Hello,I am a current undergraduate student planning to graduate May 2024. I am planning to pursue a one year master’s program after graduation at the same university I currently attend. I found out that it’s possible to take one semester off of study, and I have always wanted to pursue study abroad in Japan for some extent.
I have looked into research for this but a lot of the websites are conflicting. I know that my university does not offer any opportunities for study abroad in Japan (specifically Tokyo area). I have sent emails to a few universities asking about these opportunities (Keio, Waseda, Kyoto), and received responses that are…cryptic. Has anyone been able to do a research study (or some sort of study abroad), between their undergraduate and master’s program?
It seems many people go into these programs planning to do their masters in Japan, which I have no interest in. I would prefer to go as a normal student, but as that’s not possible, this seems to be the best loophole?
Furthermore, how difficult is it to get into these programs? I am a dual citizen so I am unsure if that will affect my chances. I have a decent GPA at my current university and was wondering if that is enough to enter into these programs.
Thanks for any responses
2 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Research Student in Japan**
Hello,
I am a current undergraduate student planning to graduate May 2024. I am planning to pursue a one year master’s program after graduation at the same university I currently attend. I found out that it’s possible to take one semester off of study, and I have always wanted to pursue study abroad in Japan for some extent.
I have looked into research for this but a lot of the websites are conflicting. I know that my university does not offer any opportunities for study abroad in Japan (specifically Tokyo area). I have sent emails to a few universities asking about these opportunities (Keio, Waseda, Kyoto), and received responses that are…cryptic. Has anyone been able to do a research study (or some sort of study abroad), between their undergraduate and master’s program?
It seems many people go into these programs planning to do their masters in Japan, which I have no interest in. I would prefer to go as a normal student, but as that’s not possible, this seems to be the best loophole?
Furthermore, how difficult is it to get into these programs? I am a dual citizen so I am unsure if that will affect my chances. I have a decent GPA at my current university and was wondering if that is enough to enter into these programs.
Thanks for any responses
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Assuming one of your citizenships is the US…
> Has anyone been able to do a research study (or some sort of study abroad), between their undergraduate and master’s program?
This is exactly what I am doing with the US Fulbright Program. (It’s probably a little too late to start your application for this cycle, but you can still apply for the next cycle if you haven’t started grad school yet. Also, you need to know some Japanese.)
You could also consider the [Critical Language Scholarship](https://clscholarship.org), run by the same people, though again, you need to have studied at least some Japanese before starting.
> I know that my university does not offer any opportunities for study abroad in Japan (specifically Tokyo area).
Do they offer study abroad outside of Tokyo but in Japan? If so, do that! Tokyo isn’t everything (*he says as he prepares to start research that is reliant on being in Tokyo*).