Postgraduate Studies at Kyoto University. Continuation
In the previous article, I described the period from the moment of filing documents for a scholarship to boarding a flight to Japan. In this part I will try to describe in more detail the process of passing exams, diploma defense, about the university itself and studying in it.
Arrival
In the arrival area, we were met by an employee and distributed into groups. I had to fly to Osaka, so I was sent to the terminal for local flights, where I met another group of students and a couple of guys from Russia, with whom I was on the way. It became somehow more fun.
Since under this program students from all over the world arrive in one day, we waited until the evening for the rest, and only then flew to Osaka. They also met students who arrived at Kansai Airport. It was already late, so we were accommodated at the hotel, had a briefing and gave out pocket money (30 thousand yen). The first month, you have to live off your money, because the scholarship will be only at the end of the month. The organizers warn about this in advance, so you should take about 1000 dollars with you.
In the morning, our group leaving for Kyoto was put on a bus and brought to the central station. Here we were met by other people, they had an instruction meeting, were transplanted by taxi and sent everyone to different hostels.
Hostel
At Kyoto University there are 3 hostels for foreigners. Two are located near the main campus “Yoshida” and one is in Uji, where you need to get there by train. Uji and Katzura also have university campuses. I got to the hostel, which was in the city and not so far from the main campus. On foot to go there far away, but on the local tram / train to go only a few stops. Ticket price 220 yen one way. In the end, after the first scholarship, we bought bicycles. So it turns out much cheaper to travel around the city. Kyoto is very convenient to ride a bike, as the river flows from north to south and there are wonderful paths along it. No traffic lights or traffic jams.
I imagined that they would settle us in something like a closet, but surprisingly they settled in a fairly spacious odnushku with a balcony. The room had a large bed, a table, a wardrobe, an electric stove with a sink and a toilet. The girls in the room have another bath. The guys have a separate shower in the hallway. There is also a separate large kitchen with several stoves and a refrigerator. Even in the shower there were several washing machines that worked on 100 yen coins. There are rooms for couples.
The building had two rooms for rest and study. On the second floor is a conference room with comfortable seating and a large TV. You could sit there, chat, watch a movie and play the console. Almost every Sunday there were cultural evenings devoted to Japan, where they watched documentaries about Japan, and then there was a buffet with wine and snacks.
On the ground floor there is a lounge room with sofas, a piano and there is always a large selection of Japanese and foreign newspapers and magazines. The hostel has wifi. Around the building is a small area planted with sakura and two bike racks. The dormitory charge was absolutely ridiculous 6 thousand yen, later raised to 10. There was only one minus, we could only stay in it for 6 months. In other hostels people could stay for a year.
(Kamogawa River)
Documents
The next stage after the settlement was in the design of a number of official documents. We had to open a bank account (mail), apply for medical insurance and a "foreigner / alien" card. The alien card will be your passport in Japan. All these official offices work like a clock, so everything was done very quickly. There were no problems with filling out the documents either, since we moved a crowd of students from office to office, and you could always ask someone.
Later it will be necessary to extend the visa at the immigration office. It is located one block from the main university building. The procedure is very simple and the process of renewal does not take much time. Also, if you plan to travel outside of Japan, you will need to fill out a form, buy a special brand. After that, you will be pasted in the passport with a piece of paper with permission to enter. You can buy a permit for a single entry, but you can buy multiple entries into the country. The only difference is the price. For several entries is twice as expensive, but valid for the entire duration of the visa. If you decide to go home while studying and you do not have this permission, then there will be problems at the border. By the way, you have the right to invite close relatives to visit. Friends invite fail.
')
Japanese courses
In the dean's office for foreign students we were divided into Japanese language courses. Someone got on an intensive course, where they study every day, and someone on the 3-time per week. The distribution depended on where the professor applied.
Japanese was taught in Japanese, so it melted down the brain completely. A group in the class is usually 15-20 people from different countries. But not everyone stands up to the end of the course. Each semester can apply for the next level. All this for free. Excellent opportunity not only to learn the language, but also to get to know the people. An interesting moment arose when trying to communicate with the Japanese. It seems to learn the language, go out into the street and absolutely do not understand anything. Or guess what they ask you, but do not remember this at all in textbooks. As it turned out, Kyoto is located in the Kansai region, where its own dialect, and in Kyoto itself, also has its own dialect. Therefore, since no one spoke in textbooks.
(Gion Matsuri)
Kyoto University
A few words about the university itself. Kyoto University (Kyodai) is one of the largest and oldest universities in Japan. It is also considered one of the best universities in Japan, yielding only to Tokyo University. Although on natural sciences it is probably better than Tokyo. So for the last 3 years, 2 professors from Kyodai received Nobel Prizes. The university has one large campus in the city near the center and two buildings in Uji and Katzura. For example, friends engineers studied there. There are free buses from the central campus on which students and professors can get to these campuses.
On the main campus there is a dean for international students. There can and should be addressed on all educational and domestic issues. Always help and explain. Even the days when you can talk with a psychologist if you have any problems with adaptations were specifically highlighted. From time to time, the dean's office organized entertainment events or field trips around Japan for foreigners. Every year a special solemn event is held for all new arrivals of foreigners with a wonderful buffet.
On the territory there are many canteens and cafes. You won't be hungry. Prices are much lower than off campus. Very impressed library. Large modern building. You order books in advance via the Internet, then you just come and pick it up. On the upper floors, again, sofas with TVs and computers, where you could watch your dvd. There is a huge sports complex with a swimming pool, a gym and many specialized gyms for judo, kendo, aikido, gymnastics, fencing, etc. In general, the number of interest clubs is simply amazing. Want to collect robots, want tricks show, you want to sail on the yacht or participate in theatrical performances. There are all kinds of sports and musical instruments. Each club sends its agitators in early April to recruit freshmen to the main square of the university. An unforgettable sight.
Science Center
In the center, where I was going to study, we met very heartily. Presented to everyone at the weekly lab meeting. Later they organized a party in a restaurant where I was the main guest. They said to look around, get used to and prepare for the entrance exams. Also showed laboratories and equipment that they have. It seems that they have everything.
Entry exams
The exam was in the fall. First, you register for the exam in advance and they give you all the necessary documents and assign a number. That is, then your name and surname will not appear anywhere. Examiners will not know whose answer they are checking. The entire exam consists of 3 parts. In the first part you read various thematic texts. Your task is to understand what the text is about and to answer various questions in writing at the end of the text or write a mini essay in response to the question. I entered the medical faculty, so the texts were related to biology and medicine. At this stage, allowed to use the dictionary.
After a short break, the second part began. This time, they gave out 20 questions from which it was necessary to choose 3 and write a detailed answer. The questions were very intricate and there were a lot of questions about molecular biology. At this stage, you can not use anything. After the time runs out, you give up the job and go to lunch.
After lunch, the third part begins, Marlezonskogo ballet. This time interview. You are sitting in front of 5 professors who ask you cross-questions. They ask mainly about scientific activities in the past and what they are going to do. About the Krebs cycle is not asked. The interview was generally friendly, they joked about vodka and let me go.
Students entering the humanities departments pass all exams in Japanese.
The results are posted in 1-2 months at the faculty. If you found your number, then passed. If you do not find the number you have two options. First, live another year in Japan and go home. Second, try to pass the exam next year. But there are some nuances. In some faculties the scholarship was extended, but not in ours. That is, after two years the scholarship turns into a pumpkin and you have to pay for the training yourself. This is not a cheap pleasure.
Some students who graduated from the master's program at home, again entered the magistracy in Japan and only then in graduate school. The advantages are that you can stay in Japan for a couple of years longer.
(Temple of Heian)
Study
The school year begins in April. Summer holidays in August, September and winter in February. After receipt, a student card is issued and now you can officially request student discounts everywhere. Before that, you will have a paper certificate from an intern from which it was not quite clear who you are. This is important when making a contract for a mobile phone. In some salons we did not want to be perceived as students. As a result, you can get a 50% discount on the monthly fee and calls. Having received the official student status, your scholarship will be extended for the entire official term of study. Speaking of scholarships. You need to come every beginning of the month to the dean's office and put your signature in the journal for scholarships. This can be done during the first 5 days. If you forget to sign on this date, you will not receive a scholarship this month, but only next. Once I forgot. And to my question of how I should live, I was answered "Survive!".
During the course of study you need to earn a certain number of points (credits). Basically, you get these points for the work at the department, but one obligatory course needed to be attended. At this course there were lectures of professors and reports of students for 3 hours and only in Japanese. Foreigners could make a report in English.
In my laboratory, almost everyone spoke fluent English, as most of the professors lived and worked abroad for some time. The students are all adult uncles of the doctor. Almost all along with their studies worked in various hospitals.
At first it was hard to find a supervisor, because everyone is very busy and no one wanted to mess with me. But in the end everything was determined and research work began. During my studies I managed to go to several local conferences and one international one. The costs were covered by the laboratory. Studying in graduate school for 3 years, and in medfak 4 years. But not everyone gets to meet the deadline.
Protection of the diploma
To protect the doctoral (PhD) it was necessary to publish one article in an international scientific journal. But at each faculty the requirements differed. Somewhere there were 2 articles, somewhere it was necessary to write the dissertation itself. After you have an article, apply for protection. Prepare a ton of documents in English and Japanese. An examination committee of 3 professors from the faculty is going to meet and you give them a presentation of your scientific work. They then ask you different questions. Nothing extraordinary happens. If everything went well, then you will be awarded a diploma at the end of the school year (in March) at a solemn ceremony together with all graduates. You get 2 diploma options: Japanese and English.
After being defended in the laboratory, they gave me a dump in a restaurant. Well met and well conducted.
(Garden of Stones. Ryoandzi Temple)
If anyone is interested, I can write another article about life and life in Japan, about housing and part-time work. If you have specific questions about life and the country, ask in the comments and I will try to answer them.
Arrival
In the arrival area, we were met by an employee and distributed into groups. I had to fly to Osaka, so I was sent to the terminal for local flights, where I met another group of students and a couple of guys from Russia, with whom I was on the way. It became somehow more fun.
Since under this program students from all over the world arrive in one day, we waited until the evening for the rest, and only then flew to Osaka. They also met students who arrived at Kansai Airport. It was already late, so we were accommodated at the hotel, had a briefing and gave out pocket money (30 thousand yen). The first month, you have to live off your money, because the scholarship will be only at the end of the month. The organizers warn about this in advance, so you should take about 1000 dollars with you.
In the morning, our group leaving for Kyoto was put on a bus and brought to the central station. Here we were met by other people, they had an instruction meeting, were transplanted by taxi and sent everyone to different hostels.
Hostel
At Kyoto University there are 3 hostels for foreigners. Two are located near the main campus “Yoshida” and one is in Uji, where you need to get there by train. Uji and Katzura also have university campuses. I got to the hostel, which was in the city and not so far from the main campus. On foot to go there far away, but on the local tram / train to go only a few stops. Ticket price 220 yen one way. In the end, after the first scholarship, we bought bicycles. So it turns out much cheaper to travel around the city. Kyoto is very convenient to ride a bike, as the river flows from north to south and there are wonderful paths along it. No traffic lights or traffic jams.
I imagined that they would settle us in something like a closet, but surprisingly they settled in a fairly spacious odnushku with a balcony. The room had a large bed, a table, a wardrobe, an electric stove with a sink and a toilet. The girls in the room have another bath. The guys have a separate shower in the hallway. There is also a separate large kitchen with several stoves and a refrigerator. Even in the shower there were several washing machines that worked on 100 yen coins. There are rooms for couples.
The building had two rooms for rest and study. On the second floor is a conference room with comfortable seating and a large TV. You could sit there, chat, watch a movie and play the console. Almost every Sunday there were cultural evenings devoted to Japan, where they watched documentaries about Japan, and then there was a buffet with wine and snacks.
On the ground floor there is a lounge room with sofas, a piano and there is always a large selection of Japanese and foreign newspapers and magazines. The hostel has wifi. Around the building is a small area planted with sakura and two bike racks. The dormitory charge was absolutely ridiculous 6 thousand yen, later raised to 10. There was only one minus, we could only stay in it for 6 months. In other hostels people could stay for a year.
(Kamogawa River)
Documents
The next stage after the settlement was in the design of a number of official documents. We had to open a bank account (mail), apply for medical insurance and a "foreigner / alien" card. The alien card will be your passport in Japan. All these official offices work like a clock, so everything was done very quickly. There were no problems with filling out the documents either, since we moved a crowd of students from office to office, and you could always ask someone.
Later it will be necessary to extend the visa at the immigration office. It is located one block from the main university building. The procedure is very simple and the process of renewal does not take much time. Also, if you plan to travel outside of Japan, you will need to fill out a form, buy a special brand. After that, you will be pasted in the passport with a piece of paper with permission to enter. You can buy a permit for a single entry, but you can buy multiple entries into the country. The only difference is the price. For several entries is twice as expensive, but valid for the entire duration of the visa. If you decide to go home while studying and you do not have this permission, then there will be problems at the border. By the way, you have the right to invite close relatives to visit. Friends invite fail.
')
Japanese courses
In the dean's office for foreign students we were divided into Japanese language courses. Someone got on an intensive course, where they study every day, and someone on the 3-time per week. The distribution depended on where the professor applied.
Japanese was taught in Japanese, so it melted down the brain completely. A group in the class is usually 15-20 people from different countries. But not everyone stands up to the end of the course. Each semester can apply for the next level. All this for free. Excellent opportunity not only to learn the language, but also to get to know the people. An interesting moment arose when trying to communicate with the Japanese. It seems to learn the language, go out into the street and absolutely do not understand anything. Or guess what they ask you, but do not remember this at all in textbooks. As it turned out, Kyoto is located in the Kansai region, where its own dialect, and in Kyoto itself, also has its own dialect. Therefore, since no one spoke in textbooks.
(Gion Matsuri)
Kyoto University
A few words about the university itself. Kyoto University (Kyodai) is one of the largest and oldest universities in Japan. It is also considered one of the best universities in Japan, yielding only to Tokyo University. Although on natural sciences it is probably better than Tokyo. So for the last 3 years, 2 professors from Kyodai received Nobel Prizes. The university has one large campus in the city near the center and two buildings in Uji and Katzura. For example, friends engineers studied there. There are free buses from the central campus on which students and professors can get to these campuses.
On the main campus there is a dean for international students. There can and should be addressed on all educational and domestic issues. Always help and explain. Even the days when you can talk with a psychologist if you have any problems with adaptations were specifically highlighted. From time to time, the dean's office organized entertainment events or field trips around Japan for foreigners. Every year a special solemn event is held for all new arrivals of foreigners with a wonderful buffet.
On the territory there are many canteens and cafes. You won't be hungry. Prices are much lower than off campus. Very impressed library. Large modern building. You order books in advance via the Internet, then you just come and pick it up. On the upper floors, again, sofas with TVs and computers, where you could watch your dvd. There is a huge sports complex with a swimming pool, a gym and many specialized gyms for judo, kendo, aikido, gymnastics, fencing, etc. In general, the number of interest clubs is simply amazing. Want to collect robots, want tricks show, you want to sail on the yacht or participate in theatrical performances. There are all kinds of sports and musical instruments. Each club sends its agitators in early April to recruit freshmen to the main square of the university. An unforgettable sight.
Science Center
In the center, where I was going to study, we met very heartily. Presented to everyone at the weekly lab meeting. Later they organized a party in a restaurant where I was the main guest. They said to look around, get used to and prepare for the entrance exams. Also showed laboratories and equipment that they have. It seems that they have everything.
Entry exams
The exam was in the fall. First, you register for the exam in advance and they give you all the necessary documents and assign a number. That is, then your name and surname will not appear anywhere. Examiners will not know whose answer they are checking. The entire exam consists of 3 parts. In the first part you read various thematic texts. Your task is to understand what the text is about and to answer various questions in writing at the end of the text or write a mini essay in response to the question. I entered the medical faculty, so the texts were related to biology and medicine. At this stage, allowed to use the dictionary.
After a short break, the second part began. This time, they gave out 20 questions from which it was necessary to choose 3 and write a detailed answer. The questions were very intricate and there were a lot of questions about molecular biology. At this stage, you can not use anything. After the time runs out, you give up the job and go to lunch.
After lunch, the third part begins, Marlezonskogo ballet. This time interview. You are sitting in front of 5 professors who ask you cross-questions. They ask mainly about scientific activities in the past and what they are going to do. About the Krebs cycle is not asked. The interview was generally friendly, they joked about vodka and let me go.
Students entering the humanities departments pass all exams in Japanese.
The results are posted in 1-2 months at the faculty. If you found your number, then passed. If you do not find the number you have two options. First, live another year in Japan and go home. Second, try to pass the exam next year. But there are some nuances. In some faculties the scholarship was extended, but not in ours. That is, after two years the scholarship turns into a pumpkin and you have to pay for the training yourself. This is not a cheap pleasure.
Some students who graduated from the master's program at home, again entered the magistracy in Japan and only then in graduate school. The advantages are that you can stay in Japan for a couple of years longer.
(Temple of Heian)
Study
The school year begins in April. Summer holidays in August, September and winter in February. After receipt, a student card is issued and now you can officially request student discounts everywhere. Before that, you will have a paper certificate from an intern from which it was not quite clear who you are. This is important when making a contract for a mobile phone. In some salons we did not want to be perceived as students. As a result, you can get a 50% discount on the monthly fee and calls. Having received the official student status, your scholarship will be extended for the entire official term of study. Speaking of scholarships. You need to come every beginning of the month to the dean's office and put your signature in the journal for scholarships. This can be done during the first 5 days. If you forget to sign on this date, you will not receive a scholarship this month, but only next. Once I forgot. And to my question of how I should live, I was answered "Survive!".
During the course of study you need to earn a certain number of points (credits). Basically, you get these points for the work at the department, but one obligatory course needed to be attended. At this course there were lectures of professors and reports of students for 3 hours and only in Japanese. Foreigners could make a report in English.
In my laboratory, almost everyone spoke fluent English, as most of the professors lived and worked abroad for some time. The students are all adult uncles of the doctor. Almost all along with their studies worked in various hospitals.
At first it was hard to find a supervisor, because everyone is very busy and no one wanted to mess with me. But in the end everything was determined and research work began. During my studies I managed to go to several local conferences and one international one. The costs were covered by the laboratory. Studying in graduate school for 3 years, and in medfak 4 years. But not everyone gets to meet the deadline.
Protection of the diploma
To protect the doctoral (PhD) it was necessary to publish one article in an international scientific journal. But at each faculty the requirements differed. Somewhere there were 2 articles, somewhere it was necessary to write the dissertation itself. After you have an article, apply for protection. Prepare a ton of documents in English and Japanese. An examination committee of 3 professors from the faculty is going to meet and you give them a presentation of your scientific work. They then ask you different questions. Nothing extraordinary happens. If everything went well, then you will be awarded a diploma at the end of the school year (in March) at a solemn ceremony together with all graduates. You get 2 diploma options: Japanese and English.
After being defended in the laboratory, they gave me a dump in a restaurant. Well met and well conducted.
(Garden of Stones. Ryoandzi Temple)
If anyone is interested, I can write another article about life and life in Japan, about housing and part-time work. If you have specific questions about life and the country, ask in the comments and I will try to answer them.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/178529/
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