An amazing, tough journey that is unforgettable Past Review
By A student (International Relations & Japanese, Austin College) - abroad from 08/30/2013 to 12/18/2013 with
IES Abroad: Nagoya Direct Enrollment - Nanzan University
I learned a lot about myself, daily lifestyle of the Japanese, and a lot of Japanese. I gained many memories, experiences, and a family. It was most definitely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Extremely rigorous academically, but library is very nice, there is the Japan Plaza, and CJS Office are all great resources. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
IES Nagoya staff are super nice and make sure to try and help/fix any problems you may have. They definitely helped make the trips a lot of fun and the whole study abroad experience better. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family was perfect and it seemed like Nanzan does a great job matching people up with host families. (They interview all potential families in order to best match the students!) |
| * Food: |
Nanzan has ton of choices, Japan has amazing food, etc. The only downside is: expensive fruit and it can get quite pricey. Go to Sushiro! |
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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: |
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| 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? | Budget yourself. Make sure you keep track of all your money and BUDGET! PLAN AHEAD. |
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 |
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| 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? | AP Japanese 5 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 10+ |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Study grammar and vocabulary for the placement test. If you don't know the answer, don't answer it. (Pretty sure it will lower your score if you get it wrong.) |
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 wish I had saved more money and studied more before leaving. |
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! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Tea Ceremony |
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| Instructor: | |
| Instruction Language: | Japanese |
| Comments: | Best class I took at Nanzan |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | I haven't tried transferring credits yet, but I doubt I'll have problems. |
