My Experience With IES Tokyo

Overall, I had a very rewarding experience during my time with IES. What was great to me about IES was the fact that teachers wanted to make sure you learned while also giving you the chance to explore Japan and your surroundings. Although this is a language intensive program, you aren't pushed to the point of being stressed. You will learn more of the language, but I don't think I was challenged enough academically. What was helpful in learning more Japanese was being surrounded so much by the language and by hanging out with my e-pal. IES pairs each abroad student with an "e-pal", which is a Japanese student attending the university who you can get to know before getting to campus. This was super beneficial for many of the abroad students because they had the opportunity to befriend and hang out with a Japanese student to learn more about Japan's culture. We could practice our speaking skills with them and jump into the social scene with more ease. IES was also extremely involved with the students in providing constant information about events going on around Tokyo. We got to go on two long field trips to the countryside (3-5 days each) and also went on a lot of other student council-run trips around the city. IES Tokyo definitely wants their students to be able to get the most out of their time in Japan. It is a great program for students looking to get immersed into the culture while also practicing their Japanese skills.