ICU School in Tokyo
 

Hi, I'm 21 and new here, I really enjoy reading comments by locals from Japan. I recently visited Shibuya and then took a 3 day tour through Hakone and was really amazed at how unique Japan really is. I'm planning on applying to some schools in Japan such as Sophia and ICU. What I'm wondering is if anyone knows some local details about these places and what they think about the location/opportunity offered by these schools. For ICU I read that only 20% of classes are taught in english and I'm not fluent in Japanese yet but hopefully the JLP courses/living in Japan will allow me to complete my bachelors. Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks

My (Japanese) girlfriend studied business and foreign economics at Sophia and her course was 100% English (all the lecturers were English natives).

If you need any more specific details about the university let me know - will see her at the weekend so can find out for you

Aight awesome, appreciate it, I sent you a PM with some questions, if you could ask your girl that would be great.

Sophia does offer classes in English but you would rarely get a chance to interact with local students. Students who major in this course are either Japanese who lived overseas, international student, or those from international high schools in Japan.

I have attended only first semester because it was boring and I decided to just study abroad. But that's because I'm Japanese.

Personally, I'm biased and believe that ICU is a better school and the surrounding location is amazing. I'm a local from Mitaka and I can say that it is quiet enough but offers great access to Shinjuku and other major stations.

There are many long term residents from overseas and Mitaka being a residential area, it attracts foreigners who want to settle in Tokyo.

Anyways, I can give you some more info if you are interested but I highly recommend you to visit both campuses. After all they are very different.

Hey!
I'm a current student at ICU and I'll be there for four years. I came to Japan with very little Japanese skill (I didn't even take the placement test). I love the school but like everywhere else it has it's pluses and cons. Let me know if you have any questions!.
-Lee

I'm interested about your opinion on ICU.

Would you mind sharing pros and cons about ICU?

Sorry I took so long to get back to this post, I forgot about it. Having been at the school for almost a year now, I have a pretty good grasp on it. Here are some thoughts.

Pros:
-Campus is beautiful, and in a great area
-Way cheaper than American private schools that are similar, but expensive compared to Japan
-Most classes are small and personal (especially langauge)
-Japanese language teachers are great. I was an absolute beginner when I went and it wasn't a problem.
-People are generally friendly, and office workers are usually very helpful

Cons:
-The classes might be a bit on the easy side compared to the high level American universities
-The style of running it reminds me a bit of high school, as in you have to have permission for a lot more things than is usual in a university.
-The dorms are great for outgoing people, but if you're reserved you might have a tough time. It is Japan so you're expected to conform.

Overall I really like the University. It has it's downsides but I'd definitely recommend it.

Hello
 

Im new and i just ternd 20! I dropd out of school at the age of 18! :}

What kinda of classes do they have at Icu????

What do you mean by the dorms are mainly for outgoing people.

ICU Dorms
 

If there is someone who is or has been a student at ICU and lived in a dorm (particularly females), can you tell me what the layout of the shower room is? Do they have a large shower room or individual showers with privacy? Thanks.

=)
 

Im only 14, but i want to go to college and its a really big thing for me. and i was wondering...what is there at ICU? i tried to visit the site, but my computer is really messed up and wouldnt let me on. Maybe some pictures and as much detail as possible, i need to talk my parents into letting me go to a college in japan in the near future so the sooner the better. Thanks =):)

As far as the dorms go, they like to do activities together and there is a sort of initiation for newcomers where you have to where a costume and do a performance at the end of the first week of school. Most of the people have a good time but there are a few that don't like it too much.

I don't live in the dorms there but from what I've heard, the Global house is by far the nicest place to stay even though it's more expensive.

It's a normal university so they have classes for whatever major you decide to do. All foreigners also have to do the JLP program to learn Japanese (which is what I've been doing this last year). Classes are offered in both English in Japanese but not every class is offered in both.

It's really hard to explain all about ICU, so if you get a chance try another computer and visit the website.

However, I can tell you that the university is very beautiful, especially for one in Japan (most others tend to have a more grew and brown look). The Japanese courses are top notch but it's not the place to go if you're looking to go into something like computers. I would say the strongest programs are the Social Sciences and Language programs.

Sorry for the extremely late reply again.
-Lee

I guess having its campus in suburban Tokyo allows ICU to have much greener and bigger campus.

It's very beautiful in Fall season and it is big plus to have Nogawa Park nearby as well.

absolutely. I heard the park used to be owned by ICU and they sold it back later on.