Prepare for the JET Program Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Japanese classes were great, and all of the professors for the other classes were very helpful and very interested in their subjects. It's just that the Manga course with prof Barry probably could have been better, IMHO

On-site administration of your program

I didn't really have much contact with them, but they seemed pretty good. Unless this includes teachers, in which case I'd probably rate it 5/5

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

There's a full kitchen complete with your own set of dishes, silverware, a few cups, and a teapot. Then there are communal pots and pans as well as many stoves, sinks, a few microwaves and toaster ovens, and even some rice cookers. The room itself was nice, it was very Japanese style with tatami mat floors. The bathrooms and showers were of amazing quality, and the dining room and lounge were both very nice, as were the dorm's keepers and the RAs. Literally the only thing I could think of that the dorm could do better is have snack machines. There were drink machines, but no snack machines =(

Excellent food gotten at amazing prices if you know where to go. Cafeteria was one of those places though, very good value

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I love the people I met at Kansai Gaidai, both exchange students and natives alike

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Health: I had friends who said the health program was good here Safty: We once received an email warning us that there were people who would grab your purse while biking by you. That was the most dangerous thing there at the time. At the same time I got that email, my home university sent an email reporting an on campus rape. 'Nuff said.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My skills improved quite a lot, but not as much as I would have liked them too. It would have been easier, however, if more people had taken the "Japanese only" policy seriously, both in the faculty and with the students themselves. I found myself speaking English all the time save for to Japanese employees at stores and restaurants or in Japanese class.

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• Americans