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Sophia University: How difficult are the classes?
I plan on attending Sophia University next semester for my study abroad program. I've been researching the school and Japanese universities in general, and I've seen sort of a consensus that… Hi all,
I plan on attending Sophia University next semester for my study abroad program. I've been researching the school and Japanese universities in general, and I've seen sort of a consensus that the classes are much easier and more relaxed than US college courses.
For more context: I'm currently an Accounting-Finance major in a semi-prestigious (think Purdue) college. I plan on taking a lot of gen-Ed classes (Literature, History, basic management, basic marketing, theology) during my time at Sophia.
Would it be overly difficult to do 19 credit hours of these types of courses? I'd like to fulfill as many requirements as possible if they're truly as easy as the internet has told me (My university makes them a lot harder than they need to be, so if I can get it done in a curriculum that allows for more leniency, I'd love to take advantage of it)
Thanks for any advice/input
ngl the theology classes at sophia are the wild card here. i took "introduction to christianity" thinking it'd be a breeze and ended up writing a 10 page paper on thomas aquinas. the jesuit profs are no joke, they actually want you to engage with the material not just skim it. the history and lit gen eds are usually fine though, a lot of them are just lecture + a final essay. 19 credits is doable but you'll be eating convenience store onigiri between classes at yotsuya station a lot, the campus cafeteria gets packed during lunch rush and the lines are brutal. i'd trim it to 17 and spend those extra hours exploring kichijoji or something, that area has way better food options
the big thing nobody's really said is that 19 credits at sophia means you're basically locked into a schedule with no gaps. the yotsuya campus is small but the buildings are spread out so you'll be walking between classes a lot. i did 18 my first semester and regretted it cause i couldn't really explore the city on weekdays. the gen eds are light but the theology ones at sophia have that jesuit rigor, especially if you get a priest who teaches in english. fwiw i'd drop to 16 and use the extra time to hit up koenji or shimokitazawa after class, those are way more fun than grinding credits you could just take online back home
19 credits is a lot at any japanese uni tbh, the system here expects more in-class hours than back home so ur actually sitting in class like 25+ hours a week with the commute. the gen eds at sophia are genuinely chill compared to purdue but the theology ones can be sneaky, some of the jesuit profs take the "academic" part seriously even for exchange students. also the yotsuya campus library closes early sometimes which is annoying if u planned to study there after class, so factor that in
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.