Welcome to the fourth and final entry in a series about my successful application for a Monbusho Research Scholarship. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading parts one, two, and three first. This final entry deals with the interview process.
In June 2007 I received word that I had passed the initial application stage and had been selected to for an interview and a series of language proficiency exams.
The Tests
Proficiency in Japanese is not necessarily a prerequisite for receiving a Monbusho Research Scholarship, (in fact I’ve heard that some people have gotten the scholarship despite knowing no Japanese whatsoever) but nevertheless all applicants who make it to the interview stage are required to take a three-part Japanese test. In the U.S., applicants also have the option to take an English proficiency test if they choose (I believe in countries where English is not spoke as a native language, this additional test is required).
For the Japanese Tests: The Monbusho Japanese tests roughly equates to the JLPT, if the JLPT was reconfigured to only have three levels of difficulty instead of four. (If you don’t know what the JLPT is, here’s the wikipedia article about it.)
So the easiest Monbusho Japanese test is like a combination of JLPT levels 4 and 3, the middle Monbusho test is like a combination of JLPT levels 3 and 2, and the hardest Monbusho test is like a combination of JLPT levels 2 and 1.
Since my Japanese level was between JLPT levels 3 and 2 when I took it, I aced the easiest Monbusho test, did okay on the middle one, and bombed the hardest one (at least I think so; they never actually told me what my scores were). I’m in no position to offer study advice for the hardest one, so if you think your Japanese might be good enough to pass that, you’re on your own. But here are my thoughts for studying for the easier two:
The Monbusho Japanese tests from the past few years can be found here: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0307e.html#2
This goes without saying really, but take the aforementioned tests and get a sense of what they’re like. I recommend taking at least one set of tests the way you’ll take them on the actual day of the test; give yourself 60 minutes per test, and take them all in succession.
Bone up on the nitpicky differences between the particles, verb tenses, etc. You may think you have a good grasp on them, but I found I was often not 100% sure about whether I should use wo or ni or de, or whatever. Review the rules for which particle is used when, because that makes up a lot of easiest test. Also make sure you know your way around the politeness levels, the different ways to say give and receive, and stuff like that.
Here are some of the study aides that I find worked well for me in preparation for the Japanese tests:
For kanji: hands down the best flash cards I’ve ever found are the ones made by Rabbit Press. They’re well organized, durable, and set up specifically for studying for the JLPT, so if you want to study for that too, you’re set. [Amazon link for the cards: JLPT levels 3 and 4, and JLPT level 2]
For grammar, vocab, etc.: I’ve always been partial to the Minna no Nihongo series. Once you’ve outgrown that, I found An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese published by the Japan Times, to be good.
Finally, the English Test. For our group of applicants in the United States, it was optional. Most people in my group chose not to take it, and left for lunch as soon as the Japanese test was done. I took it, because I figured it couldn’t hurt, and since I’m a native English speaker, I figured it’d be pretty easy. It was. It only took me about twenty minutes. Again, past versions of this test can be found here: http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0307e.html#2
As a native English speaker, I have no advice for non-native English speakers for that test. If any non-native English speakers have any thoughts about that, please leave a comment to this entry.
The Interview
After a lunch break, they started with the interviews. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t think I did so well on the interview. In fact, and maybe I’m wrong about this, I feel that I got the scholarship in spite of the interview, rather than because of it. So while I don’t feel like I’m the best person to give advice about that, here’s basically how it went down.
I interviewed with four people; two Japanese, and two American. One of the Americans, a college professor from a local university, dominated the conversation. I had prepared for a few questions (like “Why do you want to study in Japan?” or “Why do you want to study calligraphy since you’re a cartoonist?”) but she didn’t ask any of those questions. Instead, she asked about a few random things, and then at one point seemed to question if my research proposal even counted as “research” in the first place!
Now, I certainly don’t think that what I was proposing was a significant as the search for a cure for cancer or anything, but I felt it was important in its own small way. And since I had reached the point in the application process where I had been invited in for an interview, I wasn’t expecting a line of questioning that seemed to imply that my research proposal might not even have any value in the first place. But then, I don’t have much experience with interviews of this sort, so maybe it’s par for the course; maybe they just want you to “defend your thesis” or something. In any event, I was totally caught off guard, but sputtered out some sort of response as best I could.
There was also a section of the interview where they asked me questions in Japanese; I read somewhere that this would take up half of the full twenty-minute interview, but in my case it was probably only two minutes (though it you were studying, say, Japanese linguistics or something, it might be a bigger part of your interview). The purpose of that is to determine what your level of listening comprehension and speaking ability in Japanese. The questions were of the conversational variety.
Once that was over, they asked if I had any questions for them. I can’t remember what, but I asked them a couple things. It’d probably be a good idea to have a couple questions for them prepared. And with that, the interview was thankfully over, and I got out of there as quickly as I could without running. The end of a very long day.
Again, since I don’t feel I did so well on the interview, I’m probably not the best person to give advice about it. I will say this: one thing I wished I had done, but never got around to doing, was doing a practice interview. Ask a friend or colleague to look over your application and make up a few questions about it, some friendly, some adversarial, and then try to answer them on the spot, without allowing yourself any time to think about it first. This would have been great practice for me, and I wished I had done it.
The Long Wait
After the interview, the wait to find out if I had passed the interview stage was pretty short; less than a week, if memory serves. Then it was a matter of waiting for the “letter of recommendation” form to arrive from the consulate, turning around and mailing that to the professors in Japan, waiting for them to mail it back to me, and then mailing it back to the consulate. Even though I had done all the legwork for getting a professor to agree to work with me, and all I was doing was mailing sheets of paper back and forth, it still felt like I was strapped for time to meet the deadline. So once again, I would recommend doing at least some (preferably most or all) of the legwork for contacting professors/securing a commitment from them to serve as your advisor ahead of time.
So I got my letters of acceptance to the consulate, there wasn’t anything to do except wait. It was an anxious time of course, but it also felt like there was a big weight off my shoulders, because I had finally reached the point, some ten months after I started, when I didn’t to devote any more time to Monbusho Scholarship-related stuff. I’ve heard that Monbusho Scholars often hear about their acceptance by late January, but the notification can come as late as the end of February. In my case, I finally found out I was in around mid-February. And so that was that.
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Since I spent hours writing this long-winded account, I hope you’ll forgive me if I put an unrelated plug in here: if you found this guide helpful, and/or if you’re interested in comics/Japan, please consider supporting this starving artist by purchasing my graphic novel Tonoharu: Part One from your local book store, or at amazon.com, or directly from me. Thanks.
And for more about my new life in Japan now that I’ve gotten the Monbusho scholarship, check back in this site again. I update every Friday, and my experiences as a Monbusho scholar are certain to be the subject of many of those entries.
So I guess with that, I’ll bring this account about the application process to a close. I hope this helped Monbusho applicants in some small way on their applications, and wish them best of luck. Ganbatte kudasai! And if anyone out there with prior Monbusho experience feels I missed the mark on my advice, or just has a different take on things, please leave a comment to this entry. Thanks!
Part 1 of 4–Introduction/Disclaimers
Part 2 of 4–Writing the Research Proposal
Part 3 of 4–Filling out the Application & Contacting Professors
Part 4 of 4–The Tests, the Interview, & the Long Wait
91 responses so far ↓
1 none // May 9, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Thank you.
2 saeid // May 10, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I am wondering to know your idea about Japan compare to Europe or USA. I have possibility of doing PhD in Japan or Norway. I am confused to pick one. which one would you pick?
3 Lars Martinson // May 16, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Hello Saeid,
To be honest with you, I’m not really qualified to answer your question. But I have lived in both Norway and Japan, and I can tell you they’re both really expensive places to live, so maybe pick the country that offers you a better scholarship? Again sorry, I don’t really know much about grad schools in Europe, so I can’t offer you meaningful advice. Good luck though!
Lars
4 Yogesh // May 23, 2008 at 8:44 am
Hi Lars,
I am aspiring for the Monbukagakusho Mext schols this year.
Could you email me the format/s of “Letter of Acceptance” which you must have procured from your professor/s please ? (in english)
This is because my prospective professor is keen on guiding me (and I am grateful to him) and wants to frame the letter as is best suitable for me so as to successfully land with the schols.
thanks !
5 Lars Martinson // May 23, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Hello Yogesh,
Sorry, but I don’t have copies of the letters of acceptance with me here in Japan, so I can’t honor your request.
I will say, however, that both of the professors who were kind enough to write letters of acceptance for me both wrote them in Japanese, so I don’t think it needs to be in English, if it’d be easier for your professor to write it in Japanese.
Good luck!
Lars
6 Jeffrey Kotyk // May 25, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Very useful, thank you.
I recently applied and am waiting for their initial response to my application. Here’s hoping.
7 Nekomaru // Jun 5, 2008 at 1:16 am
Hi!
Oh…thanks a lot!!!
I made the test for two years ago (this is my last chance >.<) and I’m a little nervous (because I’m not an english native speaker).
I love to draw too (I love manga and draw it xD!).
Thanks for share your knowledge to other people and nice to meet you!
C’ya!
8 Erwin Ho // Jun 11, 2008 at 8:12 am
Hi Lars,
Thank you for this valuable report. I can’t say how happy I’ve been to read your comments about this. I’ve just received word from this scholarship from a Japanese research fellow who is just about to go back to Japan after a 2 year attachment to our medical faculty.
There are numerous arguments that compel me to apply:
1. I have a very clear and outlined research objective (viral hepatitis), a field of study which I’m already taking up here in Belgium. Since I work with a local professor on this, I think getting a recommendation here would be of reasonable difficulty.
2. I’ve recently been on a short attachment to Hong Kong, and have references from a professor there.
3. At my medical faculty, there is a professor (of microbiology) who specifically went to Japan himself as a research student. Most likely it’ll have been a Monbukagakushou program too. I haven’t contacted him about it, but could very soon.
4. I have a profound interest in Japan and Japanese culture. Although my Japanese is limited to hirigana and anime-fed oneliners (ie, probably JLPT level 4), I’ve had numerous cordial contacts with Japanese people (including that Japanese fellow). This is something I am really motivated to do – and being in a scholarship is so much more enrichening then just go on a holiday.
There are however a few boo-boos as well:
1. I think medicine is a harder faculty to get into. If I’d want to do clinical work, I’d have to apply to the Ministry of Health as well. However, I could also limit myself to a research position.
2. I don’t know how I can fit 1,5 or 2 years in my curriculum. I’m a med intern, doing my 6th out of 7 years of medschool. I guess I need to discuss this with my faculty.
3. The application deadline is, 25th June, 2008. I don’t think I can make that deadline – I should try to aim for next year, right?
Anyway, thanks again for sharing your thoughts and experiences in this, and,
Dewa mata,
Erwin Ho
9 Lars Martinson // Jun 12, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Hello Erwin,
Yeah, I think it would probably be best to focus on applying for next year. That would give you the time to really get everything in order; the whole process takes longer than you’d think, and I’m sure that for medicine it’s all the more complicated. In fact it might not hurt to start contacting people and researching your options now.
But anyway, good luck to you!
Lars Martinson
10 aspiring // Jun 17, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Hi Lars! I’ve been reading your blog eversince I submitted my application. Yesterday I got a message from the Japanese embassy that I passed the initial screening and that I’m scheduled for an exam next week. It will be Japanese and English exams. I’ve indicated there in my application that my Japanese language ability is low (almost non-existent). I know the screening commitee won’t say any particular reason for accepting my application nor any reason why I passed the initial stage. However, I wonder what criteria they look into during the initail stage. does it mean my research proposal and my school grades were good? I’d like to know your opinion. And I worry too much about the Japanese language test that I must take. I hope they won’t decide on my application based only on my Japanese proficiency. Thanks a lot for putting very useful info on your site.. God bless!!
11 Lars Martinson // Jun 17, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Hello Aspiring,
I’m not going to pretend to know how they evaluate applications, but I have heard that people who literally know NO Japanese whatsoever have gotten the Monbusho, and since it’s possible to spend the first six months of your scholarship doing intensive Japanese study, they clearly don’t expect everyone to be speaking perfect Japanese from day one. In any event, I sincerely doubt they’d accept or reject your application based exclusively your Japanese ability alone.
But in any event, it can’t hurt to bone up on your Japanese now as much as possible before the tests, and see if you can’t pull out a decent score on the easiest one. Good luck to you!
Lars
12 Flo // Jun 28, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I am so thrilled to have found this site. I’m a monbusho applicant (Research Student)from Nigeria.The deadline is giving me sleepless nights!Wish I’d got this earlier. Still not sure what the study program should contain…Any tips pls?
And thanks for all the advice.
13 Michelle Yee // Jul 10, 2008 at 5:29 am
Hi Lars! Thanks for narrating a first-hand experience. You’re right about the feeling of an aspiring applicant — knowing other people’s experience, though how relative it will be to mine, is really a big help.
I’m planning to give it a try at Monbusho and I have scanned through the application requirements and process and I kind of feel “lost” with all of it. I’d like to get into the field of Computer Science and I’m thankful that quite a number of universities in Japan offers degrees on this field. My level of Japanese is I guess at level 4 in JLPT though I have not taken the exam yet, so what I have is really basic knowledge.
Huge thanks to you, I’m gonna go ahead and give it a try at applying for a scholarship after I’m done with half the load of work that I have to do.
To your Japan education, ganbarimasho!
Mata ne,
Mish
14 Anys // Jul 17, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Hi Lars,
First of all I wanna thank you for this helpful guide;THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Your guide helped me a lot, I’m from Algeria (=>none native speaker) studying Master in Electronics and I have to pass an English test on Thursday.
Here, unfortunately, they give only 3 scholarships, so it would be very difficult to get it, but I’m a little confident and hope I will succeed.
Thank you again a good luck!
15 Lynn // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Dear Lars,
Thanks so much for taking time and effort in sharing all your experiences regarding this scholarship. I do have an intention to apply for a 2010 entry, and I have this question in my head that’s been bugging me since FOREVER.
I’ve studied Japanese since 2004 but because I’ve never lived in Japan, I don’t feel like I am fully equipped with the skills to study in a Japanese university. However, you also said that it is not necessary to have prior knowledge of Japanese for this scholarship? How does that work out then? Do the scholars attend classes in Japanese, or…? Should I do something about my Japanese proficiency before thinking about applying? I don’t want to cry throughout the course working on assignments written IN Japanese! :D I was just wondering how do you guys survive this massive language barrier, studying such complicated stuff in a foreign language!
Thanks heaps!
16 UNA CHUKU OKORO // Aug 11, 2008 at 6:42 am
thanks for the information, i applied for the MEXT scholarship since july 11th, 2008, but I am yet to hear from them. how long does it take them to reply? I am will still wait for them. Thanks
17 Lars Martinson // Aug 11, 2008 at 10:21 am
Hey Lynn,
Okay, I’m getting back to you so late that you’re probably not checking for a response anymore, but in case you ARE, here it goes:
Once again, I’m not an expert on how the Monbusho works, but my understanding is that the language ability is a case-by-case thing. If you’re studying, say, Japanese Linguistics, then obviously your language skills need to be superior. If you’re studying painting or something, or if your advisor speaks fluent English, you can probably get by with less. There’s also the option you to take a six month intensive course before you begin studying if your school thinks you need it.
In any event, you want to convince the people reviewing your application that your Japanese is good enough to get by, so the more Japanese you know, the better. So hit those books! My Japanese was between JLPT 2 & 3, and I think it’d be a good idea to be at LEAST at that level (again, I’m just speculating here).
Anyway, best of luck!
Lars
Hey UNA CHUKU OKORO:
That question would probably be best addressed to the consulate or embassy you applied through. I don’t really know the turnaround times for different countries, etc…
Good luck though!
Lars
18 noel // Aug 15, 2008 at 12:00 am
hi sir,
I would like to ask sir if you can give a link oa site where i can learn japanese.
19 angelofdevotion // Aug 16, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Hi! Thanks for sharing with us.
I am considering the scholarship next year, i am still doing my Masters degree in Asian Studies in Sydney University so i will apply next year. I am from Thailand by the way, just internationally educated since i was young)
I am really interested in the scholarship…..reading your steps to how you get the scholarship is really helpful….
Between… I am focusing on Japanese Contemporary Society, would like to focus on Masculinity and femininity in popular culture or something related to that….I am currently doing a thesis research essay on Portrayal of Heroines in Japanese and Korean dramas. Maybe i could show this to them along with my new proposal?
Since it is a research scholarship, does it mean i can proceed a PhD or do i need to do another masters? I am confused about the research though.
I am really concerned about professor, must they be supervisors in the PhD sections or just any Professors from the University who might be interested in my field?
Sorry for asking so many questions.
I really wanna get this scholarship ^^
I am addicted to anthropological research
Thanks,
Eva
20 jc // Aug 30, 2008 at 6:32 am
Hey
I am already through with sending the acceptance letter of the professor of my choice to the Japanese embassy here in my country. I’d like to know what are the chances that I would be given the scholarship?So far no one has really been able to tell me what my chances are. I need to know because there are other opportunities that I would have to turn down just to WAIT for the decision of the Japanese government. I don’t want to regret in the end and I have been researching about this scholarship and have always come up short.
thanks!
21 Talia // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:19 am
Hi Lars,
Thank you so much for your detailed account!! It’s really a huge help…
Just one quick question, I heard that when searching for a professor, it’s better to look towards public universities over private. Apparently the Japanese government are more inclined (rightly so) to accept you into the program if you have gained approval from a public university?
Thanks again – you’re a lifesaver!!
Talia
22 Pawit // Oct 20, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hi Lars,
Thanks to your account, i managed to not get lost in the application process (tho i have to admit, i found this site a little too late). Nevertheless, now that i’ve got the letter of acceptance, i just have to wait for the confirmation.
I was just wondering whether your placement is ‘pretty much’ guaranteed once you’re at this stage, since my research project is very specific, and it took me hell to manage to find my advisor. And, because i’m applying to a private university, i’m afraid that i might not be accepted ‘due to budget’. Any input would be most helpful!
Also, i was wondering whether there are any sites keeping statistics of scholarship recipient’s choice of university.
Thanks again!
Pawit
23 calvin // Nov 9, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I’m really interested to read your story further, please continue, It’s really helpful and inspirative for people who are planning for monbusho scholarhip.
I’m planning to apply this scholarship around 2010, even though I was graduated two months ago, I realized I lack of time to produce a quality research proposal.
I wonder if sometime in the future, I could ask your opinion about research proposal? If you arent’ willing to, it’s okay.
24 san // Jan 29, 2009 at 11:40 pm
hi lars
first of all… thanks a bunch!
very detail, very helpfull
okay, here’s the thing
i applied 2 years ago, but didnt succeed.. my bad, lack of preparation :) and this year i want to try again
my BA is architecture, but my passion is always in art and design, so i want to apply for art/design scholarship
i know its tough, because different major
but hey, chances always there ^^
i saw ur proposal and yes it is very personal
i always wondering, art/design research proposal is very much different with engineering
so i’m a bit confuse writing the proposal, what do you think about this? (based on your experince now in the university, comparing with other students research there)
i’m also currently looking for prospective professor in japan that i can contact, but like u said, not easy to find their email address
so i just wondering if u know any professor that interested in ”art/design and their relation for children” or ”illustration for children” ar any link that i can use to find art professor?
thanks again
25 Rolly // Feb 1, 2009 at 11:47 pm
Hey, thanks for writing this guide. I`m a current JET up in Tohoku who`s thinking about applying for a monbukagakusho in a few years, and I`ve got a much clearer idea of what to expect now. Thank you, and congrats on getting yours.
One question I have is about the links to the (studyjapan) Japanese and English tests up near the top of the post — they seem to redirect to a different URL .
Just thought you might like to know.
Thanks again!
26 Lars Martinson // Feb 2, 2009 at 1:02 am
Thanks for the heads up about the misdirecting link–it’s fixed now.
Lars
27 Lars Martinson // Feb 10, 2009 at 7:35 am
Belated response to San:
“my BA is architecture, but my passion is always in art and design, so i want to apply for art/design scholarship”
The guidelines say you need to apply for something in the same field or a related field as your undergrad. You could argue that architecture is related to design, so you might have a shot; my major was graphic design and now I’m studying calligraphy, so it’s possible, at least. I would try to strongly emphasize the link between architecture and your proposed field of study.
“i saw ur proposal and yes it is very personal i always wondering, art/design research proposal is very much different with engineering so i’m a bit confuse writing the proposal, what do you think about this? (based on your experince now in the university, comparing with other students research there)”
I’m actually the only Monbusho scholar at my school; in fact, I’m the first one ever! As for writing the proposal, I pretty much wrote all my thoughts about that in part two of the “How I got the Monbusho Scholarship” series, as well as a link to my research proposal… beyond what you read there, your guess is as good as mine…
“i’m also currently looking for prospective professor in japan that i can contact, but like u said, not easy to find their email address so i just wondering if u know any professor that interested in ”art/design and their relation for children” or ”illustration for children” ar any link that i can use to find art professor?”
Sorry, I don’t know anyone from the art department from my school.
Good Luck!
Lars
28 Edna // Feb 10, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Thank Lars, this is very helpful, Im just out of patience waiting for my final acceptance and Im so glad to read your page. So Im hoping ill receive news this month…. Do you always get your priority university?? I hope I will… and is there a way to skip that first year learning japs…? Coz I learnt the language b4 wen I did my undergrad….Anyways, fanx again
edna from samoa
29 Lars Martinson // Feb 10, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Hello Edna,
“Do you always get your priority university?? ”
Usually, but not always.
“and is there a way to skip that first year learning japs…?”
Your host university decides if you need that or not.
Lars
30 edna // Feb 12, 2009 at 1:52 pm
thanks lars
31 Michael Sammler // Mar 6, 2009 at 10:41 pm
I just finished taking notes from your blog on the App. process. It sure took a lot of stress out of the process and inspired a few ideas.
I contacted the Japan Student Services Organization (nipon@jasso.go.jp) to ask for guidance and also contacted my home consulate where I was hired for JET to ask about Monbu recipients and contacts for help.
I think the website is a great idea too! Yours picture is scary, and reminds me of the Managers picture they have up at fast food restaurants like Mr. Donuts.
I uploaded the comics I have been making about Japan to my website, but will make another more professional one soon.
Thanks again for your informative blog and your comic. It is nice knowing I am not the only one who feels like I don’t fit in because I don’t complain vehemently about Japan and JET.
Michael
http://michael-sammler.deviantart.com/gallery/
32 Lars Martinson // Mar 9, 2009 at 5:53 am
Hello Michael,
Good luck with the application process!
And the Mr. Donut manager look was what I was going for, since that’s what I’ll be doing in five years time.
;-)
Lars
33 Will B // Mar 16, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Hello Lars,
Very nice blog you’ve got there. Thanks for your efforts and insight into this matter.
I graduated last year with my BSc in Science (major: computer science) and I voluntarily wrote a thesis with my professor in order to prepare for my postgrad studies. I’ve got almost a year of experience as an IT consultant and my Japanese level is between the 2nd and 3rd JLPT levels.
That being said and done, right now I am considering expanding on my previous thesis (it was about optimizing transportation modes in my hometown) and apply it to Japan, since it has a very different transportation system. Its already mid-march and I haven’t contacted any professor or Japanese university yet, although I did a few professors in my field of interest.
Given the lack of time, do you recommend me applying for the monbusho this year or shall I save it for next year? I appreciate your advise :)
-Will
34 K Ro // Apr 6, 2009 at 10:21 am
San,
I wanted to add onto Lars’s comment about the whether your intended field of study for postgraduate studies should be related to the major you received your bachelor’s in. I actually had the same question and asked the person in charge of the scholarship questions at Chicago consulate general, and he said it doesn’t have to be.
my question, verbatim, was:
I received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration but am considering Japanese Literature for my master’s. Will this work as a disadvantage against my candidacy?
The answer I received:
This will not work as a disadvantage. However, you need to have some familiarity and knowledge of the subject you wish to research. So, while you needn’t have been a Japanese lit major, we do need that you have a thorough knowledge of Japanese lit and will be able to conduct your research accordingly. That knowledge should be demonstrated in your research proposal.
Hope this helps, good luck to everyone who’s applying for the scholarship.
35 joel // Apr 29, 2009 at 11:48 pm
hi Lars,
Do you have any idea about the date of compliance of documents for monbusho 2010? Does it vary from country to country?Thanks a lot..
36 tingyik90 // May 18, 2009 at 2:55 am
there are no more past year test papers available, I think…. T^T
37 ebs // Jun 3, 2009 at 8:46 pm
wow– thanks so much for all the information. as you (and all of your readers) know, there is so little information out there, and at times it seems like the real test is interpreting all the esoteric directions. and since i don’t have any monbusho alums, i have been at a loss. (one of my friend’s best advice was to dye my hair blond for the interview since the interviewers will like blond gaijin).
i just passed the first stage and have my interview/test next week. i’m also a jet alum applying in the arts (photography), and it is nice to know that some of us artists succeed.
thanks again for all the advice (and hope)!!
38 marina (hisashiburi) // Jun 20, 2009 at 4:51 am
hi again Lars!
i am the spanish woman who wrote you few monts ago about my animation research proposal.
I passed the first seletion!!! so now we ‘re 20 people aspiring for 11 schoolarships….wowh!
I also have the enterview next weekend, and i am so nervous about the tests and so one…
I just want to thank you all the advises and things you told me, because i reached this point following your words.
Thank you Lars!
i will try to make them think art is too much important as cancer cure as well! wah hahaha XD
demo ima kara ganbarou!
39 Nobuko // Jun 21, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Hi Lars,
Thank you very much for all the information!
I am a Japanese living in the U.S., helping my Mexican friend apply for the scholarship. I read official info. and my friend went to the Embassy’s informational meeting, but since we don’t know anyone who actually received the scholarship, it has been difficult to figure out what is expected. (At one point I felt like this is a big test to see if you still like Japan after going through all this process!)
I wish had found your site much earlier; I found it only three days before the due date for all the documents. It is very helpful nonetheless, and I really appreciate your effort.
I have one question; did you use JASSO (Japanese Student Service Organization) for getting information? My friend sent an inquiry email and didn’t hear back from them, but it seems that many questions people have should be answered by such an organization…
どうもありがとうございました。これからもどうぞ勉強、がんばってくださいね。
40 Anonymous // Jun 24, 2009 at 12:11 am
Thank you for all the information and side comments which I found funny. ^o^ I passed my requirements last month and am currently banned from coffee because of nerves..lol. They said it would take at least a month for me to be contacted if I was able to make it to the interviews and tests but I didn’t know it would take that long to find out if you have been accepted or not…T,T. I also love Japan and its culture and am self-studying Japanese since college but not being able to focus on it a lot because of other things. This blog of yours is very informative albeit based on your personal experience. Thanks a lot!
41 balaji // Aug 13, 2009 at 8:50 am
dear sir,
i am an engineering student from india and i wish to know if i can take my masters in english language in a japan university?i have jlpt level 2 proficiency in japanese..but i wish to do my masters in english in japan..is it possible?
42 Justin // Aug 18, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Hi Lars
Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights about the Monbunsho Scholarship, which I would say the most sought scholarship for non-Japanese citizens… it was a great help indeed. I really admired your perseverance and passion. By the way, your graphic novel was a good one, it’s ‘impression’-alistic.
Kudos!
43 Segi // Sep 18, 2009 at 8:52 am
Hi Lars
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am thinking about applying for Monbugakusho next year. But I don’t have any thesis. Would I be eligible for the scholarship as research student?
44 C Charles // Dec 12, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Thank you for such a well written, informative and entertaining article. I knew most of the information about the process already but the article did an excellent job of showing the timeline of the application.
The idea about creating a small profile site for professor to look at is brilliant. I will definitely be stealing your idea for that one.
Now I just got to work on my research proposal. Could you give us an idea of how long research proposals generally are?
Thank you
c-
45 Lars Martinson // Dec 12, 2009 at 11:09 pm
My research proposal from 2007 can be found here:
http://larsmartinson.com/research-proposal/
46 Rheizka // Jan 6, 2010 at 3:38 am
Hi Lars,
I found this website very helpful to me to really set up my mind to get the scholarship. Thank you very much for writing this.
47 melissa // Mar 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Thanks so much. This site more than any other has given me an idea of what the process would be like. I’m planning on being a student of vocational studies and applying for the monbusho. SO
question #1 : Is asking professors to be your advisor strictly limited to the research applicants? Is it required, or is it simply a wise move that can only work for you?
question #2 I’m planning to take the JLPT level 2 this summer, but I’ll be taking it in Japan. I’m afraid this might conflict with my application process, so about when are the interviews and tests held?
48 salem // Apr 5, 2010 at 2:22 am
thanks
49 Firas // Apr 8, 2010 at 3:00 pm
thank you very much
50 Konny // May 7, 2010 at 3:59 am
Hi Lars,
What a nice info :)
I’d plan to grab manbusho scholarship and just pass my TOEFL test yesterday.
I’m living in Indonesia, a country which not acknowledge English as mother language so I need to take my TOEFL.
Could you please kindly advice me, how they pic the research study theme ?
I plan to take my doctor title (.phd) specific in Marketing field…
Actually I never been to Japan before and I’m not sure that there’s an applicant from Indonesia who choose to research about Marketing.
Is there any Manbusho who ever taking Marketing as research subject ??
Could you please kindly suggest me the person, if any… ?
Many Thanks for all the help
51 Lars Martinson // May 7, 2010 at 6:38 am
Konny,
I can’t say if this is their preferred format, but my research proposal from 2007 can be found here:
http://larsmartinson.com/research-proposal/
And sorry, but I don’t know anyone in marketing.
Lars
52 Mimi // May 9, 2010 at 11:43 am
Hello Lars,
Thank you for a helpful site! As you mentioned before, the japanese test will be in 3 levels, do you have to do all of them? How long time were you given to do the tests?
53 Lars Martinson // May 9, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Hey Mimi:
You have to sit in on all of them, and I can’t remember how long they give you (it’s been over two year now).
Lars
54 Dominique // Jun 2, 2010 at 9:57 am
Hi Lars,
Thank you for sharing your experience. Can you tell me if the scholarship tests are only language tests or if you also had to take tests on math, reading, etc. (like the SAT or GRE)?
55 Lars Martinson // Jun 3, 2010 at 5:36 am
Hello Dominique,
I only had to take language tests; maybe if your research area is different you might have to take math tests or something, I’m not really sure…
Lars
56 Jen // Jun 6, 2010 at 9:30 am
Dear Lars,
Thank you very much for providing very important details. I’m selected for interview (MEXT scholarship-postgraduate) next month. And I have no ideas at all about finding universities and lecturers. I studied ‘education with science’ bachelor degree in my country. I don’t where at internet i should search for universities that have education courses so that i can contact lecturers of education courses to accept me as their research students. Kind of headache. The interview is just one month away from now. I’m very panicked about this.
Yours Sincerely,
Jen
57 Paul // Jun 8, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Lars,
Thanks so much for this series of posts. I have found it all extremely helpful in the process despite our topics being more or less on opposite ends of the academic spectrum (whatever that may be!).
I’ll be taking those practices tests over the next few days, so hopefully they aren’t too ridiculous. I was able to pass ２級 last December but I don’t think I’m that close to １級 level just yet. Still, I’ll do my best and see what happens.
What worries me a bit more is the interview itself. I have a feeling the Japanese portion will dominate mine, though I have no way to tell until I get there and go for it. We shall see, I suppose.
Otherwise, I’m still a bit confused about the process of actually getting into a university. My question for you is this: did you have to take Japanese entrance exams or were you simply accepted because MEXT worked its bureaucratic magic? Does it simply depend on the university? All signs I’ve received point to taking the 入学試験, but it is all still very unclear. Of course, I still need to get past the test/interview, so while this may be frivolous at the moment, if you have a chance to get briefly comment, I would appreciate it.
Thanks again and good luck with all your endeavors!
-Paul
58 Lars Martinson // Jun 8, 2010 at 3:32 pm
I didn’t have to take college entrance exams. I had to have my adviser fill out a “letter of acceptance” (or whatever it’s called) but that was it. Maybe they’re more lax since the “research student” path isn’t degree-bearing.
Lars
59 jaeshi // Jan 14, 2011 at 9:13 am
hello lars,
thanks for sharing your experiences regarding monbushu. Im from the Philippines by the way. Our Embassy is offering this scholarship programs.
I was supposed to try it out this year but I think I’m not that ready yet though I have lots of connections in Japan cause I’m partly Japanese and my relatives lives there. (but the bad news is that, I forgot my Nihonggo already though I can still read Hirigana and Katakana)
My questions is, does the process vary from country to country? Cause I’m so confused about what was written in our Embassy Website and the way you got the Scholarship. I don’t know if I just misread the the embassy site or there really is a difference.
In addition, our embassy is also offering some initial assessment to the to-be-applicants. I want to try it out but I’m not sure if that would be the best idea to do as my first step.
I will try my luck next year, so as early as now, I’m looking for some advice.
Thank you in advance.
60 Lars Martinson // Jan 14, 2011 at 9:50 am
Hello Jaeshi:
I don’t know for sure, but I’d assume it probably varies a great deal from country to country. So my experience applying may not be useful to you…
Best of luck to you, though!
Lars
61 Sara // Jan 17, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Hey Lars,
Thank you! thank you! thank you sooo much for sharing your experience with the application process and everything.
I am in high school right now but I want to apply for the undergraduate scholarship and I wanted to ask if you had any information and advice on that.
I also wanted to ask about the interview, where exactly do the interviews take place?
Thank you so much.
Sara
62 Lars Martinson // Jan 18, 2011 at 8:58 am
Hey Sara–
I don’t have any personal experience with the undergrad scholarship, so I can’t offer any particular advice on that, sorry.
As for the location of the interview, it’s at the Japanese consulate or embassy that serves the area where you live. So for me, even though I live in Minneapolis, I had to go to Chicago for the interview.
Best of luck to you!
Lars
63 Shaun O'Brien // Feb 28, 2011 at 2:14 am
Lars you’ve definatly succeded in helping me with info. So far the only information i’ve been able to find is facts and data. I’ve read pretty much all there is to read from the embasies publications but its left me more confused than when i started.
A personal account’s really going to help. Not only is it really helpful but i’m also aplying for an art-related subject. I do have 2 questions though that you (if this post is still active) or anyone else may be able to answer.
I am already a bit fimiliar with the differnt types of entries and i know that under the “Research” catagory there are Doctoral, Masters, and Research. From what i could gather, where you aplying for Research? I’m planning on going for Masters so it may be slighly different, however your advice has helped greatly.
Secondly, you mentioned that you had previous language ability. I havn’t done any formal tests however i can answer about 75% of the level 5 JPL tests, i know there is 6 months language schooling avaliable for research students and i’m wondering how you went with that and also how it fit into you plan and schedule. As well as that do you thing someone of my slowly improving language ability would be able to commence study in 2012.
Sorry for the really long comment, but this is (you are) the best source of information i’ve found to date.
Thanks again
Shaun O’Brien
64 Lars Martinson // Feb 28, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Hey Shaun–
1) Yup, I applied for a non-degree, post-grad research scholarship.
2) I didn’t do the six months of language schooling, so I can’t speak to that. My Japanese at the time I went was between JPLT 2 and 3. As I understand it, they want your Japanese ability to be good enough for you to be able to do your research. So in your case, you’d want to make sure to get into an English language program, with an adviser who can speak English.
Best of luck!
Lars
65 Shaun O'Brien // Mar 1, 2011 at 12:39 am
thanks for you quick responce. When you siad “So in your case, you’d want to make sure to get into an English language program” did you mean find a masters course in english or to attend a langage school.
66 Lars Martinson // Mar 1, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Hey Shaun–
Whichever you’d prefer, I guess. I’d say to take college-level classes in Japanese you’d want to at *least* have a Japanese level between JPLT 2 & 3 (preferably closer to 2), so since you’re not quite there yet, you’d either need to do your master’s course in English or improve your Japanese.
Good luck to you on whatever path you choose to take!
Lars
67 Beau Carr // Apr 14, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I bookmarked this page about 2 years ago when I first heard about the scholarship, and now I’m finally in my last year of high school and ready to apply. Just wanted to say a big thank you as all of your advice and personal experiences are proving to be invaluable to me and many others. I did my JLPT N4 (same as the old JLPT3) last year and got 100%, so hopefully can pull off a respectable mark in the scholarship exams. Just worried my degree won’t be recognised when I get back to Australia. Suppose I’ll call the consulate.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Just wanted to say thank you! :)
68 ali secret // Apr 17, 2011 at 2:34 am
Lars , i would like to thank you
I’m applying for this year
all i want to say is wish me good luck :)
69 Lars Martinson // Apr 17, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Hey Beau, Ali–
Best of luck to you!
Lars
70 applezoid // May 1, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Great post on the interview process. I am curious (and I don’t know if you’d remember this or not) about the questions in Japanese they asked you. I’m studying for the N4 JLPT right now, have spent time in Japan twice (once with non-English speaking “host family” – long story) and have a degree of Japanese conversational fluency. I do get hung up sometimes. That’s a roundabout way of asking a simple question, but I’m wondering if you remember what questions they asked you? Or at least the general nature of the questions. Good advice on having a native speaker read over the politeness levels, BTW. I’ll have to request my former host dad do the same for me.
Thank again for these posts, they’re invaluable!
71 Lars Martinson // May 3, 2011 at 6:34 am
Man, it’s been so long, I don’t really remember; they asked something about my application if memory serves, and maybe something about my comics? For my interview, the Japanese part was pretty short, and the questions were daily conversation variety (I think).
72 AlexaLPN // May 6, 2011 at 5:55 am
Hi Lars! I really enjoyed reading your blog… it pulled out some thorns… :)
I am a second year Practical Nursing student in the Philippines, and I’m planning to pursue the Undergraduate Monbusho (Nursing) after I graduate…
I’ve been really wondering if do the reviewers take into account my past grades? Does it really count if I have low grades? I’m worrying because I’ve been kinda low on my high school marks (yes, LPN course is just 2 years here, and there’s no such thing as Junior High. Our high school is four years after 6 grade school years.) and it says to pass my transcripts for the past 3 years… So far my college grades have a minimum of 82%… I guess it’s just fine…
I know how to write in hiragana and katakana (thru self-study) and also a few phrases… do they count that too?
And even though I know you applied for the Research Category, I would really appreciate if you could give us some useful tips in the exam…
Thanks and Congratulations for making it to Japan! (I hope I become as lucky as you are)
Sincerely yours,
Alexa
73 Lars Martinson // May 6, 2011 at 9:08 am
Hey Alexa:
I put all my thoughts about the exam in this entry; beyond that, your guess is as good as mine. Best of luck to you!
Lars
74 andy mc // May 26, 2011 at 5:49 am
Hi Las,
How’re you going? I’m going through the application papers now for the MEXT scholarship, but got a quick question.
In the attachment part of the application, it asks whether you have obtained admission yet. (the part you said about the professors). Does that mean admission to the university you want to go to? Or just get an oak from some professors?
Also, in the application process do you actually have to go through the entrance examination procedures for universities? Or do you just apply through MEXT and so you don’t have to get official admission at the unis you want to go to?
Thanks a lot,
Love your blog btw~
Andy
75 Lars Martinson // May 26, 2011 at 8:41 am
Hey Andy–
It’s been so long since I filled the application out (almost three years) so honestly I can’t remember what I put for the “obtained admission” line. Sorry!
If you’re going as a research student, you don’t need to take the university entrance exams.
Best of luck!
Lars
76 Andy Mc // May 27, 2011 at 12:36 am
Thanks for the quick reply Lars,
ok don’t worry about that section.
If you’re applying as a masters student (to get credit and the degree), do you need to take the university entrance exams?
Or maybe.. I think I got it now.
If you get MEXT scholarship and don’t take the Japan uni entrance exam, you’re just a research student and don’t get credit or degree.
But if you get MEXT scholarship and take & pass the Japan uni entrance exam, you become a masters research student and get credit and degree?
What do you think?
Cheers,
Andy.
77 Lars Martinson // May 31, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Hey Andy–
Actually, I don’t think you need to take the entrance exam in either event. I think you can get a degree if a) your university agrees and b) you fulfill the requirements for one. You’d want to let your adviser that you wanted to pursue a degree right away, so he/she could help you to prepare to go down that path.
But again, all my knowledge about this is three years old (and it was shaky to begin with) so your best bet would be to address these questions to an official at an embassy or consulate.
Lars
78 Montenegro // Jun 8, 2011 at 10:10 pm
Hello Lars,
Thanks for sharing this valuable information. I’m a general dentist, from Honduras, wishing to do research in Japan. I’ve already submitted my application to the local embassy.
I wonder if you could please give me additional information or tips, besides the ones you mentioned, about the interview process. Maybe more questions that they asked you.
I know your native language is English, yet if you think you could give me avice on how to prepare for the englsih exam, I will be very greatful.
Best wishes,
Montenegro
79 Lars Martinson // Jun 8, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Hello Montenegro–
It’s been over three years since I applied, so I don’t really remember what questions they asked in the interview. And as you say, I’m a native English speaker, so I can’t really provide you with meaningful advice about the English exam. But best of luck to you!
Lars
80 Shaun O'Brien // Jun 9, 2011 at 11:12 am
Hey Lars this post seems to have taken off again. I have just finished writing my Aplication and come to the realsisation that i have a million peices of paper and how to present them. I’m litereally sending it in 12 hours from now, and just thought i would ask you what you did for presentation/organisation and how you kept the million copies of everything neat. I do have essentially unlimited folders so thats not a problem but i was wondering if you had any tips if you hapen to be online within the next 10 or so hours.
thanks
81 Lars Martinson // Jun 9, 2011 at 1:47 pm
If memory serves, I put each copy of the application in a folder, and separated each section with paperclips. But as long as it looks neat and professional, I’m sure any format would be fine.
Good luck!
Lars
82 Shaun O'Brien // Jul 13, 2011 at 4:21 am
Hey Tars thanks for all your help thus far. Hopefully this will be the last question. Somehow, dispite my shocking Japanese Ability i’ve been asked to attend and interview in a few weeks. I know you said you didn’t do so well in the interveiw but is there anything you would sugest to prepare for, that you didn’t mention above. I know it would have been ages ago for you but at this stage there isn’t alot of sugestions on the net. Australia has a high success rate among those get to the interview stage so i’m optimistic, but with my bad japanese any edge would help.
If this has already been asked a thousand times dont bother answering, but if there were any particular things you wished you’d prepared an answer for it would be a huge help.
Thanks again
83 Lars Martinson // Jul 13, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Hey Shaun–
Sorry, I don’t really have any particular advice other than what’s in this entry. As mentioned above, the practice interview is the biggest thing I wish I had done, so have a friend/professor/whoever do one of those with you if you can.
Best of luck!
Lars
84 jeanne // Aug 2, 2011 at 8:18 pm
i dont know if some1 asked this b4, coz i didn’t have time to read all the comments… sorry if it’s repeated..
do you roughly know the weightage of the interview? and how random is random? like about your personal life or something related to the japanese field, culture or wad?
and btw, they said everyone did quite badly this year (in my country) for the written tests.. is is necessarily a bad sign (sry it’s a bit stupid to ask this one, but just want ur comment anw)?
sorry, ask so many things.. thanks a lot!! it was helpful! :)
85 Lars Martinson // Aug 4, 2011 at 3:26 am
Hey Jeanne–
It’s been literally years since my interview, so I honestly don’t remember what questions I got. And for the rest of your questions, your guess is as good as mine!
Lars
86 Shaun O'Brien // Sep 2, 2011 at 1:41 am
Hey Lars no Questions this time, Just thought i should come and say thanks for your help. Seems they cut application numbers for Australia in half this year so at this stage i’ve missed out. Somehow i’m on a 2 person reserve list so all is not lost, but there isn’t much chance of 1 or 2 of the 7 applicants dropping out. if not, I might try again next year.
Probably the last time i’ll post on here so thanks for all your help
87 Lars Martinson // Sep 5, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Hey Shaun, sorry to hear your bid didn’t pan out. Good luck to you next year if you decide to apply again!
88 Eriol // Nov 3, 2011 at 12:46 am
Hello Lars, thanks for the entry! I sympathized a lot with it even though I’m not taking the research scholarship but the Undergraduate version of it: which pans a whole other lot of troubles and headaches, which I think will be worth it anyways. I plan on documenting them for later use such as your entry, because I wish I had one myself.
I’m a new reader here, so maybe I got one fact wrong though. You recieved confirmation during June and took the tests the same month; just as I did. Confirmation for you after you passed the national screening was up until Mid-February, right? I had gotten word from the embassy that they’d try to get the confirmations by mid-August (quite some time ago huh?) but I recently called and they said they hadn’t heard from MEXT in Japan yet.
To be honest it’s pretty stressing not to hear about it, as you may know already. I was just wondering if it was naturally a longer wait than expected, because then I can breathe a sigh of relief and simply wait for the refusal or acceptance notice with assurance from someone who already experienced it. Since the main reason why I even sought a scholarship was my economic difficulty, I was planning to drop out of my current uni to work for the initial funds I’d need if I got accepted until departure date. If it’s normal that notification is that late, though, I guess I’ll have to start planning other methods of raising money while not excluding any possible outcome, haha.
Again, thanks for the blog post.
89 Shaun O'Brien // Dec 24, 2011 at 9:01 am
Hey Lars, First congrats on getting into the comic festival. It seems like a pretty big deal. Also, it looks like i’ll be getting the scholarship after all. I found out that i passed the second screenings, so as long as the university i am attending doesn’t change their mind i’m set to go in april. Thanks for all your help, and good luck at the festival.
90 Lars Martinson // Dec 24, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Congrats!
91 Libny Zambrano // May 16, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Thank you very much for sharing your experience about the Monbukagakusho. It helped to clarify many things and to make sure of other things. I am currently a senior about to graduate in around two weeks and still haven’t turned in my application and research proposal so I am praying dearly to God that this can all work out for me before the deadline. If not, I will have apply for the scholarship program for 2013. Anyways thank you very much and God bless you.
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