Student Voices: Plenty of network for international students on campus and in the community
Tue, Sep 6, 2016-
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From Taiwan
- Name: LIANG Wan-yun
- Graduated from: National Cheng Kung University 国立成功大学
- Affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (Master’s)
- Awards: Ting Hsin International Group, Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. Scholarship
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How did you find out about Waseda University?
I attended Waseda’s seminar for recruiting new students at my university last year and got some information on the program. I also checked the homepage.
One of my friends at the National Taiwan University participated in the exchange program with Waseda, so I was able to ask him some general questions.
Actually, in Taiwan, everybody knows the name because the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, who is very famous in Taiwan, graduated from Waseda.
Why did you decide on attending Waseda University?
Originally, I was more likely to enter a career, but when I found out that Waseda provided scholarships, I thought it was a very wonderful chance. One of my teachers at my university told me Japanese universities are willing to give resources to international students.
Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?
I was not that concerned, but I became worried after I arrived here. For example, I found out that students at Japanese universities start doing the research on the jobs a year or a year and a half before graduation so that they will have a clear idea of what kind of companies they want to work for. I thought I had to get used to that and start planning ahead earlier. But for now, I am just relaxing.
Did you have any difficulties getting started here?
I think the difficulties I had were just the common situations that people have when they leave their hometowns. They are eager to make new friends or try to figure out what is happening around them.
Trying to have conversations with the Japanese students in my dormitory was difficult especially because of language problems and the lack of common topics. There is no awkwardness with my lab friends since we always have some practical matters to talk about, but it was not like that with the people in the dormitory.
What do you do in your free time?
I am interested in going to art exhibitions or the movies. I sometimes visit events held on campus. I sometimes go sightseeing in and around Tokyo with people from my Japanese class also. I take Japanese lessons at local community centers, and they have some outing events from time to time. I enjoy “Ohagi” (a rice cake covered with sweet red bean paste) very much. We have rice cake with red bean paste in Taiwan but not the inside out version like Ohagi. It is very special.
What are your supervisor and lab members like?
My professor is really relaxed and easy-going, so I am pretty relaxed around him.
In my laboratory, there is a student from Sudan and a student from Mexico who is ethnically Japanese. This year, there are lots of Chinese students also, maybe 10 or 11. The rest are local students. My lab friends invite me to either play or watch baseball games. They have games between laboratories just for fun. So, I might go see some games.
What is your research about?
My research examines compulsory purchase of private property involved in the sub-urban area. The specific context for my studies are airport infrastructures in Taipei and Tokyo metropolitan. I am interested in the disparity of the geographical perception between planners and local residents in urban land use and how neoliberalization of public owned land and agricultural land might be effecting the future urban fabric.
How do you find the facilities here at Waseda?
I think the facilities here are very nice. The campus is very clean, for one thing. And the school provides many other facility for extracurricular activities. We can use swimming pool and gym for a low price. At the Nishi Waseda Campus, there is a studio called Monozukuri-koubou (ものづくり工房) that provides machinery and devices to hand make stuff and work on experiments. I sometimes use the sewing machines there.
What is your career goal after you complete your degree?
I do not have very clear ideas at this time. If I get an opportunity to stay and work in Japan, I would be willing to try, but may be not for a long time.
Do you have any advice for prospective students?
in English
International programs in Waseda take good care of the needs of international students, so I didn’t have any problems settling in Japan. Lectures that are conducted in English are rather small in size compared to Japanese classes and were taught by highly experienced professors. Students could participate in discussions openly and actively during classes. Within campus and in the community where I live, there are plenty of network for international students, so I don’t feel alone. However, learning the Japanese language is also a very important part of life in Japan.
in Mandarin
九月初到東京時天氣已經有點涼，真的鬆了一口氣，因為當時台灣到處還呈現炙熱的狀態，反差很大!
早稻田對留學生很照顧，對於適應的過程不會有什麼問題，就算有，問了就可以解決。
在IPSE的課堂中，老師和學生之間可以自由的討論上課的內容，學習的氣氛很好。碩士班只有兩年不長，所以時間規劃比較重要，例如，在日本實習和求職的時程比較早，這方面和台灣還是不太一樣。
東京有很多好玩的地方，學校也會有各類活動可以選擇，如果研究室的要求不會太嚴格的話，想要怎樣的留學生活都可以自由地規劃。
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