What are my chances to get accepted into either Waseda or Keio?

Your SAT is a bit on the lower side for PEARL, which tends to favor higher verbal scores due to the English-heavy curriculum. SPSE at Waseda might be more forgiving on that front since it's a newer program and they look at the whole application, not just numbers.

For Waseda SPSE, your GPA and debating experience could carry a lot of weight if you frame them well in your essay. The national debating competitions show you can handle English argumentation, which is exactly what SPSE wants. I'd focus your statement of purpose on specific research interests rather than just saying it's your dream school.

For Keio PEARL, the 1300 SAT is honestly going to be a hurdle since their average is usually higher, but a strong essay and that 7.0 IELTS could still get you considered. If you can, retaking the SAT in December or March would significantly improve your chances at both schools.

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the 5.5 in writing might raise some eyebrows at pearl since they're big on academic writing, but spse is more lenient about that. for both programs i'd recommend getting a recommendation letter from your debate coach if possible, that's way more impactful than a generic teacher one. also don't stress about missing volunteer certificates, just mention what u did in the essay and itll be fine.

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honestly the 1300 sat is gonna hurt more for pearl than spse since they filter by numbers sometimes, but i know people who got into both with similar scores so it's not impossible. for spse make sure ur essay mentions something specific about tokyo or japan policy-wise that got u interested, they like when u show u actually know what ur getting into. if u can get a teacher or debate coach to write u a strong letter that highlights ur speaking skills that'll help a ton since both programs want students who can hold their own in english discussions

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if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping

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kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.

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tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.

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