Welcome to the Student Voice series. This series interviews students in our English-medium programs. We hope these interviews can be helpful to you when thinking about choosing to come to Ritsumeikan University (RU).
Post by International Admissions Office
I chose Ritsumeikan University because of its excellent international relations program and its joint-degree program with American University in Washington, D.C.. I am very interested in cross-cultural exchange, particularly in Southeast Asia, so I jumped at the chance to deepen my awareness and make new connections in this region. Long-term, I see myself working as a researcher or foreign correspondent, so this experience has already provided me with invaluable experiences and new language skills to pursue my dreams.
I study International Relations and have been enrolled in Japanese language classes for two years. The types of IR classes at RU are broad in scope and provide a holistic understanding of various concepts of IR to help students learn more about this field of study and hopefully narrow their interests to a concentration that will guide them in their career.
So far I have taken various economics classes; gender, race and identity classes; culture, politics and society classes; international organizations and security classes; and RU also provides credits for internships which I hope to incorporate into my schedule next semester.
International Organizations was definitely the most interesting class I’ve taken so far. Even though it was first period on a Monday morning, I was always excited to come to class because of how thought-provoking and interesting our lectures were. I felt engaged and immersed in the topics we discussed every week, so I definitely recommend taking this class. Also, the professor was very funny and excitable, so it made the class fun for everyone.
The study environment at American University is fantastic. It has some of the best IR academics in the world, so you are learning from the absolute best, and the IR campus (known as the School of International Service) is the most beautiful building on campus. It also has the coziest café on campus, so I often study there.
I also appreciate that AU is just outside of the city, so that it has a campus feel but is close enough that you can reach downtown in 20 minutes. Public transportation is very accessible from AU into the city, so you don’t need a car, and a metro pass is even included in the tuition, which is very unique—none of the other D.C. schools include that.
After graduation, I intend to get a job in D.C. at a think tank, NGO or at the State Department. My study at RU has definitely influenced my ambitions as I want to solidify my career focus to Southeast Asia with a particular focus on Japan. I will continue to take Japanese classes, hopefully returning to Japan again in the future. I also intend to travel more, maybe taking a year or two off to explore other regions of the world to continue to develop and challenge my perceptions of other cultures and societies.
You don’t have to have your life all figured out yet. I didn’t really know anything about what I wanted before coming here, and I didn’t know much about Japan but was intrigued by the program, so I’m so glad I went with my gut and joined. For me, it’s been transformative as I’ve sought ways through school and outside of school to learn about Kyoto and make new connections. This experience is really what you make of it, so if you have a desire to travel, try new things and are open-minded, I think you’ll love it here.