Welcome to the Student Voice Series. The series interviews students in our English-medium programs. Once a month, the International Admissions Office releases an interview with our students. We hope these interviews can be helpful to you when thinking about choosing to come to Ritsumeikan University.
Post by International Admissions Office
Grace from the United States of America
Why did you choose Global Studies at RU?
I actually chose Ritsumeikan University and the Global Studies Major after nearly two years of research into Japanese universities. After speaking to a professor at American University at a college fair, as well as another former associate professor who I met through a friend, I found my curiosity sparked. It only took visiting the campus in person to essentially solidify my decision. I found myself so excited by the prospect of being able to go to university in Japan and be surrounded by other people with such varied cultural backgrounds, who were just as passionate about international relations, and culture, and just learning as I was myself.
How did you find out about RU and this program?
In my junior year of high school, I attended a college fair that was being held at a local mall. I had been prioritizing going to stands that were for schools outside of the country, because I was interested in having what I considered a "fresh start" for university. When I was going between all of these stalls, I came across one for Ritsumeikan.
Having lived in Japan as a child, I had already done a bit of research into Japanese universities with English programs, and Ritsumeikan had come up as a "promising" program. One that while relatively new - having been established in 2011 - had already been quite successful. I distinctly remember standing in front of a clothing store, and being handed a pamphlet for Ritsumeikan. A professor who was at the time working at American University was manning the stand, and he was incredibly engaging. When describing the program to me, the main aspect he seemed to focus on was GSG - that is, Global Simulation Gaming. In layman's terms, GSG is essentially like Model UN, and is a class that you take for a full semester, where you and your groups are working towards preparation for the final event day.
When the professor was describing this class to me, I found myself rather charmed by the idea. I actually took GSG this last semester, and I played the part of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. While overwhelming at times, it was an amazing experience, and I'm so glad that the professor's description of the class was enticing enough to convince me to apply for Ritsumeikan one year later.
What made you think about looking for a university in Japan?
I got to explore the campus and the area once prior to my senior year of high school, as I took a bit of a tour around universities that I was interested in. There's a sort of charm to the Kinugasa campus location, as it's a bit more out in the suburbs, as opposed to in the middle of a busy city. I think more than anything the sheer amount of nature that you can see was a major selling point. Even as I'm looking out the window of my dorm room right now, I can see the gentle slope of the mountains against the skyline, and the vibrant green of trees growing around houses. Overall, the environment is one that is rather peaceful, and while the weather is admittedly a bit temperamental at times, there's a certain type of peace that I think I've only ever managed to find here.
Shichigosan as a child
Outline your courses and studies. Give us an overview of your studies and course schedule from the 1st year to now.
I found it worked best for my purposes to try and load up my schedule for the first two years, so I could make more room for other opportunities later on. During my first year, I generally focused on taking 'intro' coursers. Going into Ritsumeikan, I generally knew that I was most interested in the learning bubble of 'Peace and Conflict Studies', but I thought it was prudent that I not only explore the options, but also establish at least a basic understanding of all of the paths that I could pursue. For example, while I have never been particularly inclined to mathematics, I did take two economics courses, because I can acknowledge that knowledge of economics does in fact prove useful. I think you might be surprised at just how often knowledge overlaps between courses.
On the other hand, during my second year, I focused a bit more on taking harder classes that were in my areas of interest. Being interested particularly in law, philosophy, and also culture, I took a lot of classes to do with these subjects. As an example, I took a class on international law, another on global justice, and also a class on Japanese culture. I suppose the one downside to choosing classes is when you have more classes you want to take than room available in your schedule.
In second year all GS students will take two specific courses: Global Studies Seminar, GSS, in the fall, and Global Simulation Gaming, GSG, in the spring. These two classes are particularly interesting, and I think they have allowed me to grow as both a person and a student, as well as given me a lot of knowledge and experience that I can use especially when working on my graduation thesis. GSS provides you with a foundation in reading and critically analyzing academic literature, which is a skill that proves very useful in all classes. Meanwhile, GSG provides you with an opportunity to conduct extensive research on how the international sphere operates, as well to improve your own ability to work well with others, and learn to deal with unforeseen circumstances.
If you have done “Global Simulation Gaming”, which role/representative did you play? Could you share any episode?
In Global Simulation Gaming, I played the role of Secretary-General of the United Nations Secretariat. In 'layman's terms' so to speak, I essentially was the moderator and organizer of most of the events throughout the semester. Going into GSG, I knew that I wanted to be in the UN, as I was very interested in getting an opportunity to further investigate what the UN really does in the international sphere. Getting to act as the leader of the organization (in a sense) was an incredible honor, and allowed me to learn so much not just about the organization and its place in international society, but also about myself, and how I operate with others in such large-scale group projects.
As the Secretary-General, I found myself admittedly overwhelmed by what felt like an insane amount of responsibilities - which is without a doubt something that I at least partially put on myself. I think perhaps the most interesting thing that I was able to learn through GSG, again, was not about how the international realm operates, but about how I do. The class provided me with the perfect environment to learn what my strong and weak points were when it came to working with others - and I learned that my slight perfectionism actually hindered my ability to work as well with my group mates as I had hoped. Through trial and error, our group learned how to coordinate with one another, and where different peoples' strengths lied. Our main issue was communication, so I did my best to begin to send through messages on every update I had - even ones I might have previously considered inconsequential. In the end, I think we were able to pull off an incredible GSG day, and it was so lovely to watch as everyone participated fully in conferences, and really put themselves out there to represent the countries and organizations that they played.
Watch the short video clip of the GSG
How is your life at RU, Japan? Do you do a part-time job, circle activities or any other activities within or outside RU? Alternatively, introduce your favorite things or spots on campus.
In terms of part-time work, I currently work as an assistant coach, teaching gymnastics in English to children a few times a week. This job has allowed me to explore several areas of Kyoto that I probably never would have seen otherwise.
Have you lived in a university dorm? Tell us about your dorm life. If not, tell us how you find accommodations and how your general life in Japan is.
I've lived in the Taishogun dorm near campus for around three months now, and it's certainly been very different from anything I've experienced before. While COVID of course has kept many of us from being able to enjoy dorm life and university life to its fullest, there are still many ways that we're able to enjoy one another's company at the dorm. I think I've always been a bit of a recluse - I certainly enjoy my alone time. As such, I've found myself often waking up at around 5 AM, and enjoying the quiet in the LDK. I generally make myself some breakfast, grab a book, and eat by the window as the sun slowly drifts over the horizon.
When it comes to interacting with others, I've found that many people enjoy making dinner as they talk to others. You'll often find many people in the LDK at about 6 or 7 PM, cooking either together or separately, as they converse. In fact, this is a perfect opportunity to talk to many students that you likely don't have many classes with - I've found that of the 20 or so people that I frequently interact with in the dorms, I've only had a single class with one of them.
Overall, Taishogun dorm is in a very convenient area, as it is located within about a twenty minute walk from both the school and at least 2 grocery stores, respectively. I know that I was certainly a bit nervous about how I would acclimate to living alone, and in a foreign country at that, but staying in the dorm has definitely allowed me to feel more comfortable. Having easy access to the dorm managers and Resident Mentors, RMs, as well as being around other students, I think dorm life has been crucial in allowing me to experience living apart from my family for the first time, while also providing me with a safety net of sorts.
Find out more about International Student Dormitories in Kinugasa Campus
What do you miss? What did you do when you felt homesick? How do you beat homesickness?
I've found that the time that I seem to feel most homesick is when it rains. Growing up, rain often meant a day home from school, or at least a day that I could put my rain boots and poncho on and go stomping in the puddles. And I think when it rains, I find myself longing for the comfort of my own home - more an abstract sense of belonging and rightness, than a physical location. The things I miss about home are varied, and at times a bit silly, but one thing I miss is the water. I've almost always lived by the water, and I've swum my whole life. While I haven't come up with the perfect solution for this, I've done my best to find comfort in nature. The ocean might not be as easily accessible, but the mountains are well within my reach, and the shrines in the area are rich in wildlife.
Other things I miss are less easy to replace, like my family and friends, who all live in time zones that make it hard to interact with them sometimes via even phone calls or Skype. But I think I've learned that the best way (at least for myself) to cope with these feelings of longing and homesickness has been to either make or seek out food that reminds me of home. A lot of the time this means searching for food that I wouldn't necessarily eat all that often. I will confess that I have probably eaten more hamburgers and visited McDonald's more times in the last three months than I may have in my entire life before. But even just going to Kaldi and trying to find the brand of tea that my family buys, or purchasing a brand of cookies that I've seen in the store at home but never actually tried, does help when things get a bit too gloomy.
Overall, I recommend trying to find things that remind you of home. This can mean finding restaurants that serve the same cuisine. It can mean finding other people at the University who are from the same country, or even region as you - I'll confess to sort of latching on to most people I've met from the US. It can also mean just finding a time that you and your family or friends can talk over the phone for a little while. Sometimes it just takes a bit of rearranging in your schedule to fit in that time to talk.
What is your career plan and goal / dream after graduating from RU?
I'll confess that I'm not entirely sure what I would like to do in the future. I think we've all experienced that sense of hesitancy and perhaps disorientation, as we wonder at such a young age "What DO I want to do for the rest of my life?".
One thing I am sure of, however, is that I adore learning. I've been looking into schools in Europe, and am very interested in pursuing a graduate degree - either in the field of law, or in that of human culture and identity. My dream would be to be accepted into Leiden in the Netherlands, as it's an absolutely incredible school, and in the prime location to study international relations. If not there, I am also looking at graduate degrees in the United Kingdom. Overall, I am intending to continue pursuing education after graduating from Ritsumeikan University.
Message to Readers
I know from experience that university can seem a very daunting prospect - even more so the notion of attending in a foreign country. But personally, I saw university as a way to start a new chapter of my life. Think of it as a new character arc; university is a chance for you to have a fresh start, and to explore who you are as a person, and where your interests lie for the future. My biggest piece of advice is to take this is a chance to have as much fun as possible - this is a perfect change for you to do things you've never tried before, make new friends, and learn as much as you possibly can. I hope you enjoy your time at Ritsumeikan just as much as I am enjoying mine.
