Details

• Japan
• MAEXINT-24
• Graduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

I followed the WU instructions regarding an application for the exchange semester, as students from the ExInt master are encouraged to pursue an exchange semester in their 3. semester. The university gave us students the informations step by step, first by letting us choose our favourite universities, then by informing us whether we received a place in one of those universities (in case students did not, a second application period for the remaining universities was offered) and lastly by organizing a meeting for the outgoing students, where informations regarding the procedure of the preparations for an exchange semester were shared. I highly recommend fellow students to attend this meeting, as not only were important informations shared, but outgoing students were also provided with the presentation sheets with all the informations needed, also eventual question can be asked during this meeting, which can help if there are any doubts regarding specific topics. For preparing the semester abroad at Nagoya University of Business and Commerce again the university will provide the students with all the necessary informations step by step. The university offers 3 different dormitories for master students (2 exclusively for master students and 1 for bachelor students which they sometime also utilize for master students in case of necessity), so students do not need to worry for a personal accomodation unless they wish to not stay at the dormitories. The university will also arrange different online meetings (in my case they were mostly during summer) for preparing students for their arrival in Nagoya (Japan). It is useful to apply for a visa as soon as possible, as the elaboration of the request can take some time. For the visa students need the Certificate of Elegibility, which they receive from their university abroad (in my case Nagoya University of Business and Commerce).

2. Accommodation

The University offers 3 different dormitories, the Chiyoda residence, the Higashiyama residence and the Meito residence. I was assigned to the Meito residence, which is the furthest from the center of the city where the university is located (approximatly 1 hour). The residence is clean and well equipped and the location is quiet and safe, also all dormitories have single rooms so students don't need to share their rooms with others. The Meito residence is primarly used for bachelor students, so there will not be many fellow exchange students from the master program in this specific dormitory. My only tip is that if you wish to have more contact with other students and you get assigned to the Meito residence try looking also for some private accomodations, as students get assigned to the dormitories so the preffered dormitory can't be chosen.

3. Academic life at host university

The university is well equipped and located in the center of the city near Fushimi station. The university offers MiM and MBA classes to its students. MiM courses are offered every second week and go from Tuesday to Friday, starting in the morning until 17.40 p.m.. MBA course are offered over two consecutive weekends and also go from morning until 17.40 p.m.. The teching style differs heavily from the WU as mostly in-class participation makes up the biggest part of the grade in nearly every class (often even up to 70% of the grade). In many classes students are required to read specific case studies before the start of the class and then discuss them during the course, with the professor guiding the discussion. As I've noticed during the semester, the preference for specific course comed often down to the preference of a specific teaching style/discussion direction characteristics of a professor, so my recommendation would be to find a professor you like and look for interesting courses offered by that specific professor. Also because you will have to speak up often if you want a good grade, it is better to do so with a professor you feel comfortable with.

5. Every day life in the host country

For public transport you can buy a 1 month or 3 months card for a specific route (I would recommend from your dormitory to Nagoya Station, which is one station further away than the university, but assuming some travel activities during the period, nearly everytime you would need to start from Nagoya Station, so it pays off). Public transport is incredibly good, especially subways, as they arrive nearly every 2 minutes. Japan is known to be a safe country and I can confirm as I've never had any incident in that regard. Nagoya and nearby cities often offer many different events and the university too organizes trips and activities for students. Also for sports there are many options, from gyms to sport facilities you don't often need to go far for finding what you're looking for.

6. Testimonial

I met many people from different countries and managed to make new friends. I learned about many interesting and different cultures, the japanese culture especially. I managed to visit many breathtaking locations and learned a lot through the university and personal experiences.