1 fast year in Okayama, Japan Past Review
By Paul W (Japanese, San Jose State University) for
Okayama University: Okayama - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Certainly was worthwhile. I am now able to travel Japan by myself w/o much assistant and not feel worried about getting lost. I hope to one day be assigned to work in Japan within my current field of employment
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 |
The instructors were there when you needed assistance and the workers within the foreign student office were very helpful with any questions/concerns you have. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The foreign student dorm was very close to the main Tsushima campus where all my courses were. There were plenty of places near by that provided easy access to food, shopping, etc. |
| * Food: |
There is a grocery store near to the dorm, easy to get to either by walking or bike. You can buy plenty of stuff there to buy if you want to cook a meal or if you want to buy pre-made food items. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
The first hanami (flower viewing) party I attended was quite fun and a great way to meet the local students. The academic program also arranged for a few field trips out to different parts of Japan that were great. I liked the universities culture fair they held which had a lot of different booths setup outside. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Japan is a very safe country and Okayama city was no exception. I would take my bike out in the middle of the night to go to my local 24/h family restaurant to get a late night bite, or to study and I never once felt unsafe. |
| 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? |
If you plan on learning the language, try to get into a home-stay program. Being in a international house (dorm) is nice from the point of view of freedom, but it is a bit harder to motivate yourself to speak the language you want to learn if you are surrounded by people who speak your native language. |
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?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | Interactive with everyone there and enjoy the city and people. It's a wonderful city with a lot to offer in a nice safe environment. Don't coop yourself up inside your dorm room all day or else you could miss out on a lot of special experiences and memories. |
