Student Life

I came to Japan in 2019. After experiencing Japanese life and culture for three years, I find that there are many similarities and differences between China and Japan. At the same time, Chinese and Japanese people also have many misunderstandings about each other, so I want to better study the international regional relations between the two countries and contribute to this area in the future. That’s why I have decided to do further study in this university. Here, I can conduct my research and communicate with many teachers and classmates from different countries and regions, which not only broadens my international vision, but also greatly helps to improve my Japanese and English level. I think my study here will be a great experience in my life.

The reason I decided to go to graduate school is that I was interested in an international politics class which I took when I was a second grade student. Eventually my interest turned from international politics to youth employment through experience. In this graduate school, students have a lot of opportunity to make a presentation and have a discussion. Preparation for that is hard. However, you can acquire what you learned more deeply. Your course after graduation is not only employment. I hope you will decide your future path considering the option of going to graduate school.

I was lucky to have a chance to enter UNP and learn international politics because I didn’t have many occasions to study such things before. Students can take classes in either English or Japanese, thus you don’t have to be so afraid of your language skills. It is also a merit of the school that you can gain not only political knowledge but also practical skills. Since every aspect of our life is nowadays required to deal with globalization, I am sure that what I learned in the school will benefit me in the future.

I have researched peace education focused on English education. The reason why I chose this theme was to practice peace education for my future as an English teacher at school. I have taken classes kinds of international politics or international relations mainly at the graduate school, and all of them have become the basis for my main research of peace education. Though it is a minor field of research, I could get an advantage focusing on it.

Two years of study in Niigata is a hard time but also a beautiful time that I wanted to go through. Since I didn’t have any knowledge and experience the first time studying in a foreign country, besides this is the time Covid-19 was a strong outbreak in the world, including in Japan. During that time, I learned a lot of useful knowledge about my research and social life. I was able to attend free Japanese classes at school, from which I gained more knowledge about the new language and Japanese culture. I’m really grateful to receive a lot of attention and help from my friends who are Japanese, as well as other nationalities and now my best friends. This is my best time, I was able to do the things I liked and have many good friends.

I studied methods of data analysis in this graduate school and also conducted my research for my Master’s thesis by using quantitative data. Since local governments are nowadays required to deal with globalization and to use data science, the experience of writing my thesis in English and analyzing data with statistical software at this graduate school will benefit my business career at a local government.

Looking back my two years in the graduate school, I think I have been able to spend much more diverse and meaningful days than I had expected. I also appreciate the curriculum and this university for making it possible for me to improve myself through various experiences continually. Interacting with my Japanese tutors gave me not only the chance to refine language ability but also the opportunity to exchange the differences in culture. Thanks to Prof. Kuroda and other professors who walked with me on this journey so that I am able to complete my master thesis and graduate. I look forward to furthering experiences and challenges in my future life.

Before I graduated from my university in Russia, I knew for sure that my future activities would relate to the international relations of Russia and Japan.
I chose the University of Niigata Prefecture because here you can simultaneously study international relations and the international economy. Also here you can expand your knowledge through communication with outstanding professors and students from different countries.
Thanks to the rich academic program of this university, I was able to compose a special program for myself from the most suitable courses for me, in order to successfully complete my thesis.

Assistance and communication from the school were quick and timely, which supported my study and smoothened my life here. The professors of the school were proficient and erudite with broad intellect not only about international relations but also about economics and social issues. One incredible point of the school system is the connection between the graduate program and undergraduate program. Thanks to that, I could sit in some undergraduate classes and register for several Japanese language courses. To a foreign student who is restrained in the ability of Japanese language like me, those programs were great chances to make new friends, discover a lot of hidden attractions of Niigata, as well as experience the lifestyle of local people.

I attended the graduate school while continuing to work at a full-time job. Although it was often difficult to balance schoolwork and regular work, I managed to complete my research thanks to the support of my colleagues and professors. The intensive, small-class teaching at the graduate school gave me valuable contacts from beyond my own generation, business field, and nationality that benefited not only my academic and business career but also my personal life itself.