Temple University Japan: Immersion At Your Own Pace Past Review
By Robert R (Economics., University of Rochester) for
Temple University International Programs: Tokyo - Temple University Japan Campus
I wouldn't say it was life-changing, since I was very well prepared for what I would experience there, but I definitely want to go back as many times as I can in my life. The only major change in me has been my decision to work and live in Japan in the event that my post-graduation plans all fall through.
Review Photos
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Mandatory attendance for every class was a new concept to me. While I do make a point to attend all of my classes, there are still times when circumstances will not allow it. You are allowed 3 absences from each class however. The professors (except for one) were all very good and highly motivated for teaching their classes. While overall the program was not too difficult, there were still challenging moments, but overall a great learning environment. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
They were organized just like Temple University in Philadelphia, so navigating the system was very familiar. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
It was interesting living in a place where locals stayed as well as people from all over the world, and not just ones attending Temple Japan. The Weekly Mansion was an excellent place to stay, but my only complaint with it was a lack of a common area. Unless you met and started talking in the 10 second elevator ride there was no way to meet anyone else who lived there. This really hindered my ability to meet people both foreign and local. |
| * Food: |
The food was great, but I was unprepared for the fact that 80% of the Japanese diet is starch-based. Unfortunately, the slightly smaller portions combined with the fact that my metabolism tears through starch-based foods led to me losing a great deal of weight. I would be more prepared for a return trip though. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
My recommendation is to go on all the school trips. No matter how uninteresting it may seem to you in the description, I guarantee that by the time you're there you will be so glad you came. Also, don't let the cost of the bigger trips be a deterrent. They are well worth the price and you will be so glad you did it. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
Japan in general is one of the safest places on the planet. Tokyo, for being one of the largest cities in the world, is also probably the safest. We were instructed by the school to not go to the one mildly dangerous area in the entire city, and were clearly told where that area was. |
| 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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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Its a little hard to remember since I spent a great deal of money on lots of other things, but food expenses ranged anywhere from $15 a week to $80. $15 if you bought all your food at the market and prepared it yourself, and $80 if you also ate food elsewhere (convenience marts, ramen stands, etc.). Add more for going out to restaurants and bars. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | It should be easy enough to hold back and not spend a lot of money on things, but I personally had saved money for almost two years for this trip and I felt it would be a waste if I didn't spend it all while I was here. If you are of that mentality, then you should also have no problem at all finding ways to spend it. |
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? | Intermediate Japanese II |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The school is about 1/3 local students and 2/3 foreign. While it does provide for a nice comfort zone in the middle of unknown territory, you should really try and talk to the local students as much as possible. |
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 do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you want to study in Japan but are worried that you might not do well academically due to the language barrier, Temple University Japan is definitely the right choice for you. |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
International Marketing |
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| Instruction Language: | English |
| Comments: | I won't go into too much detail since this professor is no longer employed by the university, but this was by far the worst class I have ever taken. She did nothing but put up PowerPoint slides with paragraphs of information on them and asked us to read it ourselves, then ask us "so what is this all about?" Since we had yet to receive any actual instruction, no one was capable of answering. That is only the tip of the iceberg compared to the other things she has done, but fortunately the course is now being taught by excellent and highly engaging professor Keith Dinnie. |
| Credit Transfer Issues: | No transfer issues at all. Since this is an American institution in Japan all credits are as if they were taken at Temple University in Philadelphia. This made transferring credits the easiest part about the whole program. |
