About Studying abroad 1 - How to get there and how to prepare for studying in Japan

Hello my dear readers!

Since I came back to germany from my year abroad at Tsukuba University in Japan, a few weeks passed. I first struggled quite a bit with beeing back again but now I'm fine and I thought I could use this blog for sharing my experience of going abroad, studying in a different country (In my case: in Japan) and maybe help some of you who are going abroad for the next year or who plan to do so in the future (^w^)/

First of all: if you have the chance to go and study abroad I think you should go for it!

I know that there are a few downsides of going away for a year (especially because this leeds to the situation of leaving friends and family behind), but you can learn, grow and experience 

SO MUCH, that it weighs off every struggle you will have (and you WILL have them, believe me ;3). But let's start with first things first, shall we? I want to do a short series of blog entrys about this topic, so let's get startet!

About Studying abroad 1

- How to get there and how to prepare for studying in Japan

The first question to answer is: how will you manage to get the chance to go abroad?

In my case it was obviously the easiest way to go to Japan with the exchange program my university is offering. If you are interested in studying abroad and if you are a student, you should check this possibility first. Exchange programs offer the chance of getting a sholarship which will make it much easyer for you to finance your stay abroad.

If Japan is the country you wanna got to this helps a lot, since the tuition fees are quite expensive and living there isn't cheap as well. Moreover university exchange programs are fairly well organized and you can save yourself a lot of trouble and work if you use them to go abroad.

There are other ways to get there though, for example with a work and travel agency or as a language shool student / language teacher, but I want to focus on the university exchange program here because that was what I used and how I made my stay abroad possible ;3

So, how do you get a place in such a program?

Well, you have to have good grades. It's not impossible to get a place with middle-rate grades, but it's way easyer with good grades. I'm studying Japanese at my university which also helps I guess if you want to go to Japan especially.

For my application I had to write a text about my motivation to go abroad and I had to choose a research subject which I wanted to work on in Japan. The motivational text got approved and I was invited to an interview afterwards. The personal interview I had was with 2 professors and 2 ambassadors of the exchange program. It was a group interview with other students who wanted to apply too, and the professors would ask us questions about our general knowledge regarding the university we wanted to go to and Japan in general (history, culture etc.) as well as about our motivation to go there and why we choose the universitys we wanted to go to.

In this Interview we where compared to each other (In my group there where 3 other students). If one couldn't answer a question the others could try to answer and there where a few discussions in which you could show your knowledge. And you really should show what you know because in that situation it doesn't helpt to be shy and let the others talk all the time. You have to show that you really want to go abroad and that you worked your ass off for a chance like that (don't be harsch and a smart-alec though XD' Just...be nice ^^).

I think the interview was the hardest part of the applicaton process because if you failed this interview you didn't get a place in the program. I had to try twice to get it right there, so don't be overwhelmed if it doesn't work out right away, keep on trying and learn from your mistakes! Another good advice I got was to ask other students which already got into the program about their interview and which questions where asked etc.. It helps a lot to be well prepared ;3

After I passed this interview there was a lot of paperwork which had to be done. You have to apply at the University abroad, apply for your Visa as a student in Japan and a ton of other things which are important have to be done. You have to book your flight, check your insurance and stuff and then you are almost ready to go.

Almost. I mean, you could go now, if all the paperwork is done etc., you have your flight, know where you will stay...but there are still things you can do to be prepared even better.

My university offered a workshop about experiences you will make while staying abroad and culutre shock etc. It can be very beneficial for you, if you visit such workshops. I learned a lot there which helped me abroad and it was for free! I think most Universitys / their International Offices are offering such trainings, so take advantage of this and use them to prepare yourself!

It also helps a lot to get in contact with people that are at your home university right now, but which are originally exchange students, coming from the university you are going to abroad. In my case I met a few people from Tsukuba University before going to Japan and we stayed in contact until they went back to Japan and I got accepted at their university and went there! It's great to start your stay abroad, already having friends at your new university, so don't let this chance go by!

Picnic in Tsukuba also with a few japanese friends I already got to know in germany ^^

I hope this will help some of you who are planning to go and study in Japan! If you have questions don't hesitate to ask in the comments-section ;3

The next time I will write about the stay abroad itself a bit more, so stay tuned ^^