After completing my undergraduate studies in October 2018, I didn’t immediately return to my hometown as I still had responsibilities as the Coordinator of the Advanced Physics Laboratory Assistants until December 2018. During that period, I was also preparing to take the N3 level Japanese language exam (JLPT) for the third time in December 2018. My efforts paid off, and I passed the exam. I will share more about my experience learning Japanese in another post.
At the end of 2018 (I forget the exact month), I had the opportunity to attend a seminar at ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) regarding further study opportunities at Hiroshima University. I was interested because many ITB Physics professors were also alumni of that university. After attending the seminar, I began searching for a professor whose research topic aligned with my interests.
Once I found a suitable professor, I immediately contacted the prospective supervisor to inquire about the availability to accept international students. Fortunately, the response was quick and expressed willingness. However, there was no scholarship available, so I had to find my own funding for my studies and daily living expenses. I tried applying for the MEXT scholarship (the Japanese government scholarship), but unfortunately, I was unsuccessful, most likely due to the non-optimal writing of my research plan during the document screening process.
However, luck was still on my side. A senior of mine, who graduated at the same time as me but at the master’s level, introduced me to the NIMS-GRA (NIMS-Graduate Research Assistantship) program. I applied to this program along with my senior, and I will share the details in a future post.
Important Lesson: Never Give Up This journey taught me that even if you fail in one opportunity, there is always another path to take. Stay persistent and keep striving.