KCP International is the Most Thorough Study Abroad Program for Japanese Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The Japanese education I received at KCP International was astounding! It was rigorous yet achievable. I learned more at KCP than I did with any education in the United States. Study was based on pronunciation, Kanji, grammar, and speaking, and I progressed exponentially, I feel, in all those fields by attending classes at KCP.

On-site administration of your program

They were available for me whenever I needed help! Even when I had problems packing, they were able to give me suggestions and even help me ship things back home through the mail! When my friends got sick, they were able to accompany them to affordable, quality healthcare facilities. I needed help getting a Pocket Wi-fi, and they did research to find a product that would best assist me while in Japan. I am very grateful for all their efforts.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was a little difficult having to walk a couple blocks to try my laundry, and there isn’t any counter space in the cooking area, but otherwise I was very satisfied with my dormitory! The location in Ikebukuro was ideal, as the school commute wasn’t very long at all, and nearby were many useful as well as fun facilities. Being close to the station, I didn’t have to walk far to get there. The rooms are small but have just about everything you need. I was glad we had a cooking unit in the room, though I didn’t make use of it as often as I would’ve hoped to. The shower is also a little small, but it worked fine. It took me a while to get used to heating up the water beforehand, but once again I didn’t have any problems with it. Whatever I needed to stow away, everything fit perfectly fine under the bed. I was really grateful for the location I was at!

There was a cafeteria near the Ikebukuro dormitory, but I never used it. There were plenty of wonderful and varied restaurants to eat at near the school building in Shinjuku. Not to mention, there were grocery stores both near the school and the dorm that sold everything I ever needed. Whether I wanted a pre-made Bento or I wanted to cook my own food, I could get everything with ease and at decent prices.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I feel that a lot of effort was made to include me in activities, and I didn’t struggle much communicating with the people in Japan- when I did it was only because I didn’t know a word or two. It got difficult accommodating to the Japanese mindset on certain topics, such as about cutting back on air conditioning, but it was all a learning process that never really hurt me, physically or mentally. Plus, on the cultural excursion trips, I was made aware of many acute details of Japanese culture that helped me understand the culture. My classmates and teachers were very kind to me, and though they looked that I was very different too, they still made sure I was able to participate in the same things as them.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Unfortunately, I never had to make use of any health care facilities while in Japan, but at one point my wisdom teeth were causing me a lot of pain and I inquired about if I would have a chance to get them removed in Japan. The staff at KCP said they had places in mind and were very open to getting help for me, even though the pain ended up going away on its own soon enough. I did have friends though who had various illnesses and infections, and the staff personally accompanied them to health care facilities and made sure they got any medication they needed.

There wasn’t any political instability while I was in Japan, but I did have one incident related to safety that I want to warn future students about. One day, I was on the platform with two friends waiting for a train (I suggest you always take at least one friend with you while commuting), and someone bumped into someone else in the 5:00pm rush, and although this is a common occurrence from what I noted, the person who was bumped into didn’t take this kindly. He kicked the bag of the older man who bumped into him. He started aggressively commenting at the older man who bumped into him, and though I couldn’t understand what he said, the older man was very passive. Then the aggressive one started grabbing at this man and pulling him around the platform. There wasn’t a security guard there at the time, and though it was getting dangerous, I didn’t do anything. Number one rule when studying abroad: don’t get involved. The police are not as likely to trust the word of students studying abroad. Although it was sad to see this seemingly innocent man get beaten around, I had to ignore it for my own safety and once the train arrived I boarded it with my friends. If a fight breaks out in front of you, get away as quickly as you can.

With KCP, I am always kept on my toes but I am also always using everything I learn. Review of previous lessons is naturally integrated into the classwork, so much to the point where I never felt behind. I miss that rigor of education; however, I also get stressed out very easily, but the teacher for the English help sessions was available whenever I was struggling. In this way, I was able to focus on my classwork for each day without worrying about the previous day. So many aspects of Japanese were covered that we never went over in my Japanese classes in the United States. I excelled in just one semester so much farther than I did in years, and I didn’t have too difficult of a time doing so. Plus, the staff truly cared about me and were there for me whenever I needed assistance. I felt like everything was taken care of for me so I could focus on my classwork, which made me become so much more skilled.

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

I think I managed pretty well on a budget, especially when I made use of the nearby grocery stores. Only when you go out often to eat and drink does a budget get difficult, of course. I also found that I spent a lot of money at the vending machines, which have way more options in them than in the United States. When I consider how many times I needed to go to the vending machine for just a drink, it ended up being a little pricey. I was able to live on under $20 a day, but I most certainly had days that exceeded that. I recommend always having a little more money than a student’s budget.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

Whenever you were in class, you were always expected to use the language- you would be chastised if you used your own. This never became a problem, though. It was good practice even to just leisurely chat with your neighbor in Japanese. While there were some high stress events in class when it came to dependence on the language, most of the time you were able to go at your own pace. That said, there were so many exercises where I used the language with a partner that I was using it most of the time.

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• Dorm

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• Americans
• International Students

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• Americans
• International Students

• The program was very rigorous, yet not very stressful
• The cultural excursion trips were equally as fun as they were educational
• The staff were very flexible and able to help me with all of my problems

• Instructions given on how to purchase a Pocket Wi-fi
• Some disclaimer to the other students about the presence of LGBTQ+ individuals (there were some students who weren’t aware of other sexualities and gender expressions outside of straight and cisgender)
• Giving students more time to prepare for oral presentations

The Academic or Linguist