Challenging and Rewarding Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

My class had 5 students and 4 teachers, which allowed for a very favorable learning environment. The teachers were very experienced and knowledgeable. In addition to the teachers, there were also many on-site staff who were always available to talk about anything.

On-site administration of your program

The program staff had their offices open all the time. If you stopped by to ask a question, they would drop whatever they were doing to answer you. Additionally, they were available by text and phone 24/7 and always responded promptly.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

CET housing was decent. The neighborhood was nice and convenient. It was an 8 minute walk to the train station and had many close parks. Kitchen supplies and some other useful items were included with the room. The building was and some of the appliances were old and sometimes broke. I did have a big issue: CET should be more clear about housing costs and allow for more utility use without charging extra. On their website it says that housing is included; however, many people ending up paying a significant amount for extra heating/electricity/gas costs. The amount of utility that CET covers is especially low compared to US standards. We were given utility bills every month with a very small amount of covered utility cost. Everyone in my building went over my more than $10 every month. Some students went as high as $80 per month. In November, I used no air conditioning and was very conservative about my energy use, and still ended up going $10 over. At the end of the semester, CET issued a partial refund to students to cover some utility costs. However, many people still had to pay extra. Additionally, students were not told about this refund at all. According to program staff, CET is not expected to issue this refund, and it is dependent on how much program budget CET has remaining at the end of the year.

The food was so good that I couldn't believe it. Every day I was eating delicious and healthy meals, even if they were from the supermarket or convenience stores. You can cook yourself or buy cheap meals. The university dining hall was great and I really recommend it. They sell great meals that come with rice and Miso soup for less than $4.00. Also, the university gives study abroad students discounts on certain meals and also at the university cafe. Restaurant food was also amazing. I miss the food a lot.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

You house with local Japanese roommates, which contributes greatly to cultural immersion. I became great friends with the Japanese students in the program. They are doing this program because they want to interact with foreigners, and they always wanted to hang out with me. I went to my floor-mates Grandparent's house in the county to make mochi, and it was a traditional Japanese-style house. It was a really great experience that would be hard to have without a deep connections.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I did not have any health issues during the time I was abroad; however, CET covered health insurance. We talked about health insurance in detail during our information sessions. Two of my fellow CET members had to go to the hospital for serious injuries and CET program staff not only brought them to the hospital, but also stayed with them the entire day until they were comfortable.

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world and our city and college felt extremely safe. I frequently went for runs on public roads and paths when it was dark outside yet I never felt uncomfortable.

It was one of the best experiences of my life.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Prices for food and supplies were pretty low all around.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

We had a language pledge to speak only Japanese both inside and outside of the classroom. We always spoke Japanese.

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• Apartment

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• Local Students
• Americans

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• Americans
• International Students

• The people
• The food
• The city

• Housing

The Academic or Linguist