Study at Ibaraki University

• Posted by: Admin
• Minggu, 9 Juli 2023
• Has been read 274 time(s)

I am Risma Paramawati, 4^th year student at Udayana University. At the end of the 6^th semester, I applied for Independent Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) - exchange student program at Ibaraki University. The name of the program is IU Online Exchange Program Fall 2022. In this program, international students take online classes. It was quite easy to register. All I had to do was fill in the forms (registration form, student plan, and certificate of enrollment) and Sensei would send it back to Ibaraki University along with the JLPT N3 certificate, academic transcript, and student ID required for registration. After about a month, I received a letter that I had been accepted as an exchange student. I was happy and re-registered. The process was easy as students only need to activate their student account dan fill out the class selection form. Ibaraki University sent the files and Teams account used by international students while studying there. After completing all the registration processes, I was required to attend a one-day orientation to introduce myself to my lectures, tutors, dan the way of learning at Ibaraki University.

I took 7 classes including 4 specialized Japanese classes. The other 3 classes use English as the language of instruction. Following the class in Japanese was difficult because the lecturer spoke too fast. Even so, the lectures are attentive and passionate, so the subjects are enjoyable. I can easily understand what is being taught in classes where English is spoken. In the class I attended, there were many students from various countries such as China, India, the USA, Brunei, and others. In each class, there will be a discussion session. The discussion session was very exciting because it included students from various countries with their own perspectives. They are very friendly. I also conducted interview activities with Japanese people. This was valuable, I was able to improve my Japanese skill. In addition to studying the chosen course, I was taught about Japanese culture.

At Ibaraki University, each international student was assigned a Japanese tutor from Ibaraki University. The tutor was in charge of accompanying and explaining Japanese culture. She is very caring and reliable. Two times a week, we will have a video call to study. She also told me about her daily life as a Japanese and sent me photos or videos about Japan. To this day, I still communicate by phone with her. Besides my tutor, I also have Japanese friends. We introduced each other to our respective countries. Some Japanese friends want to learn about Indonesia.

Although not directly studied in Japan, this experience is very valuable. Not only I learned about the Japanese language and culture, but I also got friends from other countries. I hope to learn new things and share them with you. I hope that those who read this article will be able to study in Japan in person. Ganbatte kudasai!