Japan: Life changing and eye opening Past Review
By Fred K (COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES., University of California - Merced) for
Tohoku University: Sendai - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I loved my time in Japan.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Tohoku University, Japan Womens University |
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
At Japan Women's University, the grading system was extremely difficult, but upon entering a normal Japanese university, the grading system got a lot easier. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were always there to help luckily as there were some problems that no one foresaw. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Was done through the university. |
| * Food: |
There are many delicious restaurants close to the dorms provided and as long as you can cook, the dorms provide cooking materials. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Go for a year as there are too many things to do in a single semester. For so many of the classes, they come in 2 parts and are lots of fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
If you ever move, change the address on your health insurance card. It is important. |
| 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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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I had to use the language in everyday interactions as there were few people who could speak English. The best thing to become as fluent as possible is to get into a relationship. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you choose to go here, you will have the time of your life. Japan quickly became one of my favourite places, again, and with how people were treated, how I was treated, and what happened, I have no regrets in going, only in having to come back. The one disadvantage of this program is that they intend for you to spend a lot of time in a lab and don't let you see too much of Japan, but many professors are lenient for international students as they do not have to show their work internationally. Overall, any location that I heard about is fun, but I wish I had more time in Sendai. |
