Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

An amazing experience, if not stressful Past Review

By (Texas A&M University - College Station) - abroad from 05/15/2016 to 08/30/2016 with

Temple University International Programs: Tokyo - Temple University Japan Campus

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned the outlook of young Japanese adults and about the issues relevant to their society

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Excellent professors, extremely heavy workload

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

TUJ staff are awesome, particularly OSS

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Self Housing

* Food:

Japanese food, what is there to complain about?

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

There were many opportunities to interact with Japanese students and others learning Japanese.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

HTH insurance provided

* Safety:

Japan is safe as long as your passport isn't expired

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)

Tokyo is expensive. If you are trying to actually experience Japan, you need to bring cash. Lots of it.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? ~$200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Learn to love Conbini food, learn to cook with basic Japanese ingredients to save money on food. Get your SUICA or PASSMO immediately.

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? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Intermediate 2
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Get out there and meet Japanese people. It's awkward at first, but you have to push yourself to try and use Japanese. Tinder may be a dating app in the US, but in Japan it's a good way to meet people of the opposite gender to have conversations and practice with.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Other
* 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? 10+

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Politics courses
  • Interacting with people from all over the world
  • lots of japanese application
* What could be improved?
  • Veteran's Services
  • Veteran's Services
  • Registrar's office on main campus
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That the main campus Registrar's office will screw up your GI Bill paperwork in every which way possible and make your life difficult, while also managing to take a week to reply to an email.

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:

Kanji II
Course Department: Japanese
Instructor: Matsuhashi
Instruction Language: English/Japanese
Comments: The class is extremely rigorous. We were finishing a chapter every other day, meaning between 10 and 18 Kanji every two days. If you are taking this at the same time as another Japanese course, you will be spending a lot of time doing homework. It requires a lot of studying, and even some students who were already familiar with much of the material barely managed a B. It is also paced rather quickly so it is difficult to retain what you learned last week. However, you do learn to "feel" Kanji a lot quicker, and the specific kanji covered are generally very useful. Matsuhashi Sensei is also wonderful.
Credit Transfer Issues:
Course Name/Rating:

America Superpower
Course Department: Asian Studies
Instructor: Kingston
Instruction Language: English
Comments: This was an extremely informative course. Dr. Kingston is very well versed, and his discussion style class really gets those who are interested involved in the conversation. I learned more from his course than I have in all my other political science courses in College.
Credit Transfer Issues: