Student life in suburban Tokyo Past Review

By Bing Samudera Ibrahim (Middlebury College) - abroad from 03/16/2019 to 06/25/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Tokyo

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

Learn a lot about the culture and living experience while there. Also learned how to deal with a lot of the language and cultural barriers that exist when going to a different country.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?	No kitchen for use for students studying abroad for a semester
* Food:	Very limited options for people with dietary restrictions, coupled with a lack of kitchen, makes for a very difficult time being able to get proper nutrition for some (including me)
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?	Easy to get involved in if you can speak Japanese
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?	Didn't use healthcare much, but the health care office hours are very limited.
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes Valuable experience to learn from

Finances

* 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)	Quite difficult, as anyone with dietary restrictions could rarely buy food from the canteen, and had to buy food for more expensive at convenience stores and supermarkets. Also, transport prices can stack up very quickly to just get to the city center and back.
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$150-200
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Spend more time in the local area rather than travelling to the city center every time.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	JAPN 0301
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	Be adamant in speaking only Japanese to Japanese friends, or make Japanese-speaking only friends.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Americans International Students Other
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
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?	Very nice peaceful neighbourhood
* What could be improved?	Dining facilities
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	The food situation and the necessary resources for it

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 Linguist You 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!

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Politics and International Relations in Southeast Asia
Course Department:	IRL
Instructor:	Kana Takamatsu
Instruction Language:	Japanese
Comments:	Teacher was perfectly apt for the lecture. Course was challenging as the whole class and all work must be submitted in Japanese, and there is a lot of specialised/technical terms that must be learnt to understand the class fully.
Credit Transfer Issues: