1. Make it a habit to take notes and record classes

This is basic, so use your own method to take notes. Also, if you can get your teacher’s permission, I recommend recording your classes. If you record, you can even capture things that were suddenly mentioned by your professor, summarize them, and review them later. I studied my notes for two weeks before the exam period.

2. Build rapport with teachers by being proactive

Be sure to ask your teachers questions (even simple questions) in or after classes. As an international student, you’re more likely to catch the teacher’s eye than a Japanese student, so you can appeal for a higher grade. Also, as you ask more and more questions, the quality of your questions will become higher and higher, and you will get better feedback. By the way, if you’re given a paper to write your impressions of the class, think carefully before filling it in.

3. Utilize various communities

I recommend that you make use of both your Japanese friends on campus and your international student community. Japanese friends can help you with grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, etc. that you have difficulty with. Also, international students, especially people from your own country, can easily provide you with information on foundation scholarshipssupport, insurance, and other support funds in addition to on-campus scholarships, which will increase your chances of saving money on living expenses.

4. If possible, take the front seat in classes

Sitting in front makes it easier to concentrate more on the class and it also makes it easier to grasp important points, such as information from the teacher’s tone and gestures. Also, it’s easier to catch the teacher’s eye from the front row, so try to listen to the class in front of you as much as possible.

This isn’t so much a study method as it is a way of approaching college that leads to learning for your own sake. It may be very obvious, but in fact, the four approaches I have described are extremely important for learning with depth.

As for the study method itself, the best method is the one that suits you best, so keep on believing in it. I’ll also show you below how I studied.

A) Review what you have written down in class and summarize it again in your notebook

Normally, taking notes in class is not that neatly organized, so I set up a process to summarize it again. Two weeks before the exam, I would organize my notes for the exam by understanding what the teacher had pointed out and emphasized so far, and then “condense” the content and write it down.

The reason for this is that first of all, the process of putting all the notes together makes it easier to study the contents, and also makes it easier to review the class points. Above all, I became “attached” to the notebooks that I made, which motivated me to study harder. One of my main strategies was to enclose specific content from textbooks and handouts in “boxes,” making the notes easier to read. I highly recommend trying it out!

B) If you have difficulty understanding something in class, search for related materials online and study them

I think it is an efficient way to study, especially if it is an argumentative exam. I referred to online resources for history and other topics because they are often better summarized on the internet, especially in one’s native language.

Just be aware, that materials from the internet are less reliable, so I recommend that you compare multiple references to how the information is presented in your study materials and other sources.. Not only is it easier to understand the content, but it’s also easier to remember because you can cross-think the same content in multiple formats.

At first, I didn’t think that I could get a scholarship either. However, I now realize that the challenge of winning a scholarship wasn’t that difficult for me, as I had already taken on the big challenge of studying abroad. I believe that the main reason I was able to get the scholarship was that I believed in myself.

So why don’t you believe in yourself and give it a try as well? Since you’ve come all the way to Japan with such passion, I’m sure you’ll achieve great results. When it comes to scholarships, they’re not just about the money. I believe they are a meaningful challenge for your personal learning and, in the process of obtaining them, for building relationships and gaining insights into various perspectives.

I hope this article will be of some help to future international students. I give you all my heartfelt support.

(Text: Na Seok-jun, Ritsumeikan University)