Max Lee
Max Lee (he/him) - Stanford in Kyoto
Major: Undeclared, likely Math or Data Science
College year while abroad: Spring 2025
About the photo: This is me at Nanzo-in temple in Fukuoka, Japan. In the background, there is a 40m-long entirely bronze statue of the Buddha entering Nirvana.
Contact
Email: maxnlee@stanford.edu or click here to schedule an appointment.
Q&As
Why did you choose to study in Kyoto?
I chose to study in Kyoto because I love learning Japanese, which I started when I came to Stanford. I had this feeling that foreigners over-idealize parts of Japanese life, and I wanted to see what Japan was like for myself. Immersing myself in Japanese culture has been truly magical.
How did studying away support your academic growth?
One unexpected benefit of going abroad was a feeling of clarity. Before going abroad, I found myself extremely focused on my classes when I was on campus to the point where I didn’t have time to reflect. Being abroad helped me figure out what I wanted from my Stanford experience. I now feel like I can shape the rest of my time to cater towards my interests.
What did you learn about yourself during your study away experience, especially through any challenges or major cultural adjustments?
I learned that I worried too much about trying to speak perfect Japanese every sentence. At first, I was afraid to practice out of fear of messing up. But as I heard Japanese people try to speak English, I cared far more that they tried than how perfect their speech was. This gave me confidence that it was okay to mess up, and truly accelerated my rate of learning Japanese.
Briefly describe a typical day and your favorite part of daily life in your program location.
In the morning, on my way to class, I’d often bump into other Stanford students taking the same train, also cramming for the first period Japanese test. In the afternoon, I would have a combined class with both Stanford and Japanese students. After class we would often hang out and study with the Japanese classmates, or get dinner, then eventually make our way back and get ready for bed. My favorite part was the freedom and spontaneity between plans.
If applicable, how did participating in an internship, volunteership or experiential-based project help you grow professionally? What specific skills did you gain?
In the summer after my quarter abroad, I moved directly from Kyoto to Fukuoka, where I am currently living. I am working under a university professor to help conduct and publish research on the intersection of sports science and mental health. Learning Japanese from a new environment and being able to deepen my research skills has been very satisfying. Through communicating in a foreign language, I have been getting very skilled at distilling complicated ideas down into their simplest parts.
What was the most essential item you took with you on the program?
For me, it was a large towel. Japanese towels are very small and I would definitely recommend bringing a towel, if you can fit it. Maybe large towels exist in Japan, but I could not manage to find one, so when my parents visited, that was the first thing I asked them to bring.
What advice would you give students who are considering studying away?
Japanese is a very unforgiving language for foreigners. Simple street signs are hard to read and the grammar follows a completely different structure from the romance languages. This poses a great challenge, which I believe you must mentally confront.
If you’re already mentally committed to going abroad, the best advice I can give is to get excited because that will bleed into your passion. The second best advice is to not miss the 終電 (last train of the day). Or at least, miss it once and never again.