Is Temple University Japan Campus really as bad as some redditors say?

9 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **Is Temple University Japan Campus really as bad as some redditors say?**

   Hello everyone,

   I’m considering the Computer Science (3+1) program at Temple University’s Japan Campus (TUJ) and need some advice. I’ve seen quite a few negative comments on Reddit about TUJ, and it’s making me second-guess my decision, which is quite disheartening, and makes me somehow sad and anxious.

   A bit about my background: I’m from an average family in an underrepresented country (we would be in poverty by US standards). Although I was accepted into TUJ’s main campus and two other US universities, the $35,000 -40,000$ annual fee in American universities for international students is way beyond our means. We can stretch to about $10,000, but that’s about it. Hence, the lower fees at the Japan campus are appealing and I am considering switching to there.

   I’m not choosing Japan for the anime, but rather for the experience of living in a major city like Tokyo, which seems quite affordable compared to other top big cities. Most of my knowledge are self-taught, and I’m curious about the teaching quality at TUJ. Is it comparable to the main campus? I know Temple’s global ranking is higher than the top universities in my home country.

   My key questions are:

   1. Does TUJ provide the same quality of education, especially in the CS program, as the main campus?
   2. I’m aiming for a master’s degree and possibly a job in the US post-graduation, so I would want an American degree. Is the degree at TUJ the exact same as the one given by the main campus?
   3. If I go there, I would want to make international friends and explore Tokyo. How are the student demographics there? Is it diverse (Asians and non-Asians)?
   4. Approximately how much would it cost per year to live there? Please separate into tuition fee, housing (for housing I would prefer it to be around 30-40 min from the campus), food, entertainment, etc.

   Any insights, especially from those who have studied at TUJ or in similar programs, would be greatly appreciated!

   Thank you in advance!

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. Have you seen this essay about TUJ?

   https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/comments/tvx343/friends_dont_let_friends_or_even_enemies_go_to/

3. I am not from US nor I studied in TUJ but I studied both my undergraduate and graduate in Japan. In my perception, TUJ is not known for its high academic standards much less in their science and engineering degrees (B-rank university). It is known to be an university that many japanese students, mostly wealthy attend, to improve their communication skills and leave the country or work in international companies or embassies, so it is a good networking experience in that sense.

   It is definitely not an university to attend if you want to stay in Japan in the future but it doesn’t seem to be your goal so it’s ok. If you really want a good education, unfortunately you must known japanese and enter one of the top 5 public universities or some of the well known private ones. But there are many here that are really mediocre ones, called Fラン大学, but I don’t think TUJ is one of them.

   Unlike most universities, where foreigner students are south east Asian, TUJ has mostly Americans (50%) and japanese (40%), with many of them coming from international schools . And if you are interested in japanese culture, making friends is easy.

   Your budget monthly should be around 150,000 yen at least, for rent and frugal living.

   Pd: if I were you, I would start searching other options in Europe, where good quality education in English is more accessible and cheap than Japan.

4. It’s probably a bit too late, but have you considered state schools? Usually the tuition is quite reasonable. If too late, I wonder if enrolling in a community college first for the first one or two years and then transfer to a state school or private that provides very good financial aid.

5. U said u can self teach and don’t wanna work in Japan. Honestly unless u need a degree fr immigration or work reasons like Japan or other countries do it prob be a waste of time for ya. Any networking in Japan would be limited or pointless cause recruiters be looking for people to stay long term in Japan. Ya would waste time doing the extra elective stuff unrelated to ur field that college classes assign. Ya would waste time that coulda been better used to stay home and self study in America. Going to local things related to ur field or even across the country and doing internships or the entry lv jobs to get ur foot in the door. With no student visa work limits like being in Japan would impose on u. Plus u could use that college money to invest in better tech, yourself or move to areas with jobs in ur industry 🐱

   Edit: think I misread ur not from murica just replace murica in my post for whatever home country your in and again be smarter to move to murica if u want to work there

6. You should get into the best computer science school you can.

7. Reddits an all around negative place it seems. I think you should go in with the mindset that you’re going to learn new skills and you’ll be in Japan doing it. Have fun, don’t rely on the goof troop forum to let you enjoy your life. Most schools are basically a money pit anyways

8. Seen quite a few Temple grads complain they can’t find work anywhere after graduating. Here or in the USA.

   Temple is a victim of over saturation in the USA. When the government made student loans automatic, it caused a huge issue with pointless degrees. Lots of students who would have been previously denied entry because their grades weren’t good enough to secure a loan are now guaranteed unlimited money. The low level universities welcomed them, and their guaranteed government loans, with open arms. More students require more teachers so they hired like crazy. Did places like Temple care about the quality of the teachers? Nah, they just hired anyone. The result is educational quality fell off a cliff. Not unique to Temple either, many good schools fell victim to the same problems.

   Now, if you want a chance in the USA you need good grades in university and a valuable degree. A BA/S in business isn’t going to get anyone a job anymore especially from a D rank school like Temple.

9. >… really as bad as some..

   #Worse.

   I used to sit in on my bestie’s^※ CPA classes—getting your CPA at TUJ is one few “legit” reasons to go to that shithole. Her classes were taught in Teletubbies-[語](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E8%AA%9E#Japanese) that was remotely related to Eng***r***ish.

   The “fun” part was that the Temple students from the US in her classes were so developmentally disabled they didn’t complain since Temple Japan was the only school that would accept such short bus students.

   ^※ She is a full-blown, real Japanese and native speaker ^{not ^a ^*halfu*, ^not ^a ^richie-rich ^homestay ^kid} who manages to compete admirably with native English speakers.

   _____

   Edit: Format and typos