Hello! I had a few questions about applying to and attending graduate school programs in Japan.
Starting off with some background info about me: I am 22, currently a senior undergrad in Ecology and Conservation Biology major at Texas A&M. I am an American citizen but I am 1/4 Japanese (no Japanese citizenship), and 3/4 Korean. I'm conversational in Japanese due to home life and from taking 2 Japanese classes at my university. My partner is Japanese American.
I will be graduating this May 2025 and I'm thinking about the next steps in my life. With the current state of America, I feel unsafe and do not want to be here. That's when my partner suggested moving to Japan (where their whole family is). I want to continue my studies in a graduate program researching either environmental ecology or marine biology. However, after some googling, I've found it difficult to understand how to look for and apply to grad programs in Japan. Many times, the information was confusing and outdated. Universities I looked at offered Fall admissions, but each college in the same university had different requirements and dates. Looking at lists of faculty members was also difficult due to lack of information provided. I am looking for English programs as I would definitely struggle with technical terms in Japanese. I am also focusing my search in Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Tokyo.
So my questions are:
- How are you supposed to look for universities and professors?
- Do you have any suggestions for specific programs?
- What is the timeline for applying to graduate schools in Japan?
- Is it too late to apply for the Fall semester? Should I be preparing for the Spring semester instead? If so, would it complicate things for VISA if I moved there in august without being a student yet?
- Should I look for a job in Japan instead or maybe a language school just for the time being?
- What jobs would be available to foreigners with a Ecology degree?
- Is moving to Japan even a good idea? I visited Japan this past summer and I loved it, but I know living and working in Japan would be very different.
Sorry the questions are very broad. I'm in the beginning stages of trying to figure out what would be best steps for me.
I appreciate any advise! Thank you.
by Royal-Reputation-403