Thursday, July 27, 2006

Asian Youth Fellowship applications open

Thanks Adriene, who's currently studying in Japan, for the heads up on the Asian Youth Fellowship, which is a scholarship that sends you to Japan for a 7 month intensive language course (in Japanese, of course) before you enter a Japanese university as a graduate student.

You can find the full details here. The closing date for applying for this scholarship is between Sept and Nov (varies by country). Check on the above website for the closing date for applications for Malaysians.

I highly recommend this scholarship to young (below 30), single people (scholarship doesn't cover spouses and / or children) who have not studied overseas before and is interested in immersing himself or herself in Japanese culture. My impression of this program is that it is very well organized and well structured and the bonding experience with your fellow grantees from all over Asia is pretty special. One might find the initial experience of being a 'gaijin' tough and lonely at first, but I'm sure the rewards are well worth the initial adjustment blues.

Good luck!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Certainly our Bachelor and Master degree holders (especially non-Malay graduates who always lament about lack of opportunities to apply for scholarships for further studies) should apply for this excellent and well-paid Fellowship and give themselves a chance to further their education in reputable universities in Japan, as well as to learn an additional language and to interact with international students.

A couple of my former students are on this Fellowship and they are pursuing their PhD research in prestigious universities in Japan. They are having a great time there.

Good luck to all applicants.

Anonymous said...

With the internationalization of Japanese Universities, many foreign students from developing countries go to Japan for their Masters and PhDs. Still, Chinese (from Mainland China) and Koreans constitute the biggest student population.

Like litte bird has said, our teaching staff in IPTAs with Master degree should grab these opportunies to further their doctoral programs..

Being a G7 country, Japan is many times advanced than Malaysia. They are advanced in material science, robotics and engineering.

Their research infrastures are well
equipped, and well-funded.

If your research equipment break down, just a call to the vendor, and it would be fixed in no time.

Their universities are also well-linked with big names in industries (for sciences and engineering).

Do apply if you are interested.

Just remember to hand-in before the dateline. They are extremely particular with datelines.


Globalsan

Anonymous said...

..recently read an article that Japan is paying a hugh price internat'ly as the eng. lang. in Japan generally is out of sync with the rest of the world..the article mentioned that Japan's heavy emphasis are on reading and writing skills rather than verbal skills..since their english curriculum was estb. way back Meiji period..when was that already ? :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, the level of English is generally poor in Japan. However, there are individuals or academics whose English, written and spoken, is excellent.

Select supervisors wisely.

Anonymous said...

Well..the amazing part is that...while their English is not as excellent as we are in Malaysia...their articles do apprear in int'l journals..

But dont underestimate them based on the article you have read...we have lecturers who graduated with PhDs from ivy leaugue in US, and some have experiences in world bank and int'l agencies, before becoming academics..

With the size of economy and advancement, I am sure you will find superb supervisors with vast experiences...

Go east, young man!

Globalsan