Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Seinan Exchange - You'll meet a lot of different friends for life Past Review

By (International/Global Studies., Baylor University) - abroad from 08/15/2014 to 12/23/2014 with

Seinan Gakuin University: Fukuoka - Direct Enrollment & Exchange

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned a lot about the culture of Japan, which was one of the main reasons that I had for going. But I also learned what it was like to be alone in a foreign country and take care of myself. You meet a lot of new people, and you learn from each others' experiences.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The classes were easy, but a bit hard to understand (language wise) and make good grades in. There was only three quizzes in one class, and not a test to make up for any lost points.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

Relatively helpful, but when it came to the process of having to leave early it had to be done almost by myself with a little help from Baylor.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The dorms were very nice and had plenty of space.

* Food:

The food was delicious, whether it was on campus or not.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Most of the time, the students living in the International dorm hung out together, the students on campus were pretty shy.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had to go to the hospital just one time, but when I did I had an adviser take me and translate everything. She was very helpful, and took me back a few times afterwords.

* Safety:

Extremely safe. Japan is a very safe country and I felt that I could wake alone at night with no issues.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? Yes

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)

Money exchanges don't seem to hit you for the first month, but after that you start to realize how much you're spending. Things are not typically expensive, but if you buy food you have to buy local things or it can get pricey.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? Maybe around $50, if I did not go shopping at a mall.
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Budget for things before you go! If you have lived on your own before you typically know how much you eat per week, so just do the math to figure out how much you will spend, in your target country's currency, and plan your money spending around that. It's fun to go out and buy a lot of things because you are somewhere new, but don't get too excited and spend it willy-nilly. Some of my friends spent thousands on traveling and regretted it later when they realized how much they had spent.

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

The Japanese course and it's partner Orthography class encouraged us to try to use as much Japanese as possible, only using English when we really needed to.

How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? Beginner
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? Intermediate
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? Just the second semester of a 1000 level credit.
How many hours per day did you use the language?
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? Do not stay in an international dorm. They are fun and you get to meet people around the world, but everyone pretty much speaks some form of English and will default to that. If you want to be immersed in the culture and language of your new country, stay in a local dorm or a home stay. Friends who did that have improved far more than those of us who did not stay in one of those.

Direct Enrollment/Exchange

* Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? Exchange

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Dorm
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • They let us know about local festivals often
  • Told us about the best places to go
  • Were fairly helpful with a lot of the paperwork
* What could be improved?
  • The length of classes, maybe it is the country's policy, but an hour and a half is too long. Having classes from 9-5 every day is a bit tiring.
  • Maybe add extra credit opportunities.
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? That my credits would get a bit jumbled. I would have most certainly prepared better had I known. But, other than that I don't think that I wish I would have known anything really. I liked seeing how things unfolded.

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 Avid Adventurer
The wardrobe you packed was better suited for a semester of camping than club hopping. Outdoorsy, you might forgo a crazy night out for an early all-day adventure. You'd rather take in the rich culture of an old town than the metropolis of a modern city, but for you getting off the grid is ideal.