Studying and Living in Nagoya Past Review
By A student (Linguistics, East Asian Studies, Brandeis University) - abroad from 09/02/2019 to 12/18/2019 with
IES Abroad: Nagoya Direct Enrollment - Nanzan University
No matter how much you think you know about life in Japan, nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. To me these experiences were, as they say in a certain credit card commercial: priceless.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I chose to study abroad for the experience of learning in Japan and to use the language more, not for improving my language skills. I have mostly self-studied (and have passed the JLPT N1) in addition to taking courses at my home university, so I didn't see the language class requirement here as anything more than that. While I did gain good practical use of Japanese, the fact that there are classes every day makes it feel like high school for better or worse. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
There are a lot of hospitals/pharmacies/drug stores near the school which can come in handy. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
IES provides a lot of support. |
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) |
IES reimburses you for transportation costs above 6000 yen/month which helped a lot because in addition to the subway I had to use Meitetsu Bus, whose commuter pass prices are high. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Try to plan how much money you will be spending and try buying used items if you can. |
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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| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Talk to Japanese students. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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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 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? | The school is on a steep hill. Prepare for the leg workouts. |
