Kyoto University and Me Past Review
By Anna B (Japanese Language and Literature., University of Hawaii - Manoa) for
Kyoto University: Kyoto - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
i not only grew as a person, i also vastly improved my japanese language skills. i feel that if i can overcome challenges while dealing with people who don't speak my language, i can definitely get past challenges here in my home country.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 0-2 weeks |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
i feel the english classes i took were not as good as my home institutions. we didnt have many tests and we mainly wrote papers, lots of papers. although i didn't gain much from the english classes, i feel that the japanese language classes were great. all the concepts i previously could not understand began to come together. |
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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? |
the dorm i lived at was very far from school and we were forced to ride the train but not only that, walk about 15 minutes just to get to the train station. it was very rural and didn't have much around. the room was nice and cozy, had a heater and a/c, plus it's own bathroom. unfortunately there was only a hot plate and no oven. but it's hard to complain about it when rent was only about $120 a month and it included water, internet, and clean sheets once a week. there was another dorm that other students were assigned to and i heard that it had a common kitchen, it was much closer to school so that you could ride a bike, had much more around it. |
| * Food: |
vegetables were very cheap, while fruits were not. i really loved the food there and never had an untasty experience. compared to america, you can get a lot more for less. but also portions are smaller in some places such as mcdonalds. but the cafeteria on campus was cheap and had a lot of different japanese food |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
the program frequently had excursions to different places outside the prefecture but also had many things within the city. they offered events to kabuki shows, noh, pottery making, etc. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
the healthcare was very cheap. it was about $20 a month, but it made prescription and checkups very cheap, compared to america. the thing about japan is that there aren't really many small clinics and everyone goes to the hospital when there sick. for me i got sick twice and got a bee sting (which was unnecessary but i was made to go anyways) and in all cases i was told i should go to the hospital and get medicine. my dorm head spoke some english so she accompanied to the hospital which made it very easy. |
| 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) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
most people did not speak english and although many of the staff and teachers could speak english, they hardly ever did unless necessary. there was also a club the brought japanese students and foreign students together for the main purpose of exchanging language and culture. i think the best way to improve was joining a club that had only japanese students who didn't speak much english at all. |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | whether your a japanese major or someone who has never taken a japanese class, japan is definitely a wonderful place to have a study abroad experience. as long as you are open-minded, a bit adventurous, and even if you get scared or nervous, as long as you keep trying, the good experiences will out weigh the times your scared or homesick. japan, especially kyoto is so full of a culture and people you can find no where else in the world, and although some rumors about japanese people are true, many of them are not and they are normal everyday people like you and me. |
