An Indian National Wins the Fully Funded MEXT Scholarship for Her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at Yokohama National University in Japan

Hi! My name is Mehak Jain. I was born and raised in a small town in Punjab, India, and I am pursuing my doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Yokohama National University, Japan. I am currently in the final year of my Ph.D. program.

MEXT Scholarship Details

I am pursuing my degree under the fully funded Monbukagakusho (MEXT) scholarship, Issued by the Japanese Government. This scholarship provides financial support to Research students, Teacher training students, Undergraduate students, Japanese studies students, college of technology students, Specialized training college students, and Young Leaders Program (YLP) students. It provides fully waived tuition fees and a monthly stipend for students pursuing higher education in Japan.

Educational Background

I completed my master’s degree in chemical engineering from Panjab University (India), with a CGPA of 8.9 out of 10. In my master’s, I did a project on complex fluids and hydrodynamics. I completed my bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Punjab Technical University (India), with a CGPA of 8.4 out of 10. In my bachelor’s, I had the opportunity to work on several projects like Biofuels, Wastewater treatment, and Carbon neutrality. While working on different projects, I've developed my passion for chemical engineering and plan to pursue further study in Fluid dynamics.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship and Yokohama National University?

I learned about the Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship while searching for other graduate scholarships. There are two ways to apply for this scholarship - embassy recommendation and university recommendation. In the embassy recommendation scholarship, recipients are recruited and initially screened by a Japanese embassy, and for the university recommendation, Japanese universities, etc. recruit scholarship candidates based on their student-exchange agreements with schools overseas. I approached the professor in the laboratory I was interested in, with a research plan and applied with the university recommendation. He looked over my master's thesis, my academic record, and the research strategy before issuing me a letter of provisional acceptance. After submitting my application and going through two online interviews, I was finally chosen.

Application requirements and academic standards vary depending on the university. Students who are recommended by universities are generally exempted from exams. I was not required to submit any English Certification test scores because I had completed all my previous studies in English.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I believe it's important to highlight your distinct qualities in order to distinguish yourself from the competition. In order to show my enthusiasm for my work, every week I send my professor some new ideas about my research. We then talked about our future objectives, and he gave me some advice on how to improve my skills by learning some new software.

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

I think the most important thing in Japan is the Japanese language. If I go through this process again, I ought to have begun my Japanese studies far sooner. I ought to have passed the JLPT N3 level in order to get greater chances.

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

APPLY for the scholarship.  Find out what the qualifications are, what the application process is, and what the deadline is, and then follow those directions and get your application in before the deadline. Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for letters of recommendation, write those essays and have them proofread, send in whatever other bits or pieces of proof that you qualify for the scholarship offer, and then submit your application. In order to improve your chances of getting a scholarship, make sure you answer all the questions on your applications, including the optional ones. These questions could be tied to the awarding of scholarships, so don’t risk not answering them. Make your biggest focus on your research plan and academic achievements.