Studying in Kyoto for at least 1 year.

[Charliehsv]

Hey guys..

I’m sorry if these questions have been asked again and again, but I’ve used the search funciton and none of the threads gave me the answers I need so..

For starters just some general info. I’m 19 years old am attending my last year of highschool and am currently living in Sweden. I’m going to attend a one year language course in Kyoto which is starting in October next year and am currently in the progress of attaining a student visa through the language school (Nihongo Center Kyoto). The school has already accepted my application so there shouldn’t be any problems in this area.

Now, since the language school’s goal for it’s students is to prepare them and teach them the necessary japanese proficiency to enter a japanese university I’ve been playing with the thought ”Hey, if I’m already there why not take the oppurtunity and give a university there a shot?!”. Since I doubt that I can achieve the needed japanese skills within one year I was considering to extend the period of my course to 2 years (which is the max as I’ve heard) if life suits me over there. This is something I can do over there, so that’s no problem either.

So I had some questions concerning the entry procedures to the universities over there. What I’ve learned through some googling was that it’s mostly regulated through entrance exams .I was wondering how much the results of my current highschool will influence (if at all) the entrance procedure since I've found no info about that whatsoever.

If I decide to study there the absolute best-case scenario would be of course to be accepted into the Kyoto University (which is what I’ll be aiming for atleast) so I’m curious as to how difficult their entry exams are compared to other universities in the area (they are harder right? It’s such a prestigeous uni after all). I just want to get a general idea about how realistic it is for a foreign student to be accepted into it that’s all :P. I'm open to alot of other options aswell, but if it's possible for me to do it I'll give it my all and go for it.

Oh,yes and before anyone mentions it the economic stuff is already sorted out.

[MMM]

Kyoto University? That is the number two university in the country.

Although you will be immersed in the language for two years, I would be surprised to hear anyone could go from zero to K.U. level that fast. That would be like falling off a banana boat today and entering Harvard in 2010.

I would recommend looking at Universities that teach in English. I do not believe your high school transcripts carry much weight, as in Japan it's the getting in, not that graduating that is the hard part.

[Charliehsv]

Yeah, I know that I'm being very optimistic(or unrealistic) about it. As I said that's just a thought and I've been looking at other universities aswell. And while it's just as you said very unlikely for me to achieve the necessary proficiency I belive that setting such a high bar will get the best results out of me.

As for english speaking universities I've only checked out TUJ in Tokyo and KIU in Kyoto. From what I've gathered the admission procedures are similar, only that it's an english proficiency test instead right?

Oh, and while my japanese is far from good, it's not zero and I expect to have a pretty solid basis of the language until I go there.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Charliehsv

Yeah, I know that I'm being very optimistic(or unrealistic) about it. As I said that's just a thought and I've been looking at other universities aswell. And while it's just as you said very unlikely for me to achieve the necessary proficiency I belive that setting such a high bar will get the best results out of me.

As for english speaking universities I've only checked out T.U in Tokyo and KIU in Kyoto. Is there a difference to the admission procedures compared to other uni's in the country?

I have never attended University in Japan, so I will leave that to those who have.

[Charliehsv]

All right!
Thanks for your time anyway

[Nyororin]

Regardless of your Japanese skills, if you require a visa, you`ll still be entering the school as an international student. The requirements and entrance procedures are different than those for a normal citizen. In fact, you have a higher chance of getting in than most of the Japanese population. I would contact the school directly for information. I know that quite a few universities - regardless of how difficult they are to get into for Japanese students - don`t even have an "entrance exam" for international students. They choose you based on interviews and essays. I don`t know how Kyoto handles their process, so it`s best to ask them directly.

[Henbaka]

Originally Posted by Charliehsv

Yeah, I know that I'm being very optimistic(or unrealistic) about it. As I said that's just a thought and I've been looking at other universities aswell. And while it's just as you said very unlikely for me to achieve the necessary proficiency I belive that setting such a high bar will get the best results out of me.

As for english speaking universities I've only checked out TUJ in Tokyo and KIU in Kyoto. From what I've gathered the admission procedures are similar, only that it's an english proficiency test instead right?

Oh, and while my japanese is far from good, it's not zero and I expect to have a pretty solid basis of the language until I go there.

Dunno about entry procedures.

Just wanted to tell you that Waseda U (Tokyo) also has a department for studies in english (google Waseda SILS). I know that it is _possible_ for foreigners to get into a four-year program here (as well as one-year exchanges which is what I am doing).

Sorry that I can't give you more info on the subject, but if you're interested I think that would be well worth looking into.

[Charliehsv]

Thanks for the tips and info all of you.

I'll definately check Waseda U out then. Aaaah, so many possibilities...I'm glad that I've so much time left to make up my mind