In order to study abroad, students need to find a great deal of information about the institution where they will study; the city, region, and country where that school is located; the school year; academic information; scholarship information; living expenses; exchange rates; climate; transportation; daily life; visa requirements; language requirements; proof of language proficiency; etc.

Nowadays, there are many Internet sites related to studying abroad, both for Japanese people interested in going abroad and non-Japanese people who are interested in coming to Japan. I have compiled a list of links to many of them, in addition to writing articles and learning materials for students who want to study abroad.

Which has links to those resources? This is a guide to show how to use the Internet effectively to find such resources. On-line resources are particularly helpful because users can search for information, navigate through links, and look up information just by changing screens. In addition, web pages can be updated more easily than printed materials.

Though this page was made for both Japanese who go abroad to study and non-Japanese who come to Japan, it is more useful for the former, and some information is particularly intended for Doshisha University students who are planning to participate in the university’s exchange student programs.

Organization of “Study Abroad”

1) The Japanese web page

“Ryugaku” has links to resources written in Japanese. The contents are useful information, information about different countries, embassies, organizations for international exchange, traveling abroad, cheap international phone calls, free e-mail, university programs related to international exchange, and study abroad resources for Doshisha University students. Students can get overall information about studying in various countries, particularly about universities where Doshisha University sends exchange students.

2) Useful Sites

This section includes information on time, exchange rates, weather, Internet domains, school calendars, universities, and language schools. For students planning to go abroad, these sites include a great deal of valuable information

3) Articles about Studying Abroad

These articles were written for students who are thinking about studying abroad. There are seven articles which explain American higher education, studying abroad and the Internet, studying in an American university, using university libraries, the differences between American and British higher education, and benefits of three types of studying abroad.

4) Organizations and Governmental Offices

This section is a list of links to organizations and governmental offices related to studying abroad, such as embassies, associations of language schools, educational exchange organizations, and Departments or Ministries of Education. Students can get information from these organizations and offices. They are organized by country or region: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.

5) Resources

This section includes various types of information which students may need. There are some general resources, such as guides to studying abroad and links pages related to studying abroad, as well as some resources for certain regions or countries. The latter has the following categories: Asia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Korea. This section includes commercial resources and other resources for studying and traveling.

6) Tests

Since some institutions require test scores as part of their application process, I have included links to information about the GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, and SAT in “Tests.” The GRE and GMAT are required by many American graduate schools. Most English-speaking institutions require non-native English speakers to provide IELTS or TOEFL scores to show the English language proficiency. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand generally require IELTS, and American and Canadian universities require TOEFL.

7) Institutions

This section links the pages of many universities all over the world or connects to links pages for universities in certain regions or countries. The first part of this section has the general links pages, and then there are links classified by country. There are some lists of individual institutions, which have some useful resources for people who are considering studying there.

8) Reports and Projects by Doshisha Students

One Doshisha student has written a report on her experience studying in Australia. Some students have made web pages to help people who are considering studying at a certain university in a certain country. Those are listed in “Reports and Projects by Doshisha University Students.” They are very helpful for students who are considering to study at those universities.

Doshisha University students made some web pages for non-Japanese people to come to Japan to study, do business, to live and to do sightseeing. Also, some Doshisha University students have made web pages for non-Japanese people who want to study Japanese language and understand aspects of Japanese culture, which are included in the section for non-Japanese people.

9) Learning Materials on Studying in the US

This section includes five articles which are included in our textbooks. They are explanations about an American college, taking classes a college, living in a college dormitory, and experiences of Japanese students in the United States and on an American college campus. The latter was written from the point of view of Japanese students as they experience new things in the United States, so it is easy for Japanese students to understand, and they can learn about studying abroad from the point of view of someone who had experienced it.

10) Academic English

This section is another resource I have made. It includes valuable information for students who want to study abroad. It includes information about how to evaluate resources, plagiarism, fields of study, search tools, study skills, research, writing research papers, writing, resources, and making web pages.

11) Traveling Abroad

This page is made for Japanese scholars and business people interested in traveling abroad, particularly to the United States, the UK, and European countries (Appendix D). Thus it includes both English and Japanese resources, and probably more Japanese ones.

This web page includes very practical resources for traveling, including information about obtaining plane tickets; transportation such as trains, buses, ships, etc., in various countries; finding night accommodations and even making reservations; major airports; and other helpful information for traveling.

12) For Non-Japanese Students

This section is for non-Japanese people who come to Japan for study, business, or sightseeing. There are many Doshisha student projects to help those people enjoy staying in Japan, and study better or do business more effectively.

Those projects include information about studying the Japanese language, studying at Japanese universities, various places in Japan, entertainment, famous places, avoiding problems, eating, etc.

This section also includes links on Japanese culture and language that could be helpful to non-Japanese people to study Japan. “Japan and Japanese Language”, which I made, is linked, and it covers learning Japanese language, gateways for various types of information, culture, Japanese language, Japanese literature, libraries, mailing lists, newspapers. magazines, TV and radio; movies, organizations, resources, teachers’ homepages, learning material, college associations, university Japanese programs, Japanese programs in Japan, and food. (Appendix E) These links are beneficial for non-Japanese people who live or stay in Japan.

Using “Study Abroad” Effectively

Japanese students who have just started thinking about the possibility of studying abroad should read the articles about studying abroad, particularly “Why Don’t You Study Abroad?” which explains three different types of studying abroad and their advantages and disadvantages in “3. Articles.” Other articles explain higher education in the United States and Britain. If you are interested in studying abroad, the learning materials are interesting and informative as well as giving you a chance to read English.

The Japanese resources “Ryugaku” include explanations about educational systems and universities in various countries, and they are very informative for students who are trying to decide what English-speaking country they want to study in. There are great differences among the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

The web pages of organizations and government offices provide various resources and information, and students who are interested in studying abroad should skim this information. While you might not need the information right away, it may later be useful, so you should know what kinds of resources are available.

Choosing the institution where you study is a big and important decision. Fortunately, most institutions have well-developed websites, and you can find almost all the information you need. One way of comparing institutions is to make a chart. You can list the institutions down the left side and characteristics of the institutions across the top (for example, the size of the institution, the courses of interest to you, or whatever is important to you in choosing an institution). You can fill in the chart with information from web pages. That way, you can choose the five institutions that best fit your priorities. Then you can send e-mails to them to collect more information or begin the application process.

“Reports and Projects by Doshisha Students” might be helpful in deciding what kind of information you need to look for. Students have made web pages with information they thought might be useful, and most of them are well done. One problem might be that some of the information might become outdated since they will not be revised.

If you are considering getting into a degree program, you need to take TOEFL or IELTS depending on which country you are going to. You need good scores before you apply for admission. You should check the schedule, etc., for those tests, and take them as soon as possible.

After you decide to go abroad to study, I strongly suggest that you study academic English. Writing essays and research papers is particularly important, so you need to learn about doing research and writing a paper. “Academic English” section has resources that will help you in this area.

“Reference Materials for Students and Researchers” has valuable resources. Resources for writing and search sites are particularly important for the students who are going abroad to study.

“Useful Sites” and “Traveling Abroad” have very practical sites where you can get a lot of information about traveling and living abroad. Some of these sites might be interesting for students in general. They might spark an interest in studying abroad if students use them for studying English. When students are ready to go, they can use these sites to make travel plans, etc.

For non-Japanese people, web pages by Doshisha students are interesting and informative. Keiko Schneider’s “Japanese language learning tools on the Web” is very extensive, and you will find a great many useful sites.

My “Japan and Japanese Language” also has a great deal of information about that you may need to know about Japan, Japanese culture, and Japanese language. I have included some information about language and university programs as well as universities.