A Mind-Blowing Experience! Past Review
By Ken T (University of Hawaii - Manoa) - abroad from 09/26/2011 to 07/31/2012 with
Waseda University: Tokyo - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned to broaden my horizons, become a better person, learning a new culture, making new international friends. It definitely was.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Waseda University has a great program for welcoming studying abroad students. I would only suggest that Waseda would give studying abroad students the Milestone (a book with all the circles on campus).. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with my relatives so I can't comment on dorming/apartments. |
| * Food: |
Unlike UH, restaurants around Waseda understand these are college students and price appropriately. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The circles were very good for integration. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
I don't think it's as bad as people think when they think of Japan. However, some people do go drinking and partying every week which naturally would raise the cost, but to be able to experience the culture and live reasonably then I think it is very manageable. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $35.00 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Make a budget and stick to it. Don't party too much - you can probably do that at home and it's not a good way to make the most of your time in Japan. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
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| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | N/A |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Get involved in circles, try not to hang out too much with your native speakers. Maybe with one or two of them, go join Japanese circles and use Japanese. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | About all the Japanese circles I could join. |
