Rigorous but Rewarding Past Review
By Katherine Debettencourt (Brandeis University) - abroad from 06/05/2017 to 08/03/2017 with
CET Japan
Studying abroad was definitely worthwhile. Not only did my language skills improve immensely, but I feel like I learned a lot about myself, and my independence and self-confidence grew as well. I met some great friends and got to see and experience a lot of the country I've been interested in for quite some time.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| 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. |
The program was very fast-paced and rigorous, with approximately 4 hours of class time each day as well as homework, outside interviews and projects. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Administration sometimes felt disorganized or difficult to get a hold of, but were otherwise accessible and willing to help. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Housing was equipped with most necessities and conveniences (including kitchen, washing machine, air conditioning, etc) and were in close proximity to the train stations. The largest hurdle for me personally was dealing with the living differences between my roommate and myself, as we were not necessarily paired together based on tidiness or sleep schedules. |
| * Food: |
Very accessible, whether it be the university cafeteria, one of the abundant convenience stores, or the several delicious restaurants. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The roommates make a great effort to show you around and include you, and the language pledge and overall experience is very immersing. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I required no vaccinations and experiences no health troubles while abroad, but the administration is available to help you get care and translate for you should the need arise. |
| * Safety: |
Japan is overall an incredibly safe country, and I never experienced any significant incidents. As a foreigner you do receive more attention, but it was not hostile. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Osaka was a fantastic city to experience life abroad in Japan. It is large but not overwhelming like Tokyo, and the people are overall very friendly. The university has a lot of foreign students every year, so people in the area are used to seeing study abroad students and are very kind and patient with the language barrier. I met a lot of like-minded people in my program and living with a local roommate was invaluable for getting settled in as well as having someone your age available for questions or just general activities. |
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) |
Expenses in this program were front-loaded with unexpected purchases like a train commute pass. They were refunded if you asked the administration but not paid for up-front, and it was often important to keep your own cash on hand. Depending on how often you ate out/what you bought, expenses ranged anywhere from $100~$200 a week, and almost all transport is public. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
The program runs a rather strict 24/7 Japanese-only language pledge. |
| 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? | Japanese 30A (3 semesters worth) |
| 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? | Conversation and vocabulary was by far the most important aspect of communication--even if you couldn't understand the full sentence, understanding key vocabulary helped immensely. There is a brief kanji section on the placement exam at the beginning, but I wouldn't recommend prioritizing kanji study over grammar/vocabulary. |
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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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I found out during the course of the program that they had accepted a lot more people than in previous years, meaning they had to scramble to find enough local roommates and the administration was clearly struggling to organize and stay on top of so many people. It didn't negatively impact my own personal experience much but I heard of some issues from friends/classmates. |
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 LinguistYou 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! |
