Waseda MBA on Monbukagakusho

[thetrystero]

Hi,

I'm 29 yrs old, currently working at a bank and I'm planning to apply for the Monbukagakusho scholarship to study for an MBA in Japan.

Has anyone here done the MBA in Japan? How good is it in terms of course content and rigor? Would you say it's worth it? What are you chances of securing a job here once you finish?
I'm currently most interested in applying to the Waseda MBA (Tech focus). but most of their electives are conducted in Japanese. How does it compare with IUJ, Hitotsubashi or APU?
I know that it probably isn't going to be on par with say Harvard or Wharton, but won't have to worry about paying back loans, and as long as I can secure a decent job in Japan after graduation I'll be quite happy.

Thanks.

 

[explodingmonk]

to my knowledge, MEXT Scholarship covers research programs only. A coursework degree such as an MBA is not generally covered by the scholarship.

Waseda is good but it is really expensive. I would recommend that you consider national universities as they are relatively cheaper.

As far as post-degree employment is concerned, from what I have gathered you must be proficient in Japanese.

 

[kshoo]

Hi Thetrystero,

What a coincidence! I am currently applying for an MBA in Japan, and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to board the plane bound for Japan next year. I also have another friend in the banking sector who expressed interest in the Waseda program.

With regards to the MBA program, perhaps you might want to consider the language first. Most of the universities there do offer MBA, but are mostly conducted in Japanese. The limited number of English MBAs are conducted by Waseda, IUJ, Hitotsubashi and APU. I believe Tsukuba and Osaka might also have English MBAs, but have not gotten any confirmation that it is 100% english, unlike the few listed.

When you say that they are japanese focus for Waseda, i think you might have misunderstood. I believe what they meant to say was that the courses are all conducted in English, but when you wanted to do your research topic/paper, you will need to look for a supervisor, and not all supervisors are 100% fluent in English. This is one matter with Waseda at the moment.

However, from a high-level perception of their curriculum, i believe it is quite on par with other comprehensive 2-year MBA programs out there. I personally have included Waseda as my choice, and have also taken GMAT just to make sure I do make all their qualifications. However, they would still require the student to take a test to officially qualify to their business school even though they have confirmed "accepting" the student.

No comments with regards to finding jobs in Japan, though a graduate from Waseda will definitely help Japanese is understandably a requirement to be able to survive there, even if you may have taken an english program.

This is my 2 cents worth at the moment. Are you planning to take GMAT soon? I have a number of books which i am planning to let go, all 2008 versions. Let me know if you are interested (email me at [email protected])
Titles available:
1) Kaplan GMAT 2008 Premier Program (with CD ROM)
2) Kaplan 2008 Math Workbook
3) Mcgraw Hill 2008 GMAT (with CD ROM)
4) Official Guide 2008 - GMAT Verbal Review
5) Official Guide 2008 - GMAT Review

These books were purchased from Kinokuniya in Malaysia 紀伊國屋書店ウェブストア｜オンライン書店｜本、雑誌の通販、電子書籍ストア, but i suppose you can also log in to Amazon to check out the prices in USD. We can negotiate the prices through email.

All the best.

 

[gao2009x]

Waseda Business School MBA

waseda mba is a horrible mba,, there is no assistance to find jobs upon your graduation i graduated from the class of 2009 and almost all the international class was very upset about waseda mba and the incompetent staff!! i found no jobs (no wonder!), of course i have gone home. don't make the same mistake like me and go to another school instead of waseda! please tell us your stories!

 

[kshoo]

Hi gao,

That's an interesting point from that. Yes, unlike Hitotsubashi ICS or IUJ, there is no direct assistance from the career center for helping MBA students to look for positions. The focus continues to be on the undergraduate students, and in line with the Japan recruitment style.

However, things seems to be changing now. The MBA office are posting more of career information on both the notice boards, or communicating via email on opportunities. They are slowly but surely plugging in the holes. Some of the profs are also helping out by introducing students through their networks, which IMO is even better.

In any case, being a postgraduate student, I wouldn't want to be bunched in together with the other undergraduates if i want to look for jobs. And given that Japanese companies recruiting from the mid-level are still small, all of us need to be more creative in our ways to do this, regardless of universities.

 

[haven11]

Hi Thetrystero,
.... When you say that they are japanese focus for Waseda, i think you might have misunderstood. I believe what they meant to say was that the courses are all conducted in English, but when you wanted to do your research topic/paper, you will need to look for a supervisor, and not all supervisors are 100% fluent in English. This is one matter with Waseda at the moment.
....

kshoo - when will you be required to begin your thesis? ie. do you identify your supervisor/mentor in the begining of the scholarship application? or meaning do we require contact/get approval from mentor prior the scholarship application? thanks

 

[kshoo]

Hi haven11,

You will only start on your thesis after you convert to become a "proper" student in the business school, of which you will need to identify and choose a Zemi (Seminar/Research) sensei for your thesis. This is done at the end of your first semester in the school.

Perhaps I need to explain in more detail. When/If you come to Waseda (or any other Japanese universities), you will need to pass an entrance exam in order to join the course proper (as a Masters or PHD student). Before that, everyone will be known as merely a "Research Student".

The initial desired professor that you put down during your scholarship application is more for reference, with regards to Waseda Business School. You CAN choose to change your zemi professor, because WBS works differently from other Masters or PHD courses. There is a quota with regards to how many students each Zemi-sensei can take, and for the more popular ones, you will need to compete among other classmates to get in. Sensei will look primarily at your thesis topics and its relevance to their own interests before selecting the students.

However, all of this will only happen towards the END of the first semester as a MASTERS student, not when you are a "Research student". So again, the initial information that you put down for the scholarship, is more of a reference from WBS' point of view.

 

[Ajay]

Do you know about MEXT YLP?

take a look at this, you might find if useful.

http://www.iwantscholarship.net/unc...t-scholarship-2010-young-leaders-program-ylp/

 

[haven11]

khoo - thanks for the explanation! ... only applies to waseda.... ok! I think I have posted a few questions on mba experience on other threads... appreciate if you can share yours on waseda...
ajay - noted. will read up a little more... tx
cheers!

 

[kshoo]

Hi Ajay, haven11,

Glad to be of help. FYI, the YLP program is a one-year program, and the MBA course will be held at the Hitotsubashi University ICS. You can google the place to have a look.

 

[haven11]

hi kshoo,
i) is 600 gmat sufficient for waseda? any idea on the range/std deviation?
ii) what is your overall mba experience with waseda since you are graduating this year? ie. courses, professors, employment...
iii) are you in touch with any alumni who's in employment? how do we find these alumni?
iv) I suppose I am to finalize my research topic in the application? and I think we also find our supervisor from the research topic? but what if you decide to change your thesis after being in Japan for 1 year? did this happen to anyone? I mean... its mba afterall, not a science master... topics/interest change... :S

appreciate if you can shed some light. thanks

 

[kshoo]

Hi haven11,

1) Well, WBS doesn't have a "hard" qualification for GMAT, but 600 should be ok.
2) I am actually in my first year this year. As mentioned (or you might have found out in another way), WBS only has one intake for English MBA every year. Even though I arrived in April, I had to wait for 6 months before entering the program. But so far the WBS is quite helpful for me and my own career. It was up to my expectations, taken into account some of the language barriers (note that you ARE taking an MBA in Japan, so you can't expect full-fledged English language fluency like the Western countries). I personally feel that the style of teaching is ok, with the normal bell-curve application similar everywhere else.
3) Alumni network in employment at the moment is mostly linked to the Malaysians in Japan and the Monbusho scholars network at the moment. To be frank, there isn't much help from the alumni perspective with regards to employment, as the system is worked through the official Careers and Employment section. However, WBS is trying to help out by starting to let WBS students know about potential career opportunities. There are some alumni activity, but it might be mostly through your zemi sensei's own students' networks. I am still feeling my way through. When you come (either next month or in September) you will be taking some classes with my batch, so that will help with your alumni network.
4) Not necessary. You can still change your research topic after you join, but you still need to put in something concrete to register some interest in some field. So when you start as an official WBS student, then you will try to match your topic with your preferred professor.

 

[haven11]

kshoo - thanks so much! you have been very helpful!
hopefully thigns going okay... ^^

 

[Knexlage]

Applying for MBA in Waseda

Hi guys. Can anyone walk me through the process of applying for MBA course in Waseda? I am applying for it in this coming January. Is the entrance exam hard?

I am currently 24 and only have 1-year working experience.

Thanks.

 

[kshoo]

Hi, not sure if you are applying for the Japanese or English MBA program, but I am assuming for the latter at the moment. From the looks of it you are currently in Japan no?

From what I understand thus far, the exam consist of essays. This is then followed by an interview (i think it's on the same day). While generally they will prefer students with more experience, Waseda will in general consider everything before accepting. I have fellow classmates who have about 1-2 years experience as well, so it shouldn't be the only criteria that they are looking at.

However, you will also need to work on your GMAT. A better GMAT score will help, of course.

 

[Knexlage]

Applying to Waseda MBA

I am applying for the English MBA program and I am currently in Japan.

My main concern is that since my major for my undergraduate is Engineering, I am worried about the entrance exam as I have only a little background on commerce and economy. May I know some sample questions that you had during your exam? I just want to know how far deep my knowledge on economy and business should be... And I am scheduled for my GMAT this coming November.

Thanks for your help and I really appreciate it.

 

[kshoo]

While it will help to have some background knowledge about finance/accounting and commerce, it is not a requirement. I am also an engineer by training, so it's again one criteria for consideration, and not the deciding factor.

My understanding from a friend is that you can't get any previous past year papers, but you can get sample questions directly from the MBA office in Waseda University. You can either get your application forms directly online or from the office too.


BTW, from which country are you from? Good luck for your GMAT then!