Welcome to the Student Voice Series. The series interviews students at our English-medium programs. Once a month, the International Admissions Office will release 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
Huang Hsin Ying from Taiwan
College of Information Science and Engineering
Information Systems Science and Engineering (ISSE) course*, 3rd Year
*The College of Information Science and Engineering will be relocated to Osaka Ibaraki Campus in April 2024. Visit our website for details.
Back when I was in high school, I always had the plan in mind that I would like to study abroad after I graduate from high school. When I was searching for schools and programs to apply to, I came across the ISSE course of Ritsumeikan University. I chose to enroll in the ISSE course because I am interested in learning programming languages and the technologies that people use on a daily basis. Furthermore, as Ritsumeikan has one of the best information system engineering courses among universities in Japan, I believe that by taking the ISSE course, it will not only provide me with a strong foundation of the programming skills, but also give me the opportunity to further explore my area of interest.
Did you have any concerns before coming to Japan?
Before I came to Japan, I was worried about the language barrier I might have when living in Japan. I have travelled to Japan many times before joining the ISSE course, and I understand that English is still not very widely spoken among the Japanese population. Therefore, before coming to Japan to study, I started learning some basics of the Japanese language. I believe that by knowing Japanese, I will be able to build a closer relationship with the local people as well as make the best out of this experience of studying abroad.
What do you like to do at your spare time?
Coming to Japan to pursue my studies, I would say focusing on my studies is one of the main priorities for me. However, I also believe that school-life balance is important in order to achieve optimal academic performance. Thus, in my leisure time, I like to travel around Japan or nearby countries, enjoy some outdoor sports, or just simply hang out with friends after classes.
Outline of your course
The Information Systems Science and Engineering (ISSE) Course is a program that is taught fully in English and provide students with skills that are necessary to both study and work in technical environments. As the ISSE course provide PBL (Project-based Learning) classes, it allows students to learn about technical applications in real life and to develop their own interests and personalities throughout the course. When a student first entered this course, he/she will start off by learning some of the fundamental subjects, such as math and physics. Later on in the 2nd and 3rd year of this course, students are taught with more complex knowledge skills and programming languages in order to prepare student to be able to complete successfully their graduation research in the 4th year.
Check ISSE course curriculum more!
Can you describe your class choices for previous semester and next semester?
As I am currently a 3rd-year student, the classes I took during the previous semester revolved mainly around different types of programming languages and the application of these languages. By taking these courses, it further deepens my knowledge in the information systems science engineering field and allows me to have exposure to more hands-on programming experiences. For the next semester, I am not planning to take any courses because I will have enough credits already and I will be focusing more on the graduation research.
How are your relationships with your classmates and lab members?
In the ISSE course, since there are not too many students, every student always gets the chance to interact with each other and the supervisors. Whenever I have any questions related to class materials, I can easily arrange a meeting with the supervisors and discuss the topics or concerns I have in mind. As there are many opportunities for students to work in a team in the ISSE course, I find it very easy to use the opportunities to interact with my peers and to not only discuss academic topics but also learn about each others' cultures.
The ISSE course is a Global program with co-operations with many countries. Will you consider how your projects affect other countries?
As technology is constantly developing at a rapid speed, I believe that the projects we have in the ISSE course are strongly connected to the global technology market and have the potential to bring differences to the global community. Take the example of the Advanced Driving-Assistance System. By coming up with the idea and building a program that can read the road speed limit signs, it can possibly become a solution to reduce traffic accidents worldly.
After graduating from Ritsumeikan University, I would like to apply to graduate schools and continue my studies in the Information System Engineering field. To be more specific, I am interested in the topic of Kansei Engineering (Affective Engineering), which is to study the development and improvement of technology products or services in order to come up with optimal solutions of user interface designing and provide customers with better user experiences.
Have you lived in a university dorm?
When I first came to Japan, I lived in an international student dorm (BKC-ihouse) for around 4 months. Living in the dorm was a very good start of my university life because there were many people from all over the world and I find it interesting to be able to interact with them and learn about their languages and cultures. Later on, I move out to a rental apartment and I found the apartment through a Japanese apartment agency. The apartment was very comfortable to live in and the neighborhood is also very quiet and convenient.
My favorite spot on the BKC campus is Shiru Cafe*. Whenever I have work to do or want to hang out with my friends on campus, Shiru Cafe is the first place I will have in mind because the atmosphere is very cozy and comfortable. Besides the atmosphere, the coffee, tea, and desserts there is enjoyable as well.
*BKC campus and Kinugasa campus(Kyoto) have SHIRU CAFE® which is supported by corporate sponsors who communicate with students in a variety of ways throughout their college years and provides comfortable furniture in a great atmosphere for studying, socializing and special events. Students can get high-quality coffee, tea or juice for free.
Tell us about your daily schedule
Here is my daily schedule on weekdays.
9:00 AM (10:00 AM on holidays)
Wake up and chill in the bed for 15-20 mins
9:15 AM
Breakfast and get ready for classes
Walk to campus if its sunny or take a bus
10:40 AM
Class
12:00 PM
Lunch time
13:00 PM
Classes
After Classes, head off to home and review all the classwork I have for the day and work on home work assignments
20:00 PM
Dinner
After dinner, keep working on assignments
0:00 AM
Go to bed
Have you had any difficulties when you started a new life here?
Before I came to Japan, I do not know anything about cooking. Back home, I have never cooked anything myself before so it was hard to start learning to cook some simple dishes and live independently in the very beginning. Furthermore, my Japanese was not very good when I first started a new life here in Japan and I often face obstacles when trying to communicate with the local people in places, including local stores, banks, and city halls. Although not knowing Japanese can be quite challenging when I was on my own at first, but I still managed to complete procedures on my own and did not face too many issues.
What do you miss from Taiwan? How do you beat homesick?
Being in Japan, I do miss the time I used to spend with my family. When I feel homesick, I usually try to get over it by filling up my schedule and keeping myself busy, or simply hanging out with friends or sharing my feelings with some of my close friends. Another thing that I miss about Taiwan is the food. I do know how to cook some of the traditional Taiwanese cuisines. Therefore, when I miss the food back home, I usually cook some Taiwanese dishes or go to a Taiwanese restaurant nearby.
Coming to Japan and becoming a part of the Ritsumeikan community, you will not only obtain the knowledge and skills you need for future career, but also be able to make lifelong friends from different parts of the world. Starting a new life in Japan can be challenging to a certain extent, but there will always be people around you who can support you and help you overcome those obstacles. Enjoy university life to the most and always maintain good school-life balance.
立命館大學的英語課程不但能讓你學習到對未來工作有幫助的知識，也可以讓你在求學的路途中交到來自不同國家背景的朋友。我相信在日本讀書四年的時間內如果妥善安排，是可以讓你有所成長並與來自不同國家的人建立好人際關係的。