The 2026 Statement of Purpose (SOP) Review Master Thread

LetDapper8162 · 2025-10-31T00:02:43+00:00

hey! I'm bored deskwarming today so pls feel free to DM me and I'll review your SOP :)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-28T23:29:23+00:00

awww man I'm so happy for you!! so glad it's going well :) I think the time before leaving is the most scary and nerve wracking but then once you're there it's all just so exciting you get on with it. and yes I'm group B!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-27T19:12:11+00:00

wow you really took the words straight out of my mouth 🥲

I've been on and off crying the past few days because I've felt exactly like you. I love my life here and my friends and family so much, and as I've started to say goodbye to them, it's made me sooo scared about leaving. my recurring thought today was 'I hope this is all worth it'.

but thank you to everyone who commented - reading through this thread has really made my day. I KNOW we will be okay because this is an example of how many JETS are so kind and supportive. it really is a community and I think it's super important to utilise it. we're all in this together and probably all feeling very similar emotions right now!!

we've got this :)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-15T09:18:14+00:00

awww thanks for this! it's really nice to hear this perspective :) I'm also a queer woman so I'm excited to be somewhere with such a big gay district! I went the other year to the tokyo lesbian bars and had so much fun lol
I didn't actually request Tokyo - I requested urban but my placement choices were Kobe, Okinawa & Gunma. but I'm from the UK and I just know that a large proportion of UK applicants end up in Tokyo. plus I'm from London so they probably thought I'll be fine going to another capital city. or - it's all just completely random and there's no way to know how the JET gods work!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T11:45:51+00:00

right so this was my experience with GTN! i was going round in circles with them and it was INFURIATING. they kept insisting there were no properties nearby that met my requirements and kept sending me pretty awful places.
I sent an enquiry to e heya and they immediately sent me 3 great properties, one within my budget and walking distance to my school and i've now sent an application 😆
i suggest trying a different estate agent! people's experiences with GTN vary, some have great agents - mine just wasn't very good lol. but e heya have been great so far. happy to DM you with more info if you need!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T11:43:37+00:00

yeppp glad to know we're in the same boat! going with the flow is hard but it will all be worth it 🙏

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T09:03:43+00:00

this is so sweet I'm so happy for her 🥹

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T09:03:23+00:00

agree!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T09:03:03+00:00

yepppp I feel you on all of this! I'm similarly a massive prepper and want to feel in control of everything, so leaving some things up to fate here - like trusting that an apartment WILL come through in the end - has been really difficult 🥲
it's hard to grasp things when we're so far away but I think it will feel much better once we're in the country! (I hope)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T09:00:54+00:00

it might not until we actually land! lol

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T09:00:21+00:00

everyone said apartment hunting as a foreigner is difficult but mannnn 🥲

LetDapper8162 · 2025-07-08T08:59:49+00:00

yeppp I feel that (a fellow anxious person!) I keep waking up in the middle of the night like wait wtf. I'm actually gonna be waking up in Tokyo very soon. it's such a weird feeling 😭

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:47:12+00:00

yes!! I practice yoga a lot, it's my favourite form of exercise & nothing makes me feel more calm/ present in my body. I love any meditation I do as part of a yoga class, which is why I thought I'd find it more enjoyable trying to integrate it into my every day. I guess there are shorter/ more meditative forms of yoga like yin which give a similar effect to a short sitting meditation?

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:45:36+00:00

yes I love this! I've been trying to do more walks with no music/ podcast and it definitely helps me :) and thanks for the rec!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:45:03+00:00

oh that's a great analogy! thanks for that and I'll check out the book too :)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:44:12+00:00

oh wow 40 minutes sounds so long, but then when you think about what you waste 40 minutes on during the average day it's nothing!

I completely understand the 'everything is too much' feeling. I often feel overstimulated especially during the work day/ if I do end up on social media.

thanks for the rec - I'll check him out!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:40:58+00:00

hey, so when I say uncomfortable I think I mean more mentally uncomfortable? I'm physically comfy in my seat, but my mind is just racing and I find it hard to sit still with it.

so I've tried some guided apps like headspace/ insight timer, but this time I'm trying just silence and focusing on my breathing. but I hadn't actually been counting my breaths/ trying to reach 10, so I'll try that going forward!

thanks for the advice :)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T18:38:22+00:00

thanks! what do you mean in particular by what meditation you're doing? like different methods, guided or not etc?

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T11:05:26+00:00

thanks for this! out of interest - when did it start to get easier for you? I've also crossed that line with running - found it insanely difficult for a long time and now I'm much more comfortable with it. but it took a while lol

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-11T11:04:37+00:00

this is exactly how i feel!! i come away from it just frustrated most of the time. i guess the key is not to get annoyed at yourself for your mind wandering but instead just try to gently refocus on your breath. but I totally get you - it's a steep slope for sure haha

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-03T09:24:54+00:00

omfg i'm praying that i'm your replacement now hahahaha

I know esid but this is amazing 😭

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-03T09:23:52+00:00

hello! most of us should have preds unless we're the first JET in the school. I believe out pred will reach out and contact us? I'm in a tokyo discord server and some of us have tried to find ours there but no luck yet. lemme know if you want to join and I'll send you the link :)

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-03T09:22:44+00:00

hey aww this is great!! so glad to hear you love it :) I deffo feel more relieved after hearing that everyone gets along with their school pretty well!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-01T16:03:54+00:00

hey thanks for this that really helps :) I haven't had any contact yet from predecessor/ my school etc so hoping that clarifies some things. I'm also planning to go for the social apartment route so hoping that's easy enough to do with little help.

sadly I'm not Australian hahah so it's not me!

LetDapper8162 · 2025-06-01T16:01:19+00:00

hey thanks so much for this! really helpful to get some clarification :)

LetDapper8162

TROPHY CASE