Study Abroad in Japan: Expensive but Worth It Past Review
By Amber D (Psychology, Howard University) for
CIEE: Tokyo - Summer Japanese Studies
This has been my favorite study abroad experience of the three that I have had. I learned so much about Japanese culture, language, and society that I brought back to my home university and events. It has also impacted my academic plans in that I became much more interested in international affairs after participating.
Personal Information
| If you took classes at multiple universities, list those universities here: | Sophia 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. |
The teaching methods were not much different but could have been more interesting or slower, in terms of the language courses. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The host support was really great. They planned some great cultural events for us, as well. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really enjoyed living in the hotel. Despite not being able to practice the language much while there, it allowed us to explore many aspects of Japan that we might not have been able to in a homestay, such as the night life. It was also made very homey with access to a fridge, hot water heater, and numerous drink and snack machines in the building. Not having to share a room was also a plus. |
| * Food: |
Food was great if not a little repetitive. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There were so many memorable events such as seeing the Daibutsu, going to Tokyo Disney Sea, having samurai/geisha photos taken, going to the top of Tokyo Tower, and visiting multiple museums and temples that really listing them all would be impossible. Some events like our weekend in the Japanese countryside and Tokyo Disney Sea were planned by CIEE. Others, such as the tea ceremony, the flower arranging ceremony, and the rakugo were planned by the host school. But most times, we were free to explore as much of Japan as we could get to, which I and many others did. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Since we arrived shortly after the tsunami and earthquakes, the CIEE programmers made sure to keep us informed of what to do in case another earthquake hit and we were unable to contact them. They also handled personal issues well, including one participant's sudden onset of motion sickness. |
| 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 learned a bit from the classroom training but due to the speed I was not able to keep up very well. However, the daily use of Japanese with Japanese people was one of the best parts of the program. Some people did speak English but Japanese was more common, which prompted me and others to pick up more of the language and use it, especially when asking for directions. |
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 did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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