The Thick Letter

Oh my god, I got in! I got in!!! I checked the mail today, and it was the thick envelope. I'm going to Japan!

Waiting Anxiously

I've been a bit quiet after my previous post. Since then, I've submitted the Waseda essay (which is separate from the CSU IP essay) after several painstaking nights of typing. The forms were on A4 paper, so I had to use a typewriter. Unfortunately, on the last night before it was due, my typewriter ribbon ran out of ink, so one of the pages of the application was slightly crooked as opposed to the neater copy I was in the middle of redoing when the ribbon died.

I'm supposed to find out whether or not I've been accepted by April 15th. In the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers!

IP Interview

I just had my interview for study abroad today, and I think it went super well! I tried to stay calm going in, and everyone was super nice. I'm glad that I contacted a lot of people before I went into the interview because I was absolutely prepared and it went without a hitch. I'm writing down the details to help other people who might need to prepare for the IP interview in the future.

I dressed up for the interview in a skirt and nice blouse, and the interview panel (Cecilia from the study abroad office and four volunteering CSU professors) was also sporting dressy-casual. We started with introductions, and then the questions began. Here's a summary of the things they asked me:

What classes do you intend to take in Japan, and how does this contribute to your major?

What's the greatest thing you hope to gain from your studies abroad?

How does going to Japan relate to your future career goals?

What is your main worry about going to Japan?

How have you prepared yourself for going abroad? Have you contacted any program alumni?

Financially, how are you preparing to go to Japan?

Name a challenging event in your life that has helped you.

What interests you culturally about Japan?

Talk about Japanese current events.

Question about the Japanese Empress.

Application Stress!

So I already submitted my application to the CSU IP (International Programs), right? Yesterday in the mail I received a separate application to Waseda itself. Nobody mentioned that there was a separate Waseda application! (I should have figured, but since no one breathed a word about it, I kind of took it for granted that I might have to fill out another for Waseda itself.)

And now I'm all freaked out because this is Waseda we're talking about, with their fancy forms that need to be typed on or neatly printed, and I now also need to find a typewriter. In addition, I have to write a three page essay, argh! I know that all I need to do is combine and rewrite the multiple essays that I've already done for IP and NSEP, but I'm still nervous. I'm also working on getting a passport since I've never traveled ever. I'm researching online all the details, and it doesn't look too difficult. I just need to make sure to do this quickly!

So I'm just a tad bit stressed out at the moment. Thank God that I took a lighter courseload than usual this semester so that I could focus on applying to study
abroad.

Oh, yeah, I submitted the NSEP Boren Undergrad Scholarship application. I'm crossing my fingers on that one!

NSEP Boren Scholarship

I just finished my application to the IP program, which was due on February 1st. Now I just have to wait for my interview with them. Other than that, things left to do at the moment are 1) apply for a passport 2) do my taxes so I can update my FAFSA with the correct information 3) finish my application for the NSEP Boren Scholarship.

Asking for a Recommendation

Well, I forgot to post about some progress I've had on the application process for studying abroad. The IP program requires two faculty recommendation, one of which must be within your department.

Well, I approached Dr. Martinez, my poli-sci professor, and Kataoka-sensei, who teaches my Japanese advanced conversation class. Dr. Martinez used to be on the IP selection board, so he gave me some tips on my essay. He said that the board is interested in how studying abroad will help me in my future career, so I should make sure to discuss my interest in working in the field of US-Japan relations.

It was harder to meet with Kataoka-sensei, but I finally got to ask her to be my reference during the one-on-one oral final for my Japanese class. Before we started, I asked if I could discuss something with her and brought up my intentions to study abroad. And then I asked her if she would please write me a recommendation letter. Awesomely enough, we learned in our conversation class how to make that very request, so I got to put my skills to use.

推薦状を書いてくれないかと思いまして．．．
suisenjyou wo kaite kurenai ka to omoimashite...

Which translates to something along the lines of "I was wondering if you would please maybe do me the favor of writing me a recommendation letter..." After asking some questions on when the due date, etc. was, Kataoka-sensei agreed to be my reference (yay) and even better -- since I had done all this in Japanese, she said I had completed that section of my oral and it wasn't necessary to do the role-play she had prepared.

Now I just have to finish my application and get my transcripts prepared. I'm nearly done, though I still need to write the essay question, which I haven't even begun to work on yet. I want to submit my application by Tuesday (Wednesday at the latest) because the faculty recommendation requests won't be sent out online until my application is submitted. As long as I submit by Wednesday the 17th, that should give my profs about two weeks to work on it. And faculty recommendations are due Thursday, February 1st.

First post, testing out my new blog TenMoTokyo!

I am a third year college student, currently in the application process to study abroad for the 2007-2008 school year at Waseda University (wiki) in Tokyo. I'll be there for approximately ten months, thus the name of the blog, and I will be living with a host family.

I intend to use this web log to keep in touch with friends back into the states, to share all the interesting things I discover in Japan, and to keep track of my research for my senior thesis. I just attended an application workshop last week, so I am working on that at the moment. I'll make sure to update when anything happens, but I'm sure that most of the interesting stuff won't happen until I'm in Tokyo.