Q: What interested you in Japan, and Keio University in particular?

“I was interested in neural stem cells, and after looking into a few different universities I chose Keio, specifically Professor Nakajima’s lab in the Department of Anatomy. I was impressed by their achievements, and felt that a place like Professor Nakajima’s lab would allow me to do the research I wanted to do. I also looked into other schools in Japan and the United States, reading and comparing research papers from the past few years. Contact with the head professor of a lab is important when applying to doctoral programs, so I was thrilled to receive an almost immediate response from Keio University.”

Q: How did you find out about MEXT scholarships?

“At first I didn’t know anything about them, but a friend mentioned them to me, and I was able to get all kinds of info from the Embassy of Japan website.”

Q: Did you have any trouble when applying?

“Well, I had a hard time with the Japanese language. I only started studying about 6 months before coming here. That was definitely not enough time [laughs]. But all of my meetings and research are in English, so that has been totally fine. In the everyday stuff though, I still struggle with Japanese a little bit.”

Q: Do you have anything to say about Keio University that might interest students who are considering studying abroad?

“Well I must say that after trying it myself, I think studying abroad is great. I feel like I live a much richer life now. There's so much you would never be able to experience without leaving your home country, and I feel that the opportunities to learn about my field of research have increased dramatically. In that sense, I think studying abroad is very important. Keio University provides a very free atmosphere for studying, and the professors are all doing world-class research, which is very inspiring and motivating for me. I feel right at home at Keio, and plan to use that inspiration to keep working hard and complete my research paper.”