Students’ advice and comments for those thinking about applying to the GIGA Program.

• SFC was an environment where I was able to acquire diverse field of studies. Although I belonged to a seminar that specializes in education and communication, in the past 4 years I was able to take variety of classes such as linguistics, law, and marketing.

• In SFC there is no fixed curriculum so you are free to choose courses based on your personal interest. It is great for those who don’t know what to learn or your favorite field of research. You can try different things and decide your major later in the third year. Additionally, in SFC you are allowed to join a seminar from the second semester of your first year which is different from other campuses and universities. Taking seminar early will help you find out what you are good at and want to study.

• Always keep yourself open to new opportunities. Join a kenkyukai as soon as you can, it’s okay to switch around till you find what suits you. Speaking english is a huge advantage for presenting research abroad. Try and go to conferences and get involved in the academic community, you won’t regret it! Grades don’t matter in the long run, but they are very important in getting scholarships – so try your best but it’s not the end of the world if your grades are bad, other opportunities will come around if you are open minded!

• Don’t be afraid to take classes taught in Japanese, it will be scary at first, but the teachers are friendly and super understanding so don’t worry!

• I can’t be grateful enough for the fact that SFC lets its students do whatever they want to do. SFC allows my interests to grow into many different directions, and on top of that, the students always have the opportunity to pursue them. I think this is why SFC is very unique.

• There are a variety of student organizations and clubs in SFC for both Japanese and international students to join. Highly recommend everyone to join at least one club in your first and second year. You can make tons of friends and learn more about Japanese culture.

• Circle activities are really important for learning Japanese teamwork values. While you may not think they are important for Job Hunting, being a part of circles is often asked as an interview question to determine how much of a team player the candidate is. The dance circles take up a bit too much time in my opinion, but the important thing is to find something enjoyable, that will distract you from the pedestrian nature of academics.