I'll write down relating to the application process for Tokyo Institute of Technology (henceforth: Toukoudai) YSEP-program. It's boring but hopefully will bring comfort for future applicants. As I remember searching the internet for information on "how it really happened", so I would know better than just "how the school says it will happen"
At my school the application process takes almost a whole year before the actual date to leave to Japan comes (I'm still not there). In other schools it might start during the spring of the year you go to exchange.
One cloudy morning I went to my schools International Office and I told I would like to go to exchange to Japan. I was told to fill in forms for my schools internal selection process, which will most probably differ from university to university. My Universitys process included making letters of motivations, a study plan which had to be approven by a professor and all the necessary documents like study records etc. The University's internal process was very fast, I got the answer in less than two weeks that I will be recommended for Toukoudai's YSEP-program. Some other(s) also applied, but only I was accepted to this program. This was apparently to maximize chances of people getting to an exchange program at least somewhere. Luckily the ones who applied to YSEP and didnt make it, got places to study in other Uni's in Japan.
After getting acceptance from my Uni I was given the YSEP Application Forms to fill. These included a recommendation letter from a professor. A Letter of Motivation. Application for Certificate of Eligibility (Probably the most confusing form of these all) and the Toukoudai application papers with some fairly basic questions.
Then I started the wait for Toukoudai's confirmation, all I had to go with was my Uni's study offices "around summer next year" and the
YSEP-webpage "Before the end of April next year"
All I knew is I had a looong wait ahead of me. And I'm not good at waiting. And if I were to fail my plans would be scrapped for a much loooonger time.
So time passed, I was occupied and motivated with my studies, all the time hoping for a year in Japan starting from next spring.
Around two months before the YSEP-websites "The End of April" I was starting to feel a bit anxious at times. I was wondering if everything is going like it should be and are the professors at Toukoudai happy with my study background and did all necessary letters reach Toukoudai safe and other this kind of useless worries. As the End of April got closer I was hoping they would send me the acceptance earlier so I can enjoy the Finnish VAPPU (1st of May) full of energy.
Then the end of April came.
The acceptance didn't come.
Then Vappu came (on top of it there is the Golden Week holidays in Japan which effectively closes all offices)
And I still enjoyed Vappu with full vigor:
(I'm on the right)
After the END OF APRIL, I had a few days of patience to wait for some message until I just wrote an e-mail to the international coordinator there (who seems to be a nice person by the way) and after a few days I got a reply that I was be accepted. The friggin long wait was over.
フォーーーーーーー！！
I had an image that Japanese will be extremely punctual on issues like this, but apparently Japanese bureaucracy is as stiff as anywhere elses. In fact I am still waiting for the official "Letter of Acceptance" that should be coming right about now... (End of June)
The process from now on will be getting the papers necessary for me to be able to apply for a student visa at a Japanese embassy here in Finland, these papers will be sent quite late in my opinion; the End of July, which effectively gives me
One Month to apply and receive a visa (please be on time this time).
A really popular question seems to be,
"What are the chance to get in to the program?" Well my impression is that as long as your university has an agreement with Toukoudai and you are the only one coming from that particular university (probably not feasible in Asian Uni's) your chances are close to 100% As long as you submit ALL the information that is requested, extra care should be taken on this.
If this entry will someday bring comfort to someone wondering about the situation, good.
