I. Introduction to the TAG-AIMS program
TAG-AIMS (Trans-ASEAN Global Agenda Education Program ASEAN International Mobility for Students Program) is a student exchange program between Southeast Asia and Japan. Vietnam has 3 universities participating in TAG-AIMS program in 2012: Thuyloi University, University of Agriculture and Forestry and University of Agriculture.
II. Introduction to University of Tsukuba
University of Tsukuba is located in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture in the Kanto region of Japan. With 31 member schools teaching undergraduate and graduate level, 28 research institutes with a total of about 15,000 students.
Tsukuba is a University with a 150-year history. It is also the oldest school in Japan. The University was formerly known as Tokyo University of Education, later changed to University of Tsukuba.
Going through a long time of operation and development, the University has gained a lot of achievements. The most typical is the top 10 prestigious universities in Japan. At the same time ranked 20th in Asia and 172 in the world for teaching quality.
University of Tsukuba has the following main training programs:
• Social and Humanities
• Science
• Science and technology
• Health and Health Sciences
• Environmental science
• Science and Technology and Energy
• Art and design
III. Registration subjects
• Specialized Field Practice III (1 credit): required: A
• Specialized Field Practice V (1 credit): required: A
• Specialized Field VI (1 credit): compulsory: A
• Global Issued Internship (1 credit): required: A
• Basic global society (1 credit): required: A
• ASEAN Global Agenda debate (1 credit): required: A
• Advanced mathematics (1 credit): elective: A
• Matheomatical Economics (2 credits): elective: A
• Marine biology (1 credit): elective A
• Introduction to contemporary Japanese society (1 credit): elective B
• Water environment management technology (1 credit): elective: A
IV. Life in Japan
Tsukuba is a suburban city about 50km north of Tokyo, so it is very quiet and airy suitable for studying and living. April is a quite cold time, so you need to prepare clothes to keep heat. But April is also the season for cherry blossoms, so this is actually quite a rare opportunity to see the cherry blossoms completely. The campus is surrounded by cherry trees and lawns for students to sit for lunch or relax under the trees.
University of Tsukuba has a dynamic, professional learning environment, facilities as well as very modern equipment. The campus is surrounded by greenery, with many quiet spaces for studying and research.
The Japanese and international students are extremely friendly, enthusiastic and always help us to integrate into a different environment. Being acquainted and making friends with international friends has helped us learn more about cultures, working and learning styles.
V. Activities
Every Thursday night, we attend Asean Coffee (Campur) organized by TAG - AIMS to create a playground for international students at Tsukuba University to learn more about the rich cultures. in Southeast Asia and other countries. The purpose of this project is to develop friendship between nations.
Games such as quizzes, quizzes, chasing words are organized to deepen knowledge of cultural and historical culture, increase cognitive ability and intelligence for players. There are also games such as tug of war, snake dragons to the clouds, flagging ... requires a combination of teammates, solidarity and a good foundation of physical strength. Through this, the students will understand each other better as well as better understand the customs and cultures of other countries.
In addition, we have an extra-curricular trip to high school in Saitama province to exchange culture and answer their questions about Southeast Asian countries. Thereby, we have gained more knowledge about education system in Japan.
Visit Team Lab at TOKYO
Picnic in the city center
VI. Conclusion
The semester of exchange in Japan has left us lots of beautiful memories. An experience will hardly have a second chance in life. After the trip, we will learn a lot from our international friends. We would like to thank the School of International Education, Thuyloi University for giving us the opportunity to participate in the exchange program in Japan. Hopefully in the future there will be many students have the opportunity to continue to participate in this exchange program.