Worth the Experience Past Review
By Nancy S (University of Hawaii - Manoa) - abroad from 04/04/2013 to 08/02/2013 with
Kansai University: Suita - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Learned and traveled to different parts of Japan, which made me learn different things that I could not have learned through a classroom.
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. |
It depends on the type of classes you take. In addition to the courses offered in English, I also did direct enrollment in Economics and Politics, which was a lot more difficult, but really worth it. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Division of International Affairs office actively organized events throughout the semester to encourage international exchange. While some of the people who worked there were friendly, others provided little assistance. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Kansai University International Dormitory. The building itself is pretty old, but was recently renovated. Rooms were pretty small. Refrigerator/Freezer, A/C in rooms. Community kitchen, bathroom, showers on each floor. However, for the price, 30,000 yen, it wasn't bad. |
| * Food: |
A lot of places to eat on campus. Student cafeteria, convenience stores on campus as well as off campus. Variety of grocery stores near the station. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
I tried to avoid spending too much time with only international students/English speaking students, since I was there to improve my Japanese. Direct enrollment into two courses helped me integrate myself and learn more about the local culture. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Universal Healthcare in Japan. Pretty cheap.. About 2000 yen per month? I didn't get sick while I was there, so I never really used it though.. There are a lot of hospitals near the dormitory, including one right by the train station. There is also a clinic on campus. |
| * Safety: |
May be the safest place ever that I've been to. Walking alone at night never scared me. Only one major earthquake (5.6 magnitude?) hit while I was there. Only thing to be cautious about would be earthquakes and tsunamis. However, Kansai University and the dormitory is far away from the ocean, so tsunamis are usually not a major concern. |
| 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) |
It does depend on lifestyle, but compared to living in Hawaii, living in Suita (where the university is) is very cheap. Even at the more 'expensive' grocery market, I never spent more than 5,000 yen per week on groceries. I usually brought home lunch with me to school, so I think this is pretty amazing. The only thing is fruits are very expensive. Depending on the type of meat, it can also be expensive as well. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | 5,000 yen-7,500 yen |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | 100 yen shops offer lots of kitchenware, stationary items. |
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 |
They did offer Japanese language classes taught by students, but it's for lower level Japanese learners. The Japanese language class I enrolled in was not really that helpful.. Pace was too slow and it was more of rehashing what we should know. In other aspects, most correspondence with the Division of International Affairs was in Japanese. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Advanced |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | JPN 407 |
| 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? | Do not just hang out with international students or Japanese students who only want to practice their English with you, since this will lead to you only using English. This will defeat the purpose of coming to Japan to study. Participate in DIrect Enrollment. Join some clubs/circles. |
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? | N/A. I went in not knowing what to expect, and because of that, I learned a lot. |
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! |
