Student Viisa
Web Resources for Studying Abroad
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Introduction
In order to study abroad, students need to find a great deal of information about the institution where they will study; the city, region, and country where that school is located; the school year; academic information; scholarship information; living expenses; exchange rates; climate; transportation; daily life; visa requirements; language requirements; proof of language proficiency; etc.
Nowadays, there are many Internet sites related to studying abroad, both for Japanese people interested in going abroad and non-Japanese people who are interested in coming to Japan. I have compiled a list of links to many of them, in addition to writing articles and learning materials for students who want to study abroad. I have made a web page “Study Abroad” http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/users/kkitao/online/www/study.htm) (Appendix A)
which has links to those resources. This is a guide to show how to use the Internet effectively to find such resources. On-line resources are particularly helpful, because users can search for information, navigate through links, and look up information just by changing screens. In addition, web pages can be updated more easily than printed materials.
Though this page was made for both Japanese who go abroad to study and non-Japanese who come to Japan, it is more useful for the former, and some information is particularly intended for Doshisha University students who are planning to participate in the university’s exchange student programs.
Organization of “Study Abroad”
This web page includes links to 1) a Japanese resource (which is a link to another web page which has links of web resources written in Japanese), 2) useful sites in English, 3) articles about studying abroad, 4) organizations and governmental offices, 5) resources, 6) tests, 7) institutions,
reports and projects by Doshisha University students, 9) learning materials on studying in the US, 10) academic English, 11) traveling abroad, and 12) information for non-Japanese people.
1 The Japanese web page
“Ryugaku” (http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/users/kkitao/Japanese/library/resource/abroad/) (Appendix B) has links to resources written in Japanese. The contents are: useful information, information about different countries, embassies, organizations for international exchange, traveling abroad, cheap international phone calls, free e-mail, university programs related to international exchange, and study abroad resources for Doshisha University students. Students can get overall information about studying in various countries, particularly about universities where Doshisha University sends exchange students.
2 Useful Sites
This section includes information on time, exchange rates, weather, Internet domains, school calendars, universities, and language schools. For students planning to go abroad, these sites include a great deal of valuable information
3 Articles about Studying Abroad
These articles were written for students who are thinking about studying abroad. There are seven articles which explain American higher education, studying abroad and the Internet, studying in an American university, using university libraries, the differences between American and British higher education, and benefits of three types of studying abroad.
4 Organizations and Governmental Offices
This section is a list of links to organizations and governmental offices related to studying abroad, such as embassies, associations of language schools, educational exchange organizations, and Departments or Ministries of Education. Students can get information from these organizations and offices. They are organized by country or region: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.
5 Resources
This section includes various types of information which students may need. There are some general resources, such as guides to studying abroad and links pages related to studying abroad, as well as some resources for certain regions or countries. The latter has the following categories: Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea. This section includes commercial resources and other resources for studying and traveling.
6 Tests
Since some institutions require test scores as part of their application process, I have included links to information about the GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT in “Tests.” The GRE and GMAT are required by many American graduate schools. Most English-speaking institutions require non-native English speakers to provide IELTS or TOEFL scores to show the English language proficiency. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand generally require IELTS, and American and Canadian universities require TOEFL.
7 Institutions
This section links the pages of many universities all over the world, or connects to links pages for universities in certain regions or countries. The first part of this section has the general links pages, and then there are links classified by country. There are some lists of individual institutions, which have some useful resources for people who are considering studying there.
8. Reports and Projects by Doshisha Students
One Doshisha student has written a report on her experience studying in Australia. Some students have made web pages to help people who are considering studying at a certain university in a certain country. Those are listed in “Reports and Projects by Doshisha University Students.” They are very helpful for students who are considering to study at those universities. There are more projects found at http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/users/kkitao/class/practicum/.
Doshisha University students made some web pages for non-Japanese people to come to Japan to study, do business, to live and to do sightseeing. They are at http://ilc2.doshisha.ac.jp/users/kkitao/library/student/japan.htm. Also some Doshisha University students have made web pages for non-Japanese people who want to study Japanese language and understand aspects of Japanese culture, which are included in the section for non-Japanese people.
9. Learning Materials on Studying in the US
This section includes five articles which are included in our textbooks. They are explanations about an American college, taking classes a college, living in at college dormitory,