Tokyo enhanced me on so many levels Past Review
By Tama M (Economics., Wellesley College) for
CIEE: Tokyo - Arts and Sciences
I plan on working in Tokyo when I graduate so I would say this is a good indicator of my experience there. It changed my perspective on being American in a foreign city as well as being American in America. I met so many international people as well as native Japanese people and I feel like you can only get that experience if you went to Tokyo.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Intensive Japanese courses were a heavy workload. The other courses very manageable. Bigger classes; less discussion. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They have an office on the university campus which was really helpful. They held events and meetings to check up on us. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived with my relative the first semester and in the dorm the second semester. In the dorm I felt my language skills diminishing because I was surrounded by other international students. We used English more often. I would recommend a host family for the entire year. |
| * Food: |
You have two options if you live at a dorm. One that provides food and one that doesn't. I lived at the one that doesn't so I'm not sure how the other one was. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Joining an organization really affected my abroad experience in a positive way. I would attend as many CIEE events as you can. They do a really great job in planning and hosting events. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The city is extremely safe. I would have no concerns for prospective students. CIEE also helps you if you do not have the language skills to visit a doctor, hospital, etc. They have lists of English speaking doctors. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | It ranges between 4,000 yen to 8,000 yen. It really depends on how much you go out. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It really depends on how much you want to go out. Drinking is a big part of the culture and the legal age is 20 so most of the exchange students went out a lot. Tokyo is an expensive city so you have to manage your money well. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 200 |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Family, friends- in student orgs I joined. Most people did not speak English. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're deciding between other programs in a different city, I would say to really evaluate the lifestyle you want to have. Tokyo is fast paced, energetic, efficient, and very diverse. CIEE really helps you adjust to this lifestyle- when it comes to transportation, language, host family, etc. |
