Japanese PhD student Tadashi Hirai talks about deciding between some of the UK’s top universities, the challenges of student finance, and how he's adapted to life half a world away from home.
The liberality and tolerance of the British for foreign cultures and people has been one of the highlights of Tadashi Hirai's time spent studying abroad in the UK. That, and the country's rich history and tradition.
In 2006, Tadashi left his home country of Japan to begin studying for a PhD program in Human Development and Distribution at the University of Cambridge. More precisely, he is working on how to incorporate the distributive concern to the Human Development Index employed by the UN.
Difficult decisions
Accepted onto programs at the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics (LSE), the University of Sussex and the University of East Anglia, Tadashi said it was a difficult choice as to which graduate school he would choose.
"With reputation in mind, Cambridge comes forward. With the attractiveness of programs, LSE comes out ahead. In the end, I asked some of my friends and followed their advice," he said.
Tadashi has been jointly sponsored by the Cambridge Trust (20%) and a Japanese foundation (70%). The remaining 10% of his fees are covered personally although he strongly advises that other students prepare well in advance.
"This means preparing much earlier than your application to universities, given that quite a few funding bodies require the application to be submitted over a year ahead. I had to wait for half a year to start my research."
Managing finances is a key part of studying abroad. Many international students aren't sure how much money is needed but Tadashi works on the following budget: "I spend £350-400 on accommodation including bills each month, another £400-500 on food, £100 on going out and £200 on other bits and pieces."
What next?
On completion of his PhD program, Tadashi is planning to stay in the UK, and will aim for a position as a post-doc in another British university before heading home to Japan.
Eventually, he would like to find an academic position in his home country or to work in international institutions "somewhere around the world", but that's a while away, two years in fact.
"I am both satisfied and not satisfied with my studies at the moment: satisfied in terms of my research topic and the good relationship with my supervisor; I'm not so satisfied in terms of the maturity of the research progress so far."
Life as an international student in Cambridge is providing Tadashi with more than the research skills he needs to successfully complete his PhD program. He's also gaining intellectual stimulation, time management skills and opportunities to meet new people.
When he's in search of fun, a trip to London is on the cards. "Keeping motivation high for a couple of years throughout a PhD program is certainly one of the most challenging issues. As is the quality of British food and the winter weather," he laughs.
