Loved It!

I went on World Campus the summer of 2009, right before my exchange in Japan, the first time I would be living there, getting me great contacts and a chance to trial-by-fire. World Campus gave me a great opportunity to ease myself into it, while meeting some amazing people and getting to do things that make my friends jealous to this day. The chance to live in multiple Japanese households really gives you a unique perspective on life in Japan, really appreciating the local nuances inside what can seem a homogenous culture. Plus, they know all the cool places in their area that the guidebooks don't tell you about, like the ninja castle in Iga, not to mention the second-only-to-kobe-beef Iga beef! It was great for my Japanese as well, as class can only prepare you for a certain amount, especially the more natural Japanese you hear and use at home. The only negative was that I went for a month and a half (a half program back then) and people went a bit stir-crazy with all the events and planned stuff, but they do a great job in preparing you for that as well as reducing the length of the programs a bit. The two days off a week also really help :-) All in all, World Campus was a memorable experience for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to go!