Tokyo = Best place for a college student who wants to have fun Past Review

By (Computer Science (Wellesley College), Wellesley College) for

Japan Women's University: Tokyo & Kawasaki City - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
No one will "baby" you on this program, so you have to be prepared to take initiative in meeting people. That being said, I really enjoyed that aspect of the program and it allowed me to do a lot that I couldn't have done on many other programs.

Personal Information

If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: Waseda University, Japan Women's University
How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

teaching methods at JWU were not effective at all; the teachers just talked the whole class and did not listen to my input

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

The international office at JWU was not very good at communicating with me; my support group became my friends

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

host family's food was amazing, but I also ate out with friends almost every day

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

very little was arranged by my program; it is really up to the student to join groups and make friends to go on trips with

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

* Safety:

Tokyo is a very safe city; make sure you ask for recommendations from friends if you need to see a doctor

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

Finances

* 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)

Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Everything is very expensive, but the program's stipend is generous

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? Yes
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? 200 level courses
If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition?

Language acquisition improvement?

difficult to get by with only English

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

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  • Host Family
* Who did you live with?

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  • Host Family
* Who did you take classes with?

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