My (Great) Experience Abroad September 07, 2025
By Kimora M (Education, Brandeis University) - abroad from 05/22/2025 to 07/05/2025 with
IES Abroad: Tokyo - Tokyo Summer
From this program I gained new insight and understanding of the Japanese language and broader culture. I gained new friends and had amazing experiences, it was definitely worthwhile.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Very Intensive program, classes everyday, quizzes everyday, and homework everyday. Teachers mainly speak Japanese |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Great staff! Very helpful! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Amazing housing, very spacious and comfortable. |
| * Food: |
Program does not provide food, must pay for food out of pocket. Staff provided great recommendations on where to eat |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Very immersive, spent time talking with Japanese students, exploring Japan and participating in cultural activities |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The staff was very helpful and went with you to clinics to translate and help. Getting services was very easy and getting medication was easy. Cheap compared to home. |
| * Safety: |
No problems at all |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really believe this program helped me understand the Japanese language and culture on a whole new level. My understanding skills greatly improved and even though it was a hard, I would do it all again |
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? | 100- 100+ per week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Utilize the family marts and seven elevens. Eating out can get expensive so try to budget how much you will spend each week . |
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 |
We were encouraged to speak and use the language at all times. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Intermediate |
| 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? | JAPN 40B |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try speaking to people, Don’t doubt yourself, most of the time people will praise you for even trying. |
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 knew just how intensive it was going to be. It was constant studying except for the weekends. |
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! |
