Great program Past Review
By Joseph C (Mathematics, New College of Florida) - abroad from 01/08/2013 to 03/28/2013 with
KCP International Japanese Language School: Tokyo - Intensive Japanese Language Immersion
Absolutely it was worthwhile.
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. |
I tested right on the border of level 1 and level 2 and decided to take the easier option so that I could enjoy myself a bit in Japan. A lot of level 1 was review for me, but a fair bit wasn't, and even in the times of review, I learned a lot from having to use Japanese 100% of the time in class. The workload and the learning curve, if you're working at your level, are definitely non-trivial. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Absolutely fantastic company. The teachers are great at what they do, and the administration and staff will really go the extra mile to make sure things are going smoothly for you. You really get the sense that everyone has a genuine interest in your success and enjoyment of the program. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Ikebukuro dorm is great. Seemed like you might be able to find a cheaper living situation if you're a visa holder and you can get in touch with some other people from the program, though. |
| * Food: |
Japan is neither the most nor least vegetarian friendly country on the planet, but the options available to me there were definitely fewer and farther between than here in the states. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
You're as integrated as you'd be if you packed up and moved there for real. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
It never came up. |
| * Safety: |
I never once felt remotely at risk of any sort of danger or harm. |
| 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) |
It wasn't a lavish lifestyle, but I was living on ~￥3/day for a couple weeks while I was waiting for my financial aid to clear. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | See above. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Buy yourself a frying pan, a knife, a cutting board, a rice bowl and some chopsticks from the 100￥ store and cook for yourself. Lots of rice. Don't eat at the convenience stores. With vending machines, remember, those ￥100 coins feel like quarters going in, but they aren't. |
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 |
All day every day. There was no pressure from the students outside the classroom, though. |
| 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? | none |
| 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? | Before going, you should learn katakana and hirigana, for sure. There are tons of resources for that. Rosetta Stone is actually a pretty good resource for learning to read Japanese a little, but it's not good for much else. I recommend going through the Pimsleur Japanese tapes (1-3) and really trying to imitate *exactly what you hear*. It'll help with your accent. Learn-japanese-adventure.com is a great resource, and so is guidetojapanese.org. When you're there, hang out with the people from the program who don't speak your language or go out on your own and find any excuse to talk to people on the street. Every day try to have at least one conversation with a stranger, and try to include the new grammar you learned that day. |
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? | Bring enough deodorant to last you. |
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 Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
