SPEAC: Summer Program in East Asian Concentration - Student Testimonials
What students from SPEAC 2025 said about Level 2
“SPEAC was a worth wild experience that I would highly recommend to students who want to advance their Japanese studies. I particularly enjoyed the immersive aspect of the course. After the course there was noticeable growth in my ability to speak Japanese (SU25 LEVEL 2 SPEAC Participant).”
“SPEAC was a very valuable experience for me. The daily, long form exposure forced me to improve my Japanese at a rate I never had before. It challenged me in a way few other classes ever have, but the effort I put in was worth it. It gave me an excellent foundation I can use to further improve my Japanese in the future. Before the program, I wasn’t sure if I really could learn Japanese, now I know it’s only a matter of time (SU25 LEVEL 2 SPEAC Participant).”
“I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity to join the program during the summer break. Over eight weeks, I completed the equivalent of a full academic year of Japanese. Finding such dedicated time for language study during the regular school year is usually hard, so this experience meant a lot to me. All the sensei were incredibly kind and devoted to their students, and my classmates and I formed deep friendships. The program also inspired me to explore Japanese translation and culture in my research. I’m truly thankful to SPEAC for being such a meaningful part of my academic journey (SU25 LEVEL 2 SPEAC Participant).”
“I joined SPEAC Level 2 in Summer 2025 to rapidly increase my skills in Japanese. Like most people, I was nervous about SPEAC, and it didn’t help that it was also my first time learning Japanese in a classroom setting. My worries, however, were completely unfounded; it was immediately apparent after the start of the program how kind and supportive the professors were and how quickly camaraderie began to form within our cohort. Thanks to the hard work our professors put in both inside and outside the classroom, assisting students, and the support from peers, I truly believe anyone who participates in the program can succeed (SU25 LEVEL 2 SPEAC Participant).”
“The Japanese SPEAC program was one of, if not the, most rewarding language classes that I’ve ever taken. While the multiple classes per day were certainly challenging, I felt that the structure and rhythm of the class helped me tremendously with retaining what I studied. The in-class experience was great as well; being surrounded by people with similar interests and goals really motivated me. Requiring students to speak solely in Japanese during ACT classes was also fantastic as a method of forcing students’ brains to really begin making the connections necessary to recall and even think in Japanese quickly. Thank you to all of my senseis for their hard work and dedication to the course. I hope that the SPEAC program can continue to provide future students with such great structure and encouragement in the future!
“I feel as though there is no better program for Japanese in the country than that at The Ohio State University. The work put in by instructors, combined with their genuine care for students, creates an environment where even the most difficult topics feel fun to learn. It’s hard to squeeze a year’s worth of language learning into a few weeks, but the coordinators of SPEAC have done an amazing job doing exactly that. I’m incredibly grateful to have participated in this program, and I hope to return again next summer (SU25 LEVEL 2 SPEAC Participant).”