Thank you Japan Past Review
By Alex W (French, ILVS, Tufts University) for
Kansai Gaidai University: Hirakata - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
This isn't a world in which one country, mindset, or viewpoint dominates. Be able to critically and thoughtfully engage with that which is foreign to you. Sometimes that takes living in a different country or speaking in a different language.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Academics were manageable, not burdensome, easier than my home university, with lower expectations. Perhaps not such a bad thing considering there are better things to do when in a foreign country then spend all day in the library or with your head in a book. Teaching catered to a class that consisted equally of Japanese students, foreign students and native English speakers, therefore for native English speakers, the class should be slightly easier. In general the courses are modeled after American college courses and adhere generally to that. The Japanese language instruction is different, and above average, not as challenging as it could be. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Excellent help from the staff. Outstanding. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I am now a part of my host family's family. I cannot imagine having stayed anywhere else, and to be honest, staying with a family was one of the main reasons my stay in Japan was as awesome as it was. |
| * Food: |
delicious food. Japanese food is excellent |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
lots of Japanese students around, lots of things you can sign up to do, lots of ways to meet people. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
The administration was exceedingly informative about safety issues, the healthcare is expensive but comprehensive. |
| 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? | living with a homestay family allowed me to eat just a small lunch every day (usually of just white rice) for at the most 130 yen, sometimes 100 yen if I ate the smaller portion. Doing this saved me enough money to eat out at New Delhi (local Indian restaurant) once every couple of weeks at which you can buy just naan (200 yen) or curry (500 ish yen) and they'll give you a bunch of free stuff too, especially if you go with other people. Sometimes my homestay mom would even give me white rice for lunch but this was extremely unusual and should be expected or asked for by any means. Only other expenses were transportation to places (relatively expensive) and going out (karaoke can be pretty cheap), as well as snacks (but if you shop at Gyomu supa - the bulk supermarket - there is one in hirakata near the station - food is definitely affordable) I guess if you wanted to be really spartan and cheap you could live off of 2000 yen a week if you eat white rice for lunch most weekdays, bike to school and stay with a homestay family and only go out once a weekend to a relatively cheap form of entertainment |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Err on the cautious side and conserve your money at first. It's easy to think that 100 yen isn't that much but it's a considerable amount more than a dollar and it usually gets you less. Travel by night bus - definitely the cheapest way to get around. Watch out for hidden cover charges at izakaya's, the usually either have a cover charge or you automatically get an appetizer (that you dont want) for which you are billed. Ask up front about it, but even then sometimes they're shifty about it. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | JPN 003, or three semesters of Japanese (Genki books) |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
speaking partners, teachers, ta's. Everyone in the program does speak English though. |
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 live with?
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? | I want to tell you to do homestay because it was such a good thing for me. But honestly, if you just want to party and mess around in a foreign country, I wouldn't ever want you to do homestay because the Japanese hosts actually really care about what they're signing up to do. This program is good for a large variety of people, just make sure you choose the right living situation that fits your needs. Seminar houses are the more social (with your foreign peers) environments. |
