Hi guys! This is more of an update to my previous post on this subreddit. I am not much of a poster, I usually just lurk around on reddit, so I hope it's okay for me to make a separate post.
In my previous post I said that I was interested in transferring to another university in Tokyo as a third-year student. I'm currently a first-year spring semester student in Toyo University, studying in the School of International Studies, Global Innovation Program. My current GPA is 4.13/4.30. All of my classes are taught in English so I will mainly be looking for other universities that offer degrees taught in English. The main motive behind transferring is to enter a more reputable and well-established university due to concerns of hunting for jobs in the future. I took all of the comments I received in the previous post to heart, and understand that transferring is a difficult and not an easy process. But, I would just like to give it a shot and try my best.
Initially, I was interested in Sophia, since it was the only university I knew that offered a transfer system. But, they only take in students in their third-year. A gracious commenter suggested that I look into ICU, so I contacted ICU for an eligibility check and they said I was eligible to transfer in April 2026. I feel horrible for not doing enough research before entering university, because I found that I really do like ICU's special educational system.
The application runs from this Wednesday (1st Oct) to next Thursday (9th Oct). In their email, they said that they require me to provide two letters of recommendation from faculty members at Toyo University. Seeing as the application starts incredibly soon and I've only been enrolled for a semester, is it even possible for me to get two recommendation letters? I would say that I participate quite actively in classes and my professors do know me… but I don't know if they know me well enough to help me write a recommendation letter to transfer away from the university. I'm afraid that it's too last minute and that the professors would feel insulted. Should I just gather all my courage and ask my professors for the recommendation letters? I'm afraid that I'll get rejected anyway and my professors will think I'm a loser who wasted my efforts and theirs. At the same time, I don't know if I can email ICU back and say that I can't provide the two recommendation letters because I'm sure that this is part of their protocol.
If my application fails, I wouldn't mind staying at my university or attempt to transfer to Sophia as a third-year student.
Please advise me on this, I'm in desperate need for help. Thank you so much in advance!!
by horseinjeans