Hirodai Ambassador Activity Report
3rd year, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Nana Okuno
[Study abroad destination]University of Hawaii Community College (America)
[Study abroad period] August 2023 to January 8.
[Type of study abroad] Long-term study abroad at a partner university
I am studying abroad at the University of Hawaii Community College Kapiolani in Oahu, Hawaii, United States from August 2022, 8 using the partner school system.
In this study abroad newsletter, I will tell you about why I decided to study abroad and the difficulties I faced while studying abroad.
・Why I decided to study abroad
First of all, I would like to tell you why I decided to study abroad. Around the end of my second year, I decided that I wanted to try studying abroad.
This is because the university life that many students spend is a little boring: taking university lectures, earning credits, participating in club activities and part-time jobs, job hunting, and then graduating.
Of course, it is possible to make your daily life as exciting as you like while living in Japan. I myself had a fulfilling life, serving as a representative of a student organization.
As part of these activities, we held multiple events where senior working adults from within the prefecture spoke about turning points in their lives.
Through this event, I learned that successful people have a major axis in their way of thinking, and that many of the times that inspired them to form that axis stem from their experiences as students.
Also, while living in Hirosaki, I often thought about wanting to become a more independent person.
The ability to rely on those around you is essential to becoming a working adult, but I felt that I wanted to improve my ability to respond when faced with difficulties without anyone around me to rely on.
For these reasons, I decided to study abroad.
I wanted to study abroad in an English-speaking country, so I started studying for the TOEFL and went to the English Lounge as much as possible.
There were times when I was physically and mentally trying to prepare for studying abroad while attending university lectures, part-time work, and student organization activities, but everyone at the International Cooperation Headquarters and my family supported me. However, procedures such as vaccinations, various certificate procedures, and obtaining visas take a lot of time, so I felt that I should have investigated and started the process sooner.
・Things that were difficult while studying abroad
Next, I would like to tell you about a difficult time I had while studying abroad. The reason for this was that I took classes at Hirosaki University and job hunting at the same time as studying abroad.
I studied abroad for 4 months without taking a leave of absence. I hear that this is the first time in Hirosaki University's history of studying abroad at a partner school.
The reason I didn't choose to take a leave of absence was because when I thought about how a six-month leave of absence would affect my future career, I didn't see any major benefits to taking a leave of absence.
I studied abroad for four months from August to December in the second half of my third year. In other words, the class period after summer vacation at Hirosaki University only covers about two months, and the class period after returning to Japan will be a long time coming.
I also felt that it would be a great waste to have to discontinue the seminar activities that I had continued from the previous semester and the interpersonal relationships that I had built.
Also, as job hunting has become faster and more complicated, the condition of graduating six months late was a very complicated condition for me.
Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide what to prioritize in their future career.
In conclusion, I did not change my graduation date and continued my activities with the priority of graduating in March 2025.
I believe that being able to study abroad without having to take a leave of absence was largely due to my membership in the Mori Seminar in the Corporate Strategy Course, Social Management Course, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The Mori Seminar's major is international management, and it is unique in that it has a large number of international students.
For this reason, there are more exchanges of seminar students due to studying abroad than in other seminars, and the teachers are also tolerant of studying abroad.
Therefore, I talked to my teacher about my desire to study abroad without taking a leave of absence, and he arranged for me to conduct seminar activities online. I heard that this was also their first attempt.
With the consent of other seminar students, we shared the responsibilities of the practical business strategy training activity. I was fortunate that most of the activities were completed before the summer vacation, and the remaining work was limited to data analysis and document creation.
I felt that I was able to take the 22 required courses, seminars and business training, online because of the changing times and the support of those around me for studying abroad.
In addition to my university assignments, I also began job hunting at my destination. I once met with someone at the career center and received advice on how to proceed with my job hunting, but since I could not get a satisfactory answer, I decided to start my own career.
I took advantage of the knowledge I gained from my career class in the first semester and the information I found on the internet, and participated in many online internships.
There were almost no problems with the time difference, and I was able to participate in events that were held during the day in Japan in the evening, so I didn't feel any difficulties due to the time difference.
I was sometimes told that I should do more of the things I can only do while studying abroad, but even if I set aside time for studying and playing, I still have time, and using studying abroad as an excuse is limiting my future career possibilities. That was more stressful for me.
So, I did my best to study, play, and find a job without any regrets.
I feel that studying abroad was more difficult than fun.
However, once you overcome those hardships, you will be able to see what you really wanted to do, and your values will definitely change.
In addition to changing the way you think, you also change your behavior. I feel glad that I chose to study abroad when I wanted to improve myself and grow.
After returning to Japan, I would like to utilize the values I gained through studying abroad in my life and further expand my knowledge.