A trip that was expering, life changing, and intenese. Past Review
By A student (Asian Studies/Civilization., Berea College) - abroad from 08/14/2014 to 12/13/2013 with
Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I gained a deeper insight on what I want to do in life and my next step in my academic career. I also learned so much about Japanese culture that I would never had learned if I did not go to Japan. I also gained the ability to be more confident in myself. This study abroad trip was indeed worthwhile.
Review Photos
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 |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I felt that the fact that we had a curfew was pretty ridiculous. I went to Japan to experience the country and it was really hard to do under a curfew. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Sometimes when I left Kansai Gaidai to go to Osaka or Kyoto for a festival the residents were very welcoming and tried really hard to communicate and teach me the dances and songs so that I could participate. It was really nice. However I felt like I did not belong on the campus. I got a lot of stares but not many people wanting to talk to me or be genuine friends with me. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The healthcare was easily accessible for my case, I got a cold and the health services on campus were quick to help me. They also were very good at making sure they knew my allergies. |
| * Safety: |
The most dangerous thing that I observed while I was in Hirakata was that riding a bicycle can be really dangerous. I saw a young Japanese lady get hit by a car and it was a bad accident for the biker. But most importantly it was the bikers fault not the cars. I myself had a bike that I used my whole stay in Japan. My only tip for future students is that if you get a bike know the laws regarding road safety and pay really close attention to other bikers and cars. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | probably about $100 a week |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Just try to save as much as you can before going and make a budget of what you want to buy and how much you want to spend on traveling. Even better look up the cost is for traveling to the places you want to go before going to that country. |
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? | Japanese 103 |
| 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? | Just find someone else who either knows the language or is also learning the language and practice with them. Also find audio files and listen to the language spoken by a native speaker that can help a lot. |
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? | I wish I knew more about places to visit while in Japan because I would have like to go to many more places. |
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! |
