Applying to English-Taught MBAs in Japan, 2024 (Hitotsubashi, Waseda)

Hi, I'm Alina, and I've just started the first year of my MBA at Waseda University🤓

This time last year I was frantically studying for the GRE while working, and I submitted my applications just days before the deadline. Some guidance from articles like this earlier on would have helped, and I learned a lot along the way from other people's experiences, shared online and in person. So this post is a record of my application process, and I hope it helps you if you also want to do an MBA in Japan.

Background

• Education: Fudan University School of Management, Department of Marketing (high school: Taipei First Girls' High School)

• GPA: 3.28

• GRE: 326 on my second attempt (first attempt in 2022)

• TOEFL: 101 on my second attempt (first attempt in 2022)

• JLPT: N2 Pass

• Work experience: 3 US FMCG companies, 5 years in total, non-managerial roles

Why Japan MBA?

This question really breaks down into "Why Japan? (instead of other countries)" and "Why MBA? (instead of other programs)". I'd suggest thinking both through carefully. It makes writing your essays and the interviews later much easier!

When people think about studying abroad, Japan usually isn't among their top three options. Besides the high language barrier and a society and culture fairly close to Taiwan's, the value of the degree, or the schools' world rankings, is also a factor.

For me, I've loved Japanese anime and TV dramas since I was a kid, so I've always had a soft spot for Japan, and tuition in Japan is genuinely much cheaper than in Europe or the US. Based on budget and personal preference, I settled on Japan without much agonizing. Digging deeper, Japan is a relatively mature economy and many large companies choose Tokyo for their Asia headquarters, so it also fits my plans for career development.

Once I'd decided on Japan, there were still other options, like language schools, bekka (preparatory) programs, or a working holiday, and beyond MBAs, plenty of schools have very good graduate programs. So why choose an MBA with its relatively high tuition? The answer differs from person to person. For me, a Japanese MBA offers the best value for money (thinking in terms of job hunting): I get to enjoy student life in Japan and earn a degree from a well-known university, and since my background is in business, the coursework shouldn't be too painful (wait and see…). Many of my classmates, on the other hand, came to fill in a background they didn't have, so don't worry if you don't have the knowledge yet!

English-taught MBAs in Japan at a glance

Press enter or click to view image in full size

This is the 2024 version; tuition and timelines are for reference only

First, thanks to the classic Japanese drama Dragon Zakura (ドラゴン桜), I once dreamed of getting into the University of Tokyo, but its business school has no MBA program (and the best-known one, TMI, the Department of Technology Management for Innovation, is quite hard to get into). Given the time and energy involved, I dropped the idea

Kyoto University closes applications very early, and i-PM, the program I was most interested in, stopped admissions for 2025 entry

Keio's MBA is arguably one of Japan's very top programs, but reading around I found the interview is in Japanese and the Japanese requirements are high, so I had to give it up too

After narrowing things down, I applied only to the MBAs at Waseda University and Hitotsubashi University, and in May I received an offer from Waseda's WBS International MBA.

My application journey

• Jul–Dec 2024: took the TOEFL and GRE

• Jan 2025: submitted my Hitotsubashi application (Round 2)

• Mar 2025: submitted my Waseda application (Round 3)

• Mar 2025: Hitotsubashi online interview

• Apr 2025: Hitotsubashi results (rejected)

• May 2025: Waseda results (admitted)

That's roughly my overall timeline. More than half the time really went into English tests. I'd taken the TOEFL and the GRE once each in 2022, so I knew they weren't easy. This time, once I'd made up my mind, I prepared more thoroughly and finally got past that mental block! My write-up on taking the GRE is below:

Thanks to Lily GRE for helping me reach my target GRE score of 326! My detailed GRE experience!

https://www.lilygre.com/post/alinagre326

medium.com

After getting my scores, I spent my time basically just on the essays. Each school had 5 questions, about 60% of the content overlapped, and Hitotsubashi even sets a word limit for each question (which I think is great!). The questions are the usual "Why this program?", "What’s your short-term and long-term goals?" I'd suggest using this chance to dig into your own strengths and how to tie them to the school's, so your answers don't end up formulaic or vague.

Thank goodness for AI these days: it can polish your English, and it can also talk things through with you to draw out better content. But remember not to hand everything over to AI. Your own thinking still needs to be in there!

Neither school requires Japanese. Waseda states clearly that only N1 counts in your favor (but I uploaded my N2 certificate anyway, ha)

One last note: my Hitotsubashi interview fell just when I was doing annual planning at work, the busiest time of the year, so I went in with almost no preparation and hadn't even memorized my self-introduction (that morning I was still going over a presentation's flow with my boss, then I took the afternoon off and rushed home for a 2 p.m. interview……). If anyone wants to read about the interview, leave a comment and I'll revisit this dark chapter XD

Final thoughts

I can't remember when, but I once watched an American interview show where a guest said something that stuck with me: What you are not changing, you are choosing.

If there's something you want, go after it while you're young. If you're unhappy with how things are, try to change them: change your situation, or change yourself

Giving up a five-year career may look like a waste

Losing a steady income may seem risky

But don't forget that your most precious resource is your time! The best time was ten years ago. The next best is now

May we all get what we wish for and make the most of our youth :)

(If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or DM me on IG: awu.awu.aa)