Lifelong Goal July 23, 2025
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 03/22/2025 to 06/30/2025 with
Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury in Tokyo
My language capabilities really improved, which was the main reason I wanted to go to Japan. I also gained some confidence because I was able to live in a foreign, non-English speaking country without any major problems.
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
The Middlebury Program staff really put in the effort to introduce us to our volunteering sites in addition to putting together opportunities for us to experience different areas of Japan through our orientation and mid-semester trips. I also really appreciated how they came to pick some of us up at the airport when we first arrived in Japan. Everyone was so friendly and caring! |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
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| * Food: |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The community engagement part of the program allowed me to be in an environment with less English and to interact with local children, so I felt integrated in that way. The linguistic and cultural barrier made it difficult to feel integrated in other situations though. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
The university health office provided me with a referral to an English-speaking clinic when I had an issue and it was fairly easy to receive treatment, though parts of the process were conducted in Japanese. |
| * Safety: |
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| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I really enjoyed my study abroad experience! I felt that we were encouraged to use the language and I felt motivated to practice Japanese since the other students in the program also wanted to use Japanese. I felt that through the program staff's care and effort, I was able to have a fulfilling experience through community engagement activities and program trips. While ICU's location makes travel somewhat inconvenient, I did overall like the suburban and small liberal arts college environment because I think it helped me slow down a bit and get used to Japan. I've wanted to study abroad in Japan for a long time, but I wasn't sure if I'd have an enjoyable experience. |
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 |
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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 |
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| 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? | JPN 232 |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Try to find situations/places where people don't speak English at all. It's really easy to use Japanese with fellow students, especially at an international university, so sometimes necessity is the best to encourage practice. |
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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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? | I wish I knew more about everyday life procedures, such as whether to use/how to use an E-Sim, getting a Japanese number, how Suica/transportation cards work. I also wish I knew a little bit more about how classes would work, such as how to choose my Japanese language class or how to choose/manage content courses in Japanese. |
