Ten students of the University of Aizu (UoA) had three-week short-term Oversea Programs at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the USA.

Here are their reports of their classes and daily life in the USA.

＜Participants＞

＜Study Report＞

１. Ms. ISHIMOTO Mana (a third-year student)

In this program, I visited The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. I had a good experience in this program. I could meet a lot of wonderful people.

First, my roommate. She was very kind. So, I could talk a lot with her. When the day I arrived, I talked about my hobby and my hometown. Also, I asked her about her hobby and her room because she displayed Japanese Anime merchandise and beautiful illustrations. I think speaking actively is important. I could be friends. She invited us to make chocolate chip cookies and waffles. I was happy to make sweets with local recipes. Also, she invited us to play games. It was a wonderful time.

Second, buddies. We had a buddy group. They were very kind. They planned a lot of activities. For example, they planned a campfire. We could enjoy seeing it and making s'mores and hotdogs. They took us to go to the supermarket. So, we could buy souvenirs for Japan. They invited us to go to lunch and dinner. We talked to each other while eating. It was a good time. A lot of Rose-Hulman students often go to the gym. So, I went to the gym with a buddy. He told me how to use the machines. I trained my muscles. I thought it was a respectable culture of America. I think the gym was good to make friends and gain confidence. Without any activity, we talked a lot in our free time. We could become good friends.

Also, I could learn about American culture. In the St. Louis trip, we went to the museum under the big arch. Buddies explained American history to me. I first learned about Lewis and Clark. They were an exploration party. They explored the whole of America. I'm Japanese, so I didn't know about American history. I was interested in history, so it was fun.

We did a final presentation. We created a group and made a presentation. One group had two tutors. So, we were taught about English presentation by tutors. I could learn about posture, line of sight, and speaking in presentations. For example, when it's not my turn to speak, look at a screen because audiences look at a screen. I could practice those things in the presentation. My group presented about Japanese humor. So, we told some jokes during our presentation. Our tutors showed us a hand sign which means it is a joke. So, we used the hand sign in the presentation. After I knew the hand sign, I noticed some people using the hand sign when talking. I thought that the more I know, the more I can see. I think preparing the presentation was the hardest thing in this program. However, it was fun. We practiced a lot, and we were able to entertain the audience. After finishing the presentation, some people told me my part was very good. I think I could improve my presentation skills.

This program was good for me to improve my English skills and communication skills. I could make good relationships with Rose-Hulman students. My interest in foreign countries increased. So, I will keep practicing English hard.

2. Mr. KANEKO　Kaisei(a third-year student)

Hello everyone, I'm Kaisei Kaneko and undergraduate third years student. I had been to Rose-Hulman institute of technology located in Indiana state for short time studying abroad from March third to March 24th. I decided to go there because I can take part in a class of the university and improve myself by experiencing living in another country. There are a lot of differences between the U.S and Japan. So, I was surprised at it. First of all, I mention the difference of food. We ate almost food in a cafeteria of the university. There are three cafeteria in the university. We often went to the biggest cafeteria of the three. In there, I could learn what is American food from the cafeteria. As you expected, American food has a lot of oil in whatever I choose. In lunchtime, there are oily chicken and pizza definitely. And I was stuffing my face with a lot of chicken and pizza at every meal. To be honest, I miss the cafeteria even though I am in Japan now. In Japan, there is "mottainai" which allow us to eat all meats. But a lot of people who left some meals are in there. We can pack in something like lunchbox when we leave something to eat.

Next, I felt like most American are quite open. It means they are so friendly and social. The reason why I felt it is easy to get along with my roommate. We had to share a room with a Rose-Hulman student. I had never shared a room except my family. I was nervous when I came there. Fortunately, my roommate was so kind to me. Most American talks with stranger like talking with their friend. To get along with American is easier than Japanese.When it comes to a bathroom, it doesn't have a lid. And It has even broader than Japan one. It is like open.

Next, a party is held on a weekend. Rose-Hulman students study hard on a weekday and release from stress due to party or training on a holiday. During this studying abroad program, I couldn't take part in the party. So, I would like to take part in the party and dance and cosplay with a jungle theme next time.

Besides, I thought most American tend to be obesity. But most Rose-Hulaman student have a good body and good muscle. In this university, there is a gym which is called SRC. The instruments of the gym are so good. Most students like utilizing those in the gym. I went there a few times. I noticed that everyone strives to work out there seriously. We can get a good bond with most of the students and strong body if we invite them to go to the gym.

Last, what I learned from this studying abroad is how we convey our ideas. For example, we can't tell someone about our idea if we can't communicate with someone if we can speak anther language. Even if we can't speak another language well, we can use hand gesture to express our ideas. This is important factor on living in another country.

3. Mr. NAKAMURA Shun (a second-year student)

I grew as a person through this program. Before, I had hesitated to do anything. Now, something that had scared me is gone, I feel like I became myself. What helped me grow was our buddies and great ambience the U.S. has. The buddies were the greatest. They were dedicated to giving us new experiences and getting us closer to make our memories better. I loved the atmosphere in the U.S. I felt like I can try anything there. At least people in Rose accepted me and did not care about my mistakes. On top of that, I feel like I did not even make mistakes.

Style of lectures there is completely different from Japan. At least for CSSE120 we took, it was a style called flipped classroom. Students will watch videos, do readings and work on exercises BEFORE the class. In class, they will work on rest of the exercises and ask questions. Most significant difference is that the instructor, Dr. Mutchler, frequently ask us for questions. I had never seen anyone who is so open to questions. When I ask questions, he is so nice and continue explanation until I tell him "I understood."

Culture surrounding drink and food is also quite different from Japan. Firstly, filtered water is free at least in Rose, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport if you have a water bottle. Secondly, almost everyone in Rose has a water bottle, not a bottle of water. Thirdly, chips were served for free in any restaurant I visited. Additionally, restaurants I visited provided boxes to take leftovers home. These experiences were refreshing for me.

Lastly, I, of course, gained confidence in my English skills. However, I feel like I became braver. I needed to be brave enough to talk to someone who happen to be there. I became not only brave but also positive thinker. I now can see things from more positive perspective. Moreover, I have developed a short-term goal. It is to return to the U.S. to visit my friends (our buddies there).

4. Mr. MATSUSHITA Ryo (a second-year student)

In short, I can say that this program has completely changed my life. It's because I was able to make a lot of friends in the US. Of course, there were many events and programs. We visited Saint Louis and Indianapolis, and also enjoyed campfires and other American cultural activities. However, to be honest, those experiences were somewhat insignificant for me, especially compared to what I gained with my lifelong friends there.

I learned a lot from interacting with my buddies. One of them taught me the importance of helping each other. Let's call him "A" here. A is from California and came to Rose University. Now A is a senior, but not just any senior. I'm not entirely sure, but he served in the military for a long time and gained a lot of experience there. One day, on the way to a Nepali restaurant in his car, he shared this story. According to A, he received advice in his dream that "helping others is your destiny." He repeated many times that "it's not something religious." I guess after that, he has lived his life helping others around him. A's daily behaviors were impressive to me. He was always thinking about how to help and delight others. Without A, our stay in the US wouldn't have been as nice. He drove us to many places, talked a lot, listened to us carefully, and so on. Actually, the first time I met him, I thought he was a little suspicious because he treated us so well with hospitality. Not knowing his true kindness from his heart, in the first week, I refused his offers a few times. After finding him trustworthy, I started relying on him, and we could talk openly. He was also good at conveying his thoughts in words. I shouldn't write this here, but I really miss A. He said he would work in the military after graduation, so from the bottom of my heart, I hope he will be okay wherever he goes.

The second person is J. If I remember correctly, he was always smiling and telling jokes, and J and A are good buddies. They lived in the same room in BSB, an old, crazy dormitory, and after that, they shared another room together. I vividly remember J's body movements, such as his nodding and how he moved his hands when telling jokes or dancing. When something happened, he tended to overreact. Just like A, he was always trying to entertain us, but considering his personality, he did it unconsciously. I'm sure that his smile can make people around him happy. When I was next to him, he found or said something funny one after another. His expression when I thanked him when we parted is unforgettable. I could still see his usual smile on his face while tears were running down his cheeks. One of my life goals is to meet him again and ask him to take pictures of us smiling.

The third person is R. In one word, he is calm. If you could see his face, you would understand why I described him with this word. He took me to a cafe off-campus three times, and there we had small talks and shared our ideas about our lives and futures. Of course, we also talked a lot on campus. He really thinks and cares others, especially when he listens to them. With his attitude like this, I could talk naturally. I'm not sure why, but he is an important person to me, like the other buddies. I'm sure that our relationship will continue. He is going to take Ph.D in the US, but not on the mainland, and I will visit him to exchange ideas we gather from each environment. Thank you, R.

Of course, the other buddies are wonderful to me. T and E, both are from Brazil, and another T from China. They are also my best friends. They treated us very well. I felt a kind of sympathy that we should spend more time together. I really miss you guys. On the other hand, I'm a little bit happy because I've got new reasons to visit Brazil and China!

After this program, I want to cherish my relationships with others more. I realized that I have a lot of nice people around me who are willing to help me if I ask. My life mission is to return the favor I received from others to my friends. Like my buddies did for us in the US, there are many things I can do for others even in Aizu. Helping others, just smiling and telling jokes, and listening to others calmly and carefully, and so on.

However, I often felt frustrated when I couldn't express my ideas clearly. It became a big motivation for me to study English now. By meeting my missing buddies again, I need to improve my English so that I can convey subtle nuances and share ideas more explicitly.

We're forever friends, not just friends for a short time. So I miss them, but I'm not sad.

And you, Magnus, I don't think you're reading this, but you know I'm going to visit you in Germany starting this October, so let's hang out with your friends. Introduce me to your recommended places to enjoy beer.

5. Mr. MIZUTANI Yuki (a second-year student)

I spent three weeks at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) in the United States, from March 3 to March 24, 2024, as a short-term exchange student. This is a report of that stay.

During my study abroad at RHIT, I came to believe it is among the top universities for undergraduate education. RHIT has been consistently ranked first in U.S. News & World Report's undergraduate engineering education rankings for 25 years. Initially, I was somewhat doubtful about this ranking because it primarily includes universities that offer undergraduate and master's programs but not doctoral (Ph.D.) programs. Therefore, universities with graduate programs such as those in the Ivy League, MIT, and Stanford, which offer Ph.D. programs, are not part of this ranking. Despite this, my experience at RHIT led me to think that it indeed provides excellent undergraduate engineering education, perhaps the best in the U.S.

The first reason for my belief is the teaching environment at RHIT, which enables professors to focus fully on educating students. During my short-term exchange, I took two classes: an English class and CSSE 120 Introduction to Software Development. The latter, I believe, is equivalent to an 'Introduction to Programming' course at the University of Aizu. I was particularly impressed that the professor in the CSSE 120 class welcomed questions about the class even on weekends. This is because RHIT is focused on undergraduate education, and professors are not necessarily required to engage in research. This allows them to spend more time preparing classes, developing teaching materials, and having one-on-one interactions with students.

The second reason is the environment RHIT provides for concentrated study. Freshmen are required to live in on-campus dormitories for their first year. Although living in the dormitories is expensive, it places first-year students in a conducive study environment from morning until night. Students from all grades are dedicated to their studies. I often saw many students studying late into the night in a building known as the 'Union'. I was surprised and inspired by the sight of so many students diligently working on their assignments late every night. In CSSE 120, it was expected that students would come to class prepared with pre-study and assignments. The course dealt with python programming, and I was surprised to find that even in a class for first-year students, there was an opportunity to learn about object-oriented programming. At the University of Aizu, this topic is usually taught in the Java class during the second year. The level of course content was impressive. In terms of class time, the University of Aizu has more lecture hours per week than RHIT. However, due to the large number of assignments at RHIT, students have to study hard and often stay up until midnight or later to complete them. A friend told me that the curriculum at RHIT is designed for 50-60 hours of study per week. This seems quite a lot, but I believe it to be true, given the amount of time students need to dedicate to their studies.

The third reason is the high annual salaries of RHIT graduates. For example, the average starting salary for 2022 graduates was a high $80,157. Generally, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) graduates in the U.S. tend to have higher salaries, but this figure is notably high. RHIT provides quality education, motivating students to work hard to become skilled engineers. Additionally, RHIT supports a large number of students in participating in internships. For instance, many RHIT students participate in internships at a facility near the campus that is jointly operated by RHIT and companies. I believe these opportunities contribute to the high annual salaries of the graduates.

I am immensely thankful not just for the quality education but also for the kind people and the safe campus environment at RHIT. The students, faculty, and staff were exceptionally friendly and welcoming. Especially, my buddies were very kind, taking me to restaurants and on a hike. They also organized events such as karaoke party and campfires, making sure we enjoyed our time together. They were truly kind to us. If you are planning to go to RHIT, I would recommend relying a lot on your buddies. not only the people were friendly but also the campus was very safe. It's common for students to leave their bags unattended near the cafeteria before meals, and nobody steals them. A friend told me that RHIT is special and advised not to do the same in other places.

Though it was just a three-week period, I am truly grateful for having studied at RHIT. I made friends with excellent, diligent, and kind RHIT students. I keep in touch with them after the study abroad program, and I aspire to be like them, further improving my technical skills, especially in coding. The experience was challenging, and adapting to a new environment was tough, but it helped me grow more confident. This experience taught me that there are many things you can't understand without actually studying abroad. Having completed this three-week program, I am now interested in longer-term study abroad opportunities. I am very thankful to University of Aizu and RHIT for supporting this amazing study abroad experience.

6. Mr. KAMISHIMA Raito (a second-year student)

7. Mr. OTAKE Kouhei (a first-year student)

In March 2024, I went to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, which is located in Terre Haute, Indiana state, America, in a study abroad program. I stayed there for three weeks, from March 3rd until March 24th. During the program, I participated in classes, tours, and also events that were organized by our buddies. Buddies are Rose-Hulman students who assisted us during our stay there. Out of all the activities, the one that I think was very interesting were the classes and the events that were organized by our buddies. I will explain more about those activities and also what I learned from them below.

During the program, we took two classes. Which are English and Python. The English classes were quite fun. We played some games, and also did some preparation for other activities, such as teaching elementary school students, etc. While in the Python class, we learned about the Python language and learned how to use some libraries. I have learned Python before so I think it was not too difficult, but there were a lot of assignments, and I also had a bit of problem reading the problem descriptions because everything is in English. What really surprised me was that the amount of assignments in the classes in America is much more than the one that I usually get in Japan.

After classes, in my free time, I usually hang out with other friends from Aizu and from Rose-Hulman, and do our assignments together, play some games, or simply talk. However, sometimes, after class, we have scheduled events that were planned by our buddies. We had three events, which were a game party, a karaoke party, and a campfire. Those events were really fun and I had a lot of fun talking with other students. I was very happy to get to know a lot of new friends from Rose-Hulman. From the first day, everyone was very nice and welcoming. They always kindly helped us with a lot of things and some of them even invited us to go somewhere outside the university during our free time. Those times with the buddies are probably the most memorable ones that I experienced throughout the study abroad program.

Overall, I think the program was really fun. I met a lot of new people, and experienced a lot of new things. I think I definitely was able to improve my English speaking skill during my time there. At first, it was a bit hard for me to have a conversation in English, but I think I slowly got used to it during my time there. I also learned a little bit about slang words that people normally used there, I think it was quite interesting. Other than the language, I also feel like I learned more about the culture there. In general, I think the biggest difference in the culture between Japan and America is that people in Japan are usually not very friendly and keep a lot of things to themselves. But in America, everyone was very nice and very easy to talk to. They also always try to invite others to hang out. Everyone is very open and I really like that about the culture there. I definitely want to go there again someday!

8. Ms. MINAGAWA　Ayari (a first-year student)

To say instantly this was priceless experience, I could touch the warmth of people during that 3 weeks because I never forget!!

In essence, my study abroad turned out to be an invaluable experience. The warmth of the people I met over those three weeks is something I will never forget. My primary objectives for studying abroad were to gauge how well my English was understood by native speakers and to understand cultural differences, particularly in terms of thought processes. Once there, I realized my English was worse than I had anticipated. Despite my proactive attempts to engage in conversations, I frequently had to repeat myself or clarify my statements, which was frustrating. Furthermore, I encountered words that, although they sounded identical to me, carried completely different meanings, highlighting the importance of precise pronunciation. Since I had not previously focused on pronunciation in my studies, I now intend to incorporate it into my future English learning.

I also found several aspects of cultural differences fascinating. While it's commonly said that Americans are friendly, this was true except for some shop clerks. Being accustomed to Japanese customer service, ordering food often felt like a slight to my heart. Ordering was challenging and time-consuming, and clerks would rush me with their cold gazes. I developed a preference for buffet-style restaurants where I could get food without having to speak. Aside from that, I found people to be very friendly, making it seem easier to form social connections with Americans than with Japanese, even considering the language barrier. A particularly surprising experience was the depth of conversations during lunch, where we discussed our philosophies of life. In Japan, such topics are usually reserved for close friends, if discussed at all, so this openness was astonishing to me.

This is just one example of the profound conversations I had; there were others. Compared to these experiences, Japanese conversations often felt superficial. My stay was made wonderful thanks to my RHIT buddies. They were genuinely warm-hearted people, and it was surprising how sad I felt about leaving after just three weeks. I hope to continue communicating and interacting with them. Although there are undoubtedly aspects of their lives and insights I couldn't see or achieve in just three weeks, I was able to deepen bonds, gain various insights, and most importantly, I had a lot of fun. I'm filled with gratitude for everyone I met during my study abroad experience.

9. Ms. MIHARA Kiko (a first-year student)

This spring, I participated in the short-term study-abroad program at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology for three weeks. Before I went there, I was so excited and also I feel anxious because this is the first time for me to go abroad and I didn't know if I can get along. However, after this program, I realized that I didn't need to have that kind of anxiety which I had before studying abroad. Everyone at RHIT was so kind and helped us a lot. Everything I experienced at RHIT was new and exciting. This experience is valuable things that cannot be replaced by anything.

In this program, we took two courses, CSSE120 and ESL, and joined a lot of activities which buddies prepared for us.

CSSE120 is the first course taken by students who major in computer science. We learned the basics of Python, did lots of assignments and took the exam. I was not used to using Python, so it's tough for me to complete all of them while understanding instructions written in English. Sometimes, it took more than 3 hours just to prepare for the class. This course is delivered in the flipped classroom, learning new things out of class and doing exercise in class. As a result, we can ask something I cannot understand while study alone in class. It takes a lot of time to prepare for the classes, but I believe that this style is better than the previous one because we can learn deeply in class.

In ESL, we learned English through using a textbook based on Ted Talks. This course is similar to English class at UoA. Also, in this course, we went to the Ouabache Elementary School in order to teach Japanese culture. The most challenging thing of this course was giving an impromptu two-minute speech. My topic was what I would like to do if I were a cheetah. It's tough for me because I had never thought about that, but I managed to do it.

Also, there were final presentation about Japanese culture. Our team's presentation was about the different meanings of emojis. More than 60 people came to see our final presentations. I was little nervous because the audience was larger than I expected, but we could give good presentation thanks to practices with our tutors. In Japan, we don't have such kind of opportunities so much, so I was so glad to do that and I could have confidence giving presentation in front of many people.

When there were no classes, we had a great time with buddies. They prepared a lot of events for us such as a karaoke party, trips, campfire and hiking. Other than that, they took us to restaurants, a cafe and shops. While doing them, we talked a lot and really enjoyed. Thanks to buddies, we could stay in comfort.

After this program, I felt strongly that I was so happy to join it. I have so much memories that I cannot write here. Through conversations with people at RHIT, I could realize my potential and I could know what I need to do now. I was shy and thought a lot when taking action before I join this program, but that's changing. Conversations often took a long time because I could not understand what they talk at once, so I'd like to continue to improve my English. Life is too short to do many things, so I'd like to be willing to work on something interesting for me, even if there are risks. If they don't go well, I want to continue to work hard and have confidence. Thank you for everyone involved in this program that change my life!

10. Mr. GOTO Yoshitomi (a first-year student)

I went to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in America by using the short term study abroad program. I could have many experiences and learn a lot of things. I will talk about them.

The reason why I wanted to go short term study abroad was to know the adaptability of student life in America. I want to go on a mid-term study abroad in the future. In mid-term study abroad, I will need not only high level English skills but also the adaptability of student life. The adaptability of student life includes not only daily life with roommates but also ability to understand classes in English. So, this program was perfect for my purposes. This is the reason why I wanted to go short term study abroad.

I was taking two classes, CSSE 120 and ESL. In CSSE 120 class, we learned the basics of python. So, it's not difficult for me. But, we had to do a lot of homework and sometimes I couldn't finish my homework. In class at the University of Aizu, we don't have a lot of homework such as CSSE 120. So, I was surprised and I respect Rose-Hulman's students. Also, Rose-Hulman's students had many questions and asked the teacher a lot. I was surprised, because most Aizu students don't ask their teacher and always ask their friends. I was impressed by Rose-Hulman students' positive attitude.

The campus was very large compared to the University of Aizu. For me, the campus was large, but some students of Rose-Hulman said it is not large compared to other universities in America. I was surprised and confused. In addition, many roads were laid out on campus because the U.S. is a car-based society.

Rose-Hulman's students were so kind and friendly. So, it was easy for me to talk to people and make friends. There are two episodes that I remember in particular about the kindness of the students.

First, Shampoo. When I arrived at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, I realized I didn't bring my shampoo.

So, I told some students that "I forgot to bring my shampoo and I cannot wash my head.". Then one of the students told me that "Don't worry, I have a car and I can take you to the supermarket.". So, I could buy my shampoo and wash my head.

Second, body lotion. I had many opportunities to go shopping. So, I asked my sister what she wanted. My sister sent me a picture of body lotion. So, I was looking for body lotion she wanted. But I couldn't find it. So, I asked a buddy where I could buy one. But he told me that you could only get it online. So, I was sad and told my sister about it. However, the day before I left for Japan, he gave me body lotion my sister wanted. I told him I should pay, but he said "It's a gift, you don't have to pay.". I was impressed by their kindness.

I learned a lot of things from this program. I would like to apply these experiences and what I have learned to mid-term study abroad program.