Interview with the Study Abroad Office

Tomorrow is a fateful day - I get interviewed by my exchange coordinator and two members of the Japanese department. One of the Japanese members is my current Japanese sensei - the other is the adviser for the Japanese minor (whom I have never met). My friend assures me she's nice and adorable, so I shouldn't need to worry all that much. Overall, I (secretly) think my chances are high in getting accepted into the Study Abroad office, but we shall see.

My adviser gave me a couple questions to mull over, so I'll prepare my in-depth answers here as a means of organizing my thoughts.

Why do you wish to attend Waseda University as opposed to the other universities offered by the Study Abroad office?

Well, the exchanges are much more affordable than the USAC programs. This narrows it down to choosing between Kobe and Waseda. With Waseda, I am able to choose my own housing, which helps defray some of the costs in studying abroad (I plan on staying at a sharehouse). Waseda seems to have better support for international students through their cultural exchange center, a wide variety of clubs and offers a lot of classes in English through an English immersion program for Waseda students. This would help keep my grades up, as I think a college level course taught in Japanese would be too difficult. I have also spent a short period of time in Tokyo before, so I'm already familiar with the layout train system.

Why do you want to study in Japan?

I'm a Japanese major, so I think studying abroad would really help improve my Japanese ability (particularly in the listening and speaking parts). I've been interested in Japanese popular culture and food since middle school, when a group of Japanese students came to visit my school. I really want to try things like shabu-shabu, natto and the weird drink flavors they have in the vending machines. I also really want to join a couple clubs in order to make friends who share my interests. I'm thinking I'll join the international club and maybe a club involving shodo or Japanese-style archery. I thought about joining a sports club, but I'm not really good at sports, so I wouldn't be good for a team.

What goals do you have for after your study abroad experience and how can studying abroad in Japan help with these goals?

I plan on applying for the Language House so that when I return, I will be able to continue my immersion in Japanese. I plan on applying for the JET program my senior year and studying abroad in Japan will help make my application stand out. After taking part in JET, I will make the decision as to whether or not I want to continue teaching Japanese. If not, I plan on applying to the State Department as a consular officer. Having been abroad for some time, it will prove that I am able to effectively handle the stress of the living in a foreign country.

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To the readers:
Why do you want to go to Japan? Or why do you want to study in Japan?