A Great Experience (Just Not For Me) Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I only stayed for one semester, in which I was limited to only taking the Middlebury-only exchange student courses and the JLP (Japanese Language Program). Those staying for additional semesters could increasingly take other courses, but it was limited, and those needing to take courses for their major/minor outside of Japanese seemed to struggle to be able to do so. My JLP class was particularly large, disorganized, and difficult to navigate; I don't feel like I retained information very well because there was so much pressure to memorize and do well on quizzes with very few questions.

On-site administration of your program

It was difficult to navigate all the red tape, but very accessible, as everything was accessible in English when my Japanese was not good enough to get by.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in one of the old dorms, and I found I really did not do well in that environment. Most students were juniors or seniors, more concerned with job hunting than they were making friends with people who would be leaving in a year anyway.

No dining plan, but the dining hall made food accessible. Local ramen shops and sushi places are easily accessible by bike. Most students cooked their own meals, which was not necessarily easy to do for students who weren't living in Japan permanently.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Not integrated. Japan is a very difficult culture to integrate into. Perhaps staying for the year would be better, but there is no central organization for clubs or student activities, which made it difficult to know what was going on. You will be considered perpetually foreign the entire time, no matter how good your Japanese may be. ost of my friends were other exchange students or 4-year freshman coming from an international school or another non-Japanese country, rather than 4-year Japanese students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

A doctor's note is required for missing class, and when I went to the school's health center because I thought I had strep throat, they were extremely unhelpful, telling me to take painkillers and "try my best" to attend class. The only painkillers I found contained caffeine, which made it hard for me to sleep and recover. I was expected to attend class and be responsible for the material anyway.

I felt very safe almost anywhere in the city; Japan is an incredibly safe place in general. While I didn't wander around by myself at night in Tokyo, I did feel very safe being in relatively populated/well-lit streets with a friend late at night.

In hindsight, I would have benefited more from a different program that was more centralized/integrated, or I would have benefited from not going abroad at all for personal reasons.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Japan is a very expensive country, with Tokyo in particular being pricy. Costs are lower if you can cook your own food, however.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

It was necessary to use Japanese on a daily basis, whether for class or just getting around and talking to people, and in the dorms it was very easy to use Japanese. However, other exchange students didn't necesarily speak or want to speak Japanese, and people you met assumed you spoke English, and would speak to you in English unless you proved you could speak Japanese, as to not make you uncomfortable. It was difficult to 100% keep to the language pledge, but I did use the language frequently.

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• Dorm

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• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• Location
• Food
• Internship/Volunteer Opportunities

• Support
• Centralized communication

The Academic or Linguist