A time of new, amazing experiences and making lifelong friends in Beppu, Japan Past Review
By A student (Washington State University) - abroad from 09/13/2015 to 08/01/2016 with
ISA Study Abroad in Tokyo, Japan
I learned about different cultures and how to expand my horizons in terms of trying new things.
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. |
Ritsumeikan APU is a school more directed towards languages. It consists of one of the most international students at a Japanese university and they want to promote their diversity by having students focus more on learning Japanese and other languages, rather than any other academic courses. The professors there are also not as trained in teaching a lecture hall so their teaching styles are quite weird. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were very friendly and welcoming if I had any problems. They were also encouraging if I had any questions outside of their work hours. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very friendly atmosphere because majority of residents in the dorm were exchange students like myself. It was easy to make friends and we had many privileges. |
| * Food: |
Food was very convenient because everything was so close in range. Restaurants are also significantly cheaper than in the US so it encouraged me to go out and try all the different foods. |
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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? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
It's not so much the location, but the people I have met there felt like my family in Japan and I will definitely keep in touch with them for years to come. |
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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | apx $50 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | There are grocery and convenience stores close by, and bus transportation is very simple, so it's way more economical to make your own food most of the time. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | 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? | Make many local friends and join circles on campus. It's much easier to learn the language that way |
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 knew more about the school in general because it was quite hard trying to adapt their educational system. It was quite different from the American educational system. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Management Accounting |
| Course Department: | APM |
| Instructor: | Michael Cortez |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The professor was very unpredictable and unorganized when teaching the class. He was also very unfriendly when dealing with student problems or questions. I understand when a teacher should be strict with work, but he was not so with his own work. On one of the four exam days, he said he would postpone it to the next exam date because he didn't finish making it. Therefore, the class had to take two exams during one class period. I would not recommend taking his classes unless absolutely necessary for your major. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
