Finishing my BS in biology (ecology emphasis.) My minor is Sustainability. I will graduate this Spring from a US University, ASU. I’ll be 25F.
My GPA is 4.0 with an undergraduate thesis. I’m in my universities’ honors program.
I’m eyeing Sophia for its English graduate programs/courses directly relevant to my undergrad. Also, it seems like a great school for international students with employment resources.
My goal is to find work in Japan and stay after graduation, that is high priority.
The GRE is a problem for me, which is why I wasn’t planning to apply for U of Tokyo. I have not taken the GRE. I am poor at math, and know I would bomb that portion. (My ACT was 36 English, 35 Reading, 32 Science, and 19 Math 🤕)
I have high grades, recommendations, research experience (name expected to be published on 2 studies), but would have a poor GRE quant.
Is aiming for Sophia too low? Would it be tough to find employment later? I want to work in STEM, but I can be flexible if it helps job prospects. I would be happy with a company that values sustainability and environmental innovation. I just feel I’m limited to graduate schools not requiring a GRE score.
3 comments
>Finishing my BS in biology (ecology emphasis.)
>My goal is to find work in Japan and stay after graduation, that is high priority.
How’s your Japanese?
While *academic* science positions in Japan frequently don’t require fluent (or any!) Japanese, “working” ecology positions are almost certainly going to require a high level of Japanese fluency.
Most ecology jobs require interacting with local volunteers and agencies, and those folks aren’t likely to speak anything but Japanese here.
> I want to work in STEM, but I can be flexible if it helps job prospects. I would be happy with a company that values sustainability and environmental innovation.
What, *exactly* do you want to do, job-wise? Because you don’t mention what sort of career/job title you’re aiming for. Just a generic “I want to work in STEM”. Doing what? Environmental consulting?
I would still apply to UTokyo, even if your GRE scores aren’t that great. It’s mainly a formality for international students. The most important part is to get a lab to accept you, which should be easy with your GPA, recommendation letters, and a good interview.
As for job prospects, I can only speak for UTokyo, but I do think it was an advantage for me. I received a lot of job offers prior to graduation, as did many of my friends (some of which had very limited Japanese). A *lot* of companies are also looking to hire women in STEM from UTokyo, so there’s definitely an advantage there.
Sophia is a well-respected school by both the US and Japan. I attended grad school at Nihon Daigaku…the largest private college in Japan and not very selective. However, I was recruited by two very distinct US govt. agencies (I settled for a private US company). Don’t think that name-dropping is your key to success. It has more to do with ambition and meeting people. Good luck.