I found the pair work, and the textbooks very helpful.
Which events or activities did you find the most satisfying and why?
I found the small group sessions and the pair exercises most satisfying. I was able to improve my recall and conversational abilities with these activities. For example, at the Bon Odori event, I made friends Japanese friends and we were able to meet after the event for a language exchange, which was completely thanks to that event.
What activities or materials did you find most helpful (e.g., pair work, drill practice, tests, small group sessions, textbooks, games)?
I found the pair work, and the textbooks very helpful. The pair work, so that we could use the concepts being taught in class and the textbooks were good resources to clarify information and study for tests or just own our own, supplementarily.
Any suggestions for improving class activities or materials?
The powerpoints that teachers use in class are incredibly helpful with a lot of good examples of grammar points (the grammar powerpoints specifically are really well done). It would be nice to have some of those powerpoints available on gokcp as a supplemental resource if we want to reference things mentioned in class, or drill ourselves, study off of them, etc.
What did you find most valuable in the Culture Course?
The lectures in the culture courses were incredibly valuable, giving a lot of historical context to cultural concepts that I was already familiar with but not aware of the history of. It was also valuable in introducing multiple facets of Japanese art and everyday-life aspects.
Anything you especially liked in the living arrangements? Any problems you experienced?
Having access to the common room was something that I really enjoyed because I was able to study with my classmates and do homework together, which I didn't plan on doing ahead of time, but having that shared space as an option was really invaluable.
Any comments or tips for prospective/new KCP students?
Students should come in really open minded and put themselves out of their comfort zone and go out to restaurants or stores, or go use online resources to make friends and connections with Japanese people, and make friends with people in class to make the most of everything that's being taught in class, and use it elsewhere. Meeting native Japanese people our own age was really beneficial in a lot of ways and it was one of the best ways to use vocabulary and grammar concepts we were taught in class in a lot of different scenarios, as well as make mistakes and learn to correct them. That's the best advice I can give someone new.
