Hello friends! I’ve never used Reddit before but I’m hoping that this is the right place to go to find some answers.
I’m currently a second-year college student at a small liberal-arts university in America. My university does not offer Japanese language classes, and I do not speak any Japanese, but I am interested in studying abroad or working as an intern in Japan, either for a summer, a semester, or a year.
My university does not offer any kind of study abroad partnerships with any Japanese universities, so I’m looking at outside programs where I might be able to transfer my credits to my home university. I’m hoping to major in Data Science, but from what I’ve seen, most Data Science type internships require some kind of Japanese language proficiency, and most study abroad programs in Japan that I’ve looked at seem like they emphasize language immersion for students who are learning Japanese as their primary area of study. I would love the opportunity to study abroad to learn another language, but unfortunately I don’t have the finances to study abroad just to learn Japanese, as it is unrelated to my major. Currently, I can’t afford to study abroad if the courses I take do not help me learn skills relevant to my intended career or transfer to my home university and to my Data Science major. I would be interested in taking Japanese language classes alongside Data Science/CS classes that I could use towards my major. I would also be interested in any kinds of internships related to careers in Data Science that don’t require a Japanese language proficiency.
I was wondering if anyone might have any advice relating to recommended programs or universities for students like me/students in similar positions to mine, or advice for my situation in general. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this!
2 comments
There are very few transfer opportunities for post-secondary education in Japan. Both in terms of competitiveness and in terms of most universities just not having them to begin with.
The only good school that I personally know of that actually has a proper transfer process is a single faculty at Waseda, but it’s an economics faculty and not data science.
Secondly, if finances are an issue I definitely wouldn’t consider Japanese universities unless you manage to get the MEXT scholarship – although I believe they accept no transfers either. Student loans aren’t a thing unless you’re a citizen or a permanent resident. There are a few other post-enrollment scholarships but they’re exceptionally competitive and tend to be limited so that you can’t have more than one scholarship or so that you can’t have more than [x] amount of scholarship money to be eligible.
My advice to you would be to finish your degree at home and come visit as a tourist when possible. You can self-study Genki or with one of the numerous apps in the meantime.
Edit: Just realized that you’re looking for internships / bootcamps to transfer credits back to your home university prior to even enrolling? Yeah, that’s definitely not going to happen.
This probably won’t be too useful since you’re American but I’ll give it a shot.
In Canada there is a Canada-Japan co-op program which does work placements through the university. It’s preferred you know some Japanese but not entirely required.
From what is sounds like your best bet is to learn Japanese on your own while completing your studies.
If you’re willing to transfer I’m sure other colleges in the US might have similar work programs.