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Sneha Arora, a graduate of Ritsumeikan in 2019, is now on her next adventure across the world. Ritsumeikan degrees really open up the world for all our Alumni. Come discover with our Community and Policy Regional Studies, Peer Mentor Support Group Guide, Sakshi Gupta as she interviews and discovers what Sneha has been up to and where she is now.
This article is part of the Alumni Talks series. Visit the collaboration page to see the full list of Alumni Talks here.
Alumni Talks series / Article #1 of series.
From a MEXT* Scholar to Erasmus Mundus Scholar - Get to know Sneha Arora’s journey as she transcends from Community and Regional Policy Studies (CRPS) and makes her way to Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Global Studies.
Moving on from CRPS to a multi-national, full scholarship graduate program
A Class of 2018 graduate, Sneha alumna of CRPS has clearly been on pretty great things after finishing her bachelor degree at Ritsumeikan. To put ‘pretty great things’ into perspective, Sneha is currently pursuing a Joint Masters Degree Program in Global Studies; a double degree programme funded by the European Union (EU) that allows her to study in two different European nations: Belgium and Denmark. And wait, I haven’t come to the best part yet.... she is pursuing her post-graduate, with a full-ride Scholarship that covers her tuition fees AND living expenses!
I know, I know, you are like “Wow, amazing” ! , because guess what, those were the TWO words I was reacting with during the entire conversation. It is annoying to the ears and yes, I am very aware of that so thank you very much. *laughter* But in all honesty, I couldn't find other words hearing about her ‘amazing’ eventful path to her Masters degree.
During the conversation, Sneha walked me through all her episodes that were pivotal in getting her where she is right now. Although she sent in her graduate shool applications while she was enrolled at Ritsumeikan, she was not able to acquire good financial support that she aimed for. Deciding that it would be better to take some time off, she packed her bags to go back to her parents' home in India.
A gap year made up for all the missing parts of a puzzle
Sneha said she “couldn’t have made a better decision” when describing her ‘gap year’ of which many of us can be skeptical about. Well, I cannot say for all you reading, but I have always been a little unsure about 'taking a break to figure things.' There is a constant fear of losing time and missing out on so much, with what comes with taking a gap year. Thank god, I was not the only one who felt this way. Sneha agreed and said that, like me, she too had quite some reservations about her decision initially. However, as she looks back now, what she learned during her gap year made up for all the missing parts of her puzzle that she wasn’t able to hack during her first round of applications. Well, she sure hacked it, Alright!
If you think that’s all we talked about, then you are mistaken, my friend. In this quite-a-thorough chat, Sneha had a lot to share about her application process. Anybody who has applied or is preparing to apply for university would know that there is a considerable amount of ‘paperwork’ involved, which can be a bit overwhelming. While there is no one way to go about this procedure, Sneha offered, “your past should make sense when applying for master’s.” In other words, the field of study you choose should coincide with what you believe in.
JAPAN, her second home
“Unforgettable”- that was the word Sneha chose to put for her journey in Japan.
As we moved further to the final fun segment of our Alumni Talks - “the Rapid Fire” - Sneha drifted to her sweet memories of Japan and Ritsumeikan. ‘People’, she said is what she misses the most about this beautiful country that she calls her second home. Ah well, I am sure Ritsumates will be glad to see her again, when she decides to visit her OIC campus (hopefully soon).
I had a lot of fun chit-chatting with this beautiful human. Sending you all the good-positive vibes, Sneha. Ritsumeikan is proud of you, keep going!
Sakshi
If you are still interested in knowing all the details, then I recommend you to watch the whole interview by clicking on the video below!
*MEXT = Ministry of Sports, Education, and Technology of Japan.
