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University in Japan


naturaljax

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I'm thinking of transferring colleges from my current college, University of Washington, to a college in Japan, namely Tokyo.

The one I looked into the most closely was Sophia University.

Does anyone have any experience with acceptance from Japanese universities from outside of Japan?

Or, does anyone have any reccomendations of colleges that have good programs for international students?

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Tokyo, Waseda, Keio, Osaka, or Kyoto programs. Do anything else and you're wasting your time unless you speak fluent Japanese. Out of college, most top corporates in Japan won't consider where you went if you didn't come from these top schools. My recommendation is to stay in your US univesity and do a year/half-year study abroad program instead. The KCTI program in Kyoto is very good. PM me if you need details.

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Hmm I see.

So Sophia is no good, eh? I thought they were respectable.

I like my University and it's a really good one, but it's just not really working for my life right now / my interests.

I feel like studying in Japan would be better for what I'm looking to do.

Plus I'd be getting a career in America, not Japan. Not being a native is like a deathmark when trying to get a job in Japan, careerwise I've heard, because they'll just choose Japanese over American.

I don't know if you know anything about how admissions works for Uni's accpeting international students but I had 600 on both the math and reading portions of the SAT, took honors classes, graduated with a 3.35 GPA and I'm an Eagle Scout.

I know applying to college in Japan is significanlty more expensive than in America, somewhere around 35000 yen? So I don't want to waste my time if I'm not a strong candidate.

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Sophia is known but not prestigous. Most of the people I've encountered in my business who went to Sophia did masters in the states or speak fluent English and Japanese. Why the incredible need to study in Japan? What do you hope to gain from it? I'm not trying to disuade you, just want to understand your motivations. If you go to a sub-par university in Japan and can't speak fluent Japanese, it'll be hard to find a job both in Japan AND in the states. But having a degree from a US university is more prestigous/better than having one from the sub-par Japanese university. You should consider doing a year-long study broad program or a study fellowship instead. Then, after graduating from uni. you'll have a better edge in getting a masters here if you're so inclined.

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Ah, I see I see. Basically my reason for going there is a completely selfish, personal one haha. The girl I love lives in Tokyo right now and we're pretty much realizing that it's near impossible to continue a relationship when we're so far away from one another. So I spend most of my day tied to my computer, keeping in contact with her, and it takes away from my studies / affects my grades in a negative way. So, that's one reason. Also, the career I'm thinking of pursuing is international business with a focus on Japan / Japanese. But I don't know for sure. I've completed 2 years of collegiate Japanese study and I've got an intermediate grasp on the language, I'd say. So I know eventually I'll be fluent in Japanese. But I'm just wondering if it would be a bad move on my part to go somewhere like Sophia, or if I'd want to look at different universities.

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to add to what rajio said, first of all, i don't think you can transfer to a university in Japan like you would do in the states, i have never heard of it so i doubt it could be possible. even if you could, i don't think careerwise, i'd be a good move. Japanese don't learn a thing in university, seriously, like i've said in other thread, i spent the last year at Waseda and i still cannot believe the level of the classes i had there. the level of 4th year classes were about weaker or at best the same as classes i had in my first year. in the case of waseda, i think it's really not worth paying 15 000$ a year. not to mention that getting a job in japan straight out of college is really hard is you are not 100% fluent, cause pretty much all companies (foreign companies included) have entry exam and well, the competition is quite fierce so there's no way you gotta make it. i had some friends at Waseda who had to go to the Boston Career Fair to job hunt, which i think it really ridiculous, especially that one of the guy had a summer intership at Lehman in Tokyo. Also, your diploma won't be worth shit in America cause no one ever heard of japanese universities and don't know what it's worth...

anyway, you have only 2 years left of college, so if i was you, i'd go for a year on exchange there, a much better and cheaper option IMO. i wrote tons of shit about it in this thread, check it out if you are interrested.

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=21306&highlight=waseda

Also, 3 of my really good friends while i was at Waseda were UW students so if you want, i could pm you their e-mail, i'm sure they would be really down to answer any questions you might have.

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yeah...um. Most people still consider the US as tops in Universities, no matter really where you go. Obviously if you're from the US, you know the difference, but there are so many fucking great schools in the US that when you'd go abroad, you could tell them you went to the school you went to and it'd still sound great...I really wouldn't gamble on your education...just my 2cents. Get her to go to school here.

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I recommend ICU, Sophia, and Waseda.

ICU's curriculum is probabaly the most similar to that of the states. Very liberal, very international, great school, and great reputation. I highly recommend it.

Sophia is probabaly the most well-known for their international curriculum. Good school. It's probabaly the easiest to get into among higher leveled private universities in Tokyo.

Waseda has a good international program, too. I went to school there, and took some classes with the international kids for couple of classes, and thought they were well structured lectures.

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i spent the last year at Waseda and i still cannot believe the level of the classes i had there. the level of 4th year classes were about weaker or at best the same as classes i had in my first year. in the case of waseda, i think it's really not worth paying 15 000$ a year. not to mention that getting a job in japan straight out of college is really hard is you are not 100% fluent, cause pretty much all companies (foreign companies included) have entry exam and well, the competition is quite fierce so there's no way you gotta make it. i had some friends at Waseda who had to go to the Boston Career Fair to job hunt, which i think it really ridiculous, especially that one of the guy had a summer intership at Lehman in Tokyo.

oh that sucks to hear. thank god i was there years and years ago :)

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I recommend ICU, Sophia, and Waseda.

ICU's curriculum is probabaly the most similar to that of the states. Very liberal, very international, great school, and great reputation. I highly recommend it.

Sophia is probabaly the most well-known for their international curriculum. Good school. It's probabaly the easiest to get into among higher leveled private universities in Tokyo.

Waseda has a good international program, too. I went to school there, and took some classes with the international kids for couple of classes, and thought they were well structured lectures.

As far as Sophia goes, what programs are they known for? You mentioned International Curriculum but what exactly? Business? Economics?

Also I've heard that Sophia is an American college located in Japan, so I'm unsure why people have said that the degree wouldn't amount to much in America.

This for me is more about personal fulfillment.

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to add to what rajio said, first of all, i don't think you can transfer to a university in Japan like you would do in the states, i have never heard of it so i doubt it could be possible. even if you could, i don't think careerwise, i'd be a good move. Japanese don't learn a thing in university, seriously, like i've said in other thread, i spent the last year at Waseda and i still cannot believe the level of the classes i had there. the level of 4th year classes were about weaker or at best the same as classes i had in my first year. in the case of waseda, i think it's really not worth paying 15 000$ a year. not to mention that getting a job in japan straight out of college is really hard is you are not 100% fluent, cause pretty much all companies (foreign companies included) have entry exam and well, the competition is quite fierce so there's no way you gotta make it. i had some friends at Waseda who had to go to the Boston Career Fair to job hunt, which i think it really ridiculous, especially that one of the guy had a summer intership at Lehman in Tokyo. Also, your diploma won't be worth shit in America cause no one ever heard of japanese universities and don't know what it's worth...

anyway, you have only 2 years left of college, so if i was you, i'd go for a year on exchange there, a much better and cheaper option IMO. i wrote tons of shit about it in this thread, check it out if you are interrested.

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=21306&highlight=waseda

Also, 3 of my really good friends while i was at Waseda were UW students so if you want, i could pm you their e-mail, i'm sure they would be really down to answer any questions you might have.

Actually I'm only a freshman this year. I still have 3 years ahead of me. And it's not so much transfering to a Japanese school as it is applying, being accepted there, and then having some of my credits that I've already earned at UW transfered to Sophia. I've already been in contact with their admissions office and up to 30 credits can be transfered. Also, I'm not looking to have a career in Japan. What I'd like to do, I think, is some sort of career that is based out of America, but which possibly deals with business in Japan. As I said I'm a freshman still, and I haven't decided what I want to be yet. I thought initially I might want to go into business, but so far all the classes I've taken pertaining to business have bored me to shit, so I'm not sure if that's the route for me. Basically I feel like I would get more out of life in general studying there.

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Sophia isn't an American university located in Japan, they are in fact a Japanese university.

I just did a bit of research on Sophia, and the program I was refering to used to be called the â€Comparative Culture" but now is refered simply as "Liberal Arts". http://www.fcc.sophia.ac.jp/

If they haven't changed their curriculum, all of their classes are in English, but you can take Japanese classes from other faculties as well.

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moving 1/2 way around the world just to be with a girl? whoas...

eh, that's really only 1/2 of the reason, if that. but that is a factor.

Really it would be to pursue a international business and economics degree in Japan, which, if I stayed in America, would be what I would study: International business with a focus on Japan.

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I had a very similar situation: a few years ago, I dropped out of Trinity College Dublin to move back to Seattle to be with my girl at the time. The long distance thing destroyed me psychologically, and I was mild-to-moderately depressed for months. We broke up when I got back. The transition from long-distance to right-there is a difficult one, and a lot of relationships don't survive it. No girl is worth a move of this magnitude.

Plus UW is awesome so you definitely should not leave it (my last final is today :().

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I had a very similar situation: a few years ago, I dropped out of Trinity College Dublin to move back to Seattle to be with my girl at the time. The long distance thing destroyed me psychologically, and I was mild-to-moderately depressed for months. We broke up when I got back. The transition from long-distance to right-there is a difficult one, and a lot of relationships don't survive it. No girl is worth a move of this magnitude.

Plus UW is awesome so you definitely should not leave it (my last final is today :().

we've actually been right-there for awhile, so I don't think the transition would be so bad.

On top of that, Tokyo is a big city, so we wouldn't be together ALL THE TIME suddenly, which is why I think most couples fail, they're not used to that.

but wouldn't you say your move was worth it?

you moved to Seattle and you say you love the U?

I like it alright, but my mind is in Tokyo.

good luck on your final! sucks that it was on a Friday :(

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while i think everyone agree that it might not be the best move academically, it would still be a really nice experience. another problem nobody mentioned but i think is really important is that because of the school calendar, it's really hard to land an internship, cause very few companies will want to hire you for only 2 months and having good internship will definitely gives you a big help when time comes to find a job at graduation. i also don't know about your financial situation, but it's something you should also think about. (tuition, board etc will be more expensive). otherwise, well, i'm a little jealous, i have to admit, i would love to be able to go back to Tokyo... good luck

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the other option is for her to come over here and go to school (if she's in school).

true.

however the main thing that's making our relationship so difficult is that her parents don't approve that we date unless we're in the same country or whatever.

so that's what really makes it difficult for us.

So they wouldn't let her decide to change colleges since she just got accepted / did all the paperwork etc. for Rikkyou University.

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I go to Temple University in Philadelphia, they have a campus in Tokyo. I believe they are one of the only schools that has an actual campus there, it is not just a study abroad program. and I have heard that it is the same cost as Temple in philly, which is really cheap ($5000 a year or so)

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long distance relationships,forget it man, shes going to get caught up in the big city of tokyo and probably get with alot of japanese guys who wont take no for an answer. dont get your heart broken, just be friends if anything,but nothing more than that.

Ah, I see I see. Basically my reason for going there is a completely selfish, personal one haha. The girl I love lives in Tokyo right now and we're pretty much realizing that it's near impossible to continue a relationship when we're so far away from one another. So I spend most of my day tied to my computer, keeping in contact with her, and it takes away from my studies / affects my grades in a negative way. So, that's one reason. Also, the career I'm thinking of pursuing is international business with a focus on Japan / Japanese. But I don't know for sure. I've completed 2 years of collegiate Japanese study and I've got an intermediate grasp on the language, I'd say. So I know eventually I'll be fluent in Japanese. But I'm just wondering if it would be a bad move on my part to go somewhere like Sophia, or if I'd want to look at different universities.
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long distance relationships,forget it man, shes going to get caught up in the big city of tokyo and probably get with alot of japanese guys who wont take no for an answer. dont get your heart broken, just be friends if anything,but nothing more than that.

You have experience or just talking out of your ass like you usually do?

(PMed you naturaljax)

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long distance relationships,forget it man, shes going to get caught up in the big city of tokyo and probably get with alot of japanese guys who wont take no for an answer. dont get your heart broken, just be friends if anything,but nothing more than that.

hey how about you don't talk shit about her without knowing anything, alright

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i strongly advise against making a move that will not benefit you academically for a significant other- especially as a freshman in college. i don't know how long you've been together, but i've seen even very serious relationships fall apart after someone decides to transfer schools - and the person that transferred gets fucked over majorly. it doesn't seem like a good idea for your future plans, financially, and it seems like a huge hassle for very little benefit. at your age you shouldn't be worried about "parents approval" - so if your relationship is going to work its going to have to work without their approval - yes long distance is hard, but if you both think you can do it - it really is possible. and if it does end up working out - the parents may come around eventually.

anyway - if you have other reasons for going to japan then i'd say maybe - otherwise i'd follow rajio's advice and do a study abroad there if you're really that interested in japan.

edit: i know nothing about business but i'd think that if you're studying international business with a focus on japan, it'd probably be more credible on getting a US degree than going to one of Japan's less reputable schools.

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