Japan: Carson O’Neil

Program: Waseda University Exchange, Spring

Carson’s Major: Japanese, Neurobiology

What is the most memorable experience from your program?

The most memorable experience from being at Waseda was being able to meet and become friends with some of the Japanese students. I think it is such a special thing to be able to meet people from different backgrounds and exchange information about your own background with them. I loved getting together with them and teaching them different words in English, and the nuance that comes with these words, that they didn’t know before; and in return, they would teach me different Japanese words that I didn’t already know and the nuance behind what the words mean in different contexts.

How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?

I found there to be a few differences in academics compared to classes at UW-Madison. This may have differed though, as I took a very different set of classes here in Japan than I take in Madison. Normally in Madison, I am taking a lot of STEM classes, however, in Japan I was taking classes based more in arts and literature. I found a big difference to be there was not a lot of homework that I received here. I think in Madison I receive a lot of homework to supplement my learning, but Waseda did not give a lot of it, in the classes that I took. However, I think the education I got was still excellent, as the professors were very clear and concise with their explanations and provided enough insight on the topics without needing to give homework. Another difference with academics at Waseda is that there are not as many class meetings a week as I am used to in Madison. My 2 credit classes at Waseda met one time a week for a 100-minute time period; however, in Madison, I’m used to having one to two lectures a week, with an additional discussion section. At Waseda, there were no discussion sections, nor were there TAs in the classes to assist students.

How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?

I think this experience has greatly impacted my future and what I am considering doing. Before coming to Japan, I was very set on going to med-school straight out of undergrad, which I still want to do, eventually. After being in Japan, I have come to consider maybe taking a year or two off after graduation to come back to Japan and maybe get a career here, as a teacher or something. This idea was not one that I considered before coming to Japan, but after being here, I am greatly considering a future career here, for a short period of time. Also, before coming to Japan, I had already been studying Japanese for about a year and a half; now after being in Japan, the experience has definitely made me want to stay on top of my studies and continue learning Japanese. I took a Japanese Literature class at Waseda, which has made me want to continue reading and studying Japanese Literature.

What is your advice for someone considering this program?

For someone considering applying to Waseda, I would say to really research the area and see if that is the area of Japan that you want to live in. When I was considering applying to a couple different programs in Japan, I was mainly looking at the area in which the college was located and whether that would be a good fit for my lifestyle or not. Different regions of Japan have different things to offer, so I would make sure that they fit your lifestyle and needs. Tokyo seemed like the best fit for me, as it is a place that always has stuff going on, no matter the time of day.