Gap year feedback: Eva at Keio University in Japan

My course started about a month and a half ago and so far it's going well. The vast majority of the courses I've chosen are really interesting and very well taught. Nevertheless, communicating entirely in English remains a challenge, even though I think my level has improved considerably since I arrived in Japan. I very much hope that, at the end of the six-month exchange, I'll be able to express myself naturally and fluently in English.

The Keio University campus in Tokyo is very pleasant and modern, as well as being very well located, being right in the center of Tokyo, close to the Tokyo Tower.

As far as accommodation is concerned, I'm staying in a dormitory that is a partner of the university, which has enabled me to meet lots of international students and to be sure of getting decent, reliable accommodation.

Although I only take seven classes, which makes my timetable fairly light, the workload in Japan is slightly heavier than in France because of the large number of articles I have to read beforehand to prepare for the next class. Nevertheless, it's still very interesting because most of my lessons are debates where each student is invited to give their opinion on the subject studied, which makes the teaching more lively and encourages the students to get more involved. I still manage to find time at weekends to explore Tokyo and the surrounding area with other international and French students.

To sum up, I honestly couldn't have wished for a better exchange, which is going wonderfully well. The experience has exceeded my expectations and I'm blossoming in Japan, which I think is an incredible country.

Eva BAUDOUIN

L3 ECONOMIE DD-ED

eva.baudouin@ut-capitole.fr