Japan land, a one of a kind place. Past Review
By Marissa B (Biology, General., Clark University - Worcester) - abroad from 02/01/2012 to 05/26/2012 with
Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned A LOT about the culture/ the people. I had an image of Japan before I went, and it was definitely altered. I actually left with more questions than what I came with. Japan is truly a unique place, and people cant even begin to understand it until you've spent a good amount of time there.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | None |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Helpful, organized and informative. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Very strict rules, but the housing itself was really nice and well kept. |
| * Food: |
I love Japanese food, and the cafeteria had relatively cheap meals. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I made some local Japanese friends, it was nice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
SO safe. |
| 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) |
Transportation was expensive. Also, not being able to hold a job was tough since I like to work and make money. Also, the yen-dollar was pretty low during my stay there, so it was almost twice the amount. |
| * Was housing included in your program cost? | No |
| * Was food included in your program cost? | No |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | A LOT : $500 maybe even more |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Do potluck style cooking, where you cook for others and they cook for you. You can save money by buying bulk and splitting it, like going to costco. |
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? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | 2 |
| 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? | Study hard, and try to apply it to real life. It was hard for me since the Kansai dialect is harsher than the textbook language...but if you try hard enough you can master it. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
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? | That the area was not in a big city (small) and it was kind of difficult to travel in/out of it (time consuming/expensive). I wish I was in a bigger city (Osaka, kyoto or Tokyo) because the area around was sort of dead. But it was still lovely because I had great friends to spend time with there. |
