Hello r/movingtojapan, this is my first post in this sub and I look forward to any pointers you can share. I believe I spent some time trying to see if my question has been answered before and I think this might be a new one.
I am an experienced professional in my field with 10+ years experience and have for the past 3 years (right before COVID) have been seeking a Masters to change my career trajectory. I enjoy HR, but my call and future direction is in another field in my home country. I was previously accepted by U Chicago, a private university in Berlin and this year I am seeking to apply to Tokyo University.
My reasons are (as you might see in my profile): when U Chig accepted me I was responsible for the health of 800+ employees in the company I worked with. The following year I couldn’t go to Berlin because I had to and am still undergoing cancer treatment. TL;DR long road but no worries and I’m still keen to do this degree and go serve my country (Southeast Asia) upon graduation.
As for why I chose Japan, the 2 years prior I missed the cutoff for applications to Todai, and it so happens to be the most affordable and closest to my family due to their concerns about my health.
I think I stated my vision, willingness to work hard and good condition in my letter of intent. However, I worry they may see it negatively and turn me away. Surprisingly Todai is more selective than the other universities, and I’d like to do my best.
I wanted to ask:
1. Will it severely impact my candidacy for the Masters program that I currently have cancer? My condition is very good, radiation and chemo are concluding soon and I’ve been keeping active learning Japanese and doing a variety of work for my community. Doctors are positive about my chances at a long life and I am relatively hard headed.
2. Given my health condition, do you foresee issues in obtaining scholarship or do you know of scholarships I might be able to access?
3. Do you have general advice on navigating Tokyo as a graduate student with regards to the healthcare/clinics set up?