VOICES
ACE Inbound Exchange Student
2022 Fall
Ms.Subin, CHO
Home University: Seoul National University
As an ACE program participant, I studied in the College of Business at Rikkyo Univeristy for the semester of Fall 2022. Being one of the first ACE students to study abroad in through this program, I believe the program was well-operated. I am grateful for all the support and help from the staff. I can confidently say ACE program is only going to improve from this year on.
The greatest thing at Rikkyo University is that all faculty and staff were very helpful and tried their best to improve the experiences of international students. Students were able to focus comfortably on their studies while enjoying their life in Japan. There were many courses available in English. For example, the class ‘Tokyo Seminar’ helped me and my classmates learn and discover Tokyo in terms of geography and architecture. Japanese language courses were also offered to help introduce the language and culture to international students. These classes met five times a week, making it a good opportunity for students who want to study the language intensively.
During my stay in Japan, I lived in Asaka and commuted daily to Ikebukuro. Rikkyo University has two campuses, one in Ikebukuro and one in Niiza. Having most of my classes at Ikebukuro, I was able to get to know this area better. It is one of the three sub-centers of Tokyo, making its location very convenient to go somewhere inside and outside of Tokyo. Apart from commuting to this area for school, I was able to enjoy my free time visiting the array of department stores closely located to each other around Ikebukuro station.
Asaka city, where my International Dorm was located was in the southern part of Saitama Prefecture, giving access to the residents a convenient train ride of 20 minutes to Ikebukuro Station. It is a residential area and I enjoyed the calm vibe and clean neighborhood very much. From time to time, kindergarten teachers went out for a walk along the railroad fences with kids and pleasantly waved towards the people on the platform and the trains. Personally this was one of the many relaxing routines carried out by locals that made me feel part of this neighborhood.
As a participant of ACE program, I highly praise Rikkyo University as it granted lots of financial and administrative support to me and its students. Its location and ambience makes it difficult to find a better environment for one's study in Japan. For anyone considering studying in Tokyo, I strongly recommend Rikkyo University and the ACE program. For anyone who has decided to attend Rikkyo University, I wish them good luck and hope they have the most enjoyable stay.