The Road To Japan– Finishing Up Paperwork

Posted On May 24, 2008

I’m not sure if I’ve made it very public on this site, but for those who don’t know, I’m currently in the process of applying to study in Japan in the spring of 2009. The biggest hurdle to get over was grades, since Sophia University requires a 3.0+ GPA to get in. Thankfully, my grades for this semester were nearly flawless (I got mostly As, and scrapped by with a C+ in math) so that’s taken care of. Now I’m focusing on the paperwork, which is mostly straightforward except for this goddamn Certificate of Eligibility form. Looking at it is almost like looking into the eyes of death itself. Just try and see if you can imagine this: 4 pages, both in Japanese and badly translated English with no sense of design at all. It is the most fearsome bit of paper I’ve ever seen– an assault of kanji and compact, cramped English text with very little breathing room. Reading the thing is a challenge, especially considering a lot of the English translation reads something like English Akiba Blog.

Thankfully I’m nearly done with that form. There are a lot of areas I’ve left blank, but that’s only because I really think I should go over them with my study abroad advisor so I don’t screw up. Beyond that, I just have some areas that I need to go over with my parents and professors, and after that’s mostly smooth sailing. It’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll make it over there, but given my experience it’s best not to get excited until things are 100%.

Also: Thanks for everyone’s help with my new computer. It’s currently on its way here and should arrive on Wednesday…