An Incredible Japanese Experience Past Review
By Victoria Raymond (Belmont University) - abroad from 06/24/2016 to 08/16/2016 with
KCP International Japanese Language School: Tokyo - Intensive Japanese Language Immersion
I not only learned a lot about the Japanese language, but a lot about other people and cultures, and about myself.
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 really enjoyed learning the Japanese language in a class with many students from places all over the world. All of my teachers were also really great, and everyone at KCP seemed to genuinely care about your efforts to learn the language. |
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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 lived about an hour commute from the school, which could be a bit of a pain sometimes, but that is to be expected in a place like Tokyo. |
| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There weren't too many opportunities to make friends with locals, but I still feel like I learned a lot about Japanese culture through my time there. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I learned a lot at KCP about the language and culture of Japan. I loved all of the teachers and really enjoyed the diversity of different cultures you encounter everyday in class. I also really liked the length of the course ( 8 weeks, summer short term ) which allowed me enough time to get settled comfortably living in Tokyo. |
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) |
Japan can be expensive to live in if you don't have a plan ( I didn't ), but i'm sure if you planned it out you could get by on a reasonable budget. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Maybe try not to spend all of your money on vending machines and UFO catchers. |
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 |
There were some good opportunities to use the language such as a speech contest and a trip to a nearby university to speak with Japanese students. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
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? | 0 |
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? | Try and take advantage of your time in Tokyo, time flies by really fast. |
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! |
