Hi! I’ve been trying to look for english taught degrees in Japan and came across these two departments from Sophia. Ive got this understanding that FLA is pretty easy to get accepted to but im not really sure if it’s the same for SPSF. I have a limit of applying to only 2 schools so i could apply for both, but that would mean i cant apply to other schools like perhaps Waseda sils. Which department is better or more useful in the japanese workforce if i were to choose just one and how difficult is it to enter SPSF? Thank you!!
2 comments
Hey. I’m a visiting professor and I work at several universities in Tokyo/Yokohama/Saitama. What is your major? What are you studying? Why do you want to attend university in Japan? Are you currently in the States?
The reason I ask is because I wouldn’t recommend Sophia University in general. It’s not considered a “reputable” school and depending on what field you’re going into, or where you want to work, it would be better to attend a more reputable school. If you just want to visit Japan then I’d recommend to study abroad for a semester. Even if you planned to live and work in Japan, having a college degree from an American university looks better on a resume in Japan than Sophia University.
Don’t want to turn you off from applying, but being a professor I just want to be realistic with you.
If you have the opportunity or option to enter an American or “western” university, but instead choose to attend a Japanese university, then you are cutting your future employment options short.
Japanese companies will often look for university degrees from outside of Japan. OR you need to have studied at a “reputable” university here in Japan.
Hi!
I’m a current SPSF international student, 1st year, last autumn intake and here’s some of my experiences so far that i hope would help.
For SPSF, a very important point is that this is a very new program, for 2022 intake would be its third year. Because of this, students must accept that there will be flaws in many aspects. The professors are very nice and really want to be helpful, but tbh everything at some points would seems a bit messy and the prof would also be as confused as you are. The nice thing is that this is a relatively small program, the students are really nice, mostly japanese living abroad or mixed japanese with a couple international students here and there. The curriculum is highly customizable, as you can basically take whatever courses in any departments you want at some point across 4 years, even FLA courses are choosable.
For FLA, it’s much older and also what built the reputation of sophia english course so you can expect it to be more organized and efficient. The student body is definitely larger, there’s also a student association-ish thingy (which is called sophiaexpress on instagram if you want to check it out) so in all senses it’s much more organized than spsf. The course selection for me is more limited than spsf but the quality might be better (haven’t took any fla course just yet so i’m not sure)
All in all, i don’t really think either is more difficult to get into, if you have an ok gpa, with ok sat (not sure if it’s still required) then you’ll have a fair shot at both, don’t worry.
If you have the chance, def check out waseda and keio as they’re the most reputable private school, but up until now i still think sophia is a great choice
If there’s anything more specific u wanna ask, pls don’t hesitate, very happy to help!