Greetings r/movingtojapan,
I hope this post finds you in good health! I am an American Undergraduate Student and I intend to apply to the University of Tokyo for my Master's and hopefully my PhD in the future. I will be moving to Tokyo in June on a Student Visa to attend the Japan Tokyo International School in order to study Japanese for the next 1-2 years. I am not sure if my credentials are good enough for a International student pursuing a Master's degree in Astronomy at the University of Tokyo which is offered in English. Also I am not sure if it is ideal for someone like me to apply as a research student before applying for my Master's degree.
A little bit about me:
– I have 6 years work/research experience on University Research Programs.
– I have done 2 years of a volunteer research internship at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute.
– I founded an Astrobiology Research Program that recieved funding from NASA for further research.
– I am currently the primary investigator for an exoplanet research program at my university.
– I have one peer-reviewed publication.
– Upon completing my Undergraduate Program at my current University, my GPA should be somewhere between a 3.0-3.5.
If anyone could give me any advice on what I can do to better my chances in getting accepted into a Master's program at the University of Tokyo, it would be greatly appreciated. Currently, I feel like I have not done enough to set myself apart from my peers. I am heavily invested into pursuing my future career within Japan. Additionally, I am working with a colleague of mine who works at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in the United States to build a remote controlled observatory that will allow for more educational and research opportunities for Highschool and University students in Japan.
Thank you kindly your time and I look forward to hearing your response.
Jason C.
by Kozykura98