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Kansai Gaidai University

Japan 2022/2023 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Social Studies

Field of study:
International Relations / International Relations

Level of study during period of placement:
Master

Language used:
English

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
spring 2023

Period of placement (from-to):
2023-01-23 - 2023-05-28

Number of months:
4.5

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
On their Asian studies program website.

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
Transcript of records

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
I started organazing fairly early, about a year ahead

Did you need a visa?:
yes

Documents and materials needed for a visa:
Passport photograph, CoE (sent by hosting UNI)

Length of wait for visa:
1 week

Fee for the visa:
none

Studies
Did you have a Learning Agreement signed before your departure?:
yes

If not, why not?:

Before your departure did you know how your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
No

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
The registering process is fairly easy, although their website is sometimes very hard to navigate. Making changes was pretty difficult, as you had to obtain written (!) confirmation by the teacher to be allowed to leave and join their class.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Yes, midterms and final exams for every class.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
- choose option -

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:
1 credit on this university was 2 ECTS.

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
Varies by the teacher, some had more in class discussions and presentations, some were just lectures

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
About the same, however the final exams bear less weight as we have exams and projects to complete throughout the whole semester, as compared to (at least my experience) of MUNI where the final exam tends to be about 70-100% of the final grade. This makes the final exam less stressful experience and forces the students to prepare throughout the whole semester, creating overall better academic environment.

How did you receive study materials?:
Through their information system

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
Some of the art class studios were pretty interesting, calligraphy for example

How well is the school library equipped?:
Several floors full of books, most in Japanese but there was substantial English section too.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Study and PC rooms on both campuses

Options from printing and copying:
Yes

Does the foreign school/student organisation arrange special events for exchange students?:

If yes then what?:

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
4

or describe in your own words:
Integration went well, the minor issue was that the academic calendar for international students follows US/EU dates, whereas the Japanese uses local ones. That meant that the Japanese students semester only started around April, about 3 months into my stay, and until then, there were not that many local students.

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
YUI dormitory

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
0 EUR

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
I did not have to pay for accommodation due to the agreement between our universities.

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
Extension cable with multiple sockets. Electricity sockets are sometimes placed in very strange locations in your room.

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
KGU does everything for you.

What are the catering options?:
There are cafeterias at the dormitory, offering both Asian and western style cuisine.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
About the same thanks to high inflation home and favorable JPY exchange rates.

Transport to location of placement:
KGU took care of taking us from the airport directly to the dormitory using buses.

Rough prices for transportation:
Check google maps for current prices of train to Kyoto/Osaka. But roughly around 500JPY one way.

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
You can get Shinkansen discount (about 20%) with your university ID.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
It's about 10 minute walk from the dorm to the campus. Some students use bikes.

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
Only the visa process

What health insurance did you use? (rough price, advantages, disadvantages, is it necessary to arrange insurance at the university other than your home (Czech) insurance?):
It is strongly advised to arrange Japanese insurance, but I only used my home insurance.

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
No

Did you work during your studies?:
No

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
Possible, but hard to find a job.

Tips for free-time activities:
Kyoto for culture, Osaka for drinking and eating, lots of good hike trails in the nearby mountains too. There is always some kind of festival or cultural actions going on, especially during spring and summer time

Financial support and expenses
Total grant from Centre for International Cooperation:
90000 CZK

Monthly grant in CZK:
20000 CZK

Number of supported months:
4.5

Total number of months:
4

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
Personal finances

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
10000 CZK

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 CZK

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 CZK

c/ amount of other fees (which):
10000 CZK

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
20000 CZK

a/ of which for accommodation:
0 CZK

b/ of which for catering:
10000 CZK

c/ travel and recreation:
10000 CZK

Any comments to the average monthly expenditure:

Recognition of foreign studies at the home faculty
How many credits did you gain during your studies (in the system of the foreign school)?:
14

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
28

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
Yes

What problems did you have with recognition?:
No problems

Overall assessment
Assessment of personal benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
1

Evaluate the information and support provided by the foreign school (1 = excellent):
1

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
No

What would you recommend to take with you:
Lot of money!

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
The level of hospitality, English speaking people in the entire university.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
I had no negative experiences

Further comments: