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Seinan Gakuin University

Japan 2018/2019 Partner universities

Personal data
Mobility type:
study

Faculty at MU:
Faculty of Arts

Field of study:
Japanese Language and Culture

Level of study during period of placement:
Bachelor

Language used:
Japanese

Summer/winter school?:
no

Period of studies:
autumn 2018
spring 2019

Period of placement (from-to):
2018-08-20 - 2019-05-24

Number of months:
10

Activities before my departure abroad
Where can information be found about courses taught at the foreign school?:
On the website of Seinan Gakuin Universtiy.
http://www.seinan-gu.ac.jp/eng/study_abroad/courses_offered.html

Which documents were needed for acceptance at the foreign university?:
OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF GRADES
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
RECORD OF PREVIOUS JAPANESE STUDIES
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MEDICAL REPORT
COPY OF PASSPORT
4 PHOTOS (taken within the last three months)

How far ahead did you have to organise your acceptance?:
5 months ahead

Did you need a visa?:
yes

Documents and materials needed for a visa:
Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)
Official Letter of Admission

Length of wait for visa:
Few days

Fee for the visa:
It was free.

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?:
Not yet

During your stay did you change your Learning Agreement?:
Yes

When and how did course registration take place? Are there any restrictions? Possibilities of making changes?:
At the start of the semester. We could change them freely for a set period of time.

Did you take any examinations at the foreign school?:
Yes. Most of the courses ended with exams.

Does the school use the ECTS system?:
yes

If not then explain how the credits there were recalculated into ECTS:

Describe the teaching methods (theory, practical and projects) and assessment of students:
Depends on the class. In most classes we had some theory, but it was mostly practical, since study of the language was the main goal. We did also group projects, presentation and a lot of homeworks.

Quality of teaching in comparison with home school:
I think that the quality of teaching is better at the Masaryk University.

How did you receive study materials?:
Mostly from teachers.

Can you recommend an interesting course/subject/teacher?:
Academic Japanese (IKEZAWA, Meiko)

How well is the school library equipped?:
Quite well. There is a lot of books about different topics, PC rooms, print machines, etc. It's new.

Availability of computers, internet access, level of software needed, requirements on notebook:
Notebook wasn't required. There was a lot of PC rooms and EDUORAM wi-fi on the campus.

Options from printing and copying:
Library
We could also print at some classrooms.

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

If yes then what?:
A lot of language exchange events and events concerning culture (Japanese).

How would you assess your integration with the local students (evaluation like in school from 1 to 5 with 1 as highest):
2

or describe in your own words:

Practical questions on your placement
Where did you live?:
In Fukuoka at the dormitory near University.

Cost of accommodation - monthly:
530 USD

Additional comments to the price of accommodation (as to what the price includes):
Breakfest and dinner (wasn't provided on national holidays and sundays)

Describe the equipment. Tips for future students – what should they bring with them?:
Deodorant. The Japanese ones aren't as good as the Czech ones.

How and how far ahead should accommodation be organised?:
After the acceptance to the University.

What are the catering options?:
Cafeteria nearby and there was also small kitchen in my room.

What are the rough costs of groceries (compare with Czech prices):
1,5x higher. Especially fruits and vegetables.

Transport to location of placement:
Subway

Rough prices for transportation:
Subway for 1 month 50 USD.

Tips for purchasing cheap tickets and other recommendations:
A lot of things are cheaper with student card so do not forget to use it.

What are the local transport options (public transport, cycling, on foot, rough prices):
BUS (2 USD per ticket), Subway (2 USD per ticket, 50 USD a month), Bycicle (70 USD)

What kind of formalities have to be arranged before arrival, for example residence permit?:
VISA
Travel Insurance

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?):
We had to arrange insurance at the Seinan university. The cast was arround 13 USD. And also monthly national insurance (arround 13 USD a month)

Did you have any experience with medical treatment abroad?:
I went to a quite a few private hospitals. I didn't have to wait for a long time but the price was a little higher than (arround 30 USD a visit) in normal hospital.

Did you work during your studies?:
Just a little bit.

What are the conditions for working for MU students?:
Work permit that you can get easily.

Tips for free-time activities:
Trips arround Japan. Going on a drive with friends. Festivals (there is a lot of them).

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

Monthly grant in CZK:
9000 CZK

Number of supported months:
10

Total number of months:
10

What other sources did you make use of to finance your placement?:
I had also money from the foreign university. (80 000 JPY for 9 months)

If you received another grant, state which and how much in CZK:
Arround 140 000 CZK.

 
Total fees associated with enrolment at the university:
6000 JPY

a/ amount of enrolment fee:
0 JPY

b/ amount of tuition fees:
0 JPY

c/ amount of other fees (which):
6000 JPY

 
What was your average monthly expenditure?:
137000 JPY

a/ of which for accommodation:
57000 JPY

b/ of which for catering:
50000 JPY

c/ travel and recreation:
30000 JPY

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)?:
30

How many ECTS credits were recognised at MU?:
58

Did you know in advance which of your courses would be recognised by your home faculty?:
In most cases yes.

What problems did you have with recognition?:
I didn't have any problems yet.

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

Assessment of academic benefit (1 = excellent):
2

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

Did you encounter any serious problems during your stay:
No I didn't

What would you recommend to take with you:
I was for an year in Japan so I would recomment not to take a lot of things and buy them in japan instead.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a positive way:
A lot of events that we could join.

What most surprised you at the partner university in a negative way:
Everything was ok.

Further comments: