How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan: Mastering the MEXT Scholarship Application: The TranSenz Guide, #2

By Travis Senzaki

The Key to Success in Your MEXT Scholarship Application:
Step-by-Step guide to writing a Field of Study and Research Program Plan that will impress your reviewers and secure your scholarship.

The Field of Study and Research Program Plan is the most important document in your MEXT scholarship application that you can control. A researched, clear plan can win your the scholarship, but a poor plan can destroy your chances.

But where do you start? What are reviewers looking for? What should the final plan look like?

How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan answers all of your questions about the document, and walks you through the research and writing, step-by-step.

This book will teach you:

• What role the Field of Study and Research Program Plan plays in your application, and how to use it to your greatest advantage, 
• How to choose your research field, 
• How to conduct literature reviews to create and validate a research question, 
• How to select your research methodologies and methods, 
• How to write and format each section of the form, including the length and contents for each section, 
• The best review process to ensure a high quality product.

Plus, it includes reviews of past applicants' submissions, so you can compare your plan to successful applications.

The book also includes a link to downloadable worksheets that will help you get the most value out of each chapter, as well as a companion email course to help you on your way!

Take Advantage of the Expertise of Thousands of Applicants

Travis Senzaki has spent seven years working in international student recruiting and acceptance for Japanese universities, including three years as the direct point of contact for all MEXT scholarship inquiries and applications at a large, private university. He has personally processed hundreds of applications and has used his experience to help over 5000 MEXT scholarship applicants through the process through the TranSenz Blog, one of the world's leading independent sources of information and advice on the MEXT scholarship.

Travis' Mastering the MEXT Scholarship Application: The TranSenz Guide series builds on his blog articles and well over 2000 questions submitted through the blog, as well as exhaustive research of successful applicants' approaches and experiences to bring you the best practices for every step of the application process.

Get started today!

It is never too early to start thinking about your research topic and preparing your Field of Study and Research Program Plan. Regardless of whether you have already started your application, or are planning to apply a year or more from now, this book can help you today!

Download it now and start reading to make the most of your Field of Study and Research Program Plan so you can give yourself the best possible chance to win the MEXT Scholarship.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TranSenz
• Release date: Mar 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386053699

Book preview

PREFACE

Hello and congratulations on your decision to apply for the Japanese Government Monbukagakusho (MEXT) Scholarship for research students!

My name is Travis, in case you didn’t catch that from the cover, and I will be your guide through this application process. I spent three years as the primary point of contact for all MEXT scholarship applicants at a large, private university in Japan. There, I handled over 500 applications - only about 10% were successful - and since then, I have helped thousands of MEXT scholarship applicants apply through my blog, TranSenz.

I want to leverage that experience to help you. Whether you just heard about the MEXT scholarship for the first time yesterday, or whether you are applying for the second or third time, my goal is to help you produce a strong application that will give you an advantage over other applicants. After all, as we covered in Book 1 of this series, this scholarship is extremely competitive. There are only a limited number of slots to go around, and you need to be better than the competition to secure the scholarship you deserve.

I hope that does not frighten you. Instead, I hope that it motivates you. As I said, you deserve this scholarship. And you can earn it, if you are prepared to put in the work.

As a scholarship officer in the past and now as an independent blogger and coach for MEXT scholarship applicants, the most frequent questions I have seen have been about how to write the Field of Study and Research Program Plan. I wrote this book to answer all of those questions, plus provide guidance and suggestions beyond what past applicants have asked.

I’m excited to be with you here on your journey. Now, let’s get started.

Travis Senzaki

Akita, Japan

http://www.transenzjapan.com/blog/mext/

WHAT THIS BOOK WILL DO FOR YOU

This book is designed to help you master the most important document in the Japanese government Monbukagakusho (MEXT) scholarship application: the Field of Study and Research Program Plan.

What is the Field of Study and Research Program Plan?

The Field of Study and Research Program Plan (FSRPP) is your research proposal for your degree. It explains what you want to research, how, and why. So, it is one of the most important documents that can impact your MEXT scholarship application outcome.

The FSRPP is also your best chance to stand out from the other applicants and make a positive impression. Every other document in your application - including the application form and even your transcript and letter or recommendation - is going to look similar to every other applicant.

The FSRPP is the only document under your control at this point that can distinguish you.

When I reviewed MEXT scholarship applications for a major private Japanese university, I could open to the FSRPP in the application packet and tell within two minutes whether or not the applicant had a chance of success. The difference between a researched and well-prepared FSRPP and one that has been thrown together is immediately obvious. By the end of this book, you should be able to write a FSRPP that is not only prepared, professional, and promising, but also intriguing.

Most applicants, especially those at the Master’s level, have never written a research proposal before applying for the scholarship. If that’s you, don’t worry. This book will catch you up and also help you out-perform experienced applicants, because you’ll know specifically what Japanese reviewers are looking for.

Book Overview

This book is the second in the Mastering the MEXT Scholarship series. In Book 1, How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship, I described the scholarship, successful applicant mentality, eligibility criteria, and crafting an application strategy and goals, so I will not be covering those again here.

Your Field of Study and Research Program Plan should serve your application strategy and goals. So, if you have read that book and completed the included exercises, you will be in a stronger position to make the most of the advice I have to offer here. However, even if you have not read it yet, you can still write a successful FSRPP by following the process described in this book.

If you want to stop and read that book first, there is a link to it at the end of this section. I also wrote an article on application strategy and goals at the link below that should get you started.

http://www.transenzjapan.com/blog/how-to-maximize-your-chances-of-earning-the-mext-scholarship/

This book will walk you through the process of deciding on your field of study, determining a specific research question, and writing your final FSRPP. If you have experience in writing plans in the past, or you already have your research question in mind, you can of course skip to the section most valuable to you. But even if you have never conducted independent research before, do not fret. We will start at the very beginning.

In the first chapter, we will discuss what the FSRPP is and what you need it to do for you as a tool in your application. I will help you see it from the reviewers’ perspective to better understand what impact you want your final product to make.

Next, in chapter two, we will start with selecting your field of study. There are certain restrictions that you need to be aware of for the MEXT Scholarship, which we will review. We will build from your past research experience to what you could research as a MEXT scholar in Japan.

In chapter three, we will walk through the process of an initial literature review. This will help you identify the existing research in the field so that you can develop an original research topic.

Next, in chapters four and five, we will dive into a focused literature review. This process will help you refine your research question by understanding where the conflicts and research gaps are in your field. From there, we will find a specific research problem to write about for your application.

In chapter six, we will determine the best methodology to address your research problem and create your initial hypothesis.

Finally, in chapter seven, we will go through the process of writing your Field of Study and Research Program Plan, including how to fill in the MEXT form, how to format your FSRPP, and how long each part of the document should be. In chapter eight, I will go into more detail on reviewing and polishing your FSRPP, as well.

If you are hungry for specific examples, then in the Appendix we will look at some examples of FSRPPs from past successful and unsuccessful applicants and I will break them down to help you understand their strengths and weaknesses, so you can apply that knowledge to your own application.

Other Books in the Mastering the MEXT Scholarship Series

Other books in this series cover:

1. How to apply for the MEXT Scholarship and create a winning application strategy:

How to Apply for the MEXT Scholarship

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms1/

3. How to decide where you want to study, who you want to study under, and making the first steps to establish a connection.

How to Find your Best Degree Program and Adviser for the MEXT Scholarship

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms3/

4. Everything you need to know about the Embassy Recommendation MEXT scholarship application process: Screenings, interviews, letters of acceptance, and placement

MEXT Scholarship: Embassy Recommendation Application Process

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms4/

5. Everything you need to know about the University Recommendation MEXT scholarship application process: Screenings, interviews, and selection

MEXT Scholarship: University Recommendation Application Process

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms5/

6. How to arrange your visa and travel, what to pack, and other preparation for your studies in Japan:

Preparing to Move to Japan: A Handbook for MEXT Scholarship Winners

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms6/

7. What you need to know about living in Japan as a MEXT scholar: Language program, extending your scholarship, how to avoid losing it, plus general information about life in Japan, including housing, banks, phones, bringing your family, and more!

MEXT Scholar and Beyond: Life in Japan

http://www.transenzjapan.com/mms7/

What You Need to Do

I will share everything I know about the MEXT scholarship process and best practices for the application, but let’s get this out of the way first:

You are going to have to do the work.

There is no substitute for hard work and research in this application process. I do not teach cheap gimmicks or ways to cheat the system. I’m not aware of any. I teach a systematic way to strengthen your application and increase your appeal to the professors and staff who will decide to award you the scholarship. But it is up to you to put those steps into practice.

You do not need to do everything I describe in this book or the rest of the series, so don’t panic. Each step you choose to implement improves your chances and each step you ignore gives your competition the chance to pass you by. It is up to you to decide how much you really want this scholarship and how hard you are going to work.

Still with me? Good!

Academic Support

There are a few other assets you need to bring, starting with your academic background. There is nothing I (or even you, most likely) can do about your grades in your last degree. The higher they are, the better your chances of winning the scholarship will be. If they are below the minimum requirement, then you can not even apply. So, grades are on you.

If you are the kind of person who is willing to invest in yourself by buying a scholarship application guidebook, I assume you are also the kind of person who invested in themselves by earning excellent grades.

You will also want to have access to an expert in your academic field, such as your adviser from your last degree. I am an expert in the application process, but chances are good that I do not have any expertise in your academic field. While I will guide you through the process of crafting a Field of Study and Research Program Plan, I cannot help you evaluate your particular research topic from an academic perspective or give advice specific to your field. If I could do all of that, for every field out there, I would make my living as one of those celebrity quiz show contestants instead of working in the international office at a university.

Finally, if you are not a native English speaker, you will want to find one among your friends who can help proofread your application later on.

Aside from the grades and willingness to put in hard work, you will not need any of the things above to get started with your research. I will let you know when it is time to call in an outside expert. In the meantime, let’s get started!

DOWNLOADABLE EXERCISE WORKSHEETS AND RESOURCES

Each chapter has an accompanying series of exercises that will help you work through the contents as you go along. I highly recommend that you complete them as you go. I have compiled the exercise questions at the end of each chapter, but you can also download them in advance in worksheet form from the link below. You will get much more benefit from this book if you download them, print them, and fill them out as you go along.

http://www.transenzjapan.com/bonusfsrpp/

Plus, when you sign up for the bonus materials, I will send you the companion email course to this book. I will write to you every few days with exclusive extra tips and encouragement for getting through each chapter. I hope those messages will serve as your regular reminder to keep working at the process, as well!

I will also send you exclusive updates to the contents of this book or the bonus materials as the scholarship process changes or I learn more from other applicants’ experiences.

Please go download those worksheets now to get the companion course for the most benefit. If you can not download them right now, don’t worry. I will include all of the exercises at the back of the book along with the download link again.

DEFINITIONS AND TERMINOLOGY

You may come across the terms below over the course of this book and your MEXT scholarship application. There is no need to read through or memorize them all in advance, but they are included here for your reference.

MEXT:

The Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. If you put all of those letters together, you get MECSST, which is pronounced MEXT.

You may also see the ministry called Monbukagakusho or Monbusho. The first is the official Japanese name and the second is the old Japanese name that still persists, especially among former scholarship winners. All mean the same thing.

JASSO:

The Japan Student Services Organization. JASSO is an quasi-governmental Independent Administrative Institution that supports MEXT’s efforts. They are charged with providing information about education in Japan in English and Japanese and also administer payment of government scholarships, including the MEXT Scholarship, on behalf of MEXT.

JAIST:

The Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. A postgraduate-only university in Japan.

Research Student (kenkyûsei):

When MEXT refers to the scholarship for research students, they mean kenkyûsei. The better translation is graduate student and this term refers to all graduate-level students, whether enrolled in a degree-seeking program, or not.

In Japanese, each individual graduate school within a university is called a kenkyûka, or research division. Kenkyû literally means research, but this term is translated as graduate school in almost all situations. For some reason, kenkyûsei, which is derived from "student enrolled in a kenkyûka is translated as research

Reviews for How to Write a Scholarship-Winning Field of Study and Research Program Plan

[unimke · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good book. I have learned so much from this book and I strongly believe this book is a must-have if you're about to apply for the MEXT scholarship!

[Sergio_P1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

IMO this is a bad book that isn't worth the money, I think the 90% is filler or content that you can get for free on the internet, the only valuable things are the final chapter and the appendix (but you can find samples of other statements of purpose) that's why I gave two stars