Junhao is from Luoyang, a city in China that is famous for peony. He studied at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) before joining GSC.

How did you first hear about GSC?

Actually there is a professor at USTC who was mentored by the Coordinator of GSC, Professor Yamanouchi. He sent me an email about the GSC program and it said that they wanted one or two students from the Department of Chemistry at USTC to transfer to the University of Tokyo. When I read this message, I thought it was quite exciting.

What motivated you to apply to GSC?

The high reputation and academic status of UTokyo was the most attractive part for me. Also, Japan is kind of a mysterious country to me so I wanted to experience living there.

What was the reaction of your family back home when you told them you were applying to GSC?

My family was supportive, especially my father. He encouraged me to apply to this program as UTokyo has a high reputation and the financial support was very attractive too.

Did you experience any culture shock when you first moved here?

I had heard that Japanese people are quite compliant. However, even though obeying rules is important to Japanese people, Japanese students in the University of Tokyo are much more creative than I expected, and I learned a lot from their way of thinking and behaving.

In what ways would you consider GSC to be unique or different?

The lab rotations are one of the most unique things in the GSC program. You have to do some research in six laboratories so you get the chance to experience research in different branches of chemistry. From lectures, you learn lots of methods to deal with practical problems, some different spectroscopy and techniques, like how to make a high resolution of some images. Each lab has its own methodology when it comes to dealing with specific problems so if you experience 6 different labs, you can learn various techniques. For example, Professor Suga’s lab taught me how to use PCR, Professor Yamanouchi’s lab gave me experience using the most advanced femtosecond pulse laser technique, and in other labs I learned how to use a TEM Microscope. Therefore, doing the lab rotations is quite unique and enriches your background knowledge in chemistry. You can develop a deep understanding of what each lab is doing. Also, each lab has its own set of equipment, such as its own single crystal x-ray diffraction machine so you can learn how to use it on your own. I think it’s a good experience for students to better understand the principles behind the apparatus.

Describe a typical day in the life of a GSC student.

The first semester was quite unique. Every morning we took two periods of classes and every afternoon we took student lab courses. Every three or four weeks we presented literature reviews to associate professors to improve our presentation skills.

In the second and third semester we take classes with Japanese students. We’re not treated differently from Japanese students, everything is the same. We also have to write a lot of reports, which is a good experience for us to improve our writing skills.

What are your main impressions of GSC?

Generally it’s a good program. The staff members have been very helpful when we have problems and they also helped us to get accustomed to Japanese culture.

What are the best features of this program?

There’s no doubt that it is the lab rotations. It’s quite unique, helpful, and exciting. Students get one-on-one training with professors and the professor takes care of you all afternoon. You can learn a lot, your research skills improve very quickly and everything is presented clearly.

I also think the literature review is quite a nice experience as it helps us to improve our oral speaking skills. When we first started, we were inexperienced, like rookies. All the professors on GSC were helpful in pointing out which parts of our literature review were not satisfactory and where we needed to improve.

How has the School of Science scholarship helped you?

The scholarship is very helpful. Our accommodation is provided for free and we have 150,000 yen to spend for our daily life. If we weren’t given the scholarship, we would have to take part-time jobs. It’s especially difficult for someone like me who’s not a master of the Japanese language.

What do you like about being in Tokyo?

Tokyo is a versatile city so you can get anything you want and eat lots of dynamite foods. There are also lots of famous places to visit, like Disneyland, DisneySea, and Tokyo Skytree.

What sort of person do you think would make a good GSC candidate?

Social students would be good GSC candidates because I think in Global Science Course, frequent communication is important, especially between Japanese students and other transfer students.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to apply to GSC?

Just go for it!