Bad. Should avoid Past Review

By (Georgia Institute of Technology) - abroad from 04/01/2018 to 07/31/2018 with

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University: Beppu - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I guess it was worthwhile as I could enjoy my time anyway.

Personal Information

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.

Teachers come late, do not teach anything and the requirements to get any good grade is low. As such, students sleep and talk in class making it impossible to concentrate as a university student should. Academically speaking this university is bad, you will get nothing out of it.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

As soon as you arrive, nobody cares about you. Their student office is close minded and you have to fight to get anything done.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Even though 40mins away from campus, the provided accomodation is clean and ideally located near the sea.

* Food:

Japanese food is always good, mainly those ramen shop along the main road.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

* 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? No

Whatever my goal was to enjoy or study, I would not choose this university again. Except the fact that exchange students live together, there is almost nothing to do here (barely any bars in the city). Academically speaking this is a drain down and officers are far from being the brightest.

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? $100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Save money back home as transportation is quite expensive.

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

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? Beginner
How many hours per day did you use the language?

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • 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?
  • Food
  • Location
  • Friends
* What could be improved?
  • Academic
  • Administration
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew where I was going, I guess I wasn't prepared for such experience.