Japan: Best Summer Ever! Past Review
By E.J. B (Computer Science, Harvard University) for
Princeton University: Kanazawa - Princeton in Ishikawa (PII)
This was definitely worthwhile. I learned a ton. Both about Japanese Culture and the language. I made a ton of great friends and I generally just had an amazing time. It was probably the most fun I've ever had during a summer and I would do it again ten times over.
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. |
This was taught very well; however, it is challenging at times. There was a lot of work to be done, but I still had plenty of time to enjoy Japan and have a blast. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program was the perfect size. It was run with very, very few hiccups and was generally smooth the whole way. Would not change anything about it. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The host family was definitely one of the best parts of the program. Really enjoyed it a ton and highly recommend doing a program with home stay. |
| * Food: |
Food was excellent. Host Family made sure I was eating stuff that I liked and all of the food was awesome. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Met tons of great people and made lots of awesome friends. Very fun experience. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Japan is probably one of the safest countries on the planet. Additionally, Kanazawa is fairly small, so it is even safer. |
| 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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | I ended up spending a fair amount, but that is only because I chose to. You can get by on very little if you try, although it may effect your enjoyment of the program. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Taking weekend trips can be expensive! Be prepared. |
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? | 1st year Japanese |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
Almost nobody local spoke english. Japanese is a very difficult language, so it was difficult at times as only a second year student, but I got tons of practice speaking and listening. |
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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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you're on the fence between doing a language study or an internship- do the language study. You'll have the rest of your life to work, but you only have a limited amount of time to do awesome things like study abroad. |
