In this blog, we are going to share our knowledge sharing session event about "Studying and Living in Japan (Kyoto)" by our former 1st batch intern Aung Khant Nyar Kyaw.
We regularly hold knowledge exchange sessions for our Openfor.co/fellowship community members and outside of the community. The following knowledge exchange session in this blog was held on March 18th, 2022, 6:30-7:30 PM JST time.
This blog covers the following topics:
Please check out more details in the following video or in the following blog.
1. Speaker Aung Khant Nyar Kyaw Profile
Aung Khant Nyar Kyaw, Evan, is a participant of the first batch of the fellowship program of Openfor.co in September, 2020. He worked as a member of the planning team and took part in the selection process of the next batch. At that time, Evan was a third year civil engineering student of the Yangon Technological University.
Currently, he is attending the preparatory course of the Kyoto University International Undergraduate Program, with the full scholarship of MEXT and is expecting to join the undergraduate program at the Faculty of Economics in April. Today, he will share about the life of a foreign student in Kyoto, Japan.
2. Introduction to Japan
The first section of the webinar starts with introduction to Japan which is famous for Cherry Blossoms, Mount Fuji and also earthquakes. Our speaker share his general knowledge about Japan, where it is located, its capital city, population and culture knowledge.
3. Education In Japan
In next section, our speaker explains the school education system of Japan. Japanese school system primarily includes six-year elementary schools, three-year junior high school and three-year high schools, followed by a two-or three year junior colleges or a four-year colleges.
4. Top Universities
In Japan, Tokyo University is a top university in the nation, Kyoto University and Osaka University ranked in second and third place. According to the Center of World University Rankings, these universities have high rankings respectively. There are higher chances for international students to join these universities than the Japanese students, as the speaker says.
5. Introduction to Kyoto University IUP
At Kyoto University, international students can get into International Undergraduate Program which offers full scholarship (including Tution fees) and also provides 120,000 yen monthly allowance. The program will 4 years and a half long - 4 academic years and 6 month preparatory course.
6. How to apply for full scholarship at Kyoto University (International Undergraduate Program)
The speaker also shared some FAQs about the Kyoto iUP, its program application timelines, application process, application fees, interview process and about the required documents to apply for the program. If you want to know more details, visit Kyoto International Undergraduate Program website https://www.iup.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ and learn more about the program.
7. Entry procedure and Covid 19 measures of Japan
Because of the Covid 19 and Omicron, there have been restrictions since 2021. Starting from March 2022, the border reopened and foreign students and workers can enter the country with no quarantine processes. You can see more details about the restrictions in the Japan Embassy or MOFA website of Japan https://www.mofa.go.jp/.
During the pandemic, the classes in Kyoto Universities mainly have to use their school website Panda and campus open only Hybrid style classes and also students have to take online tests.
8. Student Experiences at Kyoto University
The speaker also shared student life at Kyoto University, there are 2700 international students from different parts of the world and altogether 22600 students at Kyoto University. As there are many student clubs, circles and other facilities provided in the campus, student life at a famous university in Japan will be very exciting for the students.
9. Life as a foreigner in Japan
In this section, the speaker shared his experience in Japan. As a foreign student, he needs to rent a dorm but the Kyoto iUP scholarship allowance fees cover all its monthly rent and other allowances.
The speaker also shares the very important things with the participants based on his prior knowledge and experiences.
10. Part-time job (baito) opportunities for students in Japan
Students can work part-time (baito) jobs for 28 hours maximum per week in Japan. The part-time jobs in Japan have average salary JYP 900- 1500 per hour. But as the Kyoto iUP provides full scholarship and also monthly allowances, students who are from the Kyoto iUP program are not able to work part-time jobs.
11. FAQs from Webinar Attendees
Webinar attendees ask the questions about the Studying and Living In Japan to our speaker and we summarize the FAQs from this Questions and Answers session.
Q1 : How to prepare to be a strong candidate to get into scholarship?
Q2 : About the MEXT scholarship? Are there any internship opportunities in Japan other than scholarship programs?
Q3 : Did Kyoto University apply for MEXT scholarship by university recommendation track?
Q4 : How many matriculation marks are required to get into the scholarship?
Q5 : How many majors are there to apply for the Kyoto University IUP?
Q6 : How could you transfer from University in Myanmar to Japanese University to join the program?
Q7 : Did the university ask why you change from engineering major to economics during interview?
Q8 : For the final year students in Myanmar, any advice to continue studying in Japan?
Q9 : What kind of subjects should I apply for EJU Exam?
Q10 : What kind of extracurricular activities have you done before applying the Kyoto IUP?
If you are curious to know more questions and find out about the answers to the above questions, please watch in the above video FAQ section and you can learn many things that will be very helpful if you are start your learning journey in Japan.
Feel Free to Comment if you have any questions!
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. We will try to reply to your questions by asking as much as possible. If you have any webinar title you like to hear from, comment below too.