Student Interview with Wang Keyao | ISI Japanese Language School

Wang Keyao

From China
Osaka Campus

Graduate School of Economics, Kansai University
Admitted

Mr. Wang, could you briefly introduce yourself to everyone?: Hello, everyone. I am from Chongqing, China, and in my free time I enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, rock climbing, and hiking. I came to Japan last October and am currently attending ISI Japanese Language School, Osaka Campus. While studying at the language school, I prepared for entrance examinations through online classes at JUQ, ISI’s preparatory school. My entire preparation period lasted about five months.
Mr. Wang KeyaoWhat made you decide to study in Japan?: I personally love outdoor sports, and I think Japan has a wonderful outdoor culture and atmosphere. I am also very interested in Japanese outdoor brands such as Asahi and Shimano. The headquarters of my favorite brand is located in Osaka, and my goal is to work for that company in the future. For that reason, when deciding where to study abroad, I chose Osaka without hesitation.
How did you learn about ISI, and why did you choose our school?: When I was a junior in university, I had some free time, so I spent three months in Osaka as a short-term international student. At the time, I was attending a different Japanese language school, not ISI. One day, I happened to walk past ISI's Osaka Campus and was impressed by how nice the school building looked. I decided to go inside and ask one of the staff members how to apply for the long-term study program. They were incredibly kind and even gave me a tour of the campus. I was also impressed by the campus's convenient location and excellent facilities. By the end of the visit, I had already decided to enroll at ISI.
When applying to universities, did you only consider schools in the Kansai region?: Yes. Since I hoped to build my career in the Kansai region in the future, I mainly considered universities there. I majored in economics as an undergraduate, and after reading papers and books by a Kansai University professor who researches the Chinese economy, I became very interested in that field and ultimately decided to apply to Kansai University.
Could you tell us about your exam preparation process?: After enrolling at ISI, I learned about JUQ, the school’s preparatory school. However, since JUQ is headquartered in Tokyo, I could only take classes online from Osaka. At first, I was a little concerned about how effective online classes would be—for example, whether it might be difficult to hear the instructor or whether the internet connection might be unstable. However, while I was still in China, I communicated with the instructor online and watched recordings of the classes. I came to feel that the instructor was highly responsible and that the lessons were systematic and high in quality, so those concerns gradually disappeared.

My graduate school application journey was almost like going through special forces training. Before I enrolled in the prep school, I had barely started preparing at all. I didn't have any Japanese language certification, an English test score, a research proposal, or any preparation for the written exams. I hadn't even contacted a single professor. I worked through all of these tasks step by step over the next five months. Without the guidance of the instructors at the private preparatory school, I do not think I could have completed everything in such a short period of time.

After enrolling in October, I mainly focused on N1 and TOEFL classes. I attended language school in the mornings, took a three-hour N1 course on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, a TOEFL course on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and studied specialized subjects for six hours on both weekend days.
That is incredible! It sounds even more intense than the 996 schedule—working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. You went for several months without a break from morning until night.: Yes, it was extremely demanding. Even I am not sure how I managed to get through it. Fortunately, the preparatory school classes were online, so I could take them at home in a relatively relaxed setting.

As for Japanese, I had actually been studying on my own for some time and had taken the N1 once before, but I failed with a score of 88. The instructors at the preparatory school are also very considerate of online students. They assign homework before class, and during class they not only address everyone’s questions efficiently but also review previously covered material with us, helping us fill in gaps in our knowledge. Whenever I did not understand something, the instructors answered very patiently. The overall class atmosphere was fairly relaxed, so the lessons never felt boring. The curriculum was also highly focused, and in the end, I was able to pass the N1 successfully.

As for English, the TOEFL preparation course covered all four sections of the exam: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to explaining the test format and content, the instructor taught us effective test-taking strategies and problem-solving techniques, helping us improve our scores in a short period of time. I personally had just over a month to prepare for the TOEFL, but thanks to the instructor's guidance, I trained in all four sections and learned effective strategies to improve my score.

For those who are still in China, I strongly recommend securing your Japanese and English scores in advance. That way, once you come to Japan, you can focus entirely on specialized subjects and your research proposal, which will make things much easier.
How did you prepare your research proposal, the most important part of the application?: To be honest, I was very unsure at first about my research proposal and did not know what kind of topic I should pursue.

The instructor for my specialized subjects shared valuable insights drawn from their own experience. They introduced me to research topics that are currently attracting attention in Japanese academia and helped me find a general direction for my research. Thanks to their guidance, I gradually became more interested in research itself.

The first research direction my instructor suggested was to study the impact of Japan's employment system on corporate innovation through empirical analysis. Innovation has become a major research focus in recent years, and many professors have shown strong interest in the field. Until then, I had never realized how much attention this topic was receiving.

Based on those discussions, I continued to explore the research topics that genuinely interested me. In the end, I chose to focus on "The Impact of Ownership Structure on Corporate Innovation in Chinese Companies" as my research theme.

There were two main reasons I chose this topic. First, while researching the professor’s field, I learned that the professor had conducted a great deal of empirical research on listed Chinese companies. Since I already had some knowledge of this field, I felt relatively comfortable with tasks such as data collection and literature review.

In addition, my primary goal for the future is to build a career in the corporate sector. Since the job-hunting in Japan starts relatively early, I wanted to choose a research topic that I was already familiar with so that I could conduct my research more efficiently.

During the process of writing my research proposal, the instructor gave me a great deal of specific advice. They had extensive research experience; for example, when I proposed a particular theoretical framework, they introduced me to key literature representing that theory and discussed with me how to set parameters in the research model. Through repeated discussion and revision, I gradually deepened my understanding of my own research proposal. Many of the issues raised during these discussions were actually topics that could come up in the interview, so this preparation also gave me confidence when I faced the interview.

The private preparatory school also offered dedicated courses for interview and written exam preparation. For my interview script, the instructor carefully helped me revise each answer one by one, allowing me to prepare in great detail. The specialized subject classes were also conducted in small groups, and the instructor tailored the guidance to each student’s individual situation, which was extremely helpful for entrance exam preparation.
Could you tell us about the entrance examination at Kansai University?: My internal entrance examination consisted mainly of two parts: a written examination and an interview.

First was the written examination. It consisted of an essay question related to the professor’s research field, and applicants were required to write at least 800 characters. The question was actually connected to a paper the professor had recently published and to a research topic discussed in a recent lecture.

Before the exam, I carefully read all of the professor’s papers published over the past several years, as well as some of their important studies from more than a decade ago. I developed a general understanding of their research findings and methodologies, and organized and summarized the key points. As a result, I was able to base my answers in the written exam on several key concepts discussed in the professor's research, which allowed me to complete the exam with confidence. Looking back, I believe that reading a professor's publications in advance is one of the most important parts of exam preparation. Without a solid understanding of the professor's research interests or genuine interest in the field itself, it would be difficult to grasp what the questions are really asking.

As for the interview, my prospective supervisor was unable to attend that day due to another commitment, so I was interviewed by two faculty members. The interview was mainly divided into two parts. One faculty member asked specialized questions about my research proposal, while the other mainly asked about my motivation for applying.

The questions about my research proposal were relatively specific. For example, I was asked about the theoretical framework, explanations of concepts, data sources, model construction, and references in the proposal. More specifically, the questions included what a particular theory meant, why I had chosen to use a certain concept, and what the logical basis of the research design was. It is therefore essential to know your own research proposal thoroughly, because ultimately you must genuinely understand and complete every part of it yourself.

Regarding motivation for applying, the faculty member mainly asked basic questions, such as, “Which of the professor’s papers have you read?”, “Which paper left the strongest impression on you?”, and “Why do you want to conduct this research?” In fact, these are questions you should already have considered seriously while writing your research proposal. By reading the professor's publications in advance, clarifying why you want to pursue that particular research topic, and choosing a professor whose research interests align with yours, you'll be able to answer these questions naturally and confidently during the interview.
Looking back on your journey to admission, what three keywords would you use to describe the entrance examination process, and why?: Direction, planning, and persistence.

The first step is identifying your research direction. The most important part of the graduate school application process is finding a field that genuinely interests you and motivates you to pursue it in depth. Once your research direction is clearly defined, preparing your research proposal, contacting professors, and getting ready for interviews all become much smoother.

The second key is having a solid plan. Graduate school preparation involves many different aspects, including language proficiency tests, the research proposal, specialized subjects, and interviews. Without a clear schedule, it's easy to lose your sense of direction. That's why it's essential to create a well-structured study plan and follow it step by step.

Third is persistence. During the preparation process, you will inevitably face difficulties, such as the pressure of language study or uncertainty about your research field. At such times, the most important thing is to remain patient and complete your study tasks little by little each day. If you stay persistent and keep working toward your goal, your efforts will eventually pay off.

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