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IB Student Voices

Dental School 3th year 3rd year KANEKO Haruhi

The experience that shaped me and will last a lifetime.

Matsuoka Asahi

―Learning before Enrolling in an IB School
Due to family influence, I had always wanted to work in the medical field in the future. I was interested in "pain," and I believed medicine was the field best suited to address it, which led me to aim for medical school. I spent my junior high at a boarding school in Nagano Prefecture. I was lonely and homesick. The school had a relatively old-fashioned atmosphere, and studying and dorm life was very rigorous. Education was indeed cramming, known as "Gari-ben," I developed the habit of concentrating for long hours at my desk during this time. Living in the dormitory also taught me manners and self-management.
Considering studying abroad, I chose I-Shou International School in Taiwan, and after graduating from junior high school, I went to Taiwan by myself.




Dental School 3th year 3rd year KANEKO Haruhi

Make full use of my time and enjoy studies, club activities, and hobbies. That is my secret to maintaining balance!

KANEKO Haruhi

―My life before enrolling at Okayama University
I have lived in Okinawa since I was in 5th grade. I started learning English then but didn’t clearly envision my future. Since many students start working without going to university in Okinawa, I thought it was not difficult to work, and I would go to high school and university and work just like my friends. One day, when I had to think about high school, my parents recommended an International Baccalaureate. It was a turning point in my life. A place where I could develop my English and a range of competencies and dispositions is Okinawa Shogaku.
While in high school, I lived away from my parents and stayed in a dormitory where international and exchange students lived. It required self-management skills and the skill of considering others. I could grow my abilities to be an independent person.
I took math, biology, and literature in HL and chemistry, history, and language B in SL for my IB diploma. Almost all my classes were student-centered learning. The teacher gave us some tasks, and we discussed and worked in groups to get answers. It helped me grow in my ability to verbalize my thoughts and ideas.
I belonged to “Chiiki Kenkyu Club” (regional research club)” which conducts activities related to Okinawa. We mainly research various issues facing the society in Okinawa and try to solve them. Once a year, on June 23rd, on Okinawa Memorial Day, we held a tour of the Battle of Okinawa for our juniors. Also, we danced Eisa to interact with the local community.




School of Education, Training Course for School Teachers, Elementary School Education Course 4th year 4rd year YAMABE Maho

I want to be a teacher who can convey the importance of learning with gratitude.

YAMABE Maho

―The learning environment before entering an IB school
My father put me into an English environment when I was young, and I used to go to an international school in Osaka until I was twelve. The main subjects were taught in English and Japanese, so English was naturally a part of my life. However, as a Japanese child, it was difficult for me to keep using English all day, and I remember speaking in Japanese with my friends when teachers weren’t there. Looking back, I think I wasn’t good at English then.
―Learning in an IB school
After graduating from the international school, I started to go to Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High and Senior High School, which my sister was already going to. It was a combined junior and senior high school, and I prepared for IB during junior high school. Many students spoke English fluently, and some were returnees, and that was when I faced a problem with my English skills. I worked hard studying English, so I improved a lot.




School of Engineering, Mechanical and Systems Engineering Program Robotics and Intelligent Systems Engineering 3rd year HOSAKO Taiki

Rather than making the most of my "strengths", I want to focus on developing my "likes" now!

HOSAKO Taiki

―About My Learning Experience at IB School (Before Enrolling at Okayama University)
Because of my father’s work, my family have been moving to Japan and overseas alternately since childhood. We lived in Detroit for as long as I can remember, and then came back to Japan when in second grade of primary school. After 4 years in Japan, we moved to Australia.
Even though I learned English in childhood, I gradually forgot them by living in Japan. Before flying to Australia, my mind has alternated to Japanese mode. It was difficult for me to shift to English mode from there. There were few Japanese students in my secondary school, so I was not able to communicate with people around there. However, this kind of environment encouraged me to improve my English ability.
I had the desire to study at a Japanese university, so I felt the need to study for the Japanese entrance exams. Therefore, I returned to Japan on my own during the summer of my first year in senior high school. The fact that students and teachers in the IB course at Ritsumeikan Uji senior high school understands new students who live abroad and classes are in English, I choose to transfer to this school. In Ritsumeikan Uji, the curriculum of the IB course was greatly different than the other program. In order to obtain the International Baccalaureate Diploma, I focused more on my studies than club activities or school events.


School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Technolog 3rd year TAKAYAMA Shogo

Wanting to Engage with Pharmaceutical English! What is the career path that Mr. Takayama is aiming for?

TAKAYAMA Shogo

―About My Learning Experience at IB School (Before Enrolling at Okayama University)
Before entering Okayama University, I attended AICJ High School, an International Baccalaureate (IB) school located in Hiroshima Prefecture. The school had a significant number of native English teachers, and the classes in subjects like Mathematics and Science were conducted in English, creating an immersive English learning environment. During my high school years, I had the valuable opportunity to deeply engage with various academic disciplines.

In the international competition "Global Enterprise Challenge (GEC)," which aims to foster global talents capable of using English as a tool and engaging in social change from diverse perspectives, I participated in activities such as developing solutions and concrete products for given topics in groups and proposing feasible products based on economic trends and global situations.

Moreover, I participated in "Model United Nations (MUN)," a conference where high school students from across the country simulated UN meetings. As representatives of different countries, we presented proposals concerning the conference's topics. Beyond my participation in this event, I also organized the Hiroshima MUN (HMUN), bringing together student participants from various schools in Hiroshima Prefecture and managing the MUN simulation.

During my high school years, I was able to broaden my horizons by breaking away from fixed concepts and experiencing learning in various fields. The unique life and learning experience at the IB school, which cannot be replicated elsewhere, felt like a three-year journey of self-discovery.


TERASHIMA Miyu, 3rd Year medical student

Why did Ms. Terashima, who has lived in Hong Kong for 18 years, choose Okayama University as her university?

TERASHIMA Miyu

―How have you lived your life up to high school?
I was born in Saitama, Japan, and then immigrated to Hong Kong after two months due to my parents’ jobs. I then spent eighteen years in Hong Kong before coming to Okayama University. In Hong Kong, I studied at Island School, a high school that is part of the English Schools Foundation (ESF), which followed through a British education system. I was part of a diverse student body in high school – about half were of Chinese or Hong Kong descent, 20% were of Western descent, and so on.


NISHIMURA Ayumu, 5th Year medical student

Be curious and take on challenges! What kind of doctor does Ms. Nishimura aspire to be?

NISHIMURA Ayumu

―How have you lived your life up to high school?
I lived in the U.S. until my first year of high school, but when I had to return to Japan due to my parents' work, I had a hard time choosing a high school. My dream at that time was to enter medical school and become a doctor. I had always liked biology, but I wanted to become a doctor because my grandfather underwent a major surgery when I was 9 years old. At that time, I had not decided whether to go to a university in Japan or the U.S., so I chose an IB school that is suitable for both.


HASE Genki, 3rd Year Student in Discovery Program for Global Learners

Exploring the “Social Discomfort” experienced by a Returnee Student at Okayama University

HASE Genki

―How have you lived your life up to high school?
Due to my parents' work, I moved from one school to another in Europe and was raised as a "Japanese" in a land that is 9000km away from Japan. After 'returning' to Japan at the age of 9 and living in Japan until the end of my second year at the College of Technology, I noticed that the world I was seeing was getting smaller and smaller—realizing that I had been normalizing myself in the process of adapting in Japan.
So, I decided to take a gap year to study in Germany at the International School Frankfurt (ISF), an IB school. At first, I was planning to stay for a year, but the life there was so fulfilling that I stayed on and studied for another year and a half.


TERAOKA Mao, 1st Year Student in the Master's Program in Science for Bio-Production, Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science

Giving it my all by applying what I learned at an IB school to a new environment

TERAOKA Mao

―Which high school did you graduate from?
I graduated from the International School of Asia Karuizawa (ISAK, now UWU ISAK Japan), an IB school in Karuizawa, Nagano. To be honest, I did not know much about the IB school system when I entered the school (laughs). However, when I was younger, I lived in Korea due to my parents’ job and attended an international school. I really enjoyed school life there and decided that I wanted to continue attending an international school.
Additionally, ISAK is a boarding school, so I lived separately from my parents. It was an opportunity for me to throw myself into an environment different from a regular high school.


Dental Student 4nd Year TANAI Airi

Won the SCRP National Competition and Continue to Work Hard on Research

棚井さん

Because of my parent’s background abroad, I had the fortunate opportunity to attend international schools since I was 1 years old. I attended Aoba Japan International School (Tokyo, Japan) for preschool and continued my education at St.Maur International School (Yokohama, Japan) until 5th grade. After transferring to Seisen International School (Tokyo, Japan), I graduated high school with an International Baccalaureate Bilingual Diploma. As a high school student, I was involved in 12 extracurricular activities including Women Education Support Committee, Volunteer for the Homeless, Yearbook Committee, and Soccer Club; I humbly served as the chair/board member of 5 committees.

Sekiguchi Manabu ,2nd student of the Master's Program in Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology

Entering the doctoral program to become a researcher

関口さん

I attended an international school from the third grade of elementary school and took the IB Program in the high school course. I enrolled in the Matching Program Course* at Okayama University, but since I have always been very interested in animal behavior, I found myself taking almost the same curriculum as students in the Department of Biology, in the Faculty of Science. At the international school, I had taken classes in English, but it was refreshing to take classes in Japanese at the university.  When I entered the university, the number of IB students was still small, but Professor Sabina (currently the head of the IB Office) made efforts to build connections among IB students by creating a LINE group. I'm not the type of person who actively participates, but she still cares about me.

School of Medicine, Department of Medicine 4th year SEYA Mizuki

I founded a club that helps medical students practice their English proficiency and diagnostic skills in a simulated environment

瀬谷さん

As a result of my parents’ work, I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I went to an international school with an IB diploma program where there were very few Japanese students in each grade. Though I was a minority, I had the opportunity to study with friends of various nationalities. I wanted to study medicine in Japan, but there were not many medical schools that accepted IB admissions.

 While participating in a Japanese class held jointly with Hong Kong high schools, I was introduced to Okayama University’s IB admissions process by Professor Sabina MAHMOOD (current IB Promotion Office Director). Even though I was interested in the university, because I was going to graduate high school in May, I realized that I would miss the April enrollment period at Okayama University. Since the timing didn’t line up, I ended up enrolling in the faculty of medicine at Hong Kong University in September. However, I could not stop thinking about the medical school at Okayama University, so I enrolled at Okayama University via the IB admissions system.

IMAMOTO Taku ,2nd Year Master's Program in Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology

Establishing an International Cooperation Student Organization with the Goal of a Library in Nepal

今本さん

I am a graduate of an integrated junior and senior high school in Hiroshima Prefecture that offers the IB program. I became interested in the IB program when I studied abroad at an IB school in New Zealand when I was in the third year of junior high school. Since I was interested in manufacturing, I used my IB qualification to apply to universities in the UK, the US, and Canada, as well as the Faculty of Engineering at Okayama University. I was not sure which university to go to, but I decided to go to Okayama University because I thought I could study English at a domestic university and go to a foreign university for my master's or doctoral course.

IB entrance exams have been offered in all faculties since the 2015 academic year, and I was the first IB entrant in the Faculty of Engineering at Okayama University. At first, I was a bit confused, but I was able to further improve my English skills by taking the Global Human Resource Development Course, which allows students to develop their English skills while belonging to the engineering department. Also, during the second semester and summer vacation of my junior year, I spent four months studying abroad at an American university through the study abroad program of the faculty of Engineering. It was a great experience for me to have the opportunity to work together with master's and doctoral students in my study abroad program, as if I were skipping two years.

SHIOMI Yukino, 1st Year Master's Program in Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology

I want to contribute to the international community through biological research

塩見さん

I lived abroad for a large part of my childhood due to my parents’ job. During that time, I attended an IB accredited International School in Germany. Even though I did not pay much attention to the school’s IB accreditation at first, when I decided to go to university in Japan and work there, I looked for ways to make the most of my IB qualification. While searching for Universities that accepted the IB Diploma, I came across Okayama University.

The curriculum offered at IB schools is significantly different from the average high school, and the essays and homework assignments are comparable to university coursework. I remember struggling at times, but I believe that the experience made me more capable in the end. When I was going through the University application process in Japan, there were very few universities accepting IB students, so I was pleasantly surprised by Okayama University’s positive outlook toward IB admissions, and felt that Okayama University believed in the ability of IB students. Furthermore, I was interested in biology, but also in the possibility of contributing to the world through studying humanities. Therefore, I was fascinated by Okayama University’s Matching Program Course *, which allowed students to choose their specialized field of study after taking classes from various faculties.

Faculty of Education, Elementary School Teacher Training Course, 4th year NOMURA Keita

I want to guide IB students as an IB Diploma Program faculty member

野村さん

After graduating from an IB school in Hiroshima, I took the time to carefully consider my next step, spending two years in Tokyo working at a restaurant and also at an elementary school as an instructor. During that time, I learnt about business administration and education, deciding that I would like to become more involved in the field of education so that I could contribute to a Japan where different viewpoints and cultural backgrounds are respected.

When I was applying to universities, Okayama University was the only national university that accepted IB admissions to the faculty of education, and even among private universities there were only a couple that accepted IB admissions. Additionally, I was impressed by how actively Okayama University promoted IB and shared information about IB programs—even one of my friends living overseas had heard about the university as a result of its efforts. I felt that Okayama University had a passion for IB education and consequently decided to apply here.

Faculty of Letters, Department of Humanities OKADA Kana

I want to support people in being their best

岡田さん

I graduated from an IB high school in Japan. The school taught us about international communities, which actually made me realize how little I knew about my own country and inspired me to study more about Japan at university. However, when I searched for Japanese universities that recognized the IB diploma, I was surprised to learn that, while many universities accepted IB admissions, most of them only offered limited admission to certain departments or programs. Okayama University stood out because of how welcoming it seemed to IB school graduates, and I decided to apply here because I felt that the university really understood and appreciated the value of an IB education.

My major is sociology. During my first year, I had the opportunity to participate in an “international internship” in the north of Okayama Prefecture, where I learnt about forestry while interacting with various people who had moved to the region. At the time, I was struck by how interesting it can be to work together with different people when dealing with local issues. Thanks to that experience, I developed an interest in regional issues such as population decline and my graduation research consequently focuses on the processes through which local people and ‘outsiders’ come together in meaningful ways to tackle local issues.

2nd Year Medical Student KISHABA Tomoki

Participated in One Yong World and IFMSA as a representative of the world's youth

喜舎場さん

I was born and raised in Okinawa until 16 years old, and then went to United World College (UWC) Atlantic College in Wales, U.K., where students come from more than 90 countries. 。

At UWC, I’ve got to learn different aspects of the world, by meeting a Syrian roommate who used to be a refugee. I went to U.K. to improve my English and know more about the global society. But, by getting exposed to the different backgrounds and experiences, I’ve become determined to contribute myself in delivering healthcare to those who are most in need.

Matching Program Course, 4th year KODAMA Reo

My dream to connect people motivated me to plan an interactive event between Fagiano and Okayama University students

児玉さん

I grew up in Hiroshima and had the privilege of attending the same international school from the age of three until the end of high school, ultimately graduating with an IB diploma. The reason I decided to apply to Okayama University is because of the Matching Program course (※). I wanted to gain a broad perspective without being bound by one academic field, so this course, which allows students to take classes from a variety of faculties before choosing a specialization, suited me perfectly. Not many people from my high school studied at Okayama University, so initially I did not know much about the university, but the more I researched it, the more impressed I was by its emphasis on globalization. Additionally, I did not want to move far away from my family, so Okayama’s proximity to Hiroshima—not to mention the good public transportation system connecting the two prefectures—appealed to me.

After enrolling at Okayama University and taking classes from various faculties, I decided to specialize in my original interest, economics. I believe that the flow of the economy has global implications and that a basic grasp of economics is necessary to not only understand society but also plan my future lifestyle. In classes, we sometimes received special lectures from guest lecturers, including the CEOs of various companies, which helped me expand my vision for the future. Outside of classes, I have been actively involved in extracurricular activities. I joined a fan club for Fagiano Okayama, a soccer team participating in the second division of the Japan Professional Football League, and even served as a representative for the club. Once, I introduced one of my Japanese friends to a former classmate from high school who is a foreigner, and my Japanese friend expressed how pleased they were because it was their first time meeting a foreigner. Since then, it has been my dream to connect people. I joined the fan club because it looked like fun, but also because I was interested in the idea of connecting people with a common interest and connecting fans to players.

6th Year Medical Student SUMIDA Madoka

Using English to Become a Bridge Between Japan and the World

住田さん

I took the IB entrance exam the year that it was first introduced at Okayama University School of Medicine. At the time, I had been searching for Japanese universities with medical programs that accepted students on the basis of the IB examination, and when I reached out to Okayama University to inquire about their admission process, I immediately felt welcomed. IB had only recently begun to be recognized in Japan, so the number of universities accepting applicants through the IB entrance exam were still limited, yet Okayama University assured me that it was an IB friendly university “proactively trying to increase IB awareness”, so I decided to apply.

When I was in my second year of middle school, my family moved to Singapore because of my parent’s job. As a result, I was able to study at an IB accredited school, which suited my goal of pursuing medicine and my desire to be able to work anywhere in the world. IB schools are not only focused on route memorization, but they also encourage personal development through subjects that foster artistic ability and participation in social service. This allowed me to gain a broad field of knowledge. A particularly memorable experience was a class activity in which students had to plan and implement overseas volunteer activities, giving me the opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage in Indonesia.