REN YIHAN

Voices of International Students

Oct 23, 2023

Doctoral Program in Policy and Planning Sciences, Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology

From China

What do you enjoy about Tsukuba (University of Tsukuba and Tsukuba City)?

I really love the atmosphere of Tsukuba Science City. It was December 2020 when I first arrived in Tsukuba, and I felt a different city from what I had imagined when I got off the highway. At first, I found Tsukuba a bit monotonous and boring, so I wasn't used to the city. But gradually I was attracted to this quiet place. Tsukuba does not have too many noisy entertainment places, and surrounded by many universities and research institutes, Tsukuba has a very strong academic atmosphere. In particular, the University of Tsukuba, like a small forest, is quiet and beautiful, often enabling me to bring peace to my heart. That's why I had the idea of continuing my doctoral studies here. Now that the COVID-19 is basically over, more and more events are being held in Tsukuba, and I'm experiencing the vibrancy of the city. I hope that Tsukuba, which I love, will get better and better.

What do you want to accomplish as a student of the University of Tsukuba during your study period?

Thanks to the guidance of Prof. Yoshiaki Osawa and the cooperation of everyone in my laboratory, I have been able to obtain a master's degree, and I am still working toward a doctoral degree. During these three years, I have been able to grow in many other ways as well as in my research progress. One of the unique features of our laboratory is the high school-university collaboration project (Kodai Renkei). I have actively participated in this project, and this summer I served as the moderator for two high school-university collaboration presentations, one in Teshio City and the other in Itako City. Due to various reasons such as lack of experience, poor Japanese, I was not able to give a very good performance. However, it was a very valuable experience for me and something I must experience before becoming a real adult. What I want to accomplish most at the University of Tsukuba is also to grow into an adult who can be useful to society in this step-by-step manner.