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 (RU).
Post by International Admissions Office
Raku, from Japan
Why did you select RU and the College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA)?
The reason I chose RU is because I want to study in a place that I am not familiar with to get out of my comfort zone. There are several reasons why I chose the College of Global Liberal Arts (GLA).
First, GLA offers an all English program, which is a great opportunity for me to improve my English skills. Secondly, I was interested in a curriculum where 70% of the students are non-Japanese since I can experience an atmosphere similar to a foreign university.
Furthermore, GLA offers liberal arts studies, where we can choose from a wide selection of courses.
Lastly, the dual degree program with ANU is the reason why I chose this university, as I have the chance to learn in two universities and also study abroad.
What made you think about looking for a university in Japan?
I chose a Japanese university as I am interested in Japanese culture and am fascinated to discover the significance of this country from the perspective of international students by hearing their various voices and opinions.
How are you leveraging your high school studies in GLA?
In high school, I studied in an IB program. I feel that the skills that I acquired during my IB studies, such as critical thinking, essay writing, self reflection, and collaborative skills are all important in university learning. Though, all of these skills have room for improvement. Thus, I make sure to always keep this in mind to further develop and improve myself.
About your studies...
Could you tell us what influenced you to choose this major?
Give us an overview of your studies and course schedule from the 1st year to now.
Second semester:
The two most interesting courses were Cultural Studies and Civilization in Global History.
For Cultural Studies, it was exciting to learn how our culture is formed by various factors, as well as histories. Also, I enjoyed connecting the concepts that I learned in the class to my real life situations, which allowed me to reconsider the impact of the surrounding environment on me.
Regarding Civilization in Global History, it was new for me to learn history from non-western perspective. This class allowed me to realize the issue of a western-centric history. Also, I was able to understand the historical significance of the non-west, such as Asia, which is where we live.
Tell us about the GLA studying environment.
I think GLA offers a very unique study style, as we not only have lectures but also tutorials where students have the opportunity to train their output process by expressing ideas/opinions and having dense discussions. Also, since the number of students in the tutorial class is around 20 students, I was able to get a satisfying amount of feedback that helped me to improve my assignments.
I am very interested in history, so I am planning to take courses that focus on history, especially examining the importance of the Asia region.
Through the experience of an internship, I was able to improve my management skills and acquire new skills that will be useful in the future.
I have used the medical center as I was helping a friend who was not feeling well. The staff there were really nice and some did speak English.
At this point, I don’t really know what I am interested in and what job I want to do in the future. However, I want to find a job that will connect and strengthen the relationships between Japan and other countries. Also, I love learning languages, so I hope to use my language skills at my job.
Message in English/ Japanese
To all prospective students,
I am very excited to make new friends in GLA! Although study in university is quite different from high school and some might encounter difficulties, the learning in GLA will definitely be exciting and beneficial for your future. If there are any concerns or questions, you can ask GLA senpai(s) for help!
大学での学びは高校とレベルが違うため最初は戸惑う人もいるかもしれません。ですが、GLAでの学びはとても魅力的ですし、将来のキャリアを決める上で必ず役に立つと思います。不安や質問などがあればいつでもGLAの先輩たちを頼ってください！
沢山の新しい仲間と出会えることを楽しみにしています！
