【究める vol.59】＜Student Voice＞Miljana Nikolicさん（Master's program at Graduate School of Letters）

Since I studied Japanese language, culture and literature at the University of Belgrade, I wanted to come to Japan to continue my studies in Chuo University. First when I came here I was a research student of MEXT scholarship for a year. Because I wanted to do my Master thesis about English linguistics, I used that year to prepare for the entrance exam and to work on my research proposal.

Chuo University was my choice because I found that some Professors are doing research on the topics I am interested in, especially studies concerning Language Teaching. This was something new for me as I never actually studied linguistics before.

For my research proposal I chose the Japanese and English conditionals. Mainly I wanted to focus on the differences between conditionals in these two languages. Especially how L2 learners of English and L2 learners of Japanese perceive these differences between conditional sentences, as they contrast in terms of tenses and usage. 

The reason why I chose this topic is that I noticed it is something very interesting to research and not many papers have been published about conditionals. Also I think it would be valuable contribution for all of the students who struggle to acquire Japanese and English conditionals.

In my research paper I managed to cover descriptions about English conditionals, and I intend to continue this for the Master’s thesis too. The plan is to cover Japanese conditionals and to create an experiment which would help to test all the predictions I have. Some of the Professors at Chuo University suggested that it would be good idea to maybe broaden the study to Serbian conditionals, as I am native speaker of Serbian language.

At Chuo University, everything was so different and every day I learn something new. Especially about writing research papers which is something very important for academic studies.

Another good thing is that I can learn from some of the best linguists from Japan, Canada, and UK, who our professors invite to Chuo University
as visiting scholars, at a lecture through internet and/or at conferences they recommend me to attend.

Graduate school of Letters is a place where you can truly learn from the best. All classes are interactive and divided in a very small groups especially for the Master's degree and Doctral course. In that way, everyone has a chance to participate. Often, there are conferences about SLA where students can broaden their knowledge and get inspired for some future studies.

Graduate school of Letters is a great place for everyone interested in languages. It can be either literature or linguistics, but either way you will not be disappointed. When it comes to the program I am enrolled to (English linguistics), it is good to say that some classes are conducted in English, very few in Japanese language. And the literature we use is 100% in English. Also, Professors allow international students to write report papers and Master thesis in English, so language should not be an issue.
You will have the chance to use the knowledge and also to conduct different experiments, like using Eye Tracking device, which is something that is not available everywhere.

Also you will be given a great support from your academic advisor who will guide you and help you with everything about the research you are planning to conduct.
Every department has its own library, so whenever you are in need to borrow a book about linguistics, English studies library is very well equipped. However, main Chuo University Library has a total collection of 2.3 million volumes. It is easily accessible through online database. This is a good place to find all kinds of books, research papers etc. for every department. One of the perks is that graduate students have access to more books than undergraduate students.
When it comes to getting all necessary documents, or solving any administrative problem that you encounter, Graduate School Office is always at your disposal.

Finally, Chuo University always organizes events to connect all international students with the help of people from G-Square, who are very nice, helpful and creative when it comes to making a party. There are also language labs which allow students to teach their native language to other fellows. This is one of the great opportunities to meet new people.