The sun sets in Kanagawa - Vulcanus 2009/2010

[BlackCrow27]

Heya, I was looking to apply for the scheme this year, I am a second year Mathematics students (not exactly what they are looking for I know). From what you know on the inside do you think i'd have a chance at all? (I will apply anyway, just curious of your opinion

Also. They said I could not apply until I had completed 3 years of a degree..but after 3 years, I will have finished my degree. Was it miscommunication on my part? Or does that mean I literally have to complete my degree first? Thanks

[PorencimadeTc]

@BlackCrow27 Don't be so sceptical about having studied mathematics. Indeed, the year I participated one of the Vulcanus Interns had a major in Mathematics, so it's not crazy to apply. It really depends on the needs of the companies, so it may be changing each year. Regarding your last request, maybe you should write to the Brussels supervisors, I guess they will be able to guide you better than I.

Good luck!

[BlackCrow27]

@PorencimadeTc Thanks, you've given me more determination and confidence =)

Could you speak Japanese before you went? Could anyone else?

Apologies for the bombarding of questions! =)

[PorencimadeTc]

@BlackCrow27 No, I didn't speak a word of Japanese before going to Japan. Some people already spoke, so they were just put into higher level Japanese classes.

[jimday666]

on what condition were you preselected? were grades the most important?

[PorencimadeTc]

@jimday666 A very good academic transcript is of course a plus for getting the Vulcanus scholarship, but as they say in the EU-Japan Center web, the selection is based on several parameters. For example, the English level is also very important, it is the language you will use to communicate in many situations during the year, and your ability to adapt is also taken into account. I don't know the exact condition of my preselection, as we were not given any explanation for that.

[shini008]

that sounds so interesting.

I'm applying for this year and wanted to ask you is you can give me some advice.

- what other documents did you send in additional to the one requested

- and what did you wrote in the letter, explaining why you want to participate (that's maybe a really stupid question, but I'm really bad in writing cover letter and this programm is like a dream for me, cause I'm applying for an internship in Japan since 2 years T__T)

thank you and gomen for my annoying questions

[PorencimadeTc]

@shini008 Hi! Actually, I didn't send any additional documents apart form the requested ones. About the covering letter, I think it is something very personal and it depends on your priorities (for example, my reasons to participate in the Vulcanus can be very different from yours). Just try to ask you why do you want to go there, how do you think it will affect your future, what do you think you can learn spending one year in Japan, why this program and not another, and so on... Good luck!! :)

[dgajsek]

That is all nice and well but it would be nice to include subtitles in this video :).

[BillMurmure]

Seems like a great experience ...

I'm sorry to annoy you with some questions, but I'm wondering about :

- Do you think having already studied Japanese / having made an internship in Japan may help for the selection ?

- What have you been doing during your 4 months of intensive course ?

- What was the 1st contact with your company ? Howmuch can you choose the subject of your internship ?

- Have you kept some contacts there ?

Thanks !

[PorencimadeTc]

@BillMurmure I'll try to be brief :)

- I don't know exactly how the selection process is carried out. If it helps you, I didn't know a word of Japanese before going to Japan.

- 5 hours/day course of Japanese (really intensive!) + 10 hours seminar. After this I was able to pass JLPT4 (the ancient one). The rest, free time / organized activities.

- If you are PREselected, you are sent information about the subjects offered by the participating companies, so you can choose & apply.

- Of course!

[BillMurmure]

@PorencimadeTc Thanks for the answers !

[BillMurmure]

@PorencimadeTc Thanks for the answer !

[RedWinterHero]

I'm a British student studying software engineering, I'd consider applying to Vulcanus this year, but I'm slightly concerned that if I did get selected and sent to Japan, the standard of work expected from me might be higher than I could provide, is this a valid concern?

[PorencimadeTc]

@RedWinterHero I think that these kind of concerns are usual, but think that whenever you apply to something, it's not so easy to know beforehand what you will find. I wouldn't worry because if you are selected it means you went through a hard preselection and a selection process, to make sure you can match with the company.

[RedWinterHero]

@PorencimadeTc Do you think the fact that I'm British and thus speak English as my first language would enhance my chances of being selected much?

[PorencimadeTc]

@RedWinterHero If I have to be honest, I don't think it enhances that much your chance of being selected. The important issue is that you should be able to communicate easily in English, and you don't need to be a native speaker for that.

[RedWinterHero]

@PorencimadeTc and are you on the program currently or have you completed it already?

[PorencimadeTc]

@RedWinterHero I already completed it last year hehe!

[RedWinterHero]

@PorencimadeTc Well I hope you enjoyed it as much as I suspect you did :P Did the 2,000,000 yen they give you cover all your expenses though? :o

[PorencimadeTc]

@RedWinterHero Yes it does, but you have to be careful because money literally flies away...!

[15XG]

@PorencimadeTc

How many hours did you work on a daily basis? I suspect it was more than 8...

[PorencimadeTc]

@15XG Well, I had to work eight hours a day in a research center, and I was lucky enough to have quite a flexible schedule (research is not something very predictable...). And of course I overworked some times, but because I was responsible of my research and I thought it would be worth staying longer some days to clear up some experiments. But actually I was never asked to stay more than eight hours. I am only speaking about my experience, this issue depends a lot on the company you work for.

[15XG]

@PorencimadeTc

What was the actual field you worked in? I have friend that went... she's an architect and though no one said she had to work more than eight hours... in order to finish the tasks she was assigned about 10-12 hours a day were needed. So I guess the field of research (or maybe just in your particular case) has certain advantages. I'm reluctant to apply for this whole thing because of how workaholic the Japanese are...

[PorencimadeTc]

@15XG I worked in nanotechnology research (labs, measurements, experiments...), and it's true it's not such a handle-in-task job, so I was more free to plan and project my own experiments, and of course after some time I was expected to handle in results about my research. As I told you, it depends A LOT on the company you work for (I guess your friend can tell it). By the way, if you don't apply you'll never know... And if you have problems the EU-Japan Center is supposed to help you... :-)

[flamen89]

hey nice video! I'm gonna apply for this as my placement year. Just wondering, any quick tips for the application form or the interview? :D

[PorencimadeTc]

@flamen89 When I applied there was no interview, so I don't know if the application process was changed...! And about the quick tips, I'm not sure I can help you because I don't know exactly how the selection process works, so just try to handle in a complete and interesting application.

[galtzra]

this seems amazing....im about to apply for next september..i would like to ask you a question...because of the reputation that japanese people have,that they work all day long,im a bit scared..its not that im lazy or something but when you go to another country its cool to have some spare time to travel and see somethings that are completely "alien" to you...anyway my question is how many hours a day have you been working????thank you in advance

[PorencimadeTc]

@galtzra The balance between working time and spare time depends a lot on your direct supervisor in the company and the company itself, but broadly speaking I can say there should be no problem in being able to travel around. I hope you will be lucky with your application!

[galtzra]

@PorencimadeTc thanks a lot for your wish and for your reply..

[falcord]

Amazing! I really want to apply for Vulcanus. How good does your academic record really have to be? I'm doing quite well (around the 10-15% best I guess) but I'm definitely not getting top marks on everything (I study a degree in Industrial Engineering in spain).

Thank you for sharing this, wish me luck! =)

[PorencimadeTc]

@falcord A very good academic transcript is of course a plus for getting the Vulcanus scholarship, but as they say in the EU-Japan Center web, the selection is based on several parameters. For example, the English level is also very important, it is the language you will use to communicate in many situations during the year, and your ability to adapt is also taken into account. Good luck with your application (and remember, if you don't apply you will surely not get it)!

[RyuKa423]

I want to know : what kind of job are you doing during the 8-month work experience of vulcanus program ?

Thanks

[PorencimadeTc]

@RyuKa423 the kind of internship depends a lot on the company you are working for. For example, in my case it was a research project about nanoimprint technology.

[przemyslawgacia]

凄いです。

[PorencimadeTc]

どうもありがとう！^^

[PorencimadeTc]

domo arigatou!!

[maritribruselas]

Omedeto David san!