CIEE College Study Abroad in Tokyo, Japan

The CIEE program was a worthwhile experience. It opened my eyes to a totally new world. the program helped me shaped my future. CIEE gave us opportunities to travel to different parts of Japan. We went to Kamakura and Hiroshima during the semester. There was plenty of time to hang with our new friends both local people from Tokyo/Sophia University and other CIEE students, bond with our host families, and independent travel. I made life long friends studying abroad with CIEE. And I still keep up to date with the staff in Tokyo. I joined different clubs in the University and interact with Japanese students, but also relaxed in the CIEE office with other CIEE students. Tokyo has everything you need. Everyday was an adventure. From shopping, socializing, music, parties, traveling, sports, movies, dancing, and random encounters with strangers, not one day was wasted.

Because of CIEE, I currently reside in Japan as a teacher. It couldn't have been possible with the support of the CIEE staff. They helped me and the other exchange students 110%. The staff supports their students from the very beginning. From pre-departure and orientation to the closing ceremony. There were many orientations that may have been to excessive to some people, but it is important for those who are traveling abroad for the very first time. This experience changed my life and learned more about myself. I will never forget how 2013 became the biggest turning point in my life.

I did a study abroad program in Sophia University spring 2010 and I have to say it was absolutely amazing! There are options to dorm or home-stay and I chose to hom-stay since I thought it would be a great way to improve language (although I've heard complaints that some families tend to speak English to the exchange students so it defeats the purpose). Although I'm not going to lie that luck is quite important when it comes to host family assignment. My host family were great (yess!) - they were really friendly and chill, so if I needed to come home late or go on trips I just had to text them in advanced. And I still remember the delicious Japanese food waiting for me everyday after school :3. Speaking of food, I thought it definitely was one of the best part of the experience. The school is located at a very convenient location (really close to shinjuku) so lots of places to eat for lunch/dinner. And the cafeteria at school will always be a good backup for yummy yet cost-efficient Japanese lunch!
The school itself is one of the more prestigious universities in Japan so the academics were great overall even compared to US. Except for the mandatory Japanese language course, everything else is taught in English and there is a good range of courses to choose from depending on your interests/needs. Although the amount of courses are limited and may not be exactly what you're looking for sometimes. The school is also known for its English program so there are a lot of Japanese English speakers. One drawback is that if you're not comfortable hanging out with non-English speakers, it might be hard for you to improve your language. Many of us just attended the school clubs and circles to make local Japanese friends, and these club activities/friends are in fact the most crucial part of Japanese college/social life. I highly recommend joining one or two so it's not like you went on a 4-month vacation in Tokyo with your American friends without even knowing what real Japanese food tastes like.
The program staff were helpful overall as they do try to help make the most out of everyone's experience. There were weekend excursions to Kyoto and Hiroshima too depending on your length of stay. Since I stayed for a semester we went to Hiroshima and it was very educational and raised awareness and enriched our knowledge about the atomic bomb and local culture/history. Another thing is that the program fee was pretty high if you don't have financial aids/scholarships. But I think that's an understandable tradeoff for having any good experience.
Japan is known to be one of the countries with the lowest crime rates but I'm not saying it's guaranteed that everywhere is safe. However I've never personally experienced nor heard any bad stories in terms of safety issue. Some of us were even able to recover our lost wallets and other valuable items from the locals.
My only complaint would be the long commute each day. Downtown Tokyo is very expensive to live in so most residential areas are 1 hr or more away from where our school was. It does get tiring sometimes after a long day and you just want to go back and sleep. But you'll still have to go through the train/bus rides to get back. And one stereotype that I verified to be true is that Japanese subways ARE extremely crowded during rush hour and you'll just have to deal with it. However, it's not the worst thing in the world as long as you're not hungover.. I might sound weird but I kind of miss the crowded subways rides. And I still remember how amazed I was when I first saw that every single person on the platform just automatically formed lines when the trains approach so people can come out first then they would get in.
I had a great time overall and learned a lot about the country, the culture and even myself. I'm sure there are people who didn't have as amazing of a time for various reasons but it really depends on how you take it. It wouldn't be great anywhere if you're not willing to try and embrace the culture/differences when you're in a foreign country - no matter how nice your study abroad program is. So it is dependent on individuals but I think bottom line, this is a very good program based on the above facts. Of course, it's definitely wise to do enough research and compare horizontally to decide which program best fits your interest.