I am not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, am I eligible to apply?

No. Per sponsor regulations, this program is only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

What is a U.S. Citizen Permanent Resident?

You are a U.S. citizen if you have or are eligible to obtain a U.S. passport.

A person who has permanent residence status in the United States has the right to live and work in the US without restriction. This right may last for a lifetime, or it can be ended in some circumstances by an uninterrupted absence from the United States of more than a year or two. Permanent residents are said to have immigrant status in the U.S. In popular parlance, a permanent resident is said to have a “green card,” an outdated reference to the permanent residence identification card, which used to be green but is now a pale red, white and blue. Permanent residents are also often said to have “PR.”

If you currently have a “green card”/permanent residency card you are a U.S. permanent resident and are eligible to apply for the Nakatani RIES Fellowship.

What format should my resume be in?

Nakatani RIES Fellowship applicants should submit a one page resume in reverse chronological order. If you have previously done academic research at either the high-school or university level be sure this is reflected in your resume. It is also helpful to include a section for relevant or related coursework on your resume.

If you have not prepared a resume before you should schedule a meeting with an advisor at your university Career Services Center or attend one of their resume writing workshops. Your career center can provide recommendations, sample templates, and feedback on your resume to ensure it best reflects your academic, research, and professional experiences and achievements.

For more on preparing a resume, see the ‘Freshman Resume Guide’ which you can download from the Rice University Center for Career Development website.

What can I do to strengthen my application overall? 

Remember Your Audience & Customize Your Essays: Your essays should be well thought-out, concise, and speak directly to the questions asked or topic given. When writing application essays, think of who your ‘audience’ might be. If you are applying to a research program or graduate school, your application essays will likely be read by science or engineering professors.  They tend to appreciate a more direct/clear writing style and are looking for specific details on your research interests. Also, be sure you customize your essays for each program you apply to. Sometimes, students try to re-use/recycle essays from other programs they have applied to. Prior essays may be a good starting point, but be sure you are specifically addressing the questions asked by the program you are applying to. It is often very apparent when students are just trying to ‘say the right things’ and/or are more interested in participating in any program in Japan, not necessarily the Nakatani RIES Fellowship. There are many options for international experiences, the selection committee will want to know and understand that is it about this program that led you to apply.

Research Interests:  Beyond the broad/general topic of research conducted in your preferred lab/s, do you have specific interests in learning about certain projects, research techniques, instrumentation, or other skills in this lab?  How does the research you can do in this program directly relate to your future research interests either at your home university or potentially in graduate school.  In addition to reviewing the lab website/s it can also be helpful to review the abstracts of a few recent papers so you can get more insight in the specific research skills you might be able to obtain through an internship at that lab.

Proofread: It is important that you have your essays proofread by a trusted professor/advisor/mentor.  For example, if you are applying for a research program or graduate school, ask a science or engineering professor or graduate student/post-doc  you know if they can proofread your essay.  That way the people proofreading your essays are similar to the ‘audience’/selection committee who may be reviewing your application. Your university Study Abroad Office, Office of Undergraduate Research, Writing Center, or Career Services Center may also be able to provide you with helpful feedback on your essays.

Recommendation Letters: Recommendation letter/s can be very influential in a committee’s review process.  Carefully consider who you ask to write your letters.  If you are applying for a research internship or graduate school, at least one letter should be from a science or engineering professor who knows you well.  For example, a professor that you have taken one or more courses from and that you frequently meet with during office hours to discuss questions/future goals.  The better your letter writers know you and your motivation for applying, the stronger the recommendation letter they will be able to write.  Take the time to get to know your professors, visit them during office hours, and ask them if they know of any research programs or other opportunities you could apply to. If your professors know you are eager to get research experience they will keep you mind when opportunities cross their desk.

Resume: Take advantage of your university career center as they likely offer resume review/editing or workshops.  They likely have guides, such as these at Rice, on preparing your resume. They may also offer resume workshops or one-on-one review and proofreading. Your resume should be customized to each program/opportunity you apply to and your Career Services office is a great place to start to ask for assistance. If you are applying for a research internship or graduate school, also ask a trusted professor/graduate student/post-doc in a science or engineering field to review your resume and give you feedback/suggestions. That way, the people reviewing your resume will be similar to the likely audience/selection committee members who will review your application.

Formatting & Final Editing Tips for Essays 

• Back up your data! Compose your essays in Microsoft Word so you can save a copy to your computer.  Computer and internet glitches happen and you don’t want to lose all your work right before submission.
• The online form does not allow for rich content editing. Do not include special characters, formulas, hyperlinks, or images in your essays.  The online form only allows for plain text essay and short-answer responses.
• Spelling or grammar errors will detract from your essay. Proofread your essays prior to submission.
• Don’t rely on the default spelling and grammar check in your word editing software.  Print out and carefully read through your essays.  It is often easier to catch errors in a printed version than just by reviewing on your computer.
• After proofreading, copy and paste your final essay responses into the online application form.

Do I have to stay within the recommended length limits?

Yes. The online application will not allow you to submit an essay that is over the maximum character limit allowed. Be aware that the maximum character limits includes spaces. You can check this in Microsoft Word by highlighting the essay text and then selecting Tools –> Word Count in Microsoft Word and looking at the ‘Characters (with spaces)’ line.

After copying and pasting your essays into the online form, double check to make sure that your essays are not cut off.  Sometimes, the character count in Microsoft Word may calculate slightly differently than the character count in the online form.  You may need to edit your essays to fit within the maximum character limit in the online form.

Do you have any other tips on preparing to apply for the Nakatani RIES Fellowship? What should I be ready to discuss if I’m invited for an interview? 

The following tips have been adapted from criteria for the NSEP scholarship. These are all things you should carefully consider prior to applying and integrate, to the best of your ability, into your application essays and/or short-answer responses.  The questions may also help you be better prepared if you are invited for a Skype interview.

Did you do your Homework?: Are you knowledgeable about the Nakatani RIES Fellowship? Can you explain to someone else what the program covers, where it is located, what you will do while abroad, and the research host labs that you are most interested in working with and why?

Motivation and Personal Commitment to International Education and Research as a Means to Fulfilling Academic and Career Goals: Do you have strong motivation for undertaking this international research and education program? Have you thought about how the Nakatani RIES Fellowship fits into your academic and career plans? What are your long and short term goals for integrating your Nakatani RIES experience into your academic and career goals? Are you mentally and emotionally prepared to spend 13 weeks living and working abroad in a foreign country?  You should be able to answer all of these questions prior to applying to the program.

Educational Qualifications as a Demonstration of Potential for Success: While there are no prerequisite courses required, it is a good idea to highlight your relevant academic background and coursework that could provide a foundation upon which you can build while you are abroad in Japan. Have you taken or are you currently enrolled in engineering or science courses that relate to the potential research host labs you are most interested in? Have you taken any Japanese language, Asian studies, or social sciences/humanities/business courses that relate to your interest in Japan?

You should also highlight any special circumstances regarding your grades, enrollment status/history, or curriculum choices that you want the review committee to be aware of. For example, do you plan to enroll in a five-year B.A./B.S. program or a B.S./Master’s program? Is there a specialization within your major that you plan to declare?

Research Interest: Why would you like to do research abroad and, in particular, in Japan?  Have you reviewed the websites of the potential research host labs you listed in your application? What are the key topics/areas of research conducted in this lab and why are they of interest to you? Have you reviewed the student profiles and poster/abstract of any past U.S. Fellows that have done research in these labs before? How will gaining hands-on research experience in this lab in Japan further your long-term goals?

Past Research or Professional Experiences as a Demonstration for Success: If you have previous research experience, even if this is not directly related to the type of research you hope to do in Japan, be sure to note this. What did this experience teach you about working in a research lab or professional environment? What relevant skills did you obtain through this experience that could be beneficial to your participation in the Nakatani RIES Fellowship? Think not just in terms of research or academic skills but also inter-personal, communication, leadership, time-management and team-work skills.

Interest in Japan and Japanese Language Study: Describe, through specific examples, your interest in Japan. If this will be your first experience in Japan clearly explain why you wish to spend your summer in Japan and what you hope this experience will provide for you. Broad generalizations about the culture may be a good starting point but be sure to bring these back to your personal interest in Japan. For example, you may have initially become interested in Japan through anime as a young child but today you should be able to define your interest in Japan in more specific terms given what you know about the country and how spending a summer in Japan will benefit you in the long-term.

Maturity: Do you demonstrate sufficient maturity, flexibility, and common sense to cope with the challenges of living and studying in an unfamiliar environment? Think about previous experiences and activities that prove that you are capable of handling a summer program abroad that combines intensive language study, cultural programming, and an intensive research experience where you may be the only Nakatani RIES Fellow placed at that university and/or research lab.

Sharing Your Experiences: What do you hope to take away from the Nakatani RIES experience and why is this program unique and special, and something that you would want to share with others?