Past Review
By Jessica S (Film/Video and Photographic Arts., Ithaca College) for
Akita International University: Akita - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I've honestly become a lot more confident. I really grew a lot in my time abroad. After looking at Japan in one way for so long, it was a dramatic change to see it from the inside, in all its glory and disgustingness. It was the first time I had ever been to a country where English was not the first language, and that alone was terrifying/eye-opening/awesome.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2009 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The courses themselves were not particularly difficult. Balancing work with club/cultural activites was occasionally difficult. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
There was often a lot of confusion, but the staff was genuinely interested in helping me. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
On-campus student apartment in Global villiage. Had kitchenette, toilet, shower/bathroom, lofted beds. Shared with one roommate. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
I loved Japanese food, but the cafeteria was pretty dull and repetitive in its menu. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Health was difficult because the school nurse did not speak English. For more serious cases, such as when I got a throat infection, I had to go see a doctor in the city. There was a small swine flu epidemic/scare on campus. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Pace yourself. If you go on any big trips, save up for things you'll be buying. Make do with what you have rather than going out and buying all new things. Japan is expensive. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
It was too easy to speak English all the time, but my Japanese did improve a lot! |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
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Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Japanese Language 101 |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Intro to Japanese Society |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Darren Ashmore |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The teacher was excellent and the class was a thorough and balanced overview of the positive and negative aspects of Japanese culture. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
| Course Name/Rating: |
Manga Mania |
| Course Department: | |
| Instructor: | Darren Ashmore |
| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | The class has a lot of untapped potential, but is still very interesting. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
