Each year Alice Smith Students progress to Universities and Colleges around the world. They are able to do this with the support and guidance from our dedicated Higher Educated Counselling team. In this blog we talk to Francis who chose Japan as her higher education study destination.
Francis Therese Calalang / KLASS of 2015
Degree: B.A. Economics
University: School of Political Science and Economics Waseda University (Tokyo, JP)
Why Tokyo?
- I previously went to a public elementary school in Japan and already spoke the language
- Ease of living and convenience
- The purpose of coming to Japan was to find a job in an international company after graduation and leverage my Japanese language.
- Moving to the main city made sense in terms of growing a personal network, taking up opportunities and building experience in order to achieve the above.
Why Waseda?
- Waseda has numerous programs in English, mainly targeted at international students.
- In Japan: university name = branding. Your university name carries weight (usually more than your GPA) when it comes to networking and job hunting.
- Waseda is one of the most recognised universities in the country.
What's life like as a university student?
In my first three years weekdays were mostly spent in classes, studying and taking part in societies/clubs as well as finding internships and part-time gigs whenever possible.In my fourth year I only spent 2~3 days per week on campus, giving more time for working and job hunting (I didn’t have classes at all in my final semester)
What are you top tips for students thinking of applying to Japanese Universities?
- DO YOUR RESEARCH
Apart from looking at course content and societies, here are some things to consider:
What makes the university unique?
What’s your core why (the reason you’re applying)
What type of experience do you want to build and what do you want to do with it? - KEEP A CALENDAR FOR:
Deadlines (date and time)
When you’re submitting your application
When you should be expecting responses
Blocking out times when you’re working on your application/research
Add to-do lists/link to documents/notes in the event description - WHEN IN DOUBT, ASK
Be proactive in reaching out the the university admin office
- they’ll remember you and it shows that you’re genuinely keen on enrolling
Reach out to alumni - I’ve been told that HE team has an Instagram and Facebook accounts to help you connect with alumni, this was how Ms Syaza found me! Let HE know if you need help connecting to alumni. - BE AUTHENTIC
Thank-you Francis for your great advice and tips!
We'll be exploring lots of other university destinations with our Alumni over the next few weeks and if you want more information on anything you see please contact our HE Counselling team by email.
You can also join our Academic Lecture series which runs through until March looking at subjects you could study. Sign up details below.
