September 16, 2011 at 10:02Master and Graduate Studies in Japan
Belatedly, I congratulate all the Khabrovsk citizens for whom this event is not a simple calendar date with the beginning of the school year. I hope a short story about graduate and postgraduate studies at the university where I work now will arouse your interest.
It will be about Aizu University , where I have been working to the best of my strength for almost two years and, if there are no surprises, I will continue to work in the foreseeable future. By the way, in the photo - our campus.
First, a little about the institution itself. This is a small state university (we have a little more than a thousand students), fully focused on teaching computer science and research activities. The university is still relatively young (founded in 1993) and not very famous. The most interesting distinguishing feature of the university is its international focus. Half of the university teachers are foreigners, English is the official language of communication along with Japanese. There are not many foreign students, but by the standards of Japan it is decent. In general, it should be borne in mind that Japan is not the States or the European Union. There has never been a crossing of human flows. There are still few foreigners, and few speak English. Therefore, the project of our university for Japan is unusual and interesting.
In my opinion, the results are still not good enough. I would like to see here more students from different countries, a more diverse and fun communication environment. Therefore, I write :) Frankly, two circumstances poison us. The first is the Japanese love of big names. A typical entrant argues like this: Tokyo University - great, Waseda - great, Kyoto - also super. And Aizu University is the same periphery, what's good there? Therefore, the bulk of our students are those who, for one reason or another, did not get into the famous universities. The second circumstance is connected with the fact that few people go to science, and for most, a university is just a fun break between a rather hard school and no less hard work in the future. Therefore, we are always happy for sensible guys “from the outside” - we honestly lack our own.
However, recently the situation is slowly changing. Last year we had a competition of about five people per place, which is not bad for a technical university. Optimists say that because of the economic crisis, applicants finally began to pay attention to the chances of finding work after graduation, and among our graduates there is a very high percentage of successful hiring. Pessimists believe that because of the same crisis, many people now simply can not afford more expensive institutions (education in Japan is paid). What is the truth - I don’t know yet. Probably fifty to fifty.
This fall we are launching a new graduate wiki, specially designed for informal acquaintance of potential students with us, and employees with each other. The main site of the university is a business card, it is supported by the administration, and making changes there is not so simple. Here, each employee will be able to tell about himself what he wants, to advertise his research activities. While the site, of course, is empty, but I hope to stir people. Everyone has problems with free time, of course.
Now about the admission of new students. We are glad to everyone - undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs. Unfortunately, as I already mentioned, education in Japan is paid. Although it’s not very expensive here, the costs are significant. After all, besides everything else, you need to live on something. Fortunately, there are alternatives. Japan has a scholarship program for foreigners supported by the Ministry of Education; There are also a variety of private foundations. Our wiki site has links. In short, the “core” scholarship program is very good. The winner of the scholarship is completely exempt from tuition fees, receives a subsidy for flights and decent monthly maintenance.
Requirements for students are the most minimal. You must have an education equivalent to a bachelor's degree - a bachelor's degree, or an incomplete five-year plan. Moreover, according to the internal rules of our university, even the direction of the previous education does not play a role - at least chemistry, at least geography. True, in this case, the scholarship is not a fact that they will be able to win (more suitable candidates may be found), and it will not be easy to study. Still, computer science is not the most trivial thing :) For graduate students, respectively, a completed master's program is required. All disputed cases are considered in private.
There are two ways to get this scholarship. Firstly, every year we have a couple of places for people recommended by university professors (that is, we need to get to know the professor and enlist his support). Secondly, one can go on “common grounds” through the Japanese embassy. There are pitfalls here, but overall nothing complicated. And you can have time to try this way and that - university winners are announced earlier than the deadline for submitting documents through embassies. By the way, the closest set of fellows on the recommendation of our university will be at the end of October. The main thing is to remember that the scholarship program is a lottery, and if you did not succeed the first time, you just have to try again! Of course, I will be happy to answer any questions. I will also be happy if you tell your friends about us, including foreign ones.
Probably, it would be appropriate to stick a colorful photo album here and in every way paint the advantages of our regions, but I would probably just recommend looking through the master's website and asking questions in the comments. I will mention only one important point. Geographically, we are located in Fukushima Prefecture, whose name now acts on some as a red rag on a bull (now tell me that any note is good for advertising, except for an obituary). There is nothing to be afraid of. Initially, there were no problems in the Aizu region, except for interruptions in fuel. We are protected from all sides by mountains, and radiation even in the worst of times did not exceed 0.60 μSv / h (however, “superficial” radiation travels with dust and water - it happened that it was almost zero on the asphalt, and in the ditch next to the arrow jumps). Now the background radiation is lower than in Moscow.
Perhaps there is nothing to add. I will not even mention an unforgettable cultural experience, everything is clear :) It's always yours, sensei rg_software.
It will be about Aizu University , where I have been working to the best of my strength for almost two years and, if there are no surprises, I will continue to work in the foreseeable future. By the way, in the photo - our campus.
First, a little about the institution itself. This is a small state university (we have a little more than a thousand students), fully focused on teaching computer science and research activities. The university is still relatively young (founded in 1993) and not very famous. The most interesting distinguishing feature of the university is its international focus. Half of the university teachers are foreigners, English is the official language of communication along with Japanese. There are not many foreign students, but by the standards of Japan it is decent. In general, it should be borne in mind that Japan is not the States or the European Union. There has never been a crossing of human flows. There are still few foreigners, and few speak English. Therefore, the project of our university for Japan is unusual and interesting.
In my opinion, the results are still not good enough. I would like to see here more students from different countries, a more diverse and fun communication environment. Therefore, I write :) Frankly, two circumstances poison us. The first is the Japanese love of big names. A typical entrant argues like this: Tokyo University - great, Waseda - great, Kyoto - also super. And Aizu University is the same periphery, what's good there? Therefore, the bulk of our students are those who, for one reason or another, did not get into the famous universities. The second circumstance is connected with the fact that few people go to science, and for most, a university is just a fun break between a rather hard school and no less hard work in the future. Therefore, we are always happy for sensible guys “from the outside” - we honestly lack our own.
However, recently the situation is slowly changing. Last year we had a competition of about five people per place, which is not bad for a technical university. Optimists say that because of the economic crisis, applicants finally began to pay attention to the chances of finding work after graduation, and among our graduates there is a very high percentage of successful hiring. Pessimists believe that because of the same crisis, many people now simply can not afford more expensive institutions (education in Japan is paid). What is the truth - I don’t know yet. Probably fifty to fifty.
This fall we are launching a new graduate wiki, specially designed for informal acquaintance of potential students with us, and employees with each other. The main site of the university is a business card, it is supported by the administration, and making changes there is not so simple. Here, each employee will be able to tell about himself what he wants, to advertise his research activities. While the site, of course, is empty, but I hope to stir people. Everyone has problems with free time, of course.
Now about the admission of new students. We are glad to everyone - undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs. Unfortunately, as I already mentioned, education in Japan is paid. Although it’s not very expensive here, the costs are significant. After all, besides everything else, you need to live on something. Fortunately, there are alternatives. Japan has a scholarship program for foreigners supported by the Ministry of Education; There are also a variety of private foundations. Our wiki site has links. In short, the “core” scholarship program is very good. The winner of the scholarship is completely exempt from tuition fees, receives a subsidy for flights and decent monthly maintenance.
Requirements for students are the most minimal. You must have an education equivalent to a bachelor's degree - a bachelor's degree, or an incomplete five-year plan. Moreover, according to the internal rules of our university, even the direction of the previous education does not play a role - at least chemistry, at least geography. True, in this case, the scholarship is not a fact that they will be able to win (more suitable candidates may be found), and it will not be easy to study. Still, computer science is not the most trivial thing :) For graduate students, respectively, a completed master's program is required. All disputed cases are considered in private.
There are two ways to get this scholarship. Firstly, every year we have a couple of places for people recommended by university professors (that is, we need to get to know the professor and enlist his support). Secondly, one can go on “common grounds” through the Japanese embassy. There are pitfalls here, but overall nothing complicated. And you can have time to try this way and that - university winners are announced earlier than the deadline for submitting documents through embassies. By the way, the closest set of fellows on the recommendation of our university will be at the end of October. The main thing is to remember that the scholarship program is a lottery, and if you did not succeed the first time, you just have to try again! Of course, I will be happy to answer any questions. I will also be happy if you tell your friends about us, including foreign ones.
Probably, it would be appropriate to stick a colorful photo album here and in every way paint the advantages of our regions, but I would probably just recommend looking through the master's website and asking questions in the comments. I will mention only one important point. Geographically, we are located in Fukushima Prefecture, whose name now acts on some as a red rag on a bull (now tell me that any note is good for advertising, except for an obituary). There is nothing to be afraid of. Initially, there were no problems in the Aizu region, except for interruptions in fuel. We are protected from all sides by mountains, and radiation even in the worst of times did not exceed 0.60 μSv / h (however, “superficial” radiation travels with dust and water - it happened that it was almost zero on the asphalt, and in the ditch next to the arrow jumps). Now the background radiation is lower than in Moscow.
Perhaps there is nothing to add. I will not even mention an unforgettable cultural experience, everything is clear :) It's always yours, sensei rg_software.