I know this blog post is a bit late, but I've been officially accepted into Kyoto University for exchange! I'm accepted into the KUINEP program for Spring term only. (Can't afford to go longer...) I'm pretty excited! I found out last week but now there's just so much more things to worry about and to plan.
Before I was going to do a blog on just my exchange and trip to Japan, but I decided to close it down and just merge it into my normal blog. So let me go over a brief overview of this exchange.
What is it? Well it's an academic exchange for undergraduate university students.
Where is it? I applied for Kyoto University which is located in Kyoto in Japan.
When and how long is it? I only applied for their spring semester. There is an option of choosing either Fall semester or Spring semester or both. Fall is from October to February and Spring is from April to August.
How did you apply? Well, the university I go to in my home country is a partner university with Kyoto University. So I applied through my own university and they help me through with the applications. And it's almost a guarantee to get in if you have the marks and requirements in your home university.
What are the marks requirements? Other than your own requirements in your home university, you also need at least a 70% or mid 70% average I believe.
How much does it cost? Because I'm going through my own university, I'm paying my normal university fees at home.
When did you start the application and how long did it take? Well my university required me to apply the January a year before the actual exchange for spring semester. (The January in the same year for fall semester) After that I think I had to fill some applications in around February/March. Then they handle all the fall exchange applications first and then spring later. It wasn't until December that I got some other application forms to fill in. Then they send out official acceptances in January. After that, they'll send you a certificate of eligibility in March and THEN you apply for a visa right before you leave. (Pretty rushed in my opinion since school starts beginning of April).
Where will you be living? As an exchange student, you're basically guaranteed a place in their residences. Only after you're accepted do you choose to apply for residence. You don't know till March/April I believe. It's a lottery system so you might not get what you apply to. It depends on how much space there is left. But it might be a lot cheaper to live in residence than finding your own place outside. But be prepared to buy a bike or have to pay for travelling costs to school. Because almost ALL the residences are REALLY far from the main campus.
What is the KUINEP program? The KUINEP program is the english exchange program at Kyoto University. They only offer courses in english at their university for this program. If you're fluent in Japanese, you can take Japanese classes and not do the KUINEP program.
How many courses do you have to take for your exchange? For the KUINEP program, the offer around 15 different random courses at very basic introductory level every semester. Courses range from physics, to health, to economics, to business, to environment, to religion. You HAVE to take 6 courses from that list specified. Japanese courses are EXTRA over those 6 courses if you want to take it.
Why did you choose Kyoto University? Well many reasons. There were other choices of universities that I got to choose from.
The PROS: Out of all the universities I get to choose from, Kyoto was the most famous one in the list for Japan. Another thing is that, it was in a really good location in Japan. It's located in a city on the main island of Japan, which will make travelling around easier and cheaper compared to a city in the southern island of Japan. Another thing is that, Kyoto University is known for their social sciences, which is what I study in my home university. But that doesn't really matter since the KUINEP program doesn't have anything to do with it.
The CONS: Well, as I mentioned before about the courses, it is VERY limiting in what you can take. There's only 15 courses to choose from and you HAVE to choose 6. Not only do most of the courses sound really boring to me, but I'm also not interested. I only prefer to take courses I'm interested in, even at my home university, because this way I am more focused and interested in learning the material. Usually my marks reflect how much I like the course. Another thing about the courses is that, we have to take 6. I usually take 4 courses in my home university. So I'm not sure how well I would handle it. Some other universities in Japan only require you to take 5 courses. Another thing about the restricting courses is the subjects they offer. They're all subjects you see in normal universities. Some of the other universities I was considering offered really fun looking courses like tea ceremony, flower arranging etc. Courses that would allow me to learn and experience the Japanese culture, which is what I would have preferred.
That's all about the university I believe. Now after getting accepted, there are SO many things to worry about. Things such as budget, travelling expenses, shipping things home (because I only have one suitcase in my situation), exchanging money, plugs and many more things. The most important thing right now is budget. Have to plan it out because I don't have much budget for this exchange even with student loans. I want to save money but I also want to enjoy myself too. Dilmemas.... One of the most expensive part is the travelling costs in Japan. A big chunk of your money will go to that. A forewarning.
So that's about all for now. If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask or comment. I'll be glad to answer some questions!
~ Kakikala ~
