About Me

Hello! I am Rei Meguro, and I just graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science! Originally from Tokyo, Japan, I attended K. International School Toky,o where I completed the IB Diploma Program.

Growing up, I was able to receive an English education due to the influence of my parents, who wanted me to grow up with a global mindset. This made studying abroad seem like an obvious choice. Since I already had a clear idea of what I wanted to pursue, I also knew that studying abroad would provide me with a high-quality education and more opportunities than possible in Japan.

My Choices for University

I chose the US as I was most familiar with it, both about its education system and its culture. Having frequently gone to California with my parents for vacation, I’d had firsthand experience of its culture. Since their economy is stronger, I also thought it had

better employment opportunities, in addition to their strong computer science programs. However, I also applied to top programs in the UK and Singapore.

I applied to some of the Top 20 US schools, and the top schools in the CS field, mostly in the US but also a few in the UK and Singapore. After decisions came out, I was accepted into UMich, Purdue, a few safety UC schools, and a couple elsewhere. Outside of the US, I was also accepted into UCL (University College London), Edinburgh, a few others in the UK, and NUS (National University of Singapore).

Why University of Michigan?

A senior with whom I shared a very similar background had gone to UMich, and we had talked frequently about their courses and culture. This helped me gain an understanding of life there and see if I was a good fit. Additionally, out of all my other choices, it had the best CS program, with interesting courses, massive research grants, and countless technical clubs that made it the most appealing to me.

My Stats + Extracurriculars

I didn’t have a confirmed GPA, as my school just sent transcripts, and universities made their own GPA based on it. However, I did submit my predicted IB score of 45/45, 1560 SAT, and 110 TOEFL.

In school, I ran a club where I taught students how to program in Python and gradually worked towards more advanced content such as neural networks and machine learning. I was also a part of my school’s MUN (Model United Nations) club.

Externally, I did research with a doctor and researcher from the St. Marianna University of Medicine, where I found that the expression of a certain gene could indicate whether the patient’s prostate cancer would metastasize (spread) andI published a paper on the topic as well. Additionally, I participated in SDG competitions where teams competed globally on the impact they had, as well as the Conrad Challenge – an entrepreneurial competition for students.

My Application Journey

In total, my applications took more than half a year, with a significant majority spent on writing my common app essays. I think I went through over 30 iterations before I was finally satisfied with it! In the end, I wrote about my experience running my Python club and how I overcame difficulties in finding members and explaining difficult concepts.

For my other supplemental essays, I ordered them by deadline and wrote 5-15 drafts for each. My drafts were checked by professionals and peers before I submitted

them. In the supplementals, I mainly focused on my research experience or being part of the school orchestra as a self-taught trombonist following my first-ever performance at our end-of-year concert.

Overall, I worked on my essays throughout September to February, with the busiest being between December and early January, working on 4-5 different essays simultaneously as the regular decision deadlines approached. My drafts were usually checked by the Route H program, which helped me check and refine my essays.

Financials

I am not on any financial aid or scholarships, and in addition to tuition, I spend around 2500 to 3000 USD a month for expenses such as rent, transportation, and food.

My Major

In Michigan, the CS program is taught and organized very well. However, the class sizes are really big, with around 200 to 300 students per lecture. Because of this, you are often required to keep up with the lecture and go out of your way to schedule meetings with professors or teaching staff if you have any questions. But thankfully, if you are organized and aren’t falling behind, this process isn’t too difficult. The class contents are very interesting, and I had a lot of fun!

Student Life

Adapting to life in the US wasn’t too hard, especially since I’ve been here so many times with my parents. However, the hardest part was finding good food that wasn’t overpriced!

As a first-year student, you also get a lot of support from the academic advisor and can continue receiving this support throughout your time by booking meetings. This helps with keeping the transition process very streamlined.

There is a lot of flexibility, so it’s up to you to balance this. Despite this, even if you take the full 18 credit hours (maximum per semester), there is plenty of time left for extracurriculars. Even though I had multiple internships simultaneously in addition to my

courses, I still had time to hang out with my friends and play games in my free time.

In addition to my courses, I’ve also worked as a teaching assistant for one of the classes and have done a variety of internships remotely. When I have time, I sometimes join the dance community, performing one or twice a year.

Networking and Friends!

I am part of the Japan Student Association here, where I organize events and performances approximately every two weeks. I’ve met most of my friends through the Japan student association, and it has helped me a lot in finding people with similar interests!

Although I’ve met some friends through classes, I don’t hang around with them as often as others because I only meet them for a semester while taking that class. My tip is to find a place or community where you feel like you belong and venture out to attend new events to discover more people!

To My Younger Self…