Welcome to the Student Voice Series. The series interviews students at our English-medium programs. Once a month, the International Admission 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
Natsuki M. Kamiya
College of Global Liberal Arts(GLA), 1st year
Why did you choose RU, GLA?
I chose Ritsumeikan for two reasons: Location and the Global Liberal Arts program (GLA).
The location of the OIC campus (Osaka Ibaraki Campus) is wonderful. It is close to historical sites in Kyoto (even closer if you go to the Kyoto campus!) and of course the convenience of shopping and transportation! (There's a shopping mall and 2 train stations within 1km from the OIC campus!) One big thing that lead to my decision was that Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is only an hour away from the campus.
The GLA program was the ultimate deciding factor for me personally. I wanted to study abroad in 2 countries during my 4 years of study at a university. Ritsumeikan's GLA program was of only a few programs that allowed me to do so. Of course there are other programs like the JD program at Ritsumeikan, but I had no clue what I wanted to study. Liberal arts was the perfect option for me. I can learn a variety of topics and figure out what I like as I progress and with a dual degree program with the Australian National University (ANU). It was a program that I had to apply for!
What made you think about looking for a university in Japan?
Originally I was considering a university in Australia, United States or Canada. Japan was not an option for me in the beginning. As I used to live in the United States, there were many options to choose from within the country. What changed for me was the culture in Japan and the experiences I could have in Japan. I realized as I was deciding that although I’m Japanese I did not know much about my culture. I'm a person that's interested and intrigued by culture, while I could experience culture in other countries, none were as close as Japan.
All RU campuses are in Western Japan. How did this affect your choice of coming to this area from all over Japan?
Especially, the area near Ritsumeikan has a variety of historical sites and places to experience Japanese culture. Besides that, the atmosphere of the Kansai region was more suited to my personality, compared to places like Tokyo. The area is more friendly towards outsiders and it's a place I can feel relaxed.
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Can you describe your class choices for previous/next semester?
In GLA, the first year is mostly compulsory courses by Ritsumeikan with a large variety. The compulsory courses build the necessary skills for university classes in the future. For example, in Research Design and Research Methods class you learn the necessary skills to conduct research. Also, I was able to make a choice between two courses: algorithm and programming or philosophy. I chose algorithm and programming because I was more interested in the programming class.
Next semester is the start for ANU courses for me and the first courses at ANU are compulsory as well, however, I can choose my Ritsumeikan courses and I plan on talking Modern History of Japan and Design Practice.
Find out more about GLA curriculum
How is your life in Osaka Ibaraki Campus? Did you find any favorite spots?
Life at Ritsumeikan is great overall. I haven't encountered many issues apart from getting used to living independently. My favorite spots on campus has to be the 5th floor and the library, the 5th floor is the floor for GLA and the view is amazing. The library is quite nice as well with many books to read and many places to study or just read some books for a while!
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Is it hard to live independently? Tell us more about your experience.
The most difficult aspect of starting a new life was managing my costs and planning my daily schedule. I went through extensive trial and error, like determining which grocery stores were cheapest over all or when to buy certain commodities. Getting used to the new schedule can also be difficult depending on the layout of your class timetable but once you get used to the schedule it's not as bad.
Another aspect that was difficult was getting used to the culture of the area. Even being from the same country it can get difficult to adjust to customs in another area.
Do you do live in a university dorm?
I currently live in the G-house(Global House) at Ritsumeikan! Dorm life is fun, as I get to interact with my peers outside of class. Normally I don't get to interact with upperclassmen in my course but since we live together I get to interact with them! I think dorm life is great for forming bonds and collecting information. In the dorm we often cook together, play games, watch movies and study together! We can easily get help from each other or upperclassmen who took the courses already and get general advice on which courses to take!
OIC Global House tour by GLA students
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What do you like to do in your spare time?
The good thing about university is that you can schedule it in a way that you have a day off! The combination I'm planning on taking has no classes on Friday. So I have a 3 day weekend every week! On my spare time I usually spend my time revising for classes or completing assignments. But when I have an extended period of free time I like to go visit places and take photographs or I usually go to shops to hunt for video games to add to my collection! If I have a few extra days off I like to take a mini-vacation near by.
So, a camera is one of your necessary items?
Yes, I carry around a camera with 2 sets of lenses, a laptop and charger, text books for upcoming classes, a paper planner, candy and coffee! The camera makes the bag heavy but you never know when you need it!
What is your career plan and your goal after graduation?
I believe that this program will have a large impact on my career and life choices in the future, as I get to experience two cultures, Japanese and Australian, at once. This experience will provide me with further insight on what I want to do in the future and will definitely affect my future choices as I plan on working overseas in the future!
My goal after I graduate Ritsumeikan is to start working. My dream is to work outside of Japan, but at the same time I want to continue studying. I'm still searching what I want to do and hopefully university life will help me get an answer. 4 years is such a long and short time, so I'll ask myself the same question in 3 years!
Message in English/Japanese
Transitioning to university life may be tough at the beginning. But once you get used to it, you'll start enjoying many aspects of it! Exploring many places when you get here is a fun thing you can do, with chances to make new friends along the way! An advice I would like to give, it may be scary either living alone for your first time, coming to Japan from overseas, or starting university but there's always someone that can help you so ask for help!
初めての一人暮らし、初めての大学生活、最初は分からないことが多いと思います。自分も慣れない環境で大分苦労しました。でも慣れてしまえば楽しいです！大学も人生の新たな一歩なので楽しんで過ごしたほうが良い経験になると思います！なるべく一人で悩まず助けを求めればサポートしてくれる人はたくさんいます！無理せずに大学生活楽しんでください！
