An amazing experience Past Review
By A student (Japanese Language and Literature., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 08/26/2012 to 12/16/2012 with
IES Abroad: Tokyo - Language & Culture
I learned a lot about the language and the Japanese people as well as their culture. I already had an idea about what it would be like but was shown I knew very little. I also learned that there is much to appreciate about all cultures and that there are good and bad with both. Finally, despite the clashing differences, there was much about Japan that was exactly the same in America.
Review Photos
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. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
It was great and the staff were very helpful, but they were closed on weekends and separated between two different campuses so it was difficult to have to go to both. However, the program has moved everything to one campus for future semesters so this should no longer be an issue for students. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorm and its residents were very nice and helpful. My only issue would be the curfew. It is understandable that the staff are concerned about the student's well-being, but it made it difficult to have any spontaneous plans. |
| * Food: |
Most of the food was really good, but don't go for the meal plan if you tend to be picky about what you eat. The dorm we lived in did not have much choice in what to eat everyday. |
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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? |
The staff showed a lot of concern over students' health and were very helpful in getting students the medical attention they needed. |
| * Safety: |
Japan is incredibly safe and there was rarely any concern about being outside alone, even late at night. However, we did have a couple of incidents where a suspicious person would want to speak to us, or ask for "services," but it was very rare. Chiba, where the program was located, was rated one of the highest for purse-snatching. But we kept an eye on our surroundings and no one in the program that semester had any problems. |
| 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) |
Living in general in expensive in Japan. If you are clever enough, you could live comfortably by buying cheaper food and avoiding travelling too much. But if you really want to experience everything the country has to offer, be prepared to spend a lot of money. It was hard, but it is worth it. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $90-100 per week on food. $10-20 a week on transportation. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | The convenience stores have really good bento lunches and snacks for a reasonable price. If you're looking for an easy and cheap meal, that's the place to go. And convenience stores are everywhere. If you don't like what they offer, try the one on the next corner. Fruit is really expensive, so if you need to get fruit, get canned if possible. But the price is worth it. The fruit is really good. 100 yen stores are awesome. It's amazing what you will find there for only 100 yen. |
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 |
We were not allowed to use English in Japanese class at all. It was really difficult, but I found myself learning a lot more than I expected because of 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? | JPN 330 3-PRACTICAL READING IN ADV JPN |
| 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? | Practice with native speakers at the school. They are generally very nice and love speaking to Americans in hopes you will help them with their English as well. |
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? | I wish I could have stayed for a whole year. |
