<p>My head is spinning like crazy right now. I keep debating whether or not I should study abroad next year but my fears of living alone by myself in a different country, taking out student loans, and delaying my time of graduation due to not being able to take classes in my major are holding me back. I'm currently a 3rd year Business major and wish to study abroad in Japan next year, specifically in Tokyo. I have been very blessed for not needing to take out student loans because I live close enough to my university to be able to commute and not have to pay for any housing as I live with my mother. The reason why I'm freaking out about studying abroad next year is because it'll be my senior year thus being the last year where I can receive my Cal grant to help me pay for studying abroad. I even had my Fall 2013 application ready a few months ago but chickened out because again I'm just scared out of my mind about living on my own, taking out a student loan, and delaying my time of graduation. Though another thing that concerns me is the fact that I'm not fluent in the Japanese language, I've heard that there are some English speaking citizens in Japan but still most of the population speaks a language that I'm not fluent in so I feared it would be difficult to socialize in live for a couple months in the country. I've taken one quarter (10 weeks and passed with a C+) of Japanese at my university in Fall 2011 but stopped due to Major requirement reasons. As of lately, I've been trying to study a little bit of Japanese on my own but so far I haven't made much progress. </p>
<p>To be honest, I just feel like a coward right now, everyone at school that I speak to encourages me to study abroad and says it'll be a good resume builder and help me broaden my horizons which I feel that could benefit me since I feel lost about who exactly am I. But my family doesn't feel supportive of me studying abroad at all. My father refuses to help pay for the costs and my mother is constantly trying to scare me away from studying abroad telling me about constant earthquakes in Japan and the fact that I'm not fluent in the language which I guess she did succeed as I canceled my Fall 2013 application. But after I cancelled my application, a part of me felt torn and something inside told me that I'm giving up on a brilliant opportunity to discover myself as a person. So I have one last chance right now to apply for a Spring 2014 program where I'll get to use 2 quarters (Winter and Spring) of financial aid to help pay for the fees, but at a cost I will probably be losing 2 quarters of classwork as I doubt I'll be able to take my major requirements abroad since upper division business courses are taught in Japanese. The reason why I want to study abroad in Japan is because I love anime and video games and have hit a certain point of depression with my studies and am questioning where I'm heading in life in general as of late so I had hoped studying abroad in the country that my loved hobbies are produced in would help me find the answers and possibly help open the door into getting into those fields as a career someday. However my own fears are preventing me from following my heart. Any advice from people who have studied abroad would be greatly appreciated, thank you. :)</p>
<p>If you’re going to struggle with the financial requirements, have you considered teaching English in Japan after graduation? </p>
<p>Study abroad isn’t the only way to leave the continental US, and there are various companies out there which will set you up with a paid job in Japan. </p>
<p>Only thing to be wary of is that non-White (especially Asian) TEFL teachers can have issues in some Asian countries due to people not believing that they are actually native speakers. I know this applies in China but I have no clue about Japan. </p>
<p>Other than that - go for it! I think we all feel incredibly nervous when we get on the plane for something like this, but it invariably resolves itself quite quickly. You’ll meet other English-speaking students out there, and you could consider finding someone who will trade Japanese lessons for English lessons. Plus Japanese food is amazing!</p>
<p>What university and program are you going on? Depending on the program, they might have a Japanese language program that exchange students have to take. Most students that I’ve met have no background in Japanese language at all and do quite fine in their daily lives. You get more comfortable using Japanese as language while in Japan, so fluency shouldn’t be a factor that discourages you from going. Yes, adjusting takes times, but if you’re up for the challenge then go for it! Everyone is scared when they move to a new environment so you’re not alone in that aspect. I’m not sure what program you’re talking about, but the other exchange students will be your support group and safety net!</p>
<p>If you’re planning on taking upper level business classes taught in Japanese, then I would advise you not to go as of now because of your Japanese proficiency. Though the courses themselves are not as challenging as the ones in the U.S., not being able to follow the professor’s lecture and having to present for about an hour during some classes will be too stressful for you. </p>
<p>Last thing, studying abroad when you’re at a low point is usually not a good thing because you do run into challenges during the ride. Your mindset has to be and stay positive while abroad or else you won’t survive. Japan isn’t going to be sugar and rainbows. </p>
<p>boomting’s right. Study abroad isn’t the only way to get to Japan. There are plenty of opportunities available after graduation where you don’t have to worry about the financial aspect as much. I’d say go for it. List out the pros and cons. Study abroad seems expensive in the short-term, but what you gain in the long-term is much greater for you as a person. </p>
<p>If you want more information on study abroad scholarships, feel free to PM me.</p>
<p>Hi guys, thank you for the replies, I really appreciate it. I never really thought of teaching English abroad after graduation, does that look just as good as studying abroad on your resume? And would I be able to meet other foreign exchange teachers as well who just graduated college? If so I might consider doing that if it’s less expense.</p>
<p>So I currently go to the University of California, Riverside and this would have been the program that I would have went on, for the most part it would have simply have been my university but in Tokyo, however I ended up cancelling due to financial reasons and fear: [UCEAP:</a> Our Programs | International Christian Univ.](<a href=“http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/japan/Pages/international_christian_univ.aspx]UCEAP:”>http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/japan/Pages/international_christian_univ.aspx)</p>
<p>So for now I’m thinking about looking for a cheaper third-party program to studying in during the Spring quarter. Sprints, you say that it’s normally not a good idea to study abroad if you’re feeling down in the dumps? Ok I’ll keep that in mind, to be honest one of the reasons why I want to study abroad is to get away from the stress of my family and get the chance to socialize with other college students in a dorm (I’ve been commuting my entire college life so I never really had the chance to experience dorm life) and meet other people who share a love for Japanese video games and anime like me, but I guess I should keep in mind that Japan isn’t a wonderland otherwise I’ll find myself highly disappointed.</p>
<p>Edit: Sprints, I’d love to pm you to get information about study abroad scholarships but I can’t at the moment since CC is preventing me from using the PM system until I have made 15 posts.</p>
<p>I can’t claim to be well acquainted with the US graduate job market, but personally I’d think that teaching abroad would look better. It requires more initiative and less hand holding than studying abroad. </p>
<p>With regards to meeting others out there, you certainly won’t find yourself as the only white person in Tokyo. Assuming that you go through a TEFL company, then ask if they put teachers in contact with each other when they are working nearby. </p>
<p>Do your research though!</p>
<p>Purely looking at this from one angle, I’d say go for it because this opportunity may not present itself again and you seem quite interested in it.</p>
<p>However, don’t get your expenses out of hand just for this.</p>
<p>ICU is actually a really good university when it comes to taking care of its international students. You’ll have a great time there. I can’t speak for the entire program itself, but both the international students and Japanese students I’ve met were very open minded and outgoing. The Japanese language program is so-so, but it’s still better than some of the programs you find in Japan. </p>
<p>Teaching English has its advantages and disadvantages, but when are you going to get a chance to live in a dorm with a lot of Japanese and international students in Japan? I’d honestly say go for it. If you do decide to take the teaching English route, you should be prepared to do a lot of research. </p>
<p>Last thing, running away from problems never solves anything (This includes running away to another country for some time!). It’s okay to have high expectations when you go abroad, but just remember not to get discouraged when you run into a few bumps along the way.</p>
<p>I’ll try to PM you even if you can’t reply. :)</p>
<p>@boomting, actually I’m African-American but I get your point, thank you I’ll definitely consider teaching abroad. 
But I wanted to ask, in what ways is it less “hand holding” than studying abroad?</p>
<p>@Sprints, well ICU at this point is inaccessible to me now since they only have a Fall and year-round program which I unfortunately declined due to my own financial issue and fear ;<em>; so right now I’m looking for a good Spring program to apply for. Do you by any chance know anything about Doshisha University and can it compare to ICU? [UCEAP: Our Programs | Language & Culture, Doshisha Univ.](<a href=“http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/japan/Pages/language”>http://eap.ucop.edu/OurPrograms/japan/Pages/language</a></em>culture_doshisha.aspx)</p>
<p>Doshisha University is a private university near Kyoto. Because it’s private, it tends to be on the more expensive side. Most of my friends who went on the program during the spring/summer got FLAS from the US government to cover their program cost and expenses. </p>
<p>The Japanese language program itself is busy. Students who come without any knowledge of Japanese leave with a really good foundation. There is a lot of language study that goes on behind the scenes, but the location is great and mostly everyone I know who’s gone on the program had a great time. There’s a tutor program and a lot of events for the international students. This is probably one of the programs that actually helps the ryuugakusei interact with Japanese locals and students. </p>
<p>You should ask your Japanese professors about scholarships! You can do it!</p>
<p>Hi Sprints, I was looking into some other studying abroad programs and I found one for KCP, a Japanese language school in Tokyo. [Search</a> for “tokyo” - KCP International Japanese Language School - KCP International Japanese Language School](<a href=“You searched for tokyo]Search | KCP International”>You searched for tokyo | KCP International) I was thinking, if I can’t find a good program to help me with my Business Administration major requirements then maybe I can just learn more Japanese with this KCP program and hopefully become fluent in the language and put it on my resume. Do you know anyone who has studied at the KCP? If so did they find the language school to be of lower quality than a university in Japan such as Doshisha or ICU, for example, in terms of housing?</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I saw a banner ad for this school in Japan - it’s a non-profit (not in Tokyo, but maybe worth checking out).</p>
<p>It was a banner ad on [Budget</a> Study Abroad Homepage - Budget Study Abroad](<a href=“http://www.budgetstudyabroad.com%5DBudget”>http://www.budgetstudyabroad.com) - so one of those that’s sometimes there, sometimes not.</p>
<p>As far as you language fluency - par for the course! It’s normal to be nervous about a trip sometimes, and to be apprehensive about being able to talk - but that’s part of the magic of the experience - you will pick it up fast, especially if you program is language oriented. I’ll repeat - you’ll pick it up fast!</p>
<p>And I have seen some nice salaries (not to mention opportunities in general) for people who speak Japanese!</p>
<p>Follow your heart! Go for it! You won’t be alone there - you’ll meet other students. And it does sound like a great opportunity. If something about Japan is calling you…well, pick up the phone!</p>
<p>Me and my most of my friends still don’t know what we’re we’re going with our lives. And among my friends who do…seems that have of them got it wrong! </p>
<p>As for feeling like a coward … take advantage of it. You can’t be courageous in the face of nothing … so here you have a great challenge. Go for it!</p>
<p>I can’t help but agree with you. My parents have actually been acting in a similar manner to me and it bothers me. When the idea of study abroad or living on my own is brought up into the conversation, my dad would claim that he’d be open with whatever I choose to do. However, that is soon forgotten and he starts to bring up things like ‘My health care can’t cover you overseas.’ And pretty much money related issues. Same can be said about my mom. She often brings up that we don’t have enough money to be living out in another country and paying for college on top of that soon after. Which is part of the reason why she prefers me staying here in New York, going to some local college. </p>
<p>I’ve actually thought about working overseas, however, most of those who do choose to become an English teacher in those countries… and teaching isn’t exactly my thing. ^^;
In my opinion if I have the opportunity to pursue something more interesting than teaching in another country I would. But me not being a native person from that country may work as a disadvantage for me. Tsk tsk.</p>
<p>Anyways, even despite what my parents were going on about, I applied for a study abroad program anyways (scholarship program) I tricked them into signing the Parental agreement form too… I’m in NO WAY trying to glorify in the act of tricking or anything… but I really really love travelling and experiencing the differences of other cultures. After a while, I just really wanted to experience that feeling again. I’m not sure if you’d call me desperate, but I feel that my parents really need to face the fact that I’m going to graduate high school soon, I’m taking a step closer into independence. They shouldn’t be as over-protective. But of course, that’s parents for you. </p>
<p>I’m so not sure if this helped you or not, because I only skimmed through your post but I hope I done something with this little confession of mine. :l</p>