Learning Model | Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Learning Model

Learning Model

  • Why - Why We Recommend the Off-campus Study Program

    Why

    Why We Recommend the Off-campus Study Program

  • Strengths - Strengths of the Off-campus Study Program

    Strengths

    Strengths of the Off-campus Study Program

  • Learning Model - 4-Year Learning Model

    Learning Model

    4-Year Learning Model

Learning model using Off-campus Study Programs

We have explained why we recommend the Off-campus Study Program to you and its strengths on the "Why" and "Strengths" pages.
This page introduces some examples of how senior students actually deepened their learning experience during their time at APU while utilizing the Off-campus Study Programs. While referring to these, let's think about what you want to learn and challenge at APU.

WATANABE Yuzuki

In the case of WATANABE Yuzuki

Ms. Watanabe is a graduate of the College of Asia Pacific Studies in 2018, and is currently in charge of procedures and projects related to overseas sales of cosmetics at Kose Co., Ltd.'s Asia Division. She is working hard with her dream of trying product planning in the future.
he studied a slightly unusual field of criminology by studying abroad. Let's see what she thought, what preparations she had, and what she has experienced on site.

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Off-campus
On-campus
1Semester
I wanted to try everything APU had to offer, starting with the FIRST Program
I wanted to try everything APU had to offer, starting with the FIRST Program
I wanted to try everything APU had to offer, starting with the FIRST Program

When I first came to APU, I knew I wanted to try many different things. There are many opportunities at APU, but I felt that if I missed the first chance to study abroad in my first year, I wouldn't be able to seize any future opportunities. So, I joined the FIRST Program and spent five days doing field work in Korea. All group members, including me, cannot speak Korean. Even so, We had to conduct a questionnaire survey with local people who can only speak Korean. Of course, fluent conversation in Korean was not possible, but even so, by making full use of all kinds of things such as gestures, English words, and illustrations, I was able to acquire the skills of international exchange that does not rely solely on language and the courage to work hard in any environment.

Clarifying goals to prepare for study abroad
Clarifying goals to prepare for study abroad
Clarifying goals to prepare for study abroad

Because I was admitted to APU, I was certain I wanted to spend a year on exchange, so I joined the study abroad preparation course to put myself in an environment where students like me who were aiming to go on study abroad could help motivate each other. Naturally, I worked on improving my English skills, and we also went to Malaysia and Singapore on a short-term overseas training program. The best thing about the study abroad preparation course was that it made me think very carefully about why I wanted to study abroad and what I wanted to study at my host institution. Upon conducting a self-analysis, I realized that I've liked foreign crime shows since I was a child and that I was interested in studying about crime from an academic standpoint. I thought carefully about why I wanted to study abroad in terms of my interests and passions, and I spent several long nights at a family restaurant with a former participant reworking my application. In the end, I was accepted for an exchange program without a hitch.
* Currently, we do not offer study abroad preparation courses, but we do hold events related to study abroad and provide learning support such as SALC.

2Semester
First experience of staying at an overseas university at a university in Malaysia and Singapore
First experience of staying at an overseas university at a university in Malaysia and Singapore
First experience of staying at an overseas university at a university in Malaysia and Singapore

As part of the study abroad preparation course, I stayed at a university in Malaysia for two weeks and a university in Singapore for one week during the summer vacation, and experienced exchanges with local students and mock classes. By interacting with local students, I learned about cross-cultural communication, and I felt a little closer to the exchange program I was aiming for. Also, unlike just traveling abroad, I lived in a dormitory at a local university, so I was able to get a better experience with the culture of that country. (I still remember taking a shower with water and using water instead of paper in the bathroom in Malaysia.)

4-5Semester
Exchange to the US: Choosing a destination for an academic program
Exchange to the US: Choosing a destination for an academic program
Exchange to the US: Choosing a destination for an academic program

I chose Grand Valley State University in Michigan in the United States as the destination for my exchange program because there were many faculty there who taught criminal justice as well as classes taught by police, juvenile detention center officials, and other professionals. I was the only Japanese person among my classmates, many of whom wanted to work for the FBI and CIA. I didn't have much background knowledge in criminal justice, so pursuing specialized studies in English was hard. This is when I started to realize what I wanted to do was keep children from getting involved in crime, and I felt the key here was to strengthen ties between parents and children. Instead of becoming directly involved as a social worker, I came to see my goal was to prevent children from committing crimes indirectly by working for a manufacturer that produces goods to improve people's quality of life.

6Semester
Expressing my true aspirations thanks to APU
Expressing my true aspirations thanks to APU
Expressing my true aspirations thanks to APU

Until high school, I worried about what others thought and I was not able to easily express my true feelings. However, at APU with all of its diversity, I learned to accept people's opinions even if they were different from my own and to voice my own opinions without hesitation, even if I thought they might be a bit different. My desire to study criminal justice may have been seen as a bit unique anywhere else in Japan, but by coming to APU, I was able to honestly express this desire for the first time. APU has many different off-campus study programs with different aims and varying lengths. When you realize there is something you want to do, I think you can find a program that more or less suits your needs. If you always keep in mind what you want to do, then I think you will be able to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves.

7-8Semester
Helping younger students on the study abroad preparation course and SEA
Helping younger students on the study abroad preparation course and SEA
Helping younger students on the study abroad preparation course and SEA

I focused my energies on helping younger students who wanted to put their experiences to the test on an exchange program but are not sure how to go about doing that. Some students thought that going abroad to study English in their first year counts as exchange, but the real objective of exchange is not to learn English, but to use your English skills to learn something. You have to think about what you can learn at your host institution and how you can put that to use for your future. When students told me they didn’t know what they wanted to do in the future, I discussed my own experiences, and I helped them reflect on what they liked and what interested them. When they couldn’t do it on their own, I helped them dig down and find that dream for the future that was buried deep in their hearts. I also wanted to make APU a better place since it had provided me with so many experiences over the past four years. By helping underclassmen, I gived something back to APU and to the older students who helped me.

Postgraduate studies and career

Having studied criminology while studying abroad, I began to want to work for a manufacturer that makes products that improve people's quality of life. I also considered how to do job hunting, but I did all the job hunting by on-campus recruiting. With on-campus recruiting, companies that "want APU students" will gather. I had a lot of experience unique to APU, so I thought that there would be few mismatches with the companies that come there. As a result, I was hired as a sales position at Teijin Limited, which has the philosophy of improving quality of life. It was the first time for a female new graduate employee to be assigned to the sales position at the business unit to which I belonged. Also, many of the employees around me were veteran science employees, so I was a very unusual person as new graduates, females, and liberal arts. However, since I have always experienced cross-cultural exchange through APU's Off-campus Study Programs and On-campus activities, I could think of it as a "kind of new environment", and I could quickly become familiar with it.
While working at the B-to-B manufacturer, I have the feelings of "I want to handle products that are directly related to people around the world" and "I want to create a world where each person can shine regardless of gender or other categories." Then, in the summer of my fourth year, I changed jobs to Kose Co., Ltd., a B-to-C cosmetics manufacturer. When I was in the 4th year of APU, I had the experience of helping Kose internships for African students, and that was the trigger that led me to change jobs. The number of APU graduates in Kose is increasing year by year, and I have understood that they are focusing not only on overseas expansion of our business but also on globalization within the company. Currently, I am working for the Asian region. I work with a local subsidiary on a daily basis, and the experience of APU is also utilized there. After experiencing overseas expatriates someday, I would like to bring to the world products that can make the most of the original brilliance of each person by launching a brand targeting overseas.

Message to junior students

There are various opportunities in APU. And if you don't have it, you can even create it yourself. I now feel that it was really valuable to be able to choose what to do in that environment ourselves. Personally, I think it's good to participate in many programs to expand your network and experience, but I also think that the number of times is not the only thing. I think it is very important not just to participate in the program, but to participate with a purpose, looking back on what you have learned and what you have experienced.
I mentioned above that I participated in various programs, but I also had many experiences where I couldn't participate even though I wanted to do it because I was not selected by the program. In fact, I have failed in various program, such as a certain Off-campus Study program, Japanese language supporters, and overseas internships. I was very sad at that time, and I wasn't sure why I failed, but I believed that failing would be a catalyst for growth, so I thought about the reason for failing and sometimes went to ask why. By doing so, I was able to find out what I lacked and lead to the next experience.
Again, there are really many opportunities for APU. It's up to you to choose or not, so please enjoy your life and make choices that will lead to the future. I support you from somewhere on the earth!

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SHIRAKAWA Ryo

In the case of SHIRAKAWA Ryo

Mr. Shirakawa is a graduate of the College of International Management in 2018 and is currently in charge of sales of overseas apps at an IT-related venture company. He is helping tourists from overseas through the apps.
He participated in various Off-campus Study Programs and was very inspired about his career by struggling and challenging in the program. Let's take a look at his precious experience.

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Off-campus
On-campus
1Semester
First time overseas: Heading to South Korea with FIRST
First time overseas: Heading to South Korea with FIRST
First time overseas: Heading to South Korea with FIRST

Before enrolling at APU I had never traveled overseas. After joining the university I decided to participate in the FIRST Program, which was open for recruitment immediately after enrollment. In the FIRST program, we conducted a questionnaire-style survey of about 200 local Koreans on themes decided in advance by the group.
We couldn't speak Korean fluently at all, so we read the script aloud at the beginning, but we couldn't get them to stop. So, I decided to draw out interest by greeting people in an energetic manner with a big smile and loud voice, saying, "I have come from Japan. Just seven questions!". After I switched to using simple language, I found that the number of respondents gradually increased, and I was ultimately able to achieve my target number.
What I noticed there is that language is of course important in cross-cultural communication, but in addition to that, nonverbal communication such as smiles and speaking styles, and the attitude of facing the other person without hesitation even in different countries are also important. I also noticed that there was a gap in the information broadcast by the Japanese media and actual conditions on the ground, and that there are things that you need to witness with your own eyes.
* FIRST will be conducted in Taiwan or South Korea. Most recently, it was implemented in Taiwan.

3Semester
Service Learning Program: Learning the importance of using language to communicate
Service Learning Program: Learning the importance of using language to communicate
Service Learning Program: Learning the importance of using language to communicate

After completing my first year at APU, I participated in a three-month Service Learning Program offered by Old Dominion University (ODU) in the state of Virginia in the United States. This program combines language and service-related learning through internships (work experience prior to taking up employment), externships (work experience that is not directly related to a job search), volunteer activities, and other activities.

I decided to take part in the program because I wanted to find out how much my English language ability had grown after one year of study at APU by testing my abilities in an English-speaking region, and I thought it would be a valuable experience to experience working abroad in preparation for future job hunting.

During the first half of the program, I attended English language classes at a language school with students coming to learn English from all over the world. Grammar had always been my forte so I was placed into the advanced class, but I struggled to keep up with the other students when it came to speaking and listening. I almost gave up trying to demote my class. However, I was encouraged by an American teacher saying "Be Confident!", And I was able to strengthen myself by actively interacting with language partners and local students. In the end, I was able to complete the debate competition, which was one of the lesson tasks.

In the second half of the program, I had an externship for about a month at a local radio station called "iHeartMedia". The representative of the company became my mentor. I participated in different departments every day and was able to observe and experience various tasks. Specifically, it was very exciting days for me to actually accompany the sales staff or have them show me the radio recording and editing work up close. Even though the mentor was busy as a representative of the company, he picked me up by car every day and asked various questions about Japan. It was impressive that he took me seriously like that.

Perhaps because I was touching on the American national character of expressing my opinion clearly, this program allowed me to firmly convey the departments I wanted to experience. I felt that I especially learned the attitude of not being afraid to convey my opinion. Also, because the mentor talked to me regardless of the nationality or position, I myself decided to interact with people without prejudice.

4Semester
Facing the challenges of being an international student

Through my experiences in the US, I was able to understand how hard it is for international students to live as students in a country where the language is different from your own. After my return to APU, whenever I was surrounded by a group of mostly Japanese students and the discussion was conducted mainly in Japanese, I would be concerned about international students with undeveloped Japanese language skills feeling they were left out of the conversation, and would make sure they did not feel alienated.

Leading role in the freshmen English program: Planning group work for new students

In the month of March, right before I started my third year, I served as a support student for "Pre-APU Camp" where new students who are about to enter APU concentrate on learning English. In addition to supporting English learning, we also prepared and implemented various projects such as group work so that new students can start their APU life in a better way. New students enjoyed them, and later I received some thankful words from them, such as "The experience at that time was really helpful!" It was an opportunity for me to think that it would be great if we could create an environment and a system that would entertain people in the future.

6-7Semester
Exchange study in Canada: I can only do when I am in APU
Exchange study in Canada: I can only do when I am in APU
Exchange study in Canada: I can only do when I am in APU

I've always wanted to study abroad as one of the things I can only do when I was in the university. I also wanted to study marketing, which is my major, in another country, so I decided to study abroad at the University of Lethbridge in Canada for one year from September of my third year. All classes were, of course, in English. I learned deeply about business administration and marketing while comparing Canada's management methods and cultural economic characteristics with other countries.
Also, because Canada is a neighboring country of the United States where the IT industry is thriving, many of the content covered in case studies was related to IT, and it was an opportunity for me to feel that IT would be indispensable in the future society.
Besides, as I had more opportunities to communicate in English both in class and in private, I realized that being able to speak other languages gives me more choices in my life. Also, since English is just a way to learn what I want to learn and talk to people I want to talk to, I strongly felt the need to think about how I would like to use English as the same time.

Postgraduate studies and career

I think that I was able to feel a lot through these Off-campus Study Programs, which helped me to form the values for job hunting.
In job hunting, I focused on "work related to overseas" and "IT-related companies". Regarding "work related to overseas", I came to want to create a mechanism to alleviate the anxieties and problems that foreigners have when they come to Japan through exchange programs and other programs.
Also, regarding the working environment, I wanted to work in a workplace where I can exchange opinions in a flat manner, regardless of the position, as I experienced in the service learning program, rather than the top-down environment that is typical of traditional Japanese companies. I feel that participation in these programs was deeply related to the background that I was able to select a job that I was satisfied with.

Message to junior students

I would like to convey to everyone who is thinking or interested in participating in the program in their future APU life that "participating with a clear purpose in advance" will lead to greater growth.

Of course, simply experiencing the program will definitely be a valuable asset in your future life. However, by clarifying your purpose, you will be able to choose a program that suits you, and you will be able to make the best use of that program.

By clarifying the purpose before participating, even if you become anxious or face challenges during the program, you can remember the purpose and understand the significance of "why you need to do your best". As a result, the program will be a better experience for you and will lead to greater growth.

As an APU graduate, I wish you all the best in your student life.

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CHINTRAKARN Chalisa

In the case of CHINTRAKARN Chalisa

Ms. CHINTRAKARN is a graduate of the College of Asia Pacific Studies in 2018, and is still devoted to studying at the prestigious University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom with a doctoral program in social policy, sociology and criminology.
Although she originally liked Japan and came to APU, she studied Japanese culture through the Off-campus Study Programs even after enrollment, and she also participated in Domestic Student Exchange Program at another university in Japan. Her experiences also tell you about her awareness and learning that is unique to the Off-campus Study Program.

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Off-campus
On-campus
0
Choosing APU for an international, active learning environment

In many schools in Thailand, classes consist of teachers lecturing while students take notes. Therefore, to hone my critical thinking skills, I dreamt of attending classes where students were encouraged to partake in in-class discussions. This is why I decided to go to an international university that employs a lot of in-class discussions.

Because my father loves Japan, we had visited Japan before on family vacations. I also grew fond of Japanese culture and customs, and I started to think it would be great if I could study in Japan and explore them first-hand. One day, one of the staff at my high school told my class about a Japanese university with a large number of international students where we could also study Japanese language and culture: APU. At that time, I was not aware that APU was in Oita Prefecture, but I did know that I wanted to be somewhere outside of a big city. I liked the idea of being able to concentrate on my studies if I went to an outlying area instead of a large city like Tokyo or Osaka. With all of these reasons informing my decision, I made up my mind to study at APU.

2Semester
FIRST Program Kyushu: Survey 300 people in four days
FIRST Program Kyushu: Survey 300 people in four days
FIRST Program Kyushu: Survey 300 people in four days

In the fall of my first year, I took part in the FIRST Program. My team consisted of six first-year English-basis international students: two from Indonesia; one each from Sweden, Bangladesh, Vietnam; and myself from Thailand. We were accompanied by one Japanese Teaching Assistant, whose job was to offer support only when we really needed it.

Before leaving, the teams drew straws to determine their destination. Our team drew the areas of Tosu and Arita, in Saga Prefecture. The other teams went to, for instance, Hita in Oita Prefecture, Moji Port in Kitakyushu City, Karatsu in Saga Prefecture, and Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture. Our team asked about 300 residents of Tosu and Arita to complete our questionnaire. We investigated if there was a difference in punctuality between the public and private lives of Japanese people. We examined how many minutes earlier they arrive to work or school, as opposed to when they meet up with friends. We had only been studying Japanese language at APU for less than a year, but we needed to approach many Japanese people on the street to fill in our questionnaire within the four-day period. Our Japanese language skills therefore improved quickly. We also built upon project management and cross-cultural communication skills. Furthermore, the program made me recognize how different the citizens of Beppu are compared to people in other cities. Beppu citizens are used to interacting with foreigners; I think this is due to the large international presence at APU. It made me feel quite delighted to realize that Beppu is multicultural in this way.

5Semester
Internship at the Royal Thai Embassy
Internship at the Royal Thai Embassy

For one month during the summer break of my third year, I interned at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo. I became interested in this internship after a senior student had told me about her experience, and then I decided to apply. At APU, if a letter of recommendation is required for an internship like this, the Career Office will issue you one after you meet with one of the Career Office staff for an interview.

At the Embassy I was able to work in four different sections: the Protocol section; the Information & Cultural section; the Political & Economic section; and the Consular section. One of the most enjoyable parts of my internship was assisting with an event where Japanese children visited the embassy to learn Thai culture. For this event, the staff in the Information and Cultural section prepared questions regarding Thailand for the children, During the event, I served as a facilitator for the quiz, and I was pleased to see that all the children eagerly participated in the event. At the same time, I mastered my professional Japanese language skills through listening to the MC for the event, a talented Japanese staff member in the embassy.

The staff at the embassy taught me many things on my internship, such as appropriate workplace manners and Japanese-Thai interpretation techniques. By the end of my internship, I had gained a clearer idea of what it is like to work in an embassy.

6Semester
Domestic Exchange Program: Ritsumeikan University
Domestic Exchange Program: Ritsumeikan University
Domestic Exchange Program: Ritsumeikan University

In the fall semester of my third year, I went on exchange for six months to the College of Social Sciences at Ritsumeikan University, Kinugasa (Kyoto) campus. I wished to study media and culture at another university and had originally planned to go to the United Kingdom on an exchange program. However, when I explored the details on APU's domestic exchange programs, I realized that, instead of going overseas, I could study culture and media in Japan at Ritsumeikan University and could simultaneously strengthen my Japanese language proficiency. This helped me decide to aim for pursuing graduate studies in the United Kingdom after finishing at APU.

All of the classes at Ritsumeikan University were held in Japanese, which was a bit of a struggle, but the Ritsumeikan University writing support really helped me. Once I got accustomed to studying there, I joined a program where my language partner and I constantly peer-taught each other in Japanese and English, and I made friends with the members of a student group that provided support to exchange students. I also hanged out with fellow APU students who were on this exchange program, and I learned a lot about the Kansai region throughout this program. In the end, I was glad I went on exchange in Japan because if I had gone overseas, my Japanese language ability would not have improved like it did.

Moreover, studying at Ritsumeikan University afforded me a chance to look at APU more objectively. I recognized that, because of the truly international environment at APU, APU domestic students differ from students at other Japanese universities. This is because they are used to having international students around.

7-8Semester
Undergraduate thesis: Culmination of studies

During my fourth year, I took a seminar class with Professor IGUCHI Yufu. In this class, titled "Culture and Society: Theory and Practice". I used the experience and knowledge I have acquired in the fields of media studies and cultural studies to analyze advertisements in my thesis entitled "Representations of Orientalism, Nationalism, and Gender in Thai Tourism Advertising Videos: Analysis of Advertising Videos of Tourism Authority of Thailand". After the completion of this research project, the thesis was chosen for the APU Outstanding Thesis Award.
* If you are an APU student, you can see past outstanding thesis here.

Postgraduate studies and career

My undergraduate thesis inspired me to pursue a Master’s degree in digital media at King’s College London, United Kingdom, and to produce a Master’s dissertation regarding a Thai feminist campaign on social media. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Off-campus Study Programs have impacted on my academic career positions during my PhD programme in Sociology.

Having finished my Master’s degree and Master’s dissertation, both with Distinction, I embarked upon my PhD journey to conduct a project on cosmetic surgery of young Thai women through the lens of gender at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. In addition to undertaking this PhD project, I also became passionate about equality and diversity in the UK Higher Education in which white male academics have dominated until present. Such a passion has actually been intertwined with my APU FIRST Program opportunity in which my team received a Teamwork award owing to our exceptional multicultural team-building. With the above-mentioned Off-campus Study Program experiences that helped me hone my interpersonal and organizational skills, I therefore confidently decided to embark on academic career roles within the University of Birmingham to further explore such equality and diversity. These roles include Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Student Ambassador for PhD students; and Postgraduate Teaching Assistant in Research Skills, Library Services. Concerning the interviews for these jobs, I immensely benefited from the interview for the APU Domestic Exchange Program that helped me solidify my critical thinking.

The former role allows me to co-conduct multiple projects on diversity, inclusivity, and equality: an online course design for example. Meanwhile, the latter position gives me an opportunity to run workshops on transferable skills for fellow PhD students while appreciating a multicultural group of the workshop attendees. So far, I have delivered a number of workshops about academic presentations and conferences. Thanks to the APU Off-campus Study Programs, I have got along well with people from various cultural backgrounds in both roles. These academic career positions have helped me move further towards my life goal: to, as a full-time Asian educator, create lectures/seminars that make all students feel truly included.

Message to junior students
Message to junior students

I advise you step out of your comfort zone and try to challenge yourself by taking part in a variety of activities. In APU, there are a wide array of activities to choose from, including Off-campus Study Programs like Field Study and AP Language Immersion Program. I was a bit shy before starting my college life at APU, but I took on several challenges when I was an APU student, such as the aforementioned FIRST Program and Domestic Exchange Program. These enabled me to become who I am today with a clear ultimate goal. From every challenge you embrace, you can expand your skillset for the better version of yourself.

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 Mr. YOSHIDA Hayato

In the case of Mr. YOSHIDA Hayato

Mr. Yoshida is a graduate of the Faculty of International Management in 2018, and is currently an EC consultant at Rakuten Group Co., Ltd., and is already active as an assistant manager.
He also tried various programs, but his experience at On-campus inspired him to try the next Off-campus Study Program, and the Off-campus Study Program motivated his activities at On-campus. Let's take a look at his four years.

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Off-campus
On-campus
1Semester
ACCESS Program: Getting started before admission
ACCESS Program: Getting started before admission
ACCESS Program: Getting started before admission

In March, right before I started at APU, I took part in the ACCESS Program. Through this I was able to travel to St. Edward's University in Texas in America for two weeks to study, strengthening my basic academic English skills, and acquiring additional learning skills. I still remember how inspired I was by my fellow classmates, and I resolved to make full use of the unique environment at APU.
* For those who are just before enrollment, we are currently providing an intensive lecture-style program called Pre-APU Camp.

FIRST Program: Stepping outside comfort zones
FIRST Program: Stepping outside comfort zones
FIRST Program: Stepping outside comfort zones

Like many other first year students, I did not know what I was interested in or where I wanted to focus my efforts. While I know that APU offers a wonderful multicultural environment with many different programs, I also understood that if I did not get information about these opportunities, I would not be able to utilize them. So in June of my first year I joined the FIRST Program, where I traveled to South Korea for five days for some real-world experience. While I was there I tried many different things, even though the content did not always match what I was expecting. After this experience, I began to think about a three step process: 1) Gather information, 2) consider whether the information will help me reach my goal, and 3) decide whether or not to act on the information.

2Semester
Can my actions motivate or influence people?

After participating in the FIRST Program, I began to develop clearer ideas on what type of person I want to become. Thanks to my off-campus experience and my experience as a member of APU Buddy—assisting short-term students at APU—I realized that I was interested in seeing how my actions can motivate or help other people.

3Semester
SEND Program: Taking aim
SEND Program: Taking aim
SEND Program: Taking aim

In summer of my second year, I participated in the SEND Program, which is an educational internship. I went to a junior high school in Loei, a province of Thailand, and worked in a team with two other APU students to teach Japanese. During the first week, the three of us realized we had different ideas because we had different goals, and as a result we clashed with each other. The three of us were working in different directions; while my goal was to motivate students and to increase their eagerness to study Japanese, another team member was more interested in creating classes than in managing the classes. The third member was focused on how much our students understood the language cards that we made ourselves.

With everyone working in their own way, sometimes I had to teach classes without sufficient preparation. However, we understood that we were working as interns, and were responsible for our work. After discussing the situation in our team, the three of us shared our goals and established a cooperative framework in which we were able to work together and support each other.

Since this was a short one-month program where we needed to teach Japanese to students who did not even know basic Japanese phonetics, we decided that our goal was to enable students to remember general greetings and useful Japanese phrases such as oishii (delicious). By providing students with this experience, we hoped to inspire an interest in Japan, and from that to motivate them to study Japanese in the future.

Junior high school students are easy to understand. When we gave a class that they found uninteresting, they looked away. When they found our classes interesting, they listened eagerly. Depending on our actions, their interest in the Japanese language and their motivation for learning would change. With this in mind, we exercised our ingenuity, such as by writing Japanese, English, and Thai on the word cards we used in classes, so that even students who are still learning English could understand and participate.

I believe the experience of working with other people on the SEND Program, and realizing that our actions can influence and motivate other people drew me to human resource management, which I am currently studying at Hanyang University, where I am participating in an overseas exchange program.

5Semester
Preparing for overseas exchange: Do activities strengthen communication skills?
Preparing for overseas exchange: Do activities strengthen communication skills?
Preparing for overseas exchange: Do activities strengthen communication skills?

In preparation for my overseas exchange, I tried to improve my academic English by reading lots of books, because English used in daily life and English used in class are different. I was also a member of APU Buddy, a student organization that matches APU students with short-term exchange students—a type of support I would not be able to rely on during my own overseas experience—to help them with their life at APU by befriending them and helping them overcome difficulties related to language or other differences. By being an APU Buddy, I was able to realize a tangible improvement in my English communication skills.

6Semester
Creating a comfort zone in unfamiliar terrirory
Creating a comfort zone in unfamiliar terrirory
Creating a comfort zone in unfamiliar terrirory

Now I am currently studying human resource management at Hanyang University in South Korea on an overseas exchange program. Because I worked hard on my English skills before coming on this program, my student life and classes provided in English are very fulfilling. However, there are no other Japanese people around me, and when I go out to town I find myself in an all-Korean language environment. Since I came to South Korea without studying Korean at all, at first the unfamiliar environment made me feel stressed. As a result, I participated in meetings and activities with other exchange students and regular students from the university.

Consulting with each other about our worries, and learning Korean from these students, I found my stress levels dropping, and now I rarely feel stressed. Because I believed that an environment where I was the only Japanese person should provide me with a unique challenge, I was constantly questioning whether I had fully utilized this opportunity, and whether it had contributed to my own development. I now feel that, thanks to my experiences, I will be okay wherever I go.

Postgraduate studies and career

I had two core values in my job hunting. The first one was "a company that has people that I can respect." The second one was "an environment where I can continue to challenge."
Regarding the first one, at APU, both Off-campus and On-campus, when I felt my growth, there was always someone running in front of me, and I was trying to overtake that person. As a result, I was able to produce results myself. I thought that a place where I could put myself in such the environment was a company where I could work with a respectable president and senior people who are self-improving under him or her.
Regarding the second one, I felt through the Off-campus study programs and my life at APU that only challenge can cause me to experience failure and success, and to bring about my own growth.
When I thought about my career path based on these two core values, I decided to work at Rakuten Group Co., Ltd., where I am currently working.

Message to junior students

You have only four years to study at APU. The environment of APU is unique and cannot be experienced again.
While thinking about how to give back to yourself what you learn in your APU life and make use of it in the future, please do your best to do what you can do now! Wish you the best!

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