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<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
- Name
\nHIGHTMAN Alison Karinen<\/strong><\/li>\n- <\/strong>Country\/ Region of Citizenship
\nThe United States of America<\/strong><\/li>\n- Graduated from
\nRice University<\/strong><\/li>\n- Department
\nDepartment of Electrical Engineering and Bioscience \uff08Master’s\uff09
\n<\/strong>Privately-financed student<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHow did you find out about Waseda University?<\/h3>\n
I have one friend who graduated from Waseda about 8 years ago and I have another friend who was doing a one year exchange at Waseda.\u00a0 I heard about the university from them and when I decided to go back to grad school, I looked into the university and what programs were offered.<\/p>\n
Why did you choose Waseda University?<\/h3>\n
I had a job offer for an IT company here right after I graduated university, and I have always wanted to come, live and work in Asia.\u00a0 It was just one of those great opportunities to explore and work in Asia, and it was also interesting to learn telecommunications and IT work.<\/p>\n
I decided after working there that my real passion was in renewable energy, and to pursue that, I wanted to go back and get a master’s.\u00a0 I really loved living in Tokyo and felt that if I want to work in Japan or in Asia in the future, going to a Japanese university would be a very good opportunity.\u00a0 As it would give me the chance to learn more about the different culture, way of thinking for problem solving, and also get to see what problems Japan faces with its energy demands.<\/p>\n
My friends who went here told me that they enjoyed their time here, that there was a very strong school spirit, and Waseda was one of the really good schools in Tokyo.\u00a0 This made me interested to look in more detail about Waseda.\u00a0 I went through the Waseda website and read the different research backgrounds for the different professors and contacted the professor whose research seemed interesting.\u00a0 He emailed me a couple of the papers he published so that I could read through them more and I decided I was interested in his research and working with him.<\/p>\n
Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>When I first came here to work, I spoke no Japanese at all.\u00a0 That was kind of a concern coming here with absolutely no language ability.\u00a0 I lived in Shanghai, China for 2 and half years before, so I was used to living in a different culture and so the language barrier was a greater concern.<\/p>\nHave you had any difficulties when you started a new life here?<\/h3>\n
When I first came here to work meeting people of my own age was a bit difficult, but I got really lucky and made a great group of Japanese friends.\u00a0 However, after entering Waseda it was really nice because immediately I had a group of people from my lab to hang out and work with.\u00a0 I also joined 2 circles here and met a lot of people that way.\u00a0 It was difficult at the beginning but Tokyo is a great city to meet people.\u00a0 If you are little bit outgoing and try to meet people and try to speak Japanese, even if you are terrible at Japanese, you will make friends.<\/p>\n
How is your life in Japan and Waseda?<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>I think it is a really good balance of social and academic life.It is really busy but I really like it.\u00a0 I joined 2 martial arts (Kendo and Aikido) circles, so I have about 4 practices a week.\u00a0 I have always wanted to study a martial art but I never really had the opportunity in the US, and I really enjoy it.\u00a0 It is a great language practice as well and also a great social network.It did take a little bit of getting used to because the style of classes is very different from American universities because classes meet once a week for an hour and half where in the US they meet 3 times a week for an hour each usually.\u00a0 It is a different style of lecture and arrangement of course schedule, so that was interesting to get used to.\u00a0 Also, grades here are based more on final exams, and there are not as many homework assignments.\u00a0 The system is slightly different, but after a few weeks you get used to it.I have a large group of Japanese friends from the area I used to live in. We met through a neighborhood pub.\u00a0 It is one of those Japanese Izakayas (Japanese pubs) where it is always the same people that go.\u00a0 We have Sakura-viewing parties, barbeques, and camping trips.
\nI think there is a really good foreign network in Japan as well, once you meet one foreigner, you meet a lot of others just through different outings and events.
\nI think that the standard of living here is close to that of the US, it is not too strange of a leap.\u00a0 The culture is still very different, but I think that the Japanese people are very welcoming, very polite, so if you try to respect them, they will respect you, and you can get along pretty well.<\/p>\nWhat do you do in your free time?<\/h3>\n
I mostly spend free time going to Kendo and Aikido practices.\u00a0 I also like to go jogging if I have time in the morning, and just exploring Tokyo with friends.\u00a0 I love Japanese food so it is always fun to find good restaurants and different social events with the circles such as dinner parties or going to the Waseda-Keio baseball game.\u00a0 Also depending on the season I enjoy going to Sakura viewing or different matsuris (festivals) that happen throughout Tokyo. One thing I find really interesting about Japan is that they have continued such a very old traditional custom into such a modern life style.\u00a0 It is very interesting to see them carry traditional Mikoshi (float) through a city filled with skyscrapers.\u00a0 I think it is really interesting to have that mix of tradition and modernity in one place.<\/p>\n
How are the relationships with your supervisor and lab members?<\/h3>\n
- <\/strong>Country\/ Region of Citizenship