Saturday, February 7, 2009

Study abroad in China or Japan? Pros and Cons

Study abroad in China or Japan? Pros and Cons?
I'm just thinking about my future and where I want to study-abroad and pick up fluency. From what I read from previous answers China is a cheap place to live and I know from my obsession with Japan that it is an expensive place. Can you just tell me what I'll be looking at as far as completing my degree, living expenses, etc. Also I plan to do nursing. I know Japan has an large American college that has a nursing program there. If I were to go there will I be able to keep up with my nursing studies or not? Nursing is just so different from other majors. Please, all info is welcome.
Studying Abroad - 1 Answers
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Hello, I studied in Japan and will study in China next year. First off, China is less expensive overall, but it largely depends on how you choose to spend your money. If you are Japan-crazy and you end up in a metropolitan area, you will probably spend a ridiculous amount of cash on stuff. On the flip-side, if you live in a rural area in Japan, you will not find a lot of things to spend your money on. Same goes for China. If you really want to, you can learn to save money no matter where you are by learning how the locals shop. I saved a lot in Tokyo because my host mom was able to point me to cheaper places to go ( i.e. Mosburger instead of McDonald's). You should base your choice on where you really want to study, and where the education is best for what you want to study. Nursing is a very good thing to study in Japan, and it seems like you'd rather go there anyway. The cons of Japan- 1) as you've mentioned, inflation is bad. 2) it will not be anything like what you read in books. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but one thing to remember is that all Japanese are not otakus. Most of them don't know anything about the latest anime, or study martial arts, or other "Japanese" things. Also, the Japanese have a strict code of "nihonjinron", or "Japanese-ness". No matter what, it will be impossible to assimilate. As long as you keep these things in mind, you should enjoy Japan. Now China, I am still investigating. The pro is that your money will go a little further but the con is it's very, very crowded.



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