I showed up to a big lecture hall where everyone takes the same test regardless of their Japanese level. Maybe there was at least 300 people in the room? Those who had already done a semester were instructed to sit behind all the new incoming students, made me feel a somewhat cool haha. All the excited new students made it so I was able to vividly remember Kailey's and my own first weeks in Japan. It was exciting to realize how far we had come in our life in Japan.
In case you didn't see the first link, I wrote a little post here explaining a little about the tests format and such.
My university
Doshisha University is a, apparently, prestigious private university that has a good reputation throughout all of Japan, and an extremely good reputation in the Kansai area and western Japan. A friend told me it is regarded as one of the best if not the best private university outside of the Tokyo area. It's one of the most international university's in Japan having many non-Japanese students. I was surprised to learn this because I had no idea.Joseph Hardy Neesima, Doshisha's founder, was the first Japanese citizen to obtain an overseas degree (from USA), upon which he returned to Kyoto and founded Doshisha university in the spirit of promoting the western education system that he considered superior to the then current Japanese universities. He said cool quotes like "Freedom is my living motto" in the 1800's which makes me respect him.
Private School Tuition in Japan is insanely expensive compared to Canadian standards. For regular undergraduate Japanese citizens, Doshisha's tuition is annually $14,500 CAD for first year students, and increases to approx $17,000 CAD for third year students (source). Also a single student is very skilled to live under $1100 per month (rent, food, transportation etc.).
Once in a lifetime opportunity!
Intensive Japanese is my program here. I only study Japanese. Classes are small and interactive (10ppl) and are taught in small classrooms by japanese teachers completely in Japanese. I have a narrow choice of electives but I choose not to take anything else so I can enjoy myself outside of school more (I've already done my undergrad!).
Timetable, Doshisha's reminds me of highschool. All classes follow a "period" or block-like structure. There are 6 periods. My Canadian university UVic is completely different: classes start at any half-hour. In Canada I would arrange to have coffee with my friend by saying the time that I am free; where at Doshisha, we arrange it by saying which period is free.
Noh
Oh yea, we went to a Noh theatre performance the other night. Photography was disallowed, but on a positive note it was long and fairly boring. Though, even the Japanese think they are boring. But it is a cultural "must see" and I'm glad we went!
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Daily Life 2:Japanese Wedding Clothes?<<
Have you read about our first days in Japan yet?>>>Day 1 (Travel from the Airport)
