MEXT Scholar, Lim Zi Heng from Malaysia, Shares His Journey of Pursuing a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering at the University of Tokyo

My name is Lim Zi Heng from Malaysia. I am currently a third-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate at the University of Tokyo.

MEXT Scholarship Details

I received the MEXT undergraduate scholarship, which covers full tuition fee + 120,000 JPY of monthly stipend for a period of 5 years (1 year of prep school + 4 years of undergraduate study).

Educational Background

Before applying to this scholarship, I took the Cambridge International A-Level and scored 4A*. Applying to the MEXT scholarship requires 12 years of formal education. Malaysia adopts the system of 6+5 years of mandatory education. To be eligible for the MEXT undergraduate scholarship, a pre-university programme is compulsory.

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

How Did You Find Information About MEXT Scholarships and the University of Tokyo?

Information about the MEXT scholarship could be found on the Embassy of Japan's website. A quick Google search would do.

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

In my case, I did not take any other standardized tests besides A-Levels.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to the MEXT Scholarship?

I did not really “prepare” for this specific scholarship, but I can introduce the process and general tips regarding the application process. The selection process consists of four stages.

First, primary document screening. Since every country has a different education system, the Embassy of Japan in your country would set its standards differently. You can find more information about the standards on the Embassy website, but generally speaking, if you are in the top class in your cohort, you don’t have to worry about this.

Next, selected applicants would be called for a written test. I think more than a hundred applicants were called for my year of application. For science students, the subjects to be tested are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, English, and Japanese. Evaluation is made based on the math and science subjects and English only. Proficiency in Japanese is considered extra credit. In my case, I had zero Japanese proficiency, but I managed to get the scholarship. The math and science subjects follow the Japanese high school syllabus, and unofficial past year papers could be found online, compiled by netizens. More than 10 applicants were chosen for my year to proceed to the next stage.

The next stage is an interview. Due to the pandemic, it was held online for my year. Interview varies from country to country, but you should prepare for general interview questions like: why Japan, why this specific degree, what’s your plan after graduation, etc. However, I have no guarantee that academic questions will not be asked. In my case, 9 applicants were chosen to proceed to the next stage. (Rumors say that this scholarship is aimed at fostering collaboration between Japan and other countries, so it is a big bane if you answer that you have no intention of returning and you want to be a permanent resident or citizen of Japan after graduation)

In the fourth and final stage, you will be asked to do a full body checkup and some other paperwork. Your documents will be mailed to Japan for a final document screening. At this stage, it is purely luck-based, but rumors say that decisions were made based on the written test results from the second stage, compared on a global scale. There might also be a certain quota for every country. Nevertheless, things are uncontrollable at this stage, and just as a reference, 7 people were awarded the scholarship in my case.

How is (was) Your Experience at the University of Tokyo?

If you are awarded the scholarship, you will usually be placed in a prep school for 1 year of intensive Japanese education alongside other MEXT scholars. At this stage, your university and degree are not decided yet. It will be based on your results in the prep school. In other words, you will have to compete with top MEXT scholars from around the globe in order to fight for a place in your dream university. For my year, a university could enroll 5 students at most, but this is subject to change. The subjects taught in the prep school are Japanese (of course), General knowledge about Japan, Math, Physics and Chemistry (all in Japanese). And the exams are all in Japanese, including the science subjects, so you really have to adapt very quickly to the new language.

Are Your Classes Conducted in English or Japanese? 

You are expected to take classes in Japanese in the prep school and in the university upon receiving this scholarship. Unless there are special English programmes in certain universities, or certain faculties teach in English, and you are lucky to get into that programme or that faculty, full five years studying in Japanese.

Would Potential Students Have Any Problems Academically Not Knowing Japanese?

Since almost all the classes are in Japanese and Japan has a very, very limited number of international undergraduates, unproficiency in Japanese means that you fail your class and you have no friends.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I kept a good track record of my results from high school, and I actually applied to Cambridge before this. For that, I had been exploring topics out of the A-Level syllabus. Fortunately, some topics coincide with the Japanese high school syllabus, which was very helpful for my written test. As Japan was not my first choice, I didn’t make special efforts to make this specific application outstanding. I think it is my constant effort from high school that paid off.

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

I might have spent more time going through the past year's papers, as the questions are notoriously difficult. I would also have learnt a bit of Japanese for that extra credit and to show my interest in Japan to the interviewers.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

If you are specifically aiming for this scholarship, I think the most important thing is to make sure you are up to Japanese high school standards and to make sure the results of your written test is as good as possible. I heard that Koreans have special prep schools aiming for this scholarship, and around 20 Koreans were admitted for my batch. Test scores really matter in East Asian-style education.