Chiwo (Macau)
- Campus
- Student Voices
Please introduce yourself I'm Chiwo, a third-year international student from Macau currently pursuing the Global BBA program at NUCB. What dormitory are you in, what do you think of it? I reside...
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Nisshin Campus
Today we are joined by Yohannes who came to the Global BBA program in April 2019 after spending 1.5 years at a Japanese language school in Kyoto.
Let’s find out about his decision to go to a language school before university and his experiences to date of obtaining scholarships.
Why did you want to study Japanese first before going to university?
After high school, I was thinking about going to Japan and I thought that learning the language first would help me settle in easier. I don't think everyone has to take that route as you can learn Japanese at university but for me, I really want to work in Japan after graduation and I wanted to focus on my Japanese language skills.
Also, since I can now speak Japanese I can easily help my friends on the Global BBA Program with things such as bank accounts, shopping, etc. Before coming to NUCB I had already passed EJU and JLPT N2 but since joining I have also taken advanced classes to help me with my business Japanese and a higher score on the JLPT N2.
What were your reasons for choosing Japan and NUCB?
I am from Bekasi in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta. It is considered an industrial hub with foreign companies such as Toyota and Hyundai with lots of ex-pats. This area intrigued me because I had already had an interest in Japanese culture but I could see the investment being made in my country and my mother told me that if I wanted to pursue a career with these companies then I should go to Japan to learn about them directly.
I first heard about NUCB through JASSO’s social media page and their representative came to Jakarta for a Japanese university fair. I was interested in the location of NUCB being in Greater Nagoya - an economic hub with Toyota’s headquarters close by and after my language school experience, I also really wanted to have a more diverse and international experience to learn from other cultures.
What do you think of the case method?
To be honest I initially struggled because I came from a traditional background of memorization and lectures to study for a final exam. After a while, I got used to the case method and I now find it very fun and insightful.
Of course, there is extra work because you have to do a lot of research by yourself, but I find that it makes the learning personal and it’s easier to understand the theory especially when you learn from real-life experiences. Overall the case method has improved my business English and presentation skills and most importantly my confidence as it pushes me to be active in discussions.
What scholarships have you received as an NUCB student?
I have received the rent scholarship of 10,000 JPY per month as well as the JASSO Honors scholarship of 48,000 JPY, every month for 6 months.
Most recently I was awarded the outstanding student scholarship with a book voucher of 30,000 JPY and also the NUCB Founder's Scholarship of 100,000 JPY.
I have also been accepted to go on an overseas exchange to Taiwan at National Taiwan University and will not have to pay an extra for tuition and will receive tickets for the round trip flight.