When you fail in graduate school in China and want to change tracks, or when you want to choose to continue studying abroad after graduating from undergraduate studies in China, graduate school in Japan is a good choice.
Compared with domestic postgraduate examinations, the advantages of postgraduate examinations in Japan mainly include:
First of all, compared with the domestic unified examination, Japan's graduate school is carried out, as long as the examination time is staggered, you can apply for several more schools to increase the chance of landing;
Second, unlike the many examination subjects in China, most colleges and universities in Japan only involve professional course examinations;
Finally, compared with the domestic large population base of "rolling life and death" postgraduate examination situation, the competition for postgraduate examination in Japan is relatively small.
Are you excited after reading these? So, what preparations do I need to make if I want to go to graduate school in Japan? What is the exam process like? Today, Xiaoyuan will answer these questions one by one, please check this Japan postgraduate science popularization strategy~
NO.1
What do I need to prepare for graduate school entrance examination in Japan?
Japan's graduate school entrance examination, that is, the graduate school entrance examination, is also the same as the domestic graduate school entrance examination, which requires long-term planning and preliminary preparation, but the content of the preparation is significantly different from that in China. Here are a few of the most important things to prepare:
➤ Language scores
Since it is a study abroad, language scores are an indispensable stepping stone. The language score requirements for graduate school entrance examination in Japan can be basically divided into Japanese scores and English scores. Among them, the Japanese language score is generally JLPT (N1 in liberal arts, N2 in science and engineering); English scores are generally TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, etc.
The specific situation will vary depending on the school, considering the timeliness of the language score score, students must prepare in advance according to the requirements of their target school.
➤ Educational qualifications and grades
In terms of academic qualifications, most institutions require students to meet 16 years of educational experience, and some also require the submission of a degree certificate, which can be roughly understood as requiring candidates to have a bachelor's degree.
For junior college students, you need to choose a university that can receive 15 years of education experience, or obtain a bachelor's degree in Japan before going to Japan for graduate school.
In terms of grades, although Japan graduate school entrance examination will not pay as much attention to the GPA during the undergraduate period as the European United States, some special circumstances are not ruled out. For example, if the entrance exam is only a book test, the student's school of origin and GPA are often more important. Therefore, it is also necessary to strive for a higher GPA during your undergraduate years.
➤ Professional knowledge reserve (focus of the written test)
Most of the Japan master's exams only examine the knowledge of professional courses, and a small number of colleges and universities may also additionally examine English translation to Japanese, short essays and other content. Although the logical framework and knowledge system of many subjects are similar to those of the same major in China, some differences in details and professional expressions in Japanese still need to be learned. In order to understand the content of the exam more intuitively, here Xiaoyuan will give you a few simple examples.
For example, at the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, the content of the specialized courses examined varies according to the specialization: the written test of social foundation and architecture is a test of professional knowledge, and the English score is directly converted according to the TOEFL submitted; In addition to specialized subjects, there is also a separate mathematics exam for mechanical engineering; Chemistry and Life Sciences also have a separate English exam.
In terms of liberal arts, Hitotsubashi University's Graduate School of Business Administration, for example, has a short essay exam and an English-to-Japanese translation exam, unlike most graduate schools of business administration, which only focus on specialized courses.
To sum up, the content of the written test varies from school to school, and students need to prescribe the right medicine according to the requirements of the school.
➤ Research Proposal (Interview Focus)
The last item, which can also be said to be the core element of Japan's graduate school entrance examination, is the research plan, and the interview basically focuses on the research plan and detailed questions.
The research proposal is generally composed of several parts, such as problem awareness, research background, prior literature, research content, research methodology, and research significance, and it is necessary to elaborate on the specific plan of the students' professional research that they want to carry out during their future seminary.
Depending on the requirements of each school, the specific content of the research proposal may vary, for example, some schools may request that the reason for their aspirations be included in the proposal, and some schools may be required to select a topic designated by the school.
There is also a special point here, that is, the problem of contacting the professor beforehand. Japan graduate school pays more attention to the fit between the student's research plan and the professor's guidance direction or guidance ability, some schools may have to obtain the consent of the professor before applying, and some majors prohibit contacting professors, students need to pay more attention to this issue.
NO.2
How do I apply for OR registration?
After understanding several important materials that need to be prepared for graduate school entrance examination in Japan, the next step is the application process, which is often referred to as "wishing". Wishing is the process of collating and summarizing the books required by the school and submitting them to the school.
Except for some special requirements, the types of graduate school applications generally include the following:
• Admission Petition (usually in the specified format)
• Research proposal (different schools have different word count, format, and content requirements)
• Language scores (Japanese and English)
• Transcripts, graduation certificates, degree certificates
• Letters of recommendation
• Copy of residence card, passport, etc
There are generally three forms of vows - pure offline mailing, online and offline combination, and pure online submission. Here are a few examples to make it easier for students to understand.
➤ Pure offline mailing form
As the name suggests, students need to download the books required by the school and fill them out, and together with the documents they have prepared such as transcripts and graduation certificates, they will be packaged into a document and mailed to the Graduate School Application Office by courier.
For example, at Osaka University's Graduate School of Economics, students are required to fill out a questionnaire online, and then prepare all the documents such as the application form, transcripts, and research proposals, and mail them to the Graduate School of Academic Affairs within the application period.
For students mailing in Japan, there are special requirements for envelopes and mailing methods; For students who wish overseas, they need to send it by DHL, EMS, FedEx, etc.
➤ Combine online and offline voting
For some books, only the electronic version needs to be uploaded to the designated URL, while for the other part of the book, the original must be mailed offline due to particularity and other reasons.
For example, the Graduate School of Economics at the University of Tokyo divides the application documents into three categories: (A) online submission only, (B) online submission and offline mailing at the same time, and (C) offline mailing only.
➤ Pure online voting
In addition, some graduate schools adopt a pure online application form, and students only need to upload the corresponding books on the designated link online. A typical example is Tohoku University's Graduate School of Accountancy, where candidates log in to TAO first, pay the examination fee and upload all the application materials.
NO.3
How do I take the test in Japan?
For students who are already well prepared, they can choose to take the test immediately after arriving in Japan, or take the test directly online in Japan. For students who are relatively unprepared and need to continue their studies and polish, they can choose the form of language school transition or graduate school transition.
➤ Direct exam
If you have prepared all the documents and qualifications mentioned above at the time of graduation, you can go to Japan for a short period of time after graduation in the form of a tourist visa or a business visa, and you can directly take the graduate school entrance examination by planning the examination schedule. This method basically has no transition period and is the most efficient.
➤ Language School Transition
If you can't guarantee the timeliness of the preparation of all the materials, you can consider applying for a language school transition. Language schools in Japan need to apply as soon as possible, taking the undergraduate period as an example, you can start to find a suitable language school in the first semester of your senior year, and you can directly enroll as a July student after graduation.
In this process, you will prepare for language scores, professional courses, etc., which will probably take at least half a year more preparation time than the direct exam.
➤ Graduate Transition
Graduate students in Japan are auditors, and they are generally divided into two batches, October and April. Not all graduate schools have a graduate program, and for subjects that do have a graduate program, students are generally required to send the prepared self-introduction, research plan, language scores, and other materials to the professor to ask if they can be admitted to the graduate school.
If you are able to successfully enter the university, you may be able to enter the graduate program relatively smoothly.
NO.4
What is the cost of graduate school in Japan?
Finally, and one of the most concerned questions for some students, what is the cost of graduate school entrance examination in Japan? In addition to the relatively variable living expenses, here is a brief summary of the entrance exams, tuition fees and other learning expenses after admission.
➤ Language exam fees
First of all, the most important JLPT test is 7,500 yen in Japan, and 550 RMB in N1 and N2 in China.
Looking at the English test, the TOEFL registration fee is 2100RMB/back in China, and about 22000 yen/back in Japan; The TOEIC Japan test fee is 7,810 yen/back; IELTS is about 2020 RMB in China and 27,500 yen / back in Japan.
➤ Entrance examination fee for monks
The entrance examination fee for a graduate school is generally between 30,000 and 35,000 yen per school. Most students will choose to choose 4-6 colleges and universities, and the examination fee is about 12w to 21w.
➤ Tuition fees after admission
Tuition fees in Japan generally consist of admission materials and teaching materials. Excluding the differences between disciplines, the admission rate for national and public universities and graduate schools is generally 282,000 yen, and the teaching material is generally 535,800 yen per academic year. Private university tuition is relatively expensive, with an entrance fee of 200,000 yen, and a tuition fee of about 60w-150w per academic year. If you are worried about tuition fees, you can try to choose a national or public university to apply.
To sum up, Xiaoyuan comprehensively introduced the process and precautions of postgraduate examination in Japan from four aspects: preparation materials, registration methods, forms of going to Japan and study expenses. The main focus of Japan's graduate school entrance examination is "information gap", and the more thoroughly you understand the information about the examination, the more likely you are to choose the right institution and greatly increase the chance of landing on the shore.
If students are still confused about Japan's graduate school entrance examination, or want to compile targeted preparation strategies according to their own situation, you can come to Xiaoyuan privately, Xiaoyuan will provide you with the greatest help for the examination~