[platypeese]

I'm also studying abroad this fall but I will be at Osaka University. =)


How long are you guys staying? full year

Student visa process....? it's detailed in the packet. my process is to fill out a form to give to the university to give to immigration and then they send you a reply form where you go to the consulate in your city to request a visa.

Have you heard back from the college you are applying yet? yup. just recently like.. earlier this week!

Did you receive the Jasso Scholarship? I'm not sure. On my acceptance letter it listed School, Scholarship and in the details it said JASSO but that could mean I either got it or it's the scholarship I applied for....

Estimation of how much money you think would be enough for a full year? your university should give you a rough estimate. usually anywhere between $20,000 - $30,000 for a year.

Your packing plans: somewhat lightly. I plan to ship most of my winter clothes before I leave so that I can settle in before they arrive.

Are you buying or already have one a electronic Japanese-English translator? I'm trying to make this trip kinda frugal. Generally I hear a decent electronic dictionary sells for about $300 but I settled for the Nintendo DS game since I don't think I'll need to look up overly complex vocabulary up in the dictionary like quantum mechanics or anything. It depends on the comfort of your level and how much you'll actually use the dictionary.

Hope this helps! I'm currently looking for when we'll know official results for JASSO, but no luck so far.