hi, the question in the title is a little broad but i’m currently applying for a year-long student exchange in japan. my top 2 choices rn are keio and waseda but i’m still considering which one to put first.
they’re pretty close in my eyes. i’m currently studying undergrad in sociology in my home uni. my uni is pretty interdisciplinary so i take a lot of obligatory phil, political science, history, etc courses as well. as far as i’ve seen from my research both could offer me courses in these areas to some degree so it’s not my biggest concern.
one of my biggest considerations is housing. keio dorms are like an hour away from the mita campus by public transport, which isn’t the biggest problem as i’m already used to that in my city but it’d be pretty neat if i could live closer to the city center ofc. i was also considering sharehouses to have roommates as people to interact and hopefully make friends with but those close to the campus seem pretty expensive. but in keio i have the possibility of getting jasso scholarship if they decide to grant me it.
waseda offers no scholarship to students of my uni (if at all) but their deal with sharehouses close to the campus seems neat, and cheaper than renting one independently.
what would you do in my case, if you have info on these two schools? and do you have just general opinions or info that you’d think i should know? what do you think generally about these two schools? i heard they’re mostly similar in terms of social fabric and campus life?
also specific question but how difficult would it be to find a part-time job in hiyoshi (where keio dorms are) as a foreigner with facial piercings? i’d do cafes, konbinis, tutoring, idrc. just wondering if it’d be very different than looking for a job in the city center.
thank you and sorry for the long post !!
by gytsmu