I'm going to the cheapest school in my state because otherwise I would never be able to finish the degree I started 7 years ago, and I'm still paying nearly as much each year as you are for a year at Japan's top university, and I'm both furious and depressed about it now lmao. A lot of the Japan-based TH-camrs I watch tend to be Canadian, so it's really interesting to see an American's perspective on things like cost of living. I didn't actually know it was THAT low even in Tokyo, that's amazing. I'd be really interested to see more about your cost of living in grad school and how you're supporting yourself during your education. Love your videos btw!
Yeah I definitely feel you, I think tuition at my state school was more expensive than this by a lot too 😅Yes, I definitely think it's not that bad, but it's all about perspective I guess! If you lived in a dorm and were careful about costs it would definitely be possible to live in Tokyo for less than 1000 dollars a month. Thanks, I'll definitely make more videos about expenses and etc here because I think it's a pretty interesting topic!!
Hey I think it's great that you can actually speak well enough to live in Japan. I am currently studying Japanese and am just at a beginner level so this video is definitely inspiring! And yeah tuition in America is super expensive. Your tuition for the two years wouldn't even cover 1 year at the school I attended lol. Anyway stay safe.
@@AllisoninTokyo thank you! I will do my best. From what I hear learning the different writing systems is the hardest part. In your opinion, would you say speaking and listening is easier?
Yes definitely for me. I think it depends how you study though! If you study in the US and don’t have many opportunities to speak then you’ll probably be stronger at reading for example :) Overall reading probably is the hardest though
Tuition in America for State schools are very affordable. I live in NC and only pay about $5800 or less a year. Going to private/big universities or out of state schools is when price skyrockets
Thanks for your insight! Brace yourself and take your time, as I have a few questions concerning the transitioning from an ALT to a graduate student. Thank you very much in advanced! I am currently a grad student in Denmark, originally from the so-called US, and am looking to move to Japan for both work and to further my education. Here are some questions I have: Did you change visa status in this transition? If so, what are the permissions to work while on a student visa? For example, here in Denmark I am only permitted to work part-time during the semesters and full-time in the summer. Did you apply for scholarships for the graduate course? If so, which ones? I have looked into the MEXT scholarship which is associated with several master's and doctoral programs up my alley, but it seems like I would have to be back in the country of my nationality to apply/go through interview process? At what point did you start reaching out to faculty/applying for courses? I know that the renewal of the ALT contract is quite early (December-ish if I'm not wrong), so I assume that this is something you had in mind from the start? And lastly, if one were to placed through the JET Programme in an area where there was a university of interest, is it permitted or even possible time-wise to take on part-time studies? Evening classes?
Hi! Okay I'll try to go through them :) 1. I changed from a work to student visa! I think permissions are the same as Denmark. During the semester you can work up to 28 hours a week, and during breaks you can work full-time! 2. Yes, you have to go back to your home country for the MEXT embassy route (just for the interview). I've heard of someone who did this (took 2 weeks off from work to go home for it), but it wasn't feasible for me at the time so I didn't apply for MEXT. If you're an exceptional student you may be offered a scholarship upon admission to a program, but there are also some other scholarships available you can apply to privately :) 3. So actually for all my programs I was interested in they specifically said not to reach out to potential advisors! So you are just meant to apply (deadline either in December or March for me). This may differ depending on the program, so if it doesn't specify I would reach out to the admissions office to ask :) And yes, I was planning on going to grad school from the start! 4. Japanese universities aren't really conducive to part-time learning so I wouldn't really treat it as an option honestly 🙈 Adult learning isn't nearly as big of a thing as it is in the US, and I don't even think there's an option to be a part-time student at most universities. Of course you could look into it, but I think there are only a few schools that could do this. There are a lot of JETs who get an online masters degree while they're here though (from Western universities), if that's another avenue you wanted to explore!
I'm also interested in attending grad school in Japan after doing JET (hopefully) for a few years too. I was wondering, how many years on JET did you need to save money for grad school?
Depends on your situation! I stayed two years but I didn’t save as much as I should’ve tbh 😬 If I has stayed three years I could have, or if I was more serious my first year. If you’re placed in the countryside you could probably do it in 2 years, or 3 if you don’t want a part-time job during grad school!
Was it easier for you to be in JET, then apply to graduate school? I’m N3 right now, hoping to do language school for a year to get N1, and apply to graduate school in Japan (engineering). This isn’t my only plan, since I have many avenues in the States, I want to keep my options in Japan open.
I don’t think JET affected my application too much since I’m not studying TESOL or anything 😅 The only thing that was easier was moving to Tokyo since I was already in Japan!! JET really isn’t necessary though for grad school for engineering, I would just do it if you want to in general!
@@AllisoninTokyo I’m finding the application process really difficult. Would you be able to make a video about it some time? (I just found your channel, let me know if you did already). I’m not currently in Japan, but if I’m doing language school, I would be. It seems domestic and non-domestic applications are very different😭
Sorry are you talking about JET or grad school? 😆 I have a video for JET! I’m planning on making one for grad school at some point too! Oh my application was really similar for grad school if I was in Japan or not 😳 It may depend on the school 🤔
Hello! I was talking to my professor about going to grad school in japan and she said her friend said we need to be at least N3 level in japanese proficiency. Did this also apply to you? Thank you
I’m assuming you mean English programs! Technically you don’t need any Japanese to get in to a lot of programs. However it will boost your application, and life will be quite difficult without N3 or at least upper N4 Japanese since at least at my school the offices and stuff don’t speak English (only professors do). If you’re in a science field this may be different if the labs are in Japanese. Really it’s not a strict requirement but I am pretty sure all my classmates do speak N3 or N2 Japanese (maybe some N4)!
i always wanted to ask? can you take out student loans in japan as an american? i dropped out of college my first year and if i was able to take out loans id go to school in japan
I don’t personally know anyone who does this so I’m not sure actually 😭 But you could probably live off part-time jobs if necessary and you don’t live in central tokyo!
![Why I Chose a Japanese (and not a U.S) University [MY RESEARCH]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ykjbco2X2dg/mqdefault.jpg)
‘Don’t talk to me about the future or I’ll die of stress like a small animal’ Honestly dame though.
I'm going to the cheapest school in my state because otherwise I would never be able to finish the degree I started 7 years ago, and I'm still paying nearly as much each year as you are for a year at Japan's top university, and I'm both furious and depressed about it now lmao.
A lot of the Japan-based TH-camrs I watch tend to be Canadian, so it's really interesting to see an American's perspective on things like cost of living. I didn't actually know it was THAT low even in Tokyo, that's amazing.
I'd be really interested to see more about your cost of living in grad school and how you're supporting yourself during your education.
Love your videos btw!
Yeah I definitely feel you, I think tuition at my state school was more expensive than this by a lot too 😅Yes, I definitely think it's not that bad, but it's all about perspective I guess! If you lived in a dorm and were careful about costs it would definitely be possible to live in Tokyo for less than 1000 dollars a month. Thanks, I'll definitely make more videos about expenses and etc here because I think it's a pretty interesting topic!!
I would love to hear about your research! If it's something you're confortable sharing! Thanks for your video😊
Thanks!! I will one day, but I still change it all the time so who knows when I'll finalize it 😳😆 Before graduation!
@@AllisoninTokyo same girl same!! 😅
Hey I think it's great that you can actually speak well enough to live in Japan. I am currently studying Japanese and am just at a beginner level so this video is definitely inspiring! And yeah tuition in America is super expensive. Your tuition for the two years wouldn't even cover 1 year at the school I attended lol. Anyway stay safe.
Thank you!! You can do it :) Yeah American prices for education are just outrageous
@@AllisoninTokyo thank you! I will do my best. From what I hear learning the different writing systems is the hardest part. In your opinion, would you say speaking and listening is easier?
Yes definitely for me. I think it depends how you study though! If you study in the US and don’t have many opportunities to speak then you’ll probably be stronger at reading for example :) Overall reading probably is the hardest though
@@AllisoninTokyo ah makes sense. Thank you Allison, have a great day!
Absolutely love your videos! Can't wait to visit Japan :)
Thank you!! Hope you can visit soon 💕
Tuition in America for State schools are very affordable. I live in NC and only pay about $5800 or less a year. Going to private/big universities or out of state schools is when price skyrockets
watching this video bc i'm in the stage of my life of wanting to go to grad school AND the pricing for jpn vs USA is craxy different my god
Thanks for your insight! Brace yourself and take your time, as I have a few questions concerning the transitioning from an ALT to a graduate student. Thank you very much in advanced! I am currently a grad student in Denmark, originally from the so-called US, and am looking to move to Japan for both work and to further my education. Here are some questions I have:
Did you change visa status in this transition? If so, what are the permissions to work while on a student visa? For example, here in Denmark I am only permitted to work part-time during the semesters and full-time in the summer.
Did you apply for scholarships for the graduate course? If so, which ones? I have looked into the MEXT scholarship which is associated with several master's and doctoral programs up my alley, but it seems like I would have to be back in the country of my nationality to apply/go through interview process?
At what point did you start reaching out to faculty/applying for courses? I know that the renewal of the ALT contract is quite early (December-ish if I'm not wrong), so I assume that this is something you had in mind from the start?
And lastly, if one were to placed through the JET Programme in an area where there was a university of interest, is it permitted or even possible time-wise to take on part-time studies? Evening classes?
Hi! Okay I'll try to go through them :)
1. I changed from a work to student visa! I think permissions are the same as Denmark. During the semester you can work up to 28 hours a week, and during breaks you can work full-time!
2. Yes, you have to go back to your home country for the MEXT embassy route (just for the interview). I've heard of someone who did this (took 2 weeks off from work to go home for it), but it wasn't feasible for me at the time so I didn't apply for MEXT. If you're an exceptional student you may be offered a scholarship upon admission to a program, but there are also some other scholarships available you can apply to privately :)
3. So actually for all my programs I was interested in they specifically said not to reach out to potential advisors! So you are just meant to apply (deadline either in December or March for me). This may differ depending on the program, so if it doesn't specify I would reach out to the admissions office to ask :) And yes, I was planning on going to grad school from the start!
4. Japanese universities aren't really conducive to part-time learning so I wouldn't really treat it as an option honestly 🙈 Adult learning isn't nearly as big of a thing as it is in the US, and I don't even think there's an option to be a part-time student at most universities. Of course you could look into it, but I think there are only a few schools that could do this. There are a lot of JETs who get an online masters degree while they're here though (from Western universities), if that's another avenue you wanted to explore!
@@AllisoninTokyo Thanks for your time and energy! I hope others benefit from your response as well (:
I’m did you say the Mext scholarship program or Next? I didn’t catch that 😢 I’m starting my grad program next August so I would love to apply.
The tuition prices are crazy cheap thats amazing😯
I know right 😭 Very affordable compared to the US
Aww so Jealous. I regret not going to grad school in Japan.
I'm also interested in attending grad school in Japan after doing JET (hopefully) for a few years too. I was wondering, how many years on JET did you need to save money for grad school?
Depends on your situation! I stayed two years but I didn’t save as much as I should’ve tbh 😬 If I has stayed three years I could have, or if I was more serious my first year. If you’re placed in the countryside you could probably do it in 2 years, or 3 if you don’t want a part-time job during grad school!
@@AllisoninTokyo Noted, thank you for your reply! Hopefully I get placed in the countryside haha
Hi Allison! Sorry if you mentioned this, but what are you studying?
May I ask what your major is? ☺️ I have an undergrad in East Asian Studies.
Was it easier for you to be in JET, then apply to graduate school? I’m N3 right now, hoping to do language school for a year to get N1, and apply to graduate school in Japan (engineering).
This isn’t my only plan, since I have many avenues in the States, I want to keep my options in Japan open.
I don’t think JET affected my application too much since I’m not studying TESOL or anything 😅 The only thing that was easier was moving to Tokyo since I was already in Japan!! JET really isn’t necessary though for grad school for engineering, I would just do it if you want to in general!
@@AllisoninTokyo I’m finding the application process really difficult. Would you be able to make a video about it some time? (I just found your channel, let me know if you did already).
I’m not currently in Japan, but if I’m doing language school, I would be. It seems domestic and non-domestic applications are very different😭
Sorry are you talking about JET or grad school? 😆 I have a video for JET! I’m planning on making one for grad school at some point too!
Oh my application was really similar for grad school if I was in Japan or not 😳 It may depend on the school 🤔
@@AllisoninTokyo Graduate school! Sorry for not being more specific
Actually I do have a video about the application process a few months back!! I am planning on making more about grad school in the future too 🙏☺️
Omggggg you’re from Florida😍😍😍
🐊🐊🐊 my alligator peninsula 😂
Hello! I was talking to my professor about going to grad school in japan and she said her friend said we need to be at least N3 level in japanese proficiency. Did this also apply to you? Thank you
I’m assuming you mean English programs! Technically you don’t need any Japanese to get in to a lot of programs. However it will boost your application, and life will be quite difficult without N3 or at least upper N4 Japanese since at least at my school the offices and stuff don’t speak English (only professors do). If you’re in a science field this may be different if the labs are in Japanese. Really it’s not a strict requirement but I am pretty sure all my classmates do speak N3 or N2 Japanese (maybe some N4)!
i always wanted to ask? can you take out student loans in japan as an american? i dropped out of college my first year and if i was able to take out loans id go to school in japan
I don’t personally know anyone who does this so I’m not sure actually 😭 But you could probably live off part-time jobs if necessary and you don’t live in central tokyo!