How a Pakistani Architect Earned the Fully Funded MEXT Scholarship to Pursue a Master’s in Urban Planning at the University of Tokyo

Hello, my name is Ana, and I am an Embassy-sponsored MEXT Scholar from Pakistan. I was fortunate to receive this fully funded scholarship to pursue my Master’s in Urban Planning at the University of Tokyo. Prior to this, I worked as an Urban Designer in a private consultancy for a year and had the opportunity to work on local Master planning initiatives in my home country. My undergraduate background is in Architecture from the National College of Arts, Lahore; however, I have always gravitated towards the urban scale and climate-resilient city planning.

MEXT Scholarship Details

I applied for the Embassy track for MEXT Scholarship, and the process involved writing a Research brief and tracking down Professors at Japanese Universities who shared my research niche. Another major challenge was to find entirely English degree programs and Professors who had high-level proficiency to support my academic journey. The paperwork was very straightforward and was all clearly provided online, however, the biggest hurdle was fine-tuning the Research goals and making them relevant to the Japanese urban planning context. For this purpose, I reached out to several professionals who were kind enough to review my write-up and provide valuable feedback. A special shout-out to Sir Fawad Osman and Sir William Galloway for their kind assistance.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the University of Tokyo?

In terms of the process, I had to identify my three choices for university programs and defend my research topic in an in-person interview at the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad. There was a general English and Japanese test prior to that, but thankfully, the passing grade for the Japanese test is quite low. The interview was conducted the next day, and the panel featured previous MEXT Scholars from the relevant field who cross-questioned one on their motivation for applying specifically to Japan and not any other country in the world. It helps to be extremely clear and single-minded in your choice and to be convincing in showing how your research is relevant to both your country and Japan. Don’t worry that you will be stuck with this research topic, as it will change completely once the degree starts.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the Scholarship?

After the final go-ahead from the embassy, we basically need to reach out to our professors, and this is perhaps the most convoluted part of the process, as the contact information is hard to come by, and many Professors would have already met their quota of international students. My advice is to obsessively scour the Japanese academics till you find someone who is willing to take you on. There will be an online interview, and you will email your research, after which comes the official stamped approval. I was fortunate enough to receive approval from my three choices of Waseda, Keio, and Utokyo, so it was extremely difficult to then give my first choice.

After coming to Japan, I had to take my TOEFL prior to the entrance exam, and there was an initial 6-month research period where I could take language courses, prepare for the University Entrance exam, and fine-tune my research for the interview phase. This process varies based on degree, as many civil engineers start their degree right away and don’t require an exam. I was fortunate to pass my exam and officially start the degree after 6 months, but for some, you must either transfer to a different University or retake the examination upon failing.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

If I were to do the process again, I would probably focus more on Japanese proficiency and work up my level in the research period or before landing here. Overall, the whole process goes very smoothly, but be sure to reach out to professionals and people with experience in your program/scholarship to proofread the research. It helps with cold outreach, as many will be more than happy to help.