・Why did you choose Japan?
　There are more laboratories related to Information Science in Japanese Universities than in China. Thus, they focus more on practicability rather than theory, and the subdivision of laboratories allows highly specialized research. Also, there are different areas of application for Information Science. For example, in China, companies use Information Science to improve their sales. On the other hand, Japan uses it to solve social issues and improve the lifestyle of its citizens. That is the reason why I chose to study in Japan.

・Why did you choose Sendagaya?
　Sendagaya Group is very famous in China. Compared to other Japanese Language Schools, they have a long history, and many graduate students advance to famous Universities. Also, the ratio of students from my country is lower than other schools, so I would have many opportunities to speak in Japanese with people from many other countries. I also heard that the teachers were qualified and had studied Japanese language education at Sendagaya Group or other Universities. That made me feel relieved to be learning under them.

・How do you think the studies in Sendagaya have helped you? What has helped you with the University entrance exams?
　The class “Attention Points for Interviews” was very helpful. In this class, we learned how to speak and properly behave during interviews. Thanks to the interview practices and all the Japanese lessons, I was able to remain composed and answer the questions with confidence during the interviews.

・What kind of preparation did you do for the University entrance exams?
　The usual studies, such as reviewing EJU, interview practices with the teacher, writing the Personal Statement Essay, etc. I think that the most important thing is to focus on studying. Every day after school I would review the contents I learned at school. And then on weekends, from 10 am until 9 pm, I would fully dedicate myself to studying.

・What advice from the teacher do you think was useful?
　It was very helpful to receive advice from the teacher after practicing for interviews.
The teacher searched for common questions that the interviewer from the University I was applying for would ask, and give me thorough instructions.

・What aspect of Sendagaya would you recommend to students who are thinking of studying in Japan?
　The classes are full of energy, which is a great environment for studying. The teachers always talk to us like we are friends. Also, they teach us knowledge that is not written in textbooks. They are very responsible and always answer our questions accurately.

・What is your most memorable memory from Sendagaya?
　That would be the fact that the “teachers care about their students”. I am very thankful for my teacher who even gave me interview lessons on days we had no classes. 謝謝老師！

・Why did you choose Japan?
　When I was at University, I became interested in Intellectual Property Rights Law. For a long time, Japan’s law has been a subject of reference to Chinese jurisprudence. And at the same time, Japan greatly emphasizes the protection of Intellectual Property Rights. I decided to study this topic because I am extremely interested in Japanese Intellectual Property Rights’ protection techniques and reasons. Just like other international students, I was struck by Japanese culture and became fascinated by it. Thus, after comprehensive consideration, I decided on studying in Japan.

・Why did you choose Sendagaya?
　 I came to Japan with the goal of pursuing higher education. However, I did not know if I had the strength to go to a renowned Graduate School. That is why I decided to choose a school that would not only give me support to go to a prestigious Graduate School, but also support to enter a Vocational School or find a job. I chose Sendagaya because they mainly offer support for higher education, but provide us with other options as well.

・How do you think the studies in Sendagaya have helped you? What has helped you with the Graduate School entrance exams?
　Speaking from the overall curriculum, Sendagaya provided me with a great environment to study Japanese. Even for me who started with the Japanese alphabet from J1 and had trouble learning the inflections, I managed to master the basic inflections in Japanese in 1 term (3 months). Also, my　Japanese improved without any complications through daily conversations with my teacher and my coworkers from my part-time job. I think this is the most important aspect of a Japanese language school. In the Preparatory Course, we have classes focused on preparing the Research Plan. For students who do not know much about a Research Plan, teachers can provide them with the most basic guidance, such as from choosing the topic to composition and writing. For students who already know the　direction their research will take, they can use this class to ask questions to the teacher or receive guidance on how to revise the contents of the Research Plan logically. This is also a very important point. Many might feel like it is not possible to receive that much guidance on specialized content, however, the Research Plan and your specialized major are supposed to be mastered by no one but yourself.

・What kind of preparation did you do for the Graduate School entrance exams?
　For the first step, I gathered information on schools and professors. I recommend gathering information per school level as much as possible to find what kind of school teaches my major, what kind of professors they have, etc.
For the second step, I narrowed down some information I gathered. For example, if the advisor I am interested in is available, if the school has received international students in the last few years, if the chances of getting rejected are higher due to limited spots, if the examination day overlaps with other schools’, etc. There are several ways to narrow down the options, so it varies according to the person. I recommend narrowing it down to 5 or fewer schools and then applying to them.
For the third step, proceed to the application after carefully reading the application guidelines. Things did not always go according to my plans, so to all the students reading this: read the application guidelines carefully and apply as soon as possible.
Finally, start the examination preparations. Make sure to check if the Graduate School of your choice has made available the questions from previous years (3 years). If they are not available, go to the library and rent a book. If you cannot read a book from the library, go to the National Diet Library. The library provides duplicate services of documents so if you want to study important knowledge points, find a few essays and use the library’s duplicate service.

・What advice from the teacher do you think was useful?　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
　When I was in level J1, I was being looked after by many teachers. At that time, I was preparing myself to apply for part-time jobs, and many teachers helped by teaching me basic Japanese. The classes were really fun. When there was some spare time, the teacher would often talk to the students. Because of that my Japanese speaking skills also improved. They also revised many parts of my Research Plan during class. They are teachers you can trust.

・What aspect of Sendagaya would you recommend to students who are thinking of studying in Japan?
　Because it is a large-scale school, they also offer many types of support. One of them is support for higher education admission. Sendagaya also helped to make reservations for the COVID-19 vaccine, and provides information on applications for scholarships and events. It does not matter if some students are not interested in it, what is important here is the fact that the school can offer those information. That is why I believe that Sendagaya is a great option for those who are interested in Japan or in the Japanese language.

・What is your most memorable memory from Sendagaya?
　When I was on Level J2 I had a consultation with the school. At that time, my speaking skills were advancing quickly because of my part-time job, however, I still could not differentiate between honorifics and normal forms. During the consultation, my teacher noticed that and gave me some advice. After that, I became more aware of the differences between honorifics and normal forms, and now I am able to change in between them freely. My teacher’s advice greatly helped my Japanese studies.