Graduate School of LawWaseda University

I want to become a doctorate students of some of the professors here – Wang XingJian

From People’s Republic of China

Name

Wang, XingJian

Where are you from?

I came from Shenyang, a city in North East China.

Where did you graduate from?

I graduated from a US university, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
I had two majors, Political Science and Economics.

LL.M. Waseda University

What do you think about Waseda University/ Waseda LL.M.?

It is an amazing school. The students here are all very lively and helpful.

Majority of them can speak English, some even can speak Chinese! It is indeed a very globalized campus and student body. And the campus is gorgeous, especially in the Spring, with all different kinds of flowers blossom at different times. And the staff here are very professional and eager to help students in any way possible to them. I feel like we have very supportive staff members at Waseda, which is perhaps the second most important thing for an international student next to quality of education. And here at Waseda, an internationally acknowledged university, the academic life that you will receive here is guaranteed to be a bit challenging from time to time, but fruitful at the end.

The LL.M. program offered by Waseda helped me to achieve my long time goal to have an academic background in International Law at an affordable cost. There are world class faculties here helping everyone enrolled in the program to succeed in their respective field, and a wide range of courses are thoughtfully developed for the students to choose.

For me with a liberal arts and international studies background, I am enjoying my opportunity to understand the globalized world from a legal point of view, something that my home university did not offer. But if you are more interested in the practicing side of the legal education, there are also many courses that would not only teach you Japanese law and cases, but also compare them with the laws in other prominent countries. I think this is a great opportunity for me and my career in the future.

How is your life as a student at Waseda?

I live off campus, so that commuting to Waseda everyday can be a bit inconvenient. But here in Tokyo there are highly developed public transportation systems so that it really is not that great of a burden for me to go to school.

But for future references I suggest the perspective students to check out the student dorms offered by Waseda University. They are a bit expensive but worth the price, the convenience and facility they provide.

I like Japanese food in general, but the food that the Okuma Garden Cafeteria provides is both delicious and affordable, much cheaper than restaurant prices. But there are even cheaper made-to-order bento places within 3 minutes of walk from Waseda Campus, and they are very delicious as well. For 500 yen you can have a very comfortable meal at Waseda, plus drinks. And the CO-OP store in Building 8, where the LL.M. classes are conducted, offers a wide range of things at prices cheaper than other convenience stores on and off campus. You can buy stationary, coffee, bento, nigiri, baked goods, and many kinds of drinks in that store. In general, I am very satisfied with my student life at Waseda.

at Okuma Garden, Waseda University

How do you like the LL.M. faculty? 

They know what they are talking about! By that I meant that the professors of my courses are no doubt experts in the field. Some of them are even outside counsels of the Japanese Government. That is the single most important thing and the biggest “surprise” for me. They can be a bit strict and their assignments can be a bit demanding sometimes, but that is what one should get at a world class university from world class faculties.

I personally have no complaints to my professors, and secretly speaking, I even want to become a doctorate students of some of the professors here just because I think only taking one year of classes from them is not enough for me…I want more! But too bad that, to my knowledge, there is no doctorate program. But please correct me if I am wrong!

How are you adjusting to life in and around Tokyo?

There is no adjustment needed for me…I fit right in I feel like. Because I have relatives, though rather distant, living in Japan, and that my father was once on a talent exchange program here in a Japanese TV station for half a year, I have also wanted to come to Japan and experience the culture here. Besides, I have always wanted to visit the land protected by the Ultramen, my childhood heroes.

Where do you live?

I live in an apartment in Nishi Funabashi, a city in Chiba Prefecture. I don’t regret that I made that decision, because my roommate and best friend is currently a student in a university located in Chiba, Nishi Funabashi makes sense to both of us as it is in the middle point. Plus the rent here is way cheaper.

But if you haven’t been to Japan before, unlike me who has been here for more than a year, I would suggest you to live closer to campus. It would save you much time, and you can use that time to either study or to participate in after school activities with your classmates. Trust me, within one year you will find them to be your closest friends in Japan.

The LL.M. has a very diversified student body, from Europe to Central Asia to Eastern Asia to ASEAN Countries to America, all around the world. And they are amazing, simply amazing. I enjoy our exchange of thoughts and ideas in and out of class. It is a rare opportunity for anybody to hear about ideas from across the globe. In the Waseda LL.M., you will have that opportunity. It is a pity that there are no Japanese students in the program though, at least in this year. Hopefully there will be some in the future! That would make things way more interesting 😉

How do you spend your free time?

There are so many Japanese restaurants that I want to try! Karaoke and izakaya are great places for hang-out. For Chinese students, I assure you, you can find LanZhou Noodles, Sha Xian Xiao Chi, and even Ma La Tang not far off from the Campus. Your classmates from all around the world will often organize one activity or another, and if they don’t, you can! They are the nicest people that I have met and form the most precious part of my education experience here.

Please, write a short message for future LL.M. students!

Do you want to study law from a global perspective? Do you want some legal background on your belt? Do you want to challenge and be challenged? Waseda LL.M. in Regional Economic Integration is the program for you. There are also scholarship opportunities available for you to apply once you are enrolled. Come and try it out!

2018 WANG Xingjian

 


Thank you, Wang Xingjian, for the comment!

For future students, please refer to the admission page if you are interested.

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Graduate School of Law, Waseda University

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