Jonathan Wang‘s choice to major in Computer Science with a minor in Japanese Studies is reminiscent of Chris’ combination of science and humanities. He is aiming for a career in computer graphics and animation, artificial intelligence and sound manipulation. Jonathan is spending his year at Osaka University taking engineering classes, doing research and honing his fluency in Japanese. Living in the Foreign Student House, he is paired up with a faculty member for a research project involving virtual reality. As for other courses, Jonathan describes a situation very different from that found in U.S. universities: “I cannot say for certain which classes I’m taking. In Japan a student can enter a class at any time, because entering a class requires no more or less than the professor’s permission. So one can theoretically enter a class the day before finals and pass. What this means, however, is that I will have to attend classes I’m thinking of taking before I can decide which ones to attend to the end of the semester, and which professors to speak to for their permission.” Jonathan contrasted the rigorous testing that determines what high school and college a Japanese student can attend with the relaxed demands on the Japanese college student.
Why did Jonathan decide to go to Japan? “My interest in Japan is based on a mixture of its history, its modern media, and both old and modern culture. Japan is in many ways what American cities are not – it is compact, homogenized, commercialized to the point of being systematized, and there exist standards of politeness, quality, and customs that are unmatched in any other place I have visited. I wanted to come to Japan to be in the middle of a culture which puts so much emphasis on the new, the next, and innovation. I wanted to meet the caliber of people who manage to survive the trying process of becoming a student at a prestigious Japanese university. Most of all, I wanted to be in a world where when I wake up every morning I can expect something new to be seen and learned. Everything is different here, and I love it that way.”