3/17/2016 0 Comments My Wifi SituationAfter doing research about getting a Japanese SIM card or a pocket Wifi device, I've decided to go with the pocket Wifi. For more info about these two options, see my past blog post... I just thought the pocket Wifi would be a better fit for me. The downside is that I have to carry it around with me everywhere, but it's pretty small so I'm okay with that. If family/friends visit me, they will be able to connect to my Wifi (up to 10 devices), I have unlimited data, and I'll be able to connect my ipad and laptop rather than just having service on my phone. Also, most of the SIM card companies only offer data (no talk or text) so it's pretty much the same thing. Below is my experience with submitting my order.
UPDATE: I checked into the hotel last night and my wifi package was there waiting for me! Below is a picture of the package it came in. I was very happy by this because I actually ended up procrastinating and didn't order the pocket wifi until yesterday...haha. So far this company has been very time efficient and has communicated with me via email to keep me informed on the whereabouts of my package. I kind of regret ordering the extra battery because I don't think I will need it. I already have a portable charger/battery thing with me so I probably could just use that to charge it if I need to. The wifi device itself is smaller than my phone. It's also really easy to use. My laptop is connected to it right now and it works great. I'm happy lol.
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3/9/2016 0 Comments Exchanging your $$$ → ¥¥¥
1. Exchange money before leaving Hawaii: Pacific Money Exchange: Located in Waikiki. You can show your Hawaii ID here and receive a Kama'aina discount. For large exchanges (maybe $500+), you should call in advance to make an appointment. DFS Galleria Money Exchange: Also located in Waikiki. Some reviews say that they have better rates than Pacific Money Exchange, but the Yelp reviews give Pacific Money Exchange a better rating. Travelex Foreign Exchange: Located at Ala Moana Center, mall level 2, Diamond Head Wing. This place may not have the best exchange rates, but if you're looking for convenience, this may be a better option. Parking in Waikiki is expensive and limited. If you go to Ala Moana, parking is free and there's definitely a lot more of it than in Waikiki. 2. Exchange money at the airport: Honolulu International Airport: Link will take you to currency exchange locations within Honolulu International Airport. Narita Airport: Different locations/banks to exchange currency located within the airport. Rates vary by location and your desired amount may not always be available. It is recommended to call ahead (this applies to all airports and banks though). Haneda Airport: This link will send you to an info page about Haneda's banks, ATMs, currency exchange and travel insurance. 3. Exchange money at your hotel: This option is only recommended for emergencies because hotels often have the worst rates and fees. 4. Exchange at Banks: This option requires too much paperwork and can be time consuming. Banks are also closed on weekends so it's not recommended. 5. Exchange counters in Tokyo: This option offers the best rates and fast service. Exchange counters such as World Currency Shop are located in high-traffic locations and near major train stations. Some counters are open 7 days a week. They offer rates that are much better than your home country or via ATM. Info taken from NAVITIME for Japan Travel app. 2/23/2016 0 Comments SIM Card? Pocket Wifi? Oh My!I think that the most common approach to communication and using our phones abroad as exchange students is the foreign SIM card approach. It's very convenient because you can use the phone you already have. I've also been doing some research on Pocket Wifi, which is basically a device that you carry with you to have Wifi wherever you go. Below I'm going to show you guys some examples from different companies I found or was recommended by other people. I'm going to be weighing pros and cons about the different options before making my final decision. 1. Getting a Japanese SIM Card B-mobile is a company that provides VISITOR SIM Cards. This company was recommended to me by a friend who is currently using their services. Below is a summary of what B-mobile provides. Visit their FAQ page and Product Details for more info.
For myself, I would prefer to rent something more long-term so I don't have to deal with extending it multiple times throughout my stay. This option is actually a great fit for someone who is just visiting Japan for a couple of weeks. If anyone comes to visit you while you're abroad you can tell them about this company! I would probably opt in to have the SIM Card shipped to the airport so I can pick it up as soon as I land. I'm not concerned about the lack of voice communication because I will be using Line (which uses data). CD Japan is another company that provides SIM Card rental. This company works with Docomo (a Japanese phone company). Most of the services offered are very similar to B-mobile but the main difference is that with CD Japan, you have more options as to how long you are able to rent the SIM Card. Below is a summary of what they provide and I pulled their chart that shows you the different types of SIM Cards and what phones they are compatible with. As a side note, this company also provides pocket wifi rentals.
2. Getting a Pocket Wifi Device Wifi Rental Store is the first company that I found that offers pocket Wifi devices for rent. Their website is very straight to the point, which I like and it compares prices between three different devices they offer for different reasons. Below is a summary of things I thought are useful to know. Right off the bat, you can see it's a lot more expensive to go with a rental Wifi for 6 months than a SIM Card from CD Japan for 6 months. This option has a lot of additional costs (mostly provided for your convenience though).
**Insurance is optional Of course, there are other companies that offer similar services that you might want to check out. You can also go directly to Y!mobile or SoftBank rather than through these other companies. It all depends on what works best for you in the end. Now that I'm thinking about it, a SIM Card does seem like the best way to go. But what I do like about the pocket WiFi is that I can connect my other devices (laptop/iPad) to the Wifi as well. I was concerned about not having Wifi in my dorm room and just surviving off of plugging in my laptop to the ethernet lol...there wouldn't really be any point to bringing my iPad on this trip. Another option is that after getting the SIM Card, you could consider arranging to set your phone up as a hotspot.
I hope this information helps you decide what to do with your phone situation. Researching and writing everything out to compare definitely helped me lol.
It was a very quick drop-off and I got a 'receipt' paper that says my Visa will be ready for pick up on 2/9/2016. Five days! It's a super quick process and compared to getting your driver's license at the DMV, it's a 0 out of 10 on the stress scale, lol!
---I'll update this post when I receive my Visa--- Update: I picked up my Visa yesterday, (February 11, 2016) and it took less than five minutes. I just gave them the receipt they gave me and presented my ID. I had to sign a paper stating that I picked up my passport and I was all set! Seriously, the process of getting my Visa has been one of the least stressful events of this entire process. Mahalo to the people at the Japanese Consulate. If you're going to study abroad in Japan, you might get thrown off a little by the academic calendar. Here in the U.S., our Spring semester typically runs from January to May. In Japan, the spring semester will typically run from the start of April until the end of July. This is why it might feel like everything is arriving so late. I was getting anxious, waiting for my Certificate of Eligibility to come in the mail from Keio. This is the document you need in order to get your Student Visa (you will not be permitted to enter the country without this). I'm going to the Japanese Consulate later this week in order to get everything filled out and squared away. The package I received contained the following documents:
I know that most of my posts so far have been pretty boring. The reason why I'm giving the play-by-play is because when I started doing research about studying abroad, I was actually very concerned about every detail. I wanted to know as much as I could about the process before I actually had to go through it. If you are anything like me, I hope you find these posts to be informative or somehow helpful to you. If it offers some peace of mind to know around what timeframe you will be receiving these documents, I've done my job!
Here's a recap of what's happened so far: I submitted my MIX application in July 2015, I was nominated to Keio University back in late September, and then three months after that I finally got word from the MIX office that my official acceptance letter from Keio University and information packet was available for pick up! It was actually during finals week that I got the email. This info packet contained the following documents:
Below is the orientation schedule that I received in the packet. Applying to the Dorm One of the most important things to me when I first started researching my study abroad trip, was where I would be living. In the end I decided to go with the school's dormitories. The application for the dorms opened on December 18, 2015 @ 10 AM (Japan Time). At the time that the app opened, I was in Los Angeles so I wasn't exactly sure about what time difference it would be. Luckily I put it into my phone calendar to remind me to apply when the app opened Japan time, and I got an alert around 5 PM on December 17, 2015 to apply (since Japan is a day ahead). In order to apply, you must create an account online at Keio University's dorm system. Detailed information and a link will be provided to you before the dorm application opens. Below is what the log in looks like. You are going to have to register before you can apply. I was actually really anxious about applying to the dorm because I really want to get my first choice. So I made sure I applied as soon as the application opened. I know, I'm a little crazy sometimes haha. I applied for: 1) Motosumiyoshi and 2) Hiyoshi International House. These two dorms are on opposite ends of the spectrum being the most newly renovated and the oldest. What I liked was the studio-style of Motosumiyoshi, including its nice amenities and the apartment-style coziness of HIH.
Important Dates Dorm application period: December 18, 2015 (10 AM) - January 14, 2016 (10 AM) Japan Time. Dorm applications will be approved by: January 28, 2016. Move-in: March 23-24 between 9 AM and 6PM. Move-out: August 3, 2016. For more information on Keio's dorms or on housing options that I researched click the links below: Keio's Housing Webpage for International Students Other options besides the dorms Hello everyone! it's been a minute since I've been able to post any new content. It's nice to be back! Today I was finally able to register online for my spring 2016 semester. If you didn't know, even though you will be studying abroad and not physically at the UH campus, you still need to register so you can maintain the status of a full time student. Each MIX partner University has a unique CRN code that you will need to input in your MyUH Portal. You will be receiving this code from the MIX office before your registration date. You should be familiar with the usual UH registration process by now, which includes inputting the institution you are registering though and the CRN numbers of the classes you're registering for. The only difference this time is that the MIX course is a "Variable Credit", which defaults to 1 credit, so you will need to manually increase the amount to 12 credits. This is according to a Credit/No Credit grading scale rather than Standard Letter A-F. Below is an example of what this would look like. Just input the credit amount in the box available. I am a little behind in my Writing Intensive requirements, so I need to take a couple of WI's online while I am studying abroad. I decided to take LTEC 448, which is called "Links to Lifelong Learning (Social Media)". Hopefully this class isn't too difficult! I planned out my schedule to take an upper division (300+) WI for the spring and a lower level one for the summer (through one of the community colleges). I think that the other WI will just be a creative writing class. I don't want to take on more than I can handle while studying abroad. If you are planning to take online classes, you should really think it through because you don't want to be stressing out! This is how my Spring 2016 schedule looks through MyUH Portal. It's a total of 15 credit hours. Please don't just copy the CRN codes from what you see in the image. You should be receiving that info directly from MIX. The codes could differ from semester to semester. If you are interested in the online class that I am taking, feel free to ask me about my experiences as the semester goes on! :)
11/3/2015 0 Comments Keio-Shidler Course EquivalentsBeing a full-time student at Keio University requires that you enroll in at least 7 courses. As for Shidler's study abroad requirements, six business credits need to transfer back to UHM. After looking at the course equivalents here, I was able to highlight the courses that are transferable and relevant to my major. I then needed to refer to Keio's International Program course information sheet here, to determine what would be taught for the Spring semester.
From there, I narrowed down the list even further, included a couple of electives that I thought were interesting, and then added a Japanese Language class to the list. Below is the list of courses that I am planning to take, which I submitted to Keio during the application process. Course Title 1. Management in Japan 2. Organizational Analysis and Management Theory 3. Cases in Japanese Management 4. Competing in Emerging Markets and the East Asia 5. Marketing Data Analysis 6. Elementary 2 Japanese Language Course (JLP) 7. Gender, Culture and Modernity in Interwar Japan 8. The Persistence and Causes of Poverty in Japan, Asia and the Developing World This is not a definitive list of courses I will be taking. Iʻm hoping to get these business courses because I know that they will be able to transfer back. But nothing is set in stone and I wonʻt get to register for my classes until the start of school. Even though courses are never guaranteed, itʻs always a good idea to plan things out and explore your options. ありがとうございます! Mahalo Nui Loa! Thank you! To Mr. Graeme Freeman and the Freeman Foundation for your continuous support of the students at Shilder College of Business who are choosing to study abroad in Asia. I am so grateful and I feel so honored for your support in my education overseas. I have been given the once in a lifetime opportunity to study at one of the top schools in Tokyo, Japan. This scholarship is enabling me to take every opportunity while abroad; to network and make connections with business professionals and other international students from around the world, to travel and immerse myself in Japan's unique culture, to further my education in international business, marketing, and management, and to be a positive representative of Native Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture and values at the international level!
9/30/2015 MIX Nomination!!!Yesterday (September 29, 2015) I received my nomination from the MIX office!
Keio!!! Keio!!! I got Keio!!! I am soo so happy to have been nominated for my first choice university in Tokyo! Clicking the link that was provided in the email from MIX sent me to Keio University's Application instructions. There I found the list of documents I would need to provide for my application. As I read through the instructions, I found that I needed to turn in all of the documents by....NEXT WEEK?!?!??!?!?!?! 2016 Spring Admission Application Deadline: October 5, 2015. That's next Tuesday.......... Below is a list of application documents for KIP (Keio International Program):
I wasn't anticipating that I would have such little time to get my documents in. Luckily, MIX requested a deadline extension for us because it was simply not feasible. I was told to try and get everything in ASAP. If I could recommend one thing, don't wait until you receive your nomination to start asking professors about writing you a letter of recommendation. Start early! |
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