Past Review
By Jared R (PSYCHOLOGY., University of Hartford) for
IES Abroad: Tokyo - Language & Culture
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Full-Year 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
I really liked the academic classes IES offered. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Everyone in the IES faculty was helpful and friendly. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I really liked the dorms and my host family. |
| * Food: |
The food in Japan was fresh and delicious! I would suggest if you are a vegetarian or vegan that you either bring alot of supplements or not come as you will not be able to maintain good health in Japan (Vegans)if you only will eat vegetables and can't eat fish or dairy please be careful. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I loved my trips to Nagano, Nikko, Okinawa BUT I did not like that our entire trip was guided (schedule that was followed). I would have enjoyed the trip a but more if they gave us more than a couple of hours of free time during the day (After dinner which is usually at 7 or so you are free until the next day; mind you that each day starts at around 8 a.m.) |
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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? |
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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Before going to Japan I accumulated about $12,000 worth of scholarships. I used all of that up (mind you I paid for the IES tuition and program fees by myself). I would say you will spend about $300-500 on food and commuting, also factor in if you want to go drinking/ clubbing every weekend. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | 1. Transportation in General is expensive in Japan Trains and Buses are the least expensive way to travel when it comes to commuting (minus the shinkansen) TAXIS WILL BREAK YOUR WALLET (I would suggest you only take a taxi in emergency or with a group of people) Commuting WILL be expensive after a while (08-09 year a train ride will at least cost you 160 yen one-way, this may seem cheap at first but think about riding a train 3-4 times a day) (The price goes up the farther you have to travel on a train) |
Language
| Language acquisition improvement? |
They improved drastically over the year. When I first arrived I could barely speak a sentence without confidence. After my experience in the dorm and host family my language improved. |
Other Program Information
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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? | If you really want to experience another culture and have an interest in Japanese, GO TO JAPAN! You will love it there! |
