On Friday, September 17, 2021, the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony was held in the West School Building Hall at Mita Campus. There were 405 graduates in total, with 69 students from the Faculty of Policy Management and 77 students from the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies including 18 GIGA students.
In light of ongoing infections with COVID-19, participation in this event was limited to the students who have completed their degree programs in order to give the maximum consideration to the health and safety of Keio students as well as prevent the spread of infections. Those who could not come to Japan and family members of all students were invited to watch the online video stream of the event. https://youtu.be/BG6-odiVQ6s
GIGA students who graduated in September 2021 were able to receive their diploma at SFC.
Students’ advice and comments for those thinking about applying to the GIGA Program.
- Take a variety of subjects to challenge yourself and expand your knowledge. Ask questions to teachers and to your classmates to create better bonds that will benefit you in your future. Find a mentor or research professor who will advise you on your graduation project. Most of all, have fun in whatever you’re learning. As a GIGA student, your classmates will power through the GIGA program with you.
- Explore various kenkyukai options as much as you can in your first year. The earlier you join a Kenkyukai, the earlier you will be able to start working on your thesis. It will help with both in terms of the quality of the work and time management as the deadline approaches.
- Take as many classes as you can in your first years and find out what you want to do in the future. Once you’ve found it out, focus on the classes which are relevant to what you want to do later on. Don’t be scared to go out of your comfort zone and take harder classes.
- Find activities that interest you and experiment with different organizations and friend groups. You may discover a sport or passion you never expected that you would encounter. These can build long-lasting friendships and newer ways of thinking to achieve your goals. Tactics learned through group activities can help you in your daily life and improve productivity within your academic classes as well. Find leadership positions, opportunities to travel, make connections, and network. They’ll help you in your future career for sure, and will help in resumé building if you are serious about it.
- Explore many different clubs and circles available in Keio. Take part in those that suit you and make many friends. Don’t simply hang around with one group of people and go out with different groups all the time; that way, you’ll get to know different people of various backgrounds. Don’t hesitate to join clubs and circles just because it’s made up of a majority of local Japanese students, but rather take the challenge and mingle with them; that way you’ll automatically be able to familiarize yourself with Japanese culture and improve your Japanese at the same time.
