Applying for the Kawamura Fellowhip (2009)
Click on one of the links below for more information on applying for the fellowship:
- How to Apply
- Application Deadlines
- Application Requirements
- Application Processes
- Application Policies
How to Apply
The Kawamura Fellowship application process will be handled electronically. All information will be entered online. You will first need to setup an account, which you can do by clicking here.
Application Deadlines
Harvard students:
January 12, 2009
MIT students:
February 2, 2009
Due to the different school schedules, each school has a different deadline. Please submit your application on or before the deadline for your school.
Selected applicants will receive an interview conducted on February 28, 2009.
Application Requirements
To be considered for the program, a candidate must submit a complete online application for evaluation by his/her school's deadline. The application for the Kawamura Fellowship in the Summer of 2009 consists of:
- Personal Information Sheet, to be completed online.
- Essay of approximately 750 to 1000 words explaining your interest in Japan and the program (to be pasted online).
- Latest resume (MS word format)
- Transcript of academic records from every college and/or university attended (scan and upload)
- Two names of academic references with their titles, office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, who are faculty members or the equivalent from a college or university.
- Face photo (digital photo)
Application Process
After the online application has been submitted, the selection committee will review the applications.
The committee will select about 20 students for an interview. (Held on Harvard campus on February 28, 2009)
The final decision will be notified via email or telephone within 1-2 days after the interview.
At this time, alternate(s) will also be selected and informed. Those selected for the Kawamura Visiting Fellowship will be asked to answer in writing regarding their acceptance of the offer by the date set up by the Program. The offer of a Kawamura Visiting Fellowship is valid for the selection year only.
An alternate will be offered a Fellowship position in case it becomes available, in principle before the date of the Program's annual Fellowship dinner. In the case that there is more than one alternate, the Selection Committee will make a decision on this selection
The 4 selected fellows will participate in a series of orientation in the spring prior to the program. The orientation includes a reunion banquet in late April at the Charles Hotel.
Application Policies
The Kawamura Fellowship is open to students at Harvard University and MIT. All students, including those at the graduate level, at Harvard and MIT are eligible, though preference will be given to undergraduate juniors and seniors. Candidates from all academic specialties will be equally evaluated. There is no preferred major or concentration; rather, the Program seeks to bring a diverse group of outstanding students from all backgrounds in the sciences and the liberal arts. Proficiency in Japanese language is neither required nor an advantage in the selection process.
Most past fellows have not had any Japanese language experience prior to coming to Japan on the Fellowship. The Program welcomes applicants from all nationalities, although candidates must be able to obtain entry visas within a reasonable period of time. Because the Program is designed to introduce the Fellows to Japan and its culture, applicants who have never been to Japan are preferred. Besides demonstrated academic excellence or intellectual strength, as well as extra-curricular achievement and genuine interest in Japan, a personal capacity to maintain a positive approach to new experiences is an important quality for the Kawamura Visiting Fellows. Prospective applicants should be open to interaction with the Japanese people and to actively experience a different life style, and have the ability to conduct themselves properly in any occasion. Re-application to the Program will be accepted; neither advantage nor handicap is attached to those re-applying.