"My dream is becoming true…Yes!"

o matter what the reason and what you want to study abroad, Japan is a reliable destination and Meiji University is definitely the place to be for your studies, with a large range of subjects in its different Graduate Schools and Departments.

For me, MEIJI can be defined as an organized Movement which Empowers students by giving them Intelligence and a range of competences, in order to arm each graduate with the right and Just Information he/she needs for success and development in life.

In society, we have two kinds of people: those who are discouraged even before trying to do something, and those who never give up. Where do you place yourself? I belong to the second category because I usually think that some things in life seem to be difficult, even impossible, because people just look at them without getting in contact with them...

Well! One of the motivations for choosing Japan as my destination was my inclination from childhood for Japanese 'budo' (martial arts), as used to watch movies about Ninja, Samurai, etc… However, after I decided to come to Japan to study at Meiji University, I noticed that not only could I experience these things, my real ambitions are also being realized! One of my aims is to become a university professor someday; and I just passed the entrance examination at the Professional Graduate School of Governance Studies, where I will complete my Master's Degree in a 2-year English program in Public Policy, researching social security issues.

An opportunity to learn Japanese language, make new friends from all over the world, participate in enjoyable and amazing events organized by the University for free, discover awesome and beautiful Japanese landscapes… and practice martial arts.

As an international student, I have really learned and I am still discovering a lot, because I am in communication with other students from many regions and cultures. Since I live in an International House, this experience is so helpful for my future because I am making new friends with Japanese people and foreign students living in Japan. Cool!

In addition, coming to Japan and studying at Meiji University gives me many other opportunities such as travelling and discovering new cultural aspects, participating in various festivals, practicing Japanese 'taiko' drums and martial arts (Kendo and Aikido); and even climbing Mount Fuji, the highest mountain of Japan (3,667 meters), with other international students and tourists.

Usually, prospective students wonder about studying abroad for many reasons, and one of them is the transportation system. Studying in Japan is convenient, because you will never be late if you wake up on time. The transportation system is well organized and students can acquire discounted commuting passes. This helps when you visit a variety of places.

Also, I don't need to pay for my Japanese Language lessons, since the University provides Japanese courses every semester: after 8 months in Japan, I can speak Japanese now, from introducing myself to talking about my future, and saying what I am currently studying.

Selected as a Core University for Internationalization under FY2009 'Global 30' Project.

The reason why I have chosen Meiji University is because it is one of the 13 universities selected by the Japanese Government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) for Internationalization, in order to make it more internationally competitive and prepare graduates for international careers.

This year, Meiji University is celebrating 130 years since its establishment. This means more than 13 decades involved in services to individuals, and nurturing students by giving them knowledge in order to change the world.

Conclusion

Japan is known to be a country where tradition and modernity harmonize well together. So, you are just in the middle of all this tradition and modernity, and everything depends on you! That is why I encourage you to begin learning Japanese before your arrival, so that you can enjoy Japan and the Japanese culture.

The first thing that caught my attention when I had just arrived in Tokyo was the kindness of Japanese people: 'everyone is ready to help anyone'.