UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. If you are already enrolled in a university or college, there will likely be foreign study programs and scholarships through your school. You should inquire at your school to find out what schools are affiliated with your home college so that you can gain credit for your studies. There are many financial aid options for both undergraduates and graduate students.
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. Scholarships are competitive for high school students and most programs are very expensive. You should ask if your town/city/state has a sister-city/state relationship in Japan. Sometimes there are special homestay and exchange programs in place that also are subsidized to foster international relations. The Rotary Club also has a well-established Youth Exchange program. Contact your local Rotary Club for sponsorship.
Other sources of funding:
Be creative and resourceful. Look up Japanese-American societies in your area; businesses; social groups; churches and other organizations that may be willing to sponsor or partly sponsor your trip. Ikebana studies, hobby groups, martial arts, and other special interests may be interested in your story.
There are a variety of programs that offer summer language studies, semester studies and year-long homestays. Costs vary and students should be very careful about assessing what is and is not covered in the price given.
Some of the programs listed below do offer scholarships, but be warned that these are very competitive. Many require a 3.0 GPA (some are lower), recommendations and an essay and sometimes an interview. Most high school programs are for ages 15-18.
What are programs looking for in their applicants?
- They want students who are flexible and who will enjoy the challenges of adapting to a new culture. Your essay should reflect some prior experience that demonstrates you are flexible.
- Those with homestays want students who are interested in being part of a family.
- Programs that place you in a Japanese school will require you to conform to the rules at the school, including wearing the uniform, adhering to dress and hair codes, riding a bicycle and participating in after-school events.
- Summer language programs are generally intensive and require at least half a day of classroom work in addition to cultural activities and exploration.
- Applicants should be in good physical and mental health.
- Applicants should have a good sense of humor, be sensible and willing to socialize.
How to write a winning essay for a scholarship:
Start by brainstorming. Jot down quick answers to some of these questions and begin to develop your essay from there.Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Why do you want to come to Japan (instead of another country)?
- When did you first get interested in Japan? What intrigued you?
- Who have you met/what have you read/what have you seen or heard that inspires you to come to Japan?
- If you could come, what would you most like to do or see?
- What do you hope to learn or accomplish during your stay?
- What do you hope to get out of this experience?
- What will you do with your experience once you return home?
- What do you see as your greatest challenge (obstacle) in this trip? How do you plan to overcome it?
From your notes, see if you can pull out a personal story or quotation or interesting fact to start your essay with. Then make a thesis statement with your most compelling argument about why this trip means so much to you. Use the next couple of paragraphs to explain what you can contribute and what you want to learn. Summarize with what you hope to gain from the experience.
Resources for high school students:
http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx
http://www.yfu-usa.org/
http://www.ciee.org/study/scholarships/additional-funding.aspx
http://www.experimentinternational.org/eil_jal.cfm
http://www.intraxstudyabroad.com/japan
.http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home
http://www.englishabroad.us/japan.html
http://educationabroad.twoworldsunited.org/education_japan.html
What is high school like in Japan?
While don't want to overly generalize, my daughter attends high school here and it is very different from the US.
First of all, the school year starts in April and goes until March, with a 5-week break in summer, 2 weeks at New Year and 1 week in the spring. However, oftentimes there are required classes and homework to be done during the breaks.
Secondly, there are strict dress codes. Hair cannot be dyed and there are style limitations; uniforms are required; piercings are not allowed; make-up is not allowed; cell phones are not allowed.
Third, there are fewer choices in the curriculum. Everyone is required to take the same high level math, science and language classes. My daughter, for example, as a sophomore takes 12 classes a week, including chemistry, physics and biology. Students stay in their homeroom and the different teachers rotate through rather than students changing classrooms for their different subjects. There is homework every night.
As an exchange student, obviously they will not expect you to be up to level in their classes or in Japanese, but you will have to attend and do what you can in order to get credit for the program. You will have intensive language classes instead of the advanced Japanese of your counterparts.
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