Past Review
By Timothy C (Political Science and Government., Tufts University) for
Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Fall 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The non-language classes were interesting, but very easy. The language classes were excellent, as is to be expected from the people who produced the Genki textbooks. I felt that my language classes were better here than at my home university. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The staff of administrators was always on hand at CIE to help you with any question, from classes to where the nearest drug store was. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I lived in a residential neighborhood. My host mom hated me for no reason that I was aware of, and she made my life very difficult for the last 2 months of the trip. Other friends had much better times with their families, so it seems my experience was an outlier. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
the dining hall was VERY cheap and had interesting food. My home-cooked food was also very good. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I had a few good friends, but social trips offered by the school filled up way too quickly and hindered my efforts to meet classmates. Living in a homestay really isolated me from other people, especially those in dorms. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Japan is very safe, so it wasn't an important issue. |
| 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? | lunch was between 300-700 yen at the dining hall. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Travelling, especially by bullet train, is very expensive. Food and clothing is also very expensive. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
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Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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? | Live in a dorm, and make lots of friends. Travel a lot, and go out as much as you can. The work is very easy, so spend time having fun, and not stuck studying on the weekends. |
