Sep 20, 2025
EAP2 Guest Lecture｜Tips from Senior Students: Graduate School, Study Abroad, and Internship Experiences
OBJECTIVE.
As part of the BBL Program, we regularly invite guest speakers to deliver lectures in English, providing insights related to the course content. This time, in the EAP2 class, we welcomed the professor overseeing the BBL Program along with two senior students to speak to those interested in graduate school, studying abroad, or internships. They shared a wealth of valuable, real-world insights — from program overviews and personal experiences to the challenges they encountered when choosing their paths, and how they overcame them. Their stories offered practical advice that will surely help students as they consider their future career options.
Representing the participants, Ms.Ngo Nguyet Ha Nguyen, a second-year Business student, prepared a summary report of the lecture.
Guest Speakers：
Professor Gene Thompson, Director of the Bilingual Business Leader (BBL) Program
Mr Senju Kuru: First-year student in the Master of International Business (MIB) Department at Rikkyo University.
Mr Taisei Mogi: Fourth-year student in the College of Business at Rikkyo University.
Representing the participants, Ms.Ngo Nguyet Ha Nguyen, a second-year Business student, prepared a summary report of the lecture.
Guest Speakers：
Professor Gene Thompson, Director of the Bilingual Business Leader (BBL) Program
Mr Senju Kuru: First-year student in the Master of International Business (MIB) Department at Rikkyo University.
Mr Taisei Mogi: Fourth-year student in the College of Business at Rikkyo University.
From left, Professor Gene Thompson, Senju Kuru and Taisei Mogi
【Summary Report by Ms Ngo Nguyet Ha Nguyen, Second-Year Global Business Department】
Students learned about the study abroad and graduate school experiences of two College of Business (COB) students at the first guest lecture of English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP2) in 2025. Mr. Senju Kuru (a 2nd year student of the Rikkyo Graduate School of Business, and a graduate of the College of Business) and Mr. Taisei Mogi (a 4th year student of the College of Business) discussed their personal experiences as college students. Their speeches conveyed insightful knowledge and advice for EAP2 students on studying abroad, internships, and personal development.
Mr. Senju Kuru, currently pursuing a Master’s in International Business Degree (MIB) at the Graduate School of Business, presented about his busy college life as a Rikkyo COB student. His journey began with his first exchange trip to a language school in Ireland, followed by internships at EF Tokyo as an ambassador and hotel staff at The Westin Tokyo, a training camp in Vietnam and finally, participating in the COB exchange program in France. He suggested that the students could seek internship opportunities and connections from the professors and on-campus counselors, who will provide helpful advice and support. Mr. Kuru ultimately decided to pursue higher education by taking advantage of the 5-year accelerated MIB program that allows students to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees in only five years. Senju also noted that COB students can take advantage of this program alongside other opportunities, such as the two-year MIB International Double Degree (IDD) Program, under which students can achieve two graduate degrees.
Raising similar themes about the opportunities available to COB students, Mr. Taisei Mogi, a fourth-year student, explained about his one-year study abroad experience at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. In his presentation, he discussed challenges, achievements and memories about international friendship, homesickness, and independence. He talked in detail about the stages of his study abroad experience, which marked not only significant improvement in his English skills but also an inspiring spirit to step out of one’s comfort zone. Taisei also introduced one of his other activities as a student, which has been to bassist undergraduate students to effectively utilize LinkedIn for job hunting as a member of the ‘LinkedIn Student Club’.
The lecture was wrapped up with an interactive Q&A session. Both speakers provided further detail to various questions from the students about work-life balance, overseas experiences, English learning methods and overcoming the fear of studying abroad. The lecture concluded with ‘free talk’ that allowed the students to connect with the speakers. From the student perspective, this insightful session equipped us with the tools needed to be ready for a globalizing world, and helped us understand how to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the College of Business and Rikkyo University.
Students learned about the study abroad and graduate school experiences of two College of Business (COB) students at the first guest lecture of English for Academic Purposes 2 (EAP2) in 2025. Mr. Senju Kuru (a 2nd year student of the Rikkyo Graduate School of Business, and a graduate of the College of Business) and Mr. Taisei Mogi (a 4th year student of the College of Business) discussed their personal experiences as college students. Their speeches conveyed insightful knowledge and advice for EAP2 students on studying abroad, internships, and personal development.
Mr. Senju Kuru, currently pursuing a Master’s in International Business Degree (MIB) at the Graduate School of Business, presented about his busy college life as a Rikkyo COB student. His journey began with his first exchange trip to a language school in Ireland, followed by internships at EF Tokyo as an ambassador and hotel staff at The Westin Tokyo, a training camp in Vietnam and finally, participating in the COB exchange program in France. He suggested that the students could seek internship opportunities and connections from the professors and on-campus counselors, who will provide helpful advice and support. Mr. Kuru ultimately decided to pursue higher education by taking advantage of the 5-year accelerated MIB program that allows students to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees in only five years. Senju also noted that COB students can take advantage of this program alongside other opportunities, such as the two-year MIB International Double Degree (IDD) Program, under which students can achieve two graduate degrees.
Raising similar themes about the opportunities available to COB students, Mr. Taisei Mogi, a fourth-year student, explained about his one-year study abroad experience at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney. In his presentation, he discussed challenges, achievements and memories about international friendship, homesickness, and independence. He talked in detail about the stages of his study abroad experience, which marked not only significant improvement in his English skills but also an inspiring spirit to step out of one’s comfort zone. Taisei also introduced one of his other activities as a student, which has been to bassist undergraduate students to effectively utilize LinkedIn for job hunting as a member of the ‘LinkedIn Student Club’.
The lecture was wrapped up with an interactive Q&A session. Both speakers provided further detail to various questions from the students about work-life balance, overseas experiences, English learning methods and overcoming the fear of studying abroad. The lecture concluded with ‘free talk’ that allowed the students to connect with the speakers. From the student perspective, this insightful session equipped us with the tools needed to be ready for a globalizing world, and helped us understand how to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the College of Business and Rikkyo University.
