Past Review
By Euvelester . (Political Science and Japanese, The University of Texas at Austin) for
IES Abroad: Nagoya Direct Enrollment - Nanzan University
Of course it was worthwhile. I have made a ton of friends and wonderful memories. If anything I would try to pick the Tokyo program to see if maybe they can offer a better academic experience.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I did not learn many new things in my new class because the material covered was already taught at my home institution. The evaluation test at the beginning of the year did not do a good job of measuring everyone's abilities because it was based on one set of textbooks. Because many universities used other books, many students had learned different things and focused on other aspects of the language. Although the test could have made it easier for the teachers to teach us, it shattered the hopes and the confidence of many students in their Japanese proficiency. Because I was on a much easier class the workload and the grading system were too lenient. There were some teachers that based their entire lectures on only one learning style, so if you could not do anything if that particular teaching style did not suit you. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The IES program coordinator did an outstanding job to make sure we were safe and enjoying our stay in Japan. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Like an American co-op. One big kitchen and community room with single rooms and bathrooms. Communal showers. <br /><br /> I had a wonderful time at the dorms. |
| * Food: |
I wish I had more money to purchase more food, but it helped because I lost a ton of weight. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made a ton of wonderful friends and connections with both locals and Americans. |
| * Safety: |
I didn't get sick so I can't rate it, but the IES program coordinator in Nagoya made sure we were always safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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? | None whatsoever. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Intermediate Japanese |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
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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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* Who did you take classes 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? | Make sure you ask a lot of current students about their academic experience and the teachers because there were a lot of problems with teachers. Also make sure you stay close to the university because commuting can be a very bad experience. Finally only take the required amount of classes so you can have fun doing what you want. |
