(Ms. Sun)<\/span> I majored in Japanese Literature as an undergraduate at a Chinese university, started studying as a research student at OSIPP for one semester in the fall semester of 2020. I came to Japan in December, and entered OSIPP’s Master’s program in April 2021.<\/p>\n (Ms. Xu)<\/span> I studied linguistics, mainly English, at a university in China. After that, I am exactly the same as Ms. Sun.<\/p>\n (Ms. Zeng)<\/span> I studied public policy at a Chinese university and became an OSIPP research student for a semester starting in October 2021. Due to the boarder restriction caused by the spread of the COVID-19, I was finally able to come to Japan yesterday.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How did you come to choose OSIPP? <\/strong><\/p>\n At Mt. Aso in Kyushu\uff08Ms.Sun Yukin\uff09<\/p><\/div>\n (Ms. Sun)<\/span> When I was an undergraduate student, I came to Osaka on a trip and liked the city so much that I decided to study here. I was originally aiming for the Graduate School of Letters of Osaka University based on my major in the undergraduate course. However, I got to see a former professor in OSIPP at a conference in Beijing then knew about OSIPP. I also had interest on economics and social policy, so I thought in OSIPP I can do my research in the field of my interest since OSIPP is interdisciplinary.<\/p>\n (Ms. Xu)<\/span> I was also originally thinking about studying at the Graduate School of Language and Culture at Osaka University, but I felt that language itself was not enough and I should acquire knowledge in economics and sociology. At that timing, a senior undergraduate introduced me to an OSIPP faculty member. I heard from him that OSIPP focuses not only on research related to economic theory but also on empirical research, which made me feel OSIPP attractive.<\/p>\n (Ms. Zeng)<\/span> I had experienced a one-year exchange program in Japan when I was an undergraduate student in China, and I wanted to go on to graduate school in Japan in the future. I became interested in a university in Osaka because I was attracted to Osaka on a trip. I felt that Osaka is a city that easy to live in and fit in, with its unique urban advantages in terms of convenience, but also has a surprisingly folksy side to it in terms of lifestyle. During the trip, I encountered a rainstorm, so I couldn’t go to the scheduled trip, but I happened to come across an open science museum nearby and went in for a long time, which also made me very happy. That’s what attracted me about Osaka, that whatever happened, there must be something fun to discover. The fact that graduating from Osaka University would give me an advantage in finding a job in China and in taking the civil service exam also encouraged me entering Osaka University. I majored in public policy as an undergraduate student, so I was attracted to OSIPP because I could specialize in that field and also learn about economics from a beginner’s level.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why did you decide to become a research student instead of a regular student?<\/strong><\/p>\n (Ms. Sun)<\/span> My graduation from the Chinese university was in June, and the entrance to OSIPP is in April, so there was a 10-month blank. Rather than spending the time doing nothing, I wanted to use it effectively, such as preparing for graduate school, so I became a research student in the fall.<\/p>\n (Ms. Zeng)<\/span> At first, I was not sure whether to go to a language school or become a research student during that blank. I finally chose to become a research student because as a research student I will have the opportunity to receive advice to my research from professors and attend classes on specialized subjects while using Japanese, whereas at a language school I would only study Japanese.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How exactly did you spend your time as a research student?<\/strong><\/p>\n At Mt. Aso in Kyushu\uff08Ms.Xu Zhuan\uff09<\/p><\/div>\n (Ms. Xu)<\/span> Since I had no background in economics, I took introductory micro- and macro-economics courses for undergraduates and basic statistics and econometrics courses to acquire basic economics knowledge for my research. In order to prepare for writing a thesis, \u00a0that would begin in earnest after entering the Master’s Program, I took classes on how to write a social science dissertation and participated in graduate school seminars to learn about the research activities of my seniors. As a research student, I cannot get any credit for them though.<\/p>\n (Ms. Zeng)<\/span> I took political science-related classes that I had studied as an undergraduate. As I had gained the basic knowledge from Chinese university, I did not find it too difficult. I gradually got used to a different teaching style from my undergraduate days, in which I did not just listen to the class, but prepared by reading many reading assignments before the class and actively discussed in the class. I also brushed up my research plan little by little as I gained new knowledge in class.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What was the best thing about entering the program after the research student period?<\/strong><\/p>\n (Ms. Xu)<\/span> I was able to get used to life in Japan while there was no pressure to earn credits. If you come to Japan with admission to the Master’s Program, you will start research activities and classes in a completely unfamiliar environment with a different language and culture. But if you have a certain time as a research student, you have time to get used to the environment.<\/p>\n (Ms. Sun)<\/span> Another advantage is that you can take the same classes twice, once when you are a research student and once after you enroll as a regular student. As a research student, you cannot earn credit, so you will not marked as a terrible grade. You can listen to a class even it is currently at a difficult level once as a research student and have a general understanding of it, and then when you enroll as a regular student, you can concentrate especially on the parts you did not understand before.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/news.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ab4ed71663660962b559194abc74ee2e-e1653281756108-300x202.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/news.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/52099a01fb774bcd2de40b0738b749ac-scaled-e1653282609821-300x183.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/news.osipp.osaka-u.ac.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/75842bf9e6a87f3625365812ce154ff8-300x185.jpg\")