study abroad
 

I am going to study abroad in Japan starting in january, most likely in Kyoto. It is required that I set up my own housing. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I should look for an affordable place? Obviously as a college student I cant afford to stay in a hotel for 3 to 6 months, so if anyone has any ideas Id greatly appreciate it.

What school are you going to? How do they expect you to find your own housing?

I attend the Ohio State University, I am going to the office of international affairs to get all the details, but the packet i have states that the cost is tuition plus $500 per quarter, and i am responsible for travel expenses and setting up my own living situation, since dorms in Japan are so competitive.

I would talk seriously to International Affairs office because I think it is insane to expect you to be able to find housing on your own without at least some hints from your host university.

I feel the same way as well. Hopefully it is just a "generalized" thing in the packet and not the actual way of things. I dont know how a student could travel abroad if they have no clue what is abroad...that is the purpose of going after all, in my mind, to learn what is there.

I am familiar with a couple programs, but they have dedicated housing. All respectable programs I know (like Waseda, JET, etc.) do. Sometimes people post here and say "I need to find housing" and it turns out they "turned down" the housing offered to them by the host institution...which is a big F.U. in Japan.

There, there.

I agree that respectable places offer housing (Like Waseda where I'm studying). But it's no big deal if one want's to find housing by their own.

There have been more than one individual here that has been offered housing by his university or employer, but decided to say "No, I don't want what you are offering me, I would rather find my own," which sounds just like it does in English, but what Westerners don't realize is that sounds like "I don't appreciate the time and effort you have made to arrange housing for me, and would rather risk going out on my own than take the educated effort by you and your staff to make my life in Japan affordable and comfortable."

The relationship will never be the same again.

I don't know about employers, but neither I or any of my friends who doesn't lie in homestay or dormitories have any "relationship" problems what so ever with anyone related to the school.

And they don't arrange the housing until you send in all the papers which say you actually want housing. Now if you would try and cancel after that, then yes.. big trouble.

Oh and yeah, you don't get a specified housing arrangement offer. When you agree to dormitory housing you basically agree to "Yes, I will live wherever you see fit to place me". And when you are placed, you stay there and don't move. (The dormitories are perfectly fine though!)

Again I'm just speaking from experience in one school.

I am not sure what we are disagreeing on. It sounds like the OP needs to communicate with his school in Japan and tell them that indeed, he needs housing arrangements. If they say "live in the dorm" then you live in the dorm.