Awesome! I Will Return to Japan One Day Past Review
By A student (Japanese Language and Literature., The University of Texas at Austin) - abroad from 05/31/2012 to 07/15/2012 with
IES Abroad: Tokyo - Tokyo Summer
I made new friends, whom I plan to keep in touch with. I learned how to be more independent compared to before my study abroad experience. I also have matured during my study abroad experience. I can say that I learned first-hand knowledge about Japanese culture, after being taught for two years. I definately believe that this trip was worthwhile.
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. |
There was a lot of studying outside of the class. The teachers were helpful, and they also held their own office hours, in case you need help on understanding any information. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The program administration was nice and very helpful. I am glad I had the oppertunity to meet them. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The housing for this program was somewhat dissappointing. We stayed at the National Olympic Center. The center itself was okay, however in the dorm rooms there was a lot of mold. However, the program staff was helpful in removing the mold. On a more positive note the dorms location was perfect!!! |
| * Food: |
The breakfast meal tickets that were issued was not what I was expecting. In addition they could only be used at two cafes on site. Also,there wasn't too much of a variety to choose from. There wasn't any cooking supplies or even a microwave or a refrigerator. However, they did have a hot water heater, that came in handy more times than I can count. I can definately say that if this was available I would have a better food experience. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The program provided us with E-pals, whom were excellent. Although our area was in a great location, I would have to say that if you didn't go out and off site a lot the interaction with the Japanese culture was limited. So I definately suggest going off site often. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't get sick in Japan so I didn't use my healthcare insurance. Also, I didn't need to get any shots to go to Japan but I did get the meningitis shot since I was in a dorm environment. |
| * Safety: |
Japan was very safe and I personally never felt like I was in danger and there were a couple of nights where I walked home by myself. Of course you should still use the same precautions that you use at home. |
| 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) |
Tokyo is very expensive, as a matter of fact it was more expensive than I thought. And to make matters worst the Japanese yen is stronger than the US dollar at this time so it was even more expensive when looking at the dollar amount. I would say I spent a over $200.00 per week, majority of the expense went to food, but there are other factors too. |
| * 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? | I would say about $230 on food and transporation. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | When I first got to Tokyo I always took the subway. However, toward the end of my study abroad I began to walk places that were about 15-30 minutes away on foot, depending where you go. I also, tried to eat out less, and not eat as much a day as I did when I first got to Tokyo. I also invested in going to the supermarket, who became my best friend, which help save a ton of money. |
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 |
I started my upper-division class in Japan, so my professors never used English in the class. |
| 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 412L |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | More information on the other scholarships that are out there for study abroad. |
