I came to Japan with my parents when I was younger, and have lived here for a bit over a decade. It’s now almost time for me to choose where I want to go to university. I feel lost.
Firstly I should mention that I want to study Computer Science and Robotics at a Bachelor’s level.
Obviously going to a good Japanese University first comes to mind. But there’s a few issues.
Firstly, my parents are wayyy against it. In their mind, they believe Japan is not a good country to stay in for higher studies, or for job prospects in the future. They don’t like the work culture here and the “mentality against foreigners”. Also they believe the economy isn’t going to be very stable in the coming years (which I mean, isn’t that everywhere right now?) Essentially, they think I won’t have a future here.
Secondly, I never really tried to blend in. I went to an international school all my life. I never really made any close Japanese friends or learned the cultures/traditions properly. Also it’s embarrassing, but even after 10 ish years my Japanese is still at a very basic level, I’m talking N4.(I regret not making more Japanese friends in middle school, maybe it would’ve been better then)
Ofcourse for university it doesn’t matter as English courses are available, but general life and fitting in is going to be a pain, as well as part time jobs etc.
My parents are thus encouraging me to move abroad, specifically the US/UK/Canada and study there. I’m a bit sceptical of this as I know the fees to move, settle and study in a foreign country are massive and money is kinda tight right now. But I should add, it’s always been a dream of mine since I was young to go to the US, because as I grew up I was surrounded by US culture.
But I feel like ot wouldn’t be a bad idea to atleast finish my bachelor’s here, then try hard to move to the US for a job. Plenty of graduates from my school have done that.
So here’s my dilemma. Do I try to convince my parent’s to study here, really try to learn the language, study for the EJU and graduate from here?
Or should I take SATs and IELTS, apply to North America, and try to get a student visa there? What about elsewhere, like Europe?
Please, if anyone has experience/advice, help me out. Thanks.
Edit : Hey everyone thanks so much for all the great advice. I realize now that going abroad is probably my best bet rather than staying here, but I’ll continue to research as some suggested. I can’t reply to everyone but THANK YOU SO MUCH this really cleared the fog for me, it means a lot.
25 comments
Unless you get into a high level school here, you will definitely be better served at a college overseas.
If you want to study CS and Robotics, you’d be much better served by a US or UK university than a Japanese one, especially without fluent level Japanese.
If you don’t speak Japanese and don’t plan on working in Japan then it’s pretty obvious you should go to university abroad. This is a very easy decisoin.
If you want to work overseas, I would think going to a uni there and making connections would serve you better. If you plan to work in Japan, and your current Japanese ability is enough to work in tech (I hear you don’t need as much Japanese as other professions but I’m not in tech so I wouldn’t know), then you should study here.
In either case, it’s fine to listen to what your parents have to say and think it over as guiding advice, but in the end, only you know what is truly the best for you, so you need to make a decision you will be comfortable with. Your parents might have valid concerns but it’s your life to live, not theirs.
I dmd you my own experience regarding this but for anyone else wondering just a small summary.
If you can go abroad for university do that. It’s not worth wasting your time studying for センター試験 and then 入試試験 of each university when you can go to foreign universities with a much simpler test sometimes even without needing to study unrelated things such as 国語 and 古典.
For bachelors there’s not much scholarships and UK, Canada, US can get quite expensive tuition wise so it’s better to look for European universities which are much cheaper most of the time.
Your parents are right. You’re not Japanese and don’t speak Japanese so why stay in Japan – your entire time in Japan has been leading up to studying abroad. If they’re willing to find the money then listen to them.
> it’s always been a dream of mine since I was young to go to the US, because as I grew up I was surrounded by US culture.
Seems like just going to study in the US is a better path for you? You missed an important boat by not learning Japanese when you were younger, as a child in Japan. Now you’ll need to make extra effort to do something you don’t really wanna do anyway. It’s going to be hard as your only motivation is:
> But I feel like ot wouldn’t be a bad idea to atleast finish my bachelor’s here
You mention that your parents believe that there is no future for you here, but what about your views? Do you still want to live in Japan in the future? You might not be fluent in Japanese now, but there is still time for you to learn, and being good in another language aside from English is always a plus.
On the other hand, study abroad is a good too if you want it, but you said that money is tight. If you study abroad, will you have your parent’s financial support? Maybe the choice doesn’t have to be black and white i.e. Japan vs US university. Have you looked up the possibility of exchange programs or double degrees? That way you could experience both. There are also the option of going abroad to a country where higher education is cheap or free (some European countries like Germany are like this, but usually this comes with language requirements).
Excellent advice above, but I would add that you should try to improve your Japanese as well before going. You never know what opportunities might come your way and an extra language is always and asset.
1. Where do you want to live after you graduate?
2. Go to a good school there.
The challenge I see is from what you wrote your Japanese isn’t up to the level it would need to be for a Uni degree program in Japanese so you’re going to be stuck in English degree programs.
Please do yourself a favor and go to a good school outside Japan.
I have a Japanese friend who is an economist. He went to the US to get his PhD because he said that economists with a degree from a Japanese university aren’t taken seriously internationally. If you look at international rankings, Japanese universities are not in the top tier. Whether you go to a university here or abroad probably should depend on how Japanese universities rank in your field of study. Pick some Japanese and foreign universities that interest you and compare their rankings, then decide.
Here’s some general advice for Uni in the US.
If you don’t think you’ll get into a top tier program right off the bat, there is nothing wrong with going the Community College to University route.
State Universities will be much cheaper than private schools. However, you need to have residency in the state. Say you’re interested in one of the University of California schools. Do two years in community college, make sure you get residency, and apply for a transfer into the UC system. It’s still more expensive than Japanese National Universities but likely less than some of the private unis in Japan.
Going to a Japanese university only makes sense if you are sure you will work and live here in the future.
Going to a decent university in US, UK or Canada will give you options to work both abroad and in Japan if you choose to come back.
In order to work in IT and get a good position abroad, you usually need a master’s degree or PhD, so it’s still totally fine to study computer science(undergraduate level) in Japan. You can study abroad when you are a graduate school student.
The second one you mentioned must be a huge problem. Good universities in Japan do NOT provide courses for computer science taught in English for undergraduate students.
It’d be better to study in your home country or any other country where your mother tongue is spoken.
While I agree with most of the comments and would suggest a US school would be better, that’s purely based on what I read on the Internet on sites like this. I also know nothing about the international school resources, but does your school have a guidance counselor for college applications?. It’s in the school’s interest for you to attend a decent university (private schools tend to want to market where their grads go so incoming parents feel like it’s worth the money; *juku* do this all the time, too) and often know which university’s take their kids (and which may not), both in and out of Japan. This is all big business and things have changed greatly from when your parents were entering college; and they might not know what’s current (I distinctly recall my daughter’s HS counselor saying my undergraduate institution had gotten more selective since the time I was there and it was distinctly possible that I would not be admitted today if I was applying). This is a resource that might help you, and help your parents understand, too. For better or worse, in many fields, your college name will stay with you throughout your working life. Also the more optionality and choice you have, the better you can ensure you have some measure of control and not end up in a “How did I get here?” scenario. Good luck!
I would say go to Europe, If you have gods grades etc you can get in a prestigious technical university such as delft etc, also European universities are cheaper than American ones , Bachelors in Japan is bulls.it. You gotta do 就活(job hunting in 3rd year) and it is a hell of a process
You can get a degree in CS studying here in Japan. I grew up overseas and came to Japan to study here. Graduated in 2009 (4 years program) and have been working here ever since.
Although US universities have good CS programs, there are good programs in Japan too. There are plenty of opportunities to work in Japan, HK, Singapore, US, Canada.
Believe me I had offers to work in different countries plenty of times. Personally I would never study in an American university but is up to you. You will get opportunities in IT field no matter if where you study.
I studied in Japan and the UK. Do yourself a favour and go abroad. I can only comment on my own experience, but University in Japan is generally not great comparatively.
I’d consider traveling outside of Japan for your education, it sounds like it might be a better fit for you, however I’d advise you to reconsider the United States if at all possible, anyone Ive talked to from Europe, or even Canada, are shocked when they find out just how insanely expensive it is here. (Functioning in many ways as a paywall to better opportunities that working class citizens will often never be able to touch.) Not to mention, you’re likely to end up pretty fucked if you have any medical issues arise while attending.
I’d also like to touch on the idea of U.S. culture you mentioned, specifically that there isn’t a universal culture. The entire country is large, and there are states the size of countries here, so depending on where you go things are a great deal different. It’s a common trope that America is all gun obsessed, beer chugging folks trying to see how many different ways you can wear the flag (ironically, against official flag code; not that anyone really cares) but it’s sadly kind of true in that those sorts of people really are just everywhere and are more than happy to be a problem for everyone else.
Bear in mind that UK university fees are *much* cheaper than US fees (I don’t know about Canada).
Also, UK university courses are much more specialised than in the US. If you study CS there, you study CS with various options within CS. No minors or requirements to study unrelated subjects.
Studying online is another option. But given you don’t appear to have much in the way of cultural ties to Japan, if your parents can bankroll it, head overseas.
My only advice is, re-read what you just wrote to us out loud. Every reason why you shouldn’t go to a Japanese university is right there in the text.
Go abroad and don’t look back.
If you can I’d advise you to travel to potential countries where you’d like to study to see what life there is like and decide whether you want to do uni and later live over there. You’ll get a grasp of the vibe of the country and the people and thus youll be able to make a better informed decision.
If you want to study higher you could consider doing a bachelors degree in Japan and masters abroad. There are English based degrees available in Japan and afaik bachelors in Japan is way less expensive than in the US for example
Edit: why do your parents think Japan is not a good place to stay if they came here in the first place? Not criticizing, genuinely curious
I recommend seriously considering schools outside the US, as it will be MUCH more affordable anywhere else.
Entry level salary in Japan is shite. Get out if you can.