Engagement with Japan at all Levels Past Review

By A student (Middlebury College) - abroad from 08/18/2019 to 11/22/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Tokyo

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

My language skills increased tremendously, and I was able to pass the N2 level of the JLPT when I returned! I also made several friends, and improved my awareness of cross-cultural barriers and how to surmount them.

Review Photos

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Tokyo Photo

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.	The Middlebury-run courses were wonderful, but I didn't much care for the structure of the courses at ICU. They weren't as challenging as I was used to, and seemed to include too much "busy work" for not enough academic benefit.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program	Wonderful! Eda-sensei is amazing.
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	The dorms at ICU are incredible! My only regret is that they do not allow one-term international students to be housed in a regular dorm with native Japanese students.
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	I felt very integrated for such a short program. I felt that the mandatory Regional Activities/Community Engagement experience was very helpful in this, as was participating in extracurriculars at school.
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes The location was wonderful, my teachers were awesome, and the Language Pledge greatly improved my language ability.

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)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	about $115 a week, mostly on food and bus fare.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Bike places instead of taking the bus where possible, and buy food as cheaply as possible. Make your own meals and don't eat out unless its a special occasion. Vending machines are everywhere and they can eat up your extra cash without you really realizing, so beware of how much you are actually spending!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	We were Pledged to speak only Japanese for the duration of the program.
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?	JAPN 302 (the seventh course in a typical course of study at my institution))
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Speak it as much as possible, casually with your friends! Practice is key.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	The teachers! Having Community Engagement as a course The opportunity to participate in extracurriculars
* What could be improved?	Structure of the Community Engagement course: it started too late. I think there should be a way to match us to probable work sites before arrival so that we can get started right away
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I wish that I had talked more seriously about finances and how much money daily life was going to cost. I am used to having food included with tuition at my college, so that was a major adjustment for me.

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 Academic or Linguist You went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Language in Japan
Course Department:	Linguistics
Instructor:	Long
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	The course was interesting, but I felt as if there was not much of an attempt made to engage us in continued learning outside of class hours, and there was not much in the way of regular assessment of learning.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	JLP 6 (Japanese Language)
Course Department:	Japanese
Instructor:	Hagiwara
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	The class was challenging, but not in a way that promoted learning. There was a lot of cramming for quizzes without really absorbing or otherwise engaging with the content. There was not enough opportunity to freely produce written and spoken language, and the teaching style felt unnecessarily rigid for a language course. Your grade would also suffer for absences, with no buffers and no excuses, even for legitimate illnesses or school-sponsored field trips.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Explorations of Contemporary Japan
Course Department:	Middlebury School in Japan
Instructor:	Eda
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	Wonderful. Field trips were appropriate and added a lot to the education. Essays were challenging but meaningful, and provided a good opportunity to synthesize our learning.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Community Engagement
Course Department:	Middlebury School in Japan
Instructor:	Arakaki
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	The highlight of my abroad experience. I felt like this course gave me the chance to integrate into the local culture, make wonderful memories, further build up my working Japanese vocabulary, and develop professional skills.
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Reflections on Japanese Culture
Course Department:	Middlebury School in Japan
Instructor:	Eda
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	This was a good way for us to take the time to reflect on our lived experiences as students abroad, and provide us with the motivation to really notice our surroundings and get in the habit of documenting our experiences and our out-of-the-classroom learning.
Credit Transfer Issues: