My year abroad in Tokyo Past Review

By Catherine S (International Relations - Political Science, Wellesley College) for

Direct Enrollment: Tokyo - International Christian University

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Yes, my experience was very much worthwhile. Especially in the area of language acquisition, which was my main goal, I felt I gained a lot but I also gained much in terms of valuable experience and life-time friends.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+
The term and year this program took place:	Full-Year 2009

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The Japanese language program is amazing and they have great teachers as well as teaching tools. The grading system is on an A, B, C, D system so there are no +/- which can be difficult. But grading is fair and As are attainable if you work hard.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	I lived in a relatively new on-campus dorm, Global House. <br /><br /> It was extremely comfortable and I wouldn't have lived anywhere else. Minutes away from the classrooms yet with a fun social life, everything was perfect. I brought my own bedding but couldve borrowed from a dry-cleaning service and everything else was there for me as we share with regular 4-year students.
* Food:	While cooking food was alright, the dining hall was closed for the whole academic year and the temporary dining hall significantly restricted our choices and were not always healthy. Eating out is fun but choices are again restricted in the proximity of the school (most restaurants are a 15 minute bike ride or a couple train stations away).
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I had lots of fun but as the school is a little far from city center it was inconvenient getting to the city.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:	Tokyo is extremely safe and I never had an issues with healthcare.
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* 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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	Not sure as I really didn't calculate but if you cook youre own food you can really keep spendings to a minimum!
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	None.

Language

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Fluent
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	JPN309
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?
Language acquisition improvement?	Living in a dorm with many English-speaking people made me not speak Japanese all the time but I used the language everyday and my friends were more than willing to help me learn/talk with me.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university?	Direct Enrollment

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students International Students Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students

A Look Back

* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	If its right for you then go for it! I had learned Japanese through speaking it with my mother so I wanted a program tailored to that. Its a fun school but is a bit far from city center so take that into account. Overall, its a fun school and I've made many friends that I will keep in touch with in the future.