hard, interesting, and eye-opening. Past Review
By lizzy.herrera.75 (Austin College) - abroad from 03/27/2012 to 07/15/2012 with
IES Abroad: Tokyo - Language & Culture
Yes it was definitely worth while. I learned to be a stronger person and to not care so much about what other people were doing and thinking around me. I needed to not care so much about what other people thought of me. If I can survive what happened to me in Japan, I can take on America.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Kanda University of International Studies and Meikai University |
| 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. |
Sometimes communication with the program to the students on activities during the program was scrambled or what seemed non-existent. Just make sure your up-to-date about whats going on so you dont miss anything! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Like I said sometimes communication regarding Facebook and emails with the IES staff was a little screwy. Some students would get emails and some wouldnt. It may have just been the students but something felt off about updates the IES staff tried to send out. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I loved my host family. They were very open and honest with about their house and if I did something wrong they would usually tell me. Very unexpected considering they are Japanese and Japanese are very non-confrontational. It really helped. |
| * Food: |
There was not a whole lot of flavoring and you could not take food home with you if you did not finish it at the restaurant. No to-go boxes my friend (but there is take-out). |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
If you look foreign the Japanese WILL stare at you. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
If you felt sick even the tiniest bit the IES staff begged you to please let them know ASAP. It was comforting. |
| * Safety: |
The IES staff makes sure that you are alright in times of a crises. Even if an event happens in another city nearby the IES requires you to check in with them to make sure your ok. It was a little annoying actually. |
| 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) |
Food was expensive in Japan and transportation costs takes up a lot of your money as well. Be careful not to shop too much because you might find that you need that money at the end for transportation. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | Yes |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | Yes |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | keep track of your spending. I took a little book with me everywhere and jotted down what I bought and gave myself a monthly/weekly/daily budget. After awhile I got a handle on it and stopped using my book. |
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 |
Your in a foreign country for god's sake, use it. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Advanced |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate |
| 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? | Study the vocabulary! You can know all the grammar you want but its the vocabulary that will allow you keep the conversation going :) |
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?
Select all that apply |
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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? | To be prepared for the kind of people (other IES students) that I would share my experience with. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Japanese Level 2 |
| Course Department: | Japanese language |
| Instructor: | Onuma |
| Instruction Language: | Japanese/English |
| Comments: | You learn a lot of Japanese in the classroom and then use it outside of class. I really liked Onuma-sensei and how he taught the class. Look forward to him if you get him! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Japanese Marketing Strategies |
| Course Department: | Business |
| Instructor: | Sugimoto |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I only gave it three stars because sometimes I was a bit confused on the direction of each lecture. I did not seem very consistent with the title of the lecture. You learned a lot of interesting things but once again not very concrete. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
