With time running out and the entry deadline looming large, a last minute application for a scholarship in Tokyo paid off for a University of Edinburgh student.
Alex McMillan only learned about the Thomas Blake Glover Aberdeen Asset Scholarship a few days before the closing date for entries, but realising it offered an incredible opportunity to develop his understanding of Japanese language, business and culture he gave it his best shot and applied.
His decision paid off as Alex beat off a record number of applicants to win the coveted scholarship and will jet out to Japan this summer to study at the International Christian University in Tokyo.
Alex is thrilled at being given the chance to study in Japan which he says will have a positive impact on his future career plans, giving him invaluable experience and knowledge of the language, country and culture.
With a First Class Honours Degree in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science from Edinburgh, Alex is now in the final year of a Masters in Sound Design at the same university. His fascination with Japan developed from him training in the Kendo martial art form and has continued with his desire to work in the digital music and games industry. This is an area which he recognises to be of great importance in Japan and he took up a part-time course to learn the Japanese language last year.
The Japanese games industry can be quite different to that in the rest of the world, and developing a greater knowledge of the country and its culture will help Alex to analyse and understand games, including translations and cultural references, and how these can be adapted and localised for other audiences.
Alex (24), a former pupil of Stewarts Melville School in Edinburgh, says: “I gained a glimpse of Japan through the small window of the Kendo martial art, and it made me want to learn more about values and culture that resonate with me.
“I started a Japanese language course which is helping me with translations and to gain an understanding of the media and games and when I heard about the scholarship close to deadline it almost seemed too good to be true.
“It was a long shot but I threw my all at it, and things worked out really well. I really wanted it to happen and it is just amazing that it has worked out this way and I’m thankful to the panel for choosing me.”
Initiated by the Japan Society of Scotland, and supported by Aberdeen, the Scholarship enables one Scottish student the chance to visit Japan to study language during a fully-funded course at the International Christian University in Tokyo.
This year it attracted a record 66 applications, with more and more students recognising the unique opportunities it delivers. Seven students were selected for interview and the standard of entry was extremely high but Alex shone out, said Japan Society of Scotland membership secretary David Russell.
Mr Russell added: “Alex was an impressive candidate who will, I am sure, do well and be an excellent ambassador for Scotland whilst in Japan.”
The scholarship attracted a good representation from the university sectors throughout Scotland, with the strongest interest coming from students at the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Edinburgh and Dundee who made up 61 per cent of the total number of applications.
More than half of this year’s finalists were students in Edinburgh and while female candidates made up 46% of this year’s total applications, only one made it to the final interviews.
The scholarship is named after the Scottish entrepreneur Thomas Blake Glover who was born in Aberdeenshire in 1838. Glover settled in Nagasaki in 1859 and played a critically important role in opening Japan to the west. Known as the Scottish Samurai, he introduced the first railway locomotive, started the Kirin brewery and influenced the industrial development of Mitsubishi. The scholarship aims to recognise these successes by providing young Scots with the opportunity to learn about business and culture in the hope of further improving Scotland’s historic links with Japan. Aberdeen Asset Management has been investing in Japan since the 1980s, opening an office in Tokyo in 2006.
Aberdeen Asset Management is sponsoring the Thomas Blake Glover Scholarship for a seventh year and chief executive Martin Gilbert, comments: “It is pleasing that the numbers applying for the Scholarship are considerably higher than in previous years, with applications coming from a good representation of the university sector throughout Scotland. The Scholarship is becoming well established in the academic calendar, offering an exceptional opportunity to study in a nation which has one of the world’s largest economies.
“We wish Alex every success with his studies in Japan and we’re sure the experience will provide valuable knowledge and experience as he makes steps towards his future career.”
More information about the scholarship can be found at www.facebook.com/GloverScholarship, www.twitter.com/gloverscholar and www.japansocietyofscotland.org.uk/