year.

 

[kimberleylhj]

Quote:Yes, we received the official application for the 2009 MEXT students from Monbukagakusho this week, and we are going to bring it up at the next faculty meeting.:Unquote

From an email I received one hour ago from the university that I've applied to. What a long process.......

 

[jim84]

menrui,
we graduates in malaysia, we earn 2000-3000 RINGGIT per Month.
Young graduates rarely exceed annual income of 35000 RINGGIT, unless they have side income or involve in commission based jobs.

67000USD is a senior manager or CEO/COO's pay in malaysia.
That's how pathetic we are.
And don't bother to start comparing our cost of living. Our honda civic here is RM 130,000. In U.S. is less than 20,000 USD. And bear in mind we're earning 30000RINGGIT vs 67000 USD !
It's a miracle we didn't starve - i'm not kidding. If i have a wife, 2 parents, 2 in laws and 2 kids to feed. I'll be starving now.

K
Back to the initial spending. I take into consideration all expenses that may incur, including the first 1-2 months of spending (assuming the 1st debit of our allowance will be late), a laptop, cellphone (i heard our cellphone cannot be used in japan) some clothings, documentation costs (visa, passport, immigration etc), some appliances and basic furnishing needed there, deposits for our dorm, registration, etc etc. hmm..what else?

 

[Vyen]

Kimberleylhj,
From which university that you received the email? It seems that Monbusho had choose the university for us and just waiting for the falculty's final decision.

ooilingfan,
Talking about laptop, you guys plan to buy which brand? I am considering Sony or Apple from the perspective of service provided in Japan.Plan to buy in the coming PC fair so that can deduct my taxable salary for this year.hehe..

 

[clockworkorange]

Quote:Yes, we received the official application for the 2009 MEXT students from Monbukagakusho this week, and we are going to bring it up at the next faculty meeting.:Unquote
From an email I received one hour ago from the university that I've applied to. What a long process.......

Hi kimberly,

How is it that the university just emailed you? Did they email you just to notify that they have now received the official applications or are you always in correspondence with the university to check for updates?

I've not contacted my professor or university since receiving my LoA. I thought I should wait for the scholarship results. Has everyone been keeping in contact with their professors all these time? I ask cause I don't want to be thought rude or anything else by my professor. I'm sure he's pretty busy. Geez, these things never occur to me.


To eri-chan,
haha...what bad points are those? I will try to help if its within my ability to do so. What are your plans now really?


I've read the posts about money. Very depressing. I haven even considered my expenses although mine should be considerably more as i plan to buy TWO computers - one for me and another for my mum so we can keep in touch. Also, i was thinking that if i get the scholarship, i might want to go to japan earlier (on my own expenses) so that i can get an idea of where i can live - just get a general idea of the place. i was thinking of getting my japanese teacher to act as my guide. I haven actually thought of how much all these would cost me. (though obviously there is a general number in my mind).

Depressing.

 

[jim84]

Kimberlylhj,
all the very best to you.

Vyen,
I'm considering either Dell, HP/Compaq or Fujitsu.
I'm very fussy on laptops so i'm basically still waiting for my ideal laptop to come out. haha
i was hoping to get a tablet(or touch screen laptop) of 12 or 13 inches, with my preferred keyboard layout, weight and at less than rm3000.

clockwork,
seems like you will be spending a lot also...
perhaps you should just go with the crowd, it's cheaper
and can take care of each other on the journey
The dorm shouldn't be too much prob or creepy like malaysian hostels.
My friend just checked in Tokyo Uni last month, so far no complaints, she blended in and is enjoying herself. =)

 

[menrui]

oolingfan,
hmm i guess i should think about initial expenditures more, but im not really needy. but overall, im not too worried about it. i think im willing to wait a month for the first stipend(hopefully). im mostly worried about getting a dorm/apartment. im really hoping to stay in the dorm for a couple of months to settle in. plus, its alot cheaper. honestly, the monthly stipend is about 4 times more than what i spent a month during my college years. so im pretty excited about it.

clockwork,
you should think about living in the dorms until you settle in too. its really cheap and it would eliminate all those early travel expenses. just a suggestion.

hmm, so if they just got our applications, that means they have like 2 months to make their decision. i guess it jsut a really long and hard process. im really curious about how the process actually works. my coordinator told me that MEXT has to "negotiate" with the university about tuition and such. i didnt really understand what he meant. maybe its like an ebay auction? like they are trying to give us away at the lowest price? haha not really sure at all.

 

[jim84]

Menrui,
It is advisable to bring more cash there initially. I was thinking of taking a loan from my mum if i cannot make up the sum.
We're so far away and without any foreign accounts, should we have financial problems, it's hard for our parents to 'save' us immediately.
Never underestimate the expenses in Japan. =p
I'm expecting everything to cost at least double as compared to my home country.
There are also some unexpected emergencies such as if we fall sick or unable to adapt to the food or weather there, then medical expenses is expensive. There are also others, well just in case. We can always save up the extra money we brought maa. =)
Yen is getting more expensive, which is good if we are successful in getting the scholarship.

 

[menrui]

I stayed in japan for about a month last summer, so i have a small idea about expenses of japan (^.^)v .

i have some financial links to my bank accounts and parents. when i was in japan, i was able to use my bank card and credit card at the post office ATMs to withdraw cash. my parents can add money to my bank account or pay off my credit card from home, but i never needed them to. convenient right? also, if i need a loan, i could just use my credit card. but i dont know how i would pay it back with yen.

an advice, do not bring "cash" unless you desperately need an easy access to money. when you exchange foreign money, they can charge as much as 5%(banks, etc) to 10%(airport) of your money. using my bank card from the post office only charged me about 1%, so that was really cool. the next best thing is travelers check, i forgot how much they charge, but it less then 5% for sure.

 

[jim84]

i see...
cool.

if i were to bring, i'll of course bring yen with me

 

[kimberleylhj]

clockworkorange, i haven't been in contact with my university of choice since the LOA too. i contacted them yesterday due to another reason (nothing to do with monbusho), but she was kind enough to give me that update. thought that it will be useful for all of you to know. meaning to say, that the universities are just receiving our applications in within this week. so it takes time for them to further discuss with MEXT regarding tuition fees and all before coming back with a positive answer that we have secured the scholarship.

about spending, i've asked the few japanese/ppl who are living in japan that i know. seriously, it's more than enough for us to lead a decent life there. so don't worry too much guys.

so, are u guys planning to get your laptop in msia or japan?

 

[JapanDream]

Medical Insurance

Hi Guys,

Speaking of living in Japan-- is medical/health insurance part of the Monbusho Scholarship package? Ooilingfan's comment about emergencies and falling sick triggered me to bring up this question and I'm not sure if it has been discussed before. How much does a typical medical insurance policy cost for foreign students in Japan, anyone knows? Thanks in advance!

 

[jim84]

agreed, kimberly
i'm not worried about the money actually, as long as the scholarship is in place =)

about the laptop,
again, my friends' advise is, there's not much difference in pricing. So unless you wish to get a laptop with japanese system, japanese windows etc, for me i would prefer to buy here.
Hopefully can catch up on April's PC fair (which is quite unlikely.....)
I'm not buying in Dec due to the risks of not getting the scholarship eventually (i have a good PC and company's laptop currently).
But i think it's good to plan early, you can set up your system before you go. Backup all your favourite files, photo albums, music, data + get use to it before going there.
I'm going to hunt for an electronic dictionary/translator only after reaching Japan. I saw my sensei using one, quite cool =) she bought it in japan for a few hundred ringgit.
So that's where most of my money will go, haha.

 

[jim84]

Hi Guys,
Speaking of living in Japan-- is medical/health insurance part of the Monbusho Scholarship package? Ooilingfan's comment about emergencies and falling sick triggered me to bring up this question and I'm not sure if it has been discussed before. How much does a typical medical insurance policy cost for foreign students in Japan, anyone knows? Thanks in advance!

I think we will have some form of coverage. Either as part of the fees or whatever.
But it's gonna be minimal, and the claiming and everything is a lot of hassle. cash is always best during emergencies.
I'm not sure my credit cards will still be as convenient there, might just cut all of them before going. Payment is definitely a problem.

Anyways, we can find out how to work out the finances once we secure the scholarship. How to get our bank account, do transactions, get credit cards etc. Shouldn't be a big deal. =)

 

[kawabanga]

I have always thought USD 1000 would be enough to study in Japan with the scholarship. The thought of needing much more than that, as suggested here, has never occurred to me. I really doubt the stipend will be delayed, considering the efficiencies of the Japanese.

Ooilingfan, if your laptop budget is strictly RM 3000, I suggest getting a Dell performance wise, at least that is guaranteed during the first year of purchase. I personally love HP Pavilions for their stylish design, finishing and quality. For the past 10 years, I have had two Pavilion desktops and they were great in everyway, not to mention HP's customer service. Fujitsu is of course well known for its quality. I had a colleague who once dropped his Fujitsu laptop from he's work desk of typical height and it didn't need any repair. A fujitsu having the same specifications with a Dell comes by much more expensive. If I were to replace my one year-old and a half Dell laptop, I will definitely consider Mac, simply because it is impeccable in anyway possible! But I have no idea where to source for the money for one.

 

[jim84]

kawabanga,
get a RM1300 netbook. Go to japan, save up for 1 year. Get a MacBook Air.
=)

I've been using Dell, after 2 systems for more than 5 years. It was pretty good till now, the service and warranty is great. But i was thinking of trying other brands for a change. Fujitsu 10" or 8" tablet laptop seems quite cool at about RM 3699 last PC fair.

 

[Vyen]

guys,

netbook is a good choice if you are not using it for gaming or graphic processing...

about bringing cash to japan, did anyone of you plan to bring a credit card?I plan to apply HSBC or Citibank..thinking that maybe a credit card is useful if we are in emergency situation..