Study Abroad in Japan Past Review
By Maria Carolinna M (Asian Studies/Civilization., The University of Texas at Austin) for
J. F. Oberlin University: Tokyo - Reconnaissance Japan Program
It gave me a chance to experience for the first time Japanese culture. But now only that, I ended up making friends with people from other countries as well which is very interesting and has helped me become more aware of different cultures.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
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 |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My host family's house is a 15 minute walk from the train station. From the train station there is a bus (free) to take to the university, and it usually takes about 10 min to get there. I didn't have to buy any sheets or things like that, my host family provided all of those items. My host family treated me as a family member. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
University has a camp for foreign students and Japanese students during the Fall and Spring semesters which are a pretty good way to make new Japanese friends. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Overall Japan is a very safe country, much safer than America I think. I often walk by myself at night, and I never had any problems. When I thought I needed medical assistance (dentist)I just asked my host university if they could inform me of any English speaking dentists in the area, and the next I got a reply from them with the dentist's number. They even offered to help with making an appointment. |
| 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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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Train fares were rather expensive, and on the first day I met my host family I bought a train pass which took almost all of the cash I had at the time. I had a bit of trouble with withdrawing money for the first few weeks, so it would have been good if I had more money with me at the time. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Second semester of second year Japanese |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
I had to use it everyday with my host family, and various other situations. |
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?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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