The University of Tokyo Research Internship Program 2018
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The University of Tokyo Research Internship Program (UTRIP) is a summer internship program for students majoring in natural science and other relevant fields. The program will provide students with an opportunity to gain the experience of “real graduate-school life” or “research-centered life.” UTRIP is a gateway to pursuing an advanced degree and experiencing academic life at UTokyo. The program will be a good trial for students to test their aptitude for rigorous graduate study in the natural sciences. Participating students will closely work with leading researchers of the Graduate School of Science (GSS) at UTokyo. In addition to an opportunity for an outstanding scientific research work experience, the program includes off-campus activities such as a field-trip to a historical or natural site in Japan, and social and cultural events to promote a better understanding of Japanese culture and build a good relationship with current students at UTokyo. Lectures on cross-disciplinary scientific areas are also part of the program.
At the conclusion of the program, students are required to make an oral presentation and submit a report on the research project.
Features of UTRIP :
- A research project program with full-time commitment.
- Participants will have an opportunity to get involved in research at the frontier of natural science.
- As part of the program, students will read published research articles pertaining to their projects, and participate in laboratory meetings with their faculty advisors.
- Financial support: All participants except for those receiving the FUTI Award will receive the GSS-UTRIP Scholarship, which includes air fare support, free housing, and a stipend. For details check the Financial Support page.
- Students will visit a historical or natural site of interest in Japan.
- Specially-arranged Japanese language course will be available.
- Participants who successfully complete the program will be awarded a certificate from the school.
Eligibility & Requirements:
Applicants for UTRIP must:
- Have completed at least one full year in a Bachelor’s degree program at the time of application.
- Be enrolled in and, after the UTRIP program ends, be expected to return to, at least another semester, quarter, or another equivalent academic term, in a Bachelor’s degree program (or a Bachelor’s-equivalent year of an integrated Bachelor’s-Master’s degree program) at a university outside of Japan.
＊At selection, the priority for nomination is given to applicants expected to be in their third year of a four-year Bachelor’s degree program and to applicants expected to be in their second year of a three-year Bachelor’s degree program. Second-year students in four-year Bachelor’s degree programs are also encouraged to apply. - Be enrolled in a natural science or related field.
- Be thinking of pursuing long-term career goals in a scientific area.
- Be able to commit to the entire six consecutive weeks of the UTRIP program (June 13 to July 24 for 1st Crew students, and June 27 to August 7 for 2nd Crew students) on a full-time basis.
- Be able to present coverage of a health insurance plan that is effective during the internship program before arriving in Japan.
- English proficiency: test scores of TOEFL or an equivalent English proficiency test (such as IELTS) are required if English is not your first language. Test scores that have already expired are accepted, as long as the applicant is still able to produce proof of the test scores upon request by the UTRIP office. Students who have received an English-medium education continuously for the past 8 years are exempted from submitting English proficiency test scores.
Requirements:
Upon enrolling in the UTRIP program, students must agree to fulfill the following requirements:
- To devote their full efforts to conducting the UTRIP project
- To participate in the project for the full six-week period
- To attend all academic and social events scheduled over the course of the UTRIP program
- To submit a written research final report approved by the UTRIP supervisor within one month of finishing the UTRIP program
- To give an oral presentation on the scheduled day
- To complete all required procedures by the designated deadlines.
Application Procedure:
All required documents are required to be submitted online. Please note that original official transcripts will be required for enrollment purposes if applicants are successfully selected for UTRIP. Please contact us if you have any technical difficulties.
- Application information
Prior to submitting your application, make sure to review the list of Hosting Labs & Project Topics / Faculty Members & Topics to identify a hosting lab and project of your interest. The applicant selects up to two hosting labs and indicates the order of preference in the online application.
See project reports of the past programs, which demonstrate the depth and level of achievement made by former participants, in our archives for 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011. - Personal information
You are required to state general information in your profile. As we rely mainly on email to communicate with all applicants, please include a current email address on your application and be sure to promptly respond to all correspondence. Please also note that the Corresponding Address will be used for important and time-sensitive matters such as sending visa application documents, so you should enter an address where you can be sure to receive shipments throughout April and May, 2018. - Personal statement
Address the following topics in 700 – 1000 words in total:- Your reasons for selecting the particular research project(s) in the UTRIP program, and what you hope to gain from this experience
- What makes you qualified for the particular research project(s), briefly highlighting your skills and experience when they are specifically required by the faculty member(s) of your choice, or when they appear to be helpful to conduct research in the laboratory(ies) that you have selected
- Whether you are thinking of applying to the Graduate School of Science at the University of Tokyo after you graduate from your current university, citing your reasons
- Educational background and qualifications:
Resume / CV
This should include in-depth descriptions of any work experience, responsibilities or projects relevant to the research topic on which you wish to work during the program. It should also briefly explain courses you have taken or will take as well as prizes and awards, which are relevant to the research topic, if you have any.GPA
Applicants whose universities provide official GPA scores must write those scores. If your university does not provide an official GPA score, you are required to calculate your own GPA and then describe the calculation in the “Notes” section.English language qualifications
Applicants who speak English as their first language OR those that have received an English-medium education continuously for the past 8 years are exempted from submitting the test scores.All other applicants must fill in their test scores of TOEFL or an equivalent English proficiency test (such as IELTS). Test scores that have already expired are accepted, as long as the applicant is still able to produce proof of the test scores upon request by the UTRIP office.
- Supporting documents:
Scanned copy of academic transcript
Submit a scanned copy of the official university transcript(s). A transcript must include:- Your name
- University name
- Year of admission
- List of courses completed (Course titles, grades and credits should be included)
When applying, please submit a scanned or electronic copy of your academic transcript. We will request an official academic record in its original copy (with an official stamp affixed and authorized signature) after your acceptance into the UTRIP program.
Recommender information:
You are required to submit one recommendation letter issued by a professor who knows your educational background and academic performance and can make an informed judgment on your suitability for the research project with which you wish to work. Talk to your recommender BEFORE you submit your application and ask them to write a recommendation letter for you. When you send in your online application, a notification email will be automatically sent to your recommender, asking them to send us their recommendation letter through another online submission page. Make sure to check in with your recommender to confirm that they have received this link, as an automated email can often be mistakenly sorted by a spam filter. For your application to become valid, your recommender also needs to complete the online recommendation form by the recommendation deadline of 17:00 on 2 February, 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900). Recommendation letters sent by email will not be accepted. In case of technical difficulties, recommenders must contact us in time for us to send them an alternative method of recommendation form submission.
Online Application Form:
Make sure that you have all the above information and materials ready at hand when you submit your online application. There are no “save” functions on this application system. Note that each applicant is responsible for the completeness of his or her own application. We cannot respond to any inquiries asking whether any specific applications submitted on our system have been judged to be valid.
The system closes at 17:00 on 26 January 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).
Selection:
Selection will be made based on all of your submitted documents.
Selected students will receive a notification from the UTRIP office around mid-March to early April, asking them to confirm their willingness to participate in the UTRIP program by a specified date. Make sure that you check your emails regularly, and that emails from [email protected] are not treated as spam by your spam filter.
Contact:
All matters related to UTRIP application should be addressed to: [email protected]
Before asking questions, please first read through our Frequently Asked Questions page, which may give you your answers right away.
*Note that, due to the large number of emails we receive and our limited capacity, we will only reply to inquiries relating to application that arrive before noon, Wednesday January 24th, 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900), and to inquiries relating to recommendations that arrive before noon, Wednesday January 31st, 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).
Program Schedule:
Possible dates for stay at UTokyo in 2018:
- First Crew: 13 June 2018 – 24 July 2018
- Second Crew: 27 June 2018 – 7 August 2018
Deadline:
The application period is from 5 January 2018 to 17:00 on 26 January 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).
The recommendation form must be completed online by the recommendation deadline of 17:00 on 2 February, 2018, Japan Standard Time (GMT+0900).
Note that all application and recommendation materials must arrive through our online systems by the respective deadlines. No late submissions of applications or recommendation letters will be considered.
Selection Result:
Selection notification will be announced on the UTRIP website on 10 April 2018. Selected students will be notified directly by email as well, between mid-March and early April.
Apply Now
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