KIT IJST Program 

The KIT IJST program was very good.  There were about 40 students from three different universities taking part in this program.  The other two universities were Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Rochester Institute of Technology.  This proved to be a good way for us to get to know more people from different parts of the country.

One thing that will happen is that throughout the six weeks, you will get to know your classmates and people in Japan that are helping you out very well.  Some of these people will become really good friends and you will continue to talk to them after the program.  I think this was a good result of the program.

Most importantly, I believe my Japanese language has improved dramatically.  I now have more confidence when speaking Japanese and I feel I am more culturally aware of the language.  Since you can't directly translate phrases in English to Japanese, sometimes you just have to go to that country and learn their phrases.  I think this experience helped me learn a lot of that. 

A study abroad program like this where you are put into new situations requires you to learn new skills and get creative.  I feel I have grown through this as well.  I feel like I can take on a lot more challenges now that I went through this.


BUDGET
This varies a lot depending on the student. 
However this was my required costs and should be very similar to everyone:

Non-Refundable Processing Fee $225
Program Fee $975
Tuition & General Fees  (in-state) $312
KIT Insurance $15
Travel from/to the airport to/from Kanazawa $185
Total $1712

I left off the airfare because IPENG International Engineering Fellowship covered that for me.

If you consider everything, the cost is not too bad.  You get 9 credit hours for successfully completing the program.  My semester fee at UIUC is about $4000 for about 18 credit hours.  So you are not paying anymore than you would be paying at UIUC for getting credit.  Another thing though is that the total fee considers the fact that you are at another university in JAPAN!  You will definitely gain more than that 9 hours of classes you will be taking.  You will learn so much about yourself and about the world that at the end, this cost will be all worth it.

Other essential costs included:

Really rough estimate of Food: (6 full weeks)*($25/day) $1050
Travel: To tokyo during long weekend and back (Also at Tokyo) $180
Gifts to Host Family and people at KIT $50
Total $1280

Again these are estimates.  If you are careful about food, you will not spend $25 a day.  Lunch at the cafeteria is around $3, if you eat off campus, probably around $5-$6.
Traveling to Tokyo is totally optional.  Some people decided to travel around Kanazawa (there is plenty to see there too) which was significantly less expensive.

For the entire six week program, I had a budget of about 150,000 yen.  This was approximately $1,300.

APARTMENT
All of the participants in this program stayed at Building 47, which is an apartment for foreign students.  The rooms were very nice.  Each room consisted of 2 bedrooms (air conditioned), kitchen/dining, bathroom with shower, and an extra room.

You are paired up with someone from a different school.  This was a good way for me to get to know and become really good friends with a guy from Rose-Hulman.

 

 

CLASSES
Everyone on the study abroad took the same classes but at different levels.  There were two language classes, a culture class, and a project class.  Typical day was from 10am till 3pm.  More information can be found online at the KIT IJST website.  There were daily homework assigned, but never too hard.  There was plenty of time to do what you wanted after classes and homework. 

Out of the 12 units you take at KIT, 9 credit hours can be transferred to UIUC.  I applied these credits to my humanities requirement and towards a minor in International Studies.
 

        

Travel and Extra Activites through the Program
KIT set up for us many activities.  Some of these included a trip to Anamizu, Sugawara Elementary School, and a host family experience.

Anamizu was a great experience where we learned more about Japanese culture by taking a class in the seminar house and actually taking part in some events.  We spent a night there and got to eat some great Japanese food.

Sugawara Elementary school was a great way for us to see how elementary school in Japan worked.

The host family experience was really nice as well.  For one night, we were able to get into a real Japanese home, eat real home cooked meals, and sleep in a real Japanese room.  Communicating and exchanging cultural information about America and Japan was really fun.

There was a student organization called SGE that helped us throughout the program by being there when we needed help.  They also had events for us and lent us bicycles.  Some of the events that they organized was a trip to Kanazawa castle and Kenrokuen. 

KIT also organized Opening ceremonies and Closing ceremonies.  KIT and SGE also had numerous parties for us to get to know more people around Kanazawa and KIT.

              

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