Keio University Study Exchange Programme

Hello mina-san!

So I applied for the international exchange study programme that is one semester long at Keio University (Tokyo) and I managed to get into it. While I was doing my own research for this exchange, I realised that there are not many blogs that can answer the various questions one might have regarding this, so I decided to start my own series of posts (lol you can tell how excited I am by the fact that I started blogging even though I am not even in Japan yet)!

Before I dive into my own experience, I'm just gonna list some of the blogs which I found relevant here:

http://undertokyocitylights.tumblr.com/ (Lots of info including budget, common Q&As, part-time job experience etc)
http://kaitoatkeio.tumblr.com/
http://hellotokyojojo.tumblr.com/
http://mikeyinjapan.tumblr.com/ (Visa info)

Alright, the most important thing to do before you choose a university for international exchange is to list out your priorities. For me, they were 1) cost, 2) distance from home, and 3) novelty. I wanted to go on an exchange which wouldn't make me broke, in a country not too far from Singapore, and where I am relatively new to the living environment. In addition, my lifelong interest in Japanese culture left me with no second guesses as to where I wanted to go.

In short,
1. Choose a university based on your priorities.
2. Go through your school's application process...and get in.
3. Apply for all the scholarships you think you qualify for, especially JASSO (check with your exchange uni for the required documents for submission).
3.5 After you know you're in, monitor the exchange rates like craaaazyyyy
4. Apply for housing.
5. Buy your plane tickets.
6. Buy travel insurance.
7. Fly to Japan! :D

Okay, I'm not going to delve into details for the above-mentioned steps unless I get asked questions related to that section. My logs are going to cover more on-the-ground things, like what I experience (difficulties, pleasant encounters) and how I make the most of my time. I really like exploring and taking pictures so stay tuned for that!