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IMBA Student Blog: I Need More Time! Studying an IMBA in JapanMar 03, 2010
One year ago, I was struggling to write essays which were required as the application documents of the International MBA Program of Globis University. I am Japanese and the documents should be written in English. At that time, also my daughter was studying hard to prepare for her high school entrance exams. We encouraged each other. She passed earlier than me, and finally I was allowed to be one of the first international course students of Globis. You can graduate within two years if you take three courses in one term (one term is three months), but I planned to take two courses in each term, so I will graduate after three years. I am happy that we became freshmen and we will graduate at the same time.
My friends were surprised when they heard I was trying to get an MBA degree, because I am always busy palying the role of a mother, a wife and a manager. My friends say I am a person of ambitious spirit, but I think I am a bit reckless person that may try things beyond my capacity. One of the reasons why I think like this is that I am not comfortable using English even though I passed the interview in English. I have never worked or lived abroad as an expatriate, so I understood that I would have to make some efforts to go through with English at the university. However, it is much more than I imagined. It takes time for me to read cases. We are required to read a case and to write an assignment regarding the case before attending each class. I usually read it while commuting on the train and it takes several days to finish. As you know, you cannot consider how to write an assignment unless you fully understand the case, but the sentences I had read a few days ago had almost disappeared from my memory when I finished reading the case. I suppose it would not happen if I read it in Japanese. My time is also constrained by chores at home, and I need more time to read cases than other people. The most difficult thing for me is to make time for studying.
However, most of my classmates take one more course than I. It means I cannot make excuses for lack of time due to chores at home. On top of that some of my classmates enjoy marathons, volleyball, and reading many books. I am affected by those people in a positive way and encouraged by them.
We do not meet everyday, as each class is three hours every two weeks, but we meet time to time for study sessions or for drinking. Furthermore, we can exchange our opinions via the mailing list of each class and the (Social Networking Service) SNS of Globis. Thus, I feel connections with classmates like my distant school days. I had not expected such friendship in a part-time university. However, now I think I cannot get through the program without them. This is a wonderful miscalculation!
Tomoko Asano
IMBA Class of 2009
The IMBA Student Blog is updated on Gaijinpot.
My friends were surprised when they heard I was trying to get an MBA degree, because I am always busy palying the role of a mother, a wife and a manager. My friends say I am a person of ambitious spirit, but I think I am a bit reckless person that may try things beyond my capacity. One of the reasons why I think like this is that I am not comfortable using English even though I passed the interview in English. I have never worked or lived abroad as an expatriate, so I understood that I would have to make some efforts to go through with English at the university. However, it is much more than I imagined. It takes time for me to read cases. We are required to read a case and to write an assignment regarding the case before attending each class. I usually read it while commuting on the train and it takes several days to finish. As you know, you cannot consider how to write an assignment unless you fully understand the case, but the sentences I had read a few days ago had almost disappeared from my memory when I finished reading the case. I suppose it would not happen if I read it in Japanese. My time is also constrained by chores at home, and I need more time to read cases than other people. The most difficult thing for me is to make time for studying.
However, most of my classmates take one more course than I. It means I cannot make excuses for lack of time due to chores at home. On top of that some of my classmates enjoy marathons, volleyball, and reading many books. I am affected by those people in a positive way and encouraged by them.
We do not meet everyday, as each class is three hours every two weeks, but we meet time to time for study sessions or for drinking. Furthermore, we can exchange our opinions via the mailing list of each class and the (Social Networking Service) SNS of Globis. Thus, I feel connections with classmates like my distant school days. I had not expected such friendship in a part-time university. However, now I think I cannot get through the program without them. This is a wonderful miscalculation!
Tomoko Asano
IMBA Class of 2009
The IMBA Student Blog is updated on Gaijinpot.
