Japanese STUDENTS PLZ REPLY-- School & College

[Hanazawa Rui]

Hello
Im a high skool student and next year iz ma last year .... and 4 UNI i wana study abroad (JAPAN) .... when i told my parents i wana study there they were like -- 1week N ur gona get kicked out ..but my average score iz 86-90%-- they say there studies R VERY HARD ... IZ IT TRUE + R ur studies in english only or japanese only or both

I know that very person has to work hard 4 his future

thnx

[Geisha]

well, i'm not in Japan nor i major in Japanese, but i do LOVE languages.
i major in English, French and Spanish. i've taken classes of Chinese and now i'll begin with Japanese. and as many i have a pretty good understanding of Koran and Japanese thanks to dramas and music.

my first advice would be that you take care of your English. my native language is Spanish and since i came to the US 7 yrs. ago, it has suffered greatly. IT ANNOYED ME so much the way you wrote the whole post (sorry) but if you want to learn Japanese or any other language, should should really perfect the one you already know.

i'm not saying that you should major in English or anything, just tale caro of it.

IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO LEAN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, IT MEANS YOU APPRECIATE ITS CULTURE, SO TREASURE YOU OWN AS WELL.

sorry that i'm not helping much with info, i just wanted to give you some advice, since i'm kind of in the same boat, you know?

Pao

[Puppet Princess]

R ur studies in english only or japanese only or both

Depends on the school. International schools teach in English. Local schools will teach in the local language but may have some classes in English. It would be a good idea to look at the schools in Japan first. See if any of them have an international college. (most of the international colleges are branches of the larger universities.) All colleges have some sort of website, and ones that accept foreign students will also be presented in English, so the internet is a good tool for research.

[Hanazawa Rui]

well, i'm not in Japan nor i major in Japanese, but i do LOVE languages.
i major in English, French and Spanish. i've taken classes of Chinese and now i'll begin with Japanese. and as many i have a pretty good understanding of Koran and Japanese thanks to dramas and music.

my first advice would be that you take care of your English. my native language is Spanish and since i came to the US 7 yrs. ago, it has suffered greatly. IT ANNOYED ME so much the way you wrote the whole post (sorry) but if you want to learn Japanese or any other language, should should really perfect the one you already know.

i'm not saying that you should major in English or anything, just tale caro of it.

IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO LEAN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, IT MEANS YOU APPRECIATE ITS CULTURE, SO TREASURE YOU OWN AS WELL.



sorry that i'm not helping much with info, i just wanted to give you some advice, since i'm kind of in the same boat, you know?

Pao

Well thnx 4 the advice dear ....my native language iz arabic but since i waz in KG i studed my subjects in english and im not good in arabic the thing iz that its not about the language (Japanese) its about there studies + i wana learn something NEW

[Hanazawa Rui]

R ur studies in english only or japanese only or both

Depends on the school. International schools teach in English. Local schools will teach in the local language but may have some classes in English. It would be a good idea to look at the schools in Japan first. See if any of them have an international college. (most of the international colleges are branches of the larger universities.) All colleges have some sort of website, and ones that accept foreign students will also be presented in English, so the internet is a good tool for research.

thnx dear 4 ur gr8 help & reply

[malay_tiger]

[malay_tiger]

Hello
Im a high skool student and next year iz ma last year .... and 4 UNI i wana study abroad (JAPAN) .... when i told my parents i wana study there they were like -- 1week N ur gona get kicked out ..but my average score iz 86-90%-- they say there studies R VERY HARD ... IZ IT TURE + R ur studies in english only or japanese only or both

I know that very person has to work hard 4 his future

thnx

your english really like teen sms language

it is good that you try to study abroad... well it's not true, study there not very hard.. depend on the people, I have friend study in Japan, quite weird he is..can say he every night went for car racing with his Japanese friend.. still got A for all Mechanical Engineering papers..

From, what he say... Japanese text books all are written in Japanese, Hiragana, Katakana and some are Kanji (old writing for literature).. for the Japanese, English are not really important, the understanding is really important.. since you said you got 86% - 90% average, no problem I think..

just go there learn for 3 month at least, make friends with them, then you will find the language is not really a barrier since you are in that environment. They are really friendly people, treat you like a family.

and remember, the dictionary is your eyes

one day, I think, I also want to study there since Japanese technology are really advance especially in electrical and electronic engineering, really curious...

--- I discover, Japanese handset are really different, cannot use here, no simcard?? ----

[Hanazawa Rui]

your english really like teen sms language

loooool
well thnx 4 tha info

[kaichiturtle]

Does anyone know of a good college in the east coast of the U.S that has Japanese as a major/ Japanese study abroad program and is not really expensive/ extremely hard to get into?

[Hanazawa Rui]

no really

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

i really dont think japanese students frequent this forum...anyhow...from what I know, the schools in japan are very difficult. a friend of mine was attending japanese school in the US in order to prepare for school in japan. she had to study a lot and teachers even held weekend lessons for the class at their houses and stuff. also, do you know basic japanese? you MAY be fine while in class at a school that teaches in english (i've never heard of this before, tho), but you'll struggle getting around the city to do simple things like grocery shopping. i get the feeling you may be dreaming a bit and watching too many dramas. if you are completely serious about this, i'd start some japanese classes and speak with your teacher about prepping for studying abroad in japan. they're probably more capable to help you out than most of us at d-addicts. honestly tho, i think you're really late in beginning to get ready for this.

[lsqB]

no, you're wrong.

Japanese schools are hard... until high school.

College is a joy ride because everyone's burnt out from all the entrance exams (both high school and college entrance exams).
Japanese college is easy!!
There's no test, no attendence, nothing.
As long as you get into a good, brand-name college, and you don't like, set the school on fire, you'll get the diploma and your future is made.

There's "circles" that are half-way between clubs and greek life (I think. I'm learning what fraternity and sororities are but I still don't quite get them) and when those circles hold drinking parties, you're obligated to go. It seems like you HAVE to join a circle too.

all my high school friends are grumbling about school work, and all my college friends are talking about their social life, so you kind of get an idea what it's like.

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

no, you're wrong.

Japanese schools are hard... until high school.

College is a joy ride because everyone's burnt out from all the entrance exams (both high school and college entrance exams).
Japanese college is easy!!
There's no test, no attendence, nothing.
As long as you get into a good, brand-name college, and you don't like, set the school on fire, you'll get the diploma and your future is made.

There's "circles" that are half-way between clubs and greek life (I think. I'm learning what fraternity and sororities are but I still don't quite get them) and when those circles hold drinking parties, you're obligated to go. It seems like you HAVE to join a circle too.

all my high school friends are grumbling about school work, and all my college friends are talking about their social life, so you kind of get an idea what it's like.

lol, are you talking about friends in the US or Japan? and what schools? it's definitely not a joyride from what i've heard from my friends. and it's certainly not a joyride in the US unless you're something like a political science major. at least the people i know.

[lsqB]

no, you're wrong.

Japanese schools are hard... until high school.

College is a joy ride because everyone's burnt out from all the entrance exams (both high school and college entrance exams).
Japanese college is easy!!
There's no test, no attendence, nothing.
As long as you get into a good, brand-name college, and you don't like, set the school on fire, you'll get the diploma and your future is made.

There's "circles" that are half-way between clubs and greek life (I think. I'm learning what fraternity and sororities are but I still don't quite get them) and when those circles hold drinking parties, you're obligated to go. It seems like you HAVE to join a circle too.

all my high school friends are grumbling about school work, and all my college friends are talking about their social life, so you kind of get an idea what it's like.

lol, are you talking about friends in the US or Japan? and what schools? it's definitely not a joyride from what i've heard from my friends. and it's certainly not a joyride in the US unless you're something like a political science major. at least the people i know.

friends in Japan.
mm... various schools in Tokyo like waseda, keio, tus...
people are studying like chem, nursing, engineering.
well, I guess "joyride" is subjective... to them, after stressing like mad in high school, it's nothing. now all they do in college is go shopping and drinking and driving school.
seriously, that's ALL they blog about.
from those who are still in high school though, I hear lots of complaints about school, homework, and club life which is... what I do too ^^;

[yousei]

In order to get on a Japanese daigaku as a regular (not temporary) studend you must:

- make the entrance examination and get the same points as the japanese elite students.
- your japanese must be at least JLPT-1 (the highest level).
- get a Studend Visa
- around 10.000 $ to pay the fees.
- 1.500 - 2.000 $ to live a month.

To make the entrance examination on an elite-daigaku is near to impossible for a foreigner.
The third-rated ones don't bring you anything.

Once you get into an elite daigaku it's quite easy to get your diploma.
Most of the time you will be sleeping or on konpas :whistling

Good Luck

[DMPA]

i really dont think japanese students frequent this forum...anyhow...from what I know, the schools in japan are very difficult. a friend of mine was attending japanese school in the US in order to prepare for school in japan. she had to study a lot and teachers even held weekend lessons for the class at their houses and stuff. also, do you know basic japanese? you MAY be fine while in class at a school that teaches in english (i've never heard of this before, tho), but you'll struggle getting around the city to do simple things like grocery shopping. i get the feeling you may be dreaming a bit and watching too many dramas. if you are completely serious about this, i'd start some japanese classes and speak with your teacher about prepping for studying abroad in japan. they're probably more capable to help you out than most of us at d-addicts. honestly tho, i think you're really late in beginning to get ready for this.

Ouch...Sorry, but I am actually a bit repelled by what you said in your last sentense...That it's already too late...I don't think so, sorry to dissagree with your oppinion, but I'm 16 too, and I'm taking Japanese now, and although the Japanese classes in High Schools only get you the knowledge of a 4 year old Japanese child by the end of Jap30, I know quiet a few people who left for Japan in their early 20s with a minimum amount of Japanese, and they're now very succesful in life. And yah...maybe we DID watch too much drama, but it's still good to dream, and have dreams. Besides, the best way to experience life in to dream and follow that dream, so all you need to do is put lots of effort into your dreams, and they will always come true. And yes, I totally agree about talking to the teachers, they are much more knowladgabel (i don't think i spelled tha right) about this kind of stuff then some of us, but then again....you never know. So anyways, just thoughts I'd express my feelings about the last sentence. And University in Japan is not hard at all for those who know that you have to work hard to suceed, so if you have that in you, you're good to go, Japanese or no Japanese, but IT IS still would be better if you started taking Japanese language classes, just learn the basics, and the culture so you know what you're aiming for ne! =) Hopefully I didn't offend anyone, and if I did I trully appologize, and hopefully I didn't babble on too much.
^-^v

[lsqB]

- make the entrance examination and get the same points as the japanese elite students.
- your japanese must be at least JLPT-1 (the highest level).

wow really?
that sounds so much harder than kikokushijo's (getting 1kyu)
for kikoku's, you can just take the SAT or TOEFL.
I think my friend who's in Keio was in the 1600-1800 range.
It's pretty easy for kikoku to get into elites.
Heck, I have an Indian half friend who's Japanese is only so-so, and he still got into sophia. He turned it down though.

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

@lsqB
Well yes, I guess it's a "joyride" to them. However compared to your average student from the US, it's still hell.

@DMPA
Well it depends on your definition of success. My definition can not be obtained with only 2-4 years of preparation.

[malay_tiger]

In order to get on a Japanese daigaku as a regular (not temporary) studend you must:

- make the entrance examination and get the same points as the japanese elite students.
- your japanese must be at least JLPT-1 (the highest level).
- get a Studend Visa
- around 10.000 $ to pay the fees.
- 1.500 - 2.000 $ to live a month.

To make the entrance examination on an elite-daigaku is near to impossible for a foreigner.
The third-rated ones don't bring you anything.

Once you get into an elite daigaku it's quite easy to get your diploma.
Most of the time you will be sleeping or on konpas :whistling

Good Luck

yup.. you are right, to enter Japanese university/college, no matter how smart or clever you are, you must take entrance exam, especially the Japanese language.. it is like TOEFL (English exam).. if you pass with great marks, then you can enter their college, if not try again.. haha

my other friend take double major degree in Japan, 14 subjects persem.. crazy or what

[DMPA]

I'm quite positive hat succes can be obtained in those 4 years, maybe not in 2, unless all you're going to do is study Japanese for those 2 years, but other than that, I think 4 years would be a good start to the success, so I guess it DOES depend on your defenition of success, some successes take less time, while other take more, to GO to Japan and Study there is in the middle, as long as you don't give up, you can do it

[yousei]

wow really?
that sounds so much harder than kikokushijo's (getting 1kyu)
for kikoku's, you can just take the SAT or TOEFL.

Of corse you must have high marks at the TOEFL, too. To be accepted.

And as a foreigner you can make most of the entrance examinations in English. (Like Biology, History and Maths etc.)
But the japanese test is in japanese and in order to get the points one need the 1kyuu.

[lsqB]

@lsqB
Well yes, I guess it's a "joyride" to them. However compared to your average student from the US, it's still hell.

in my opinion, and from what I've heard... I'm expecting US colleges to be harder than Japanese colleges. But I guess it all depends on where you go.



@yousei
I also heard that doing volunteer work and stuff gets you points from the admission officers. as little as that may be... aaah I feel SO bad for my friends that are only now starting to study for the exam.
yousei are you a kikoku too?

[yousei]

@yousei
I also heard that doing volunteer work and stuff gets you points from the admission officers. as little as that may be... aaah I feel SO bad for my friends that are only now starting to study for the exam.
yousei are you a kikoku too?

No, I'm not a kikoku
I'm German. But I know a German who tried to enter toudai.
And even that his Japanese is quite perfekt he had no chance.
So he entered a german university and later he got a scholarship and went 2 years to toudai made his BA and got employed in japan. It's a quite ironical story :

[Admeta]

Well, I've been looking into going to grad school in Japan. While it doesn't seem impossible to enter as a regular undergraduate, it does seem difficult. Most of the unis also have a Japanese language school attached which you can attend to learn Japanese before applying as an undergrad. Here's the link for Keio's international admissions http://www.keio.ac.jp/english/admissions/index.html. And Todai http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/res03/i00_e.html

Because English isn't your native language, it looks like you'll have to take TOEFL too.

がんばって！

[born4battle]

I'm a highschool student in the us that wants to learn japanese. I still have 2 years in high school. how would i go about learning it? please help

[Hanazawa Rui]

thnx 4 tha replyz there good info and about the TOEFL il be taking it this year

[Puppet Princess]

I'm a highschool student in the us that wants to learn japanese. I still have 2 years in high school. how would i go about learning it? please help

Well, does your school offer Japanese. If not, is there a language school where you live that does? If all else fails, find a Japanese restaurant and make a deal with someone there. Self study only gets you so far. It helps to actually use the language with other people.

[Néa Vanille]

From what I understand, most foreigners who wish to study in Japan as regular undergraduates attend those 1-year-long college entrance preparation courses offered by several language schools. In those, you are taught Japanese as well as other subjects you need to be good at to pass the exam (math, etc.). Just do a search for Japanese-language schools in Japan. Be aware, though, that it will cost you (or your parents) an arm and a leg.

Myself, I'm doing the same thing, except that I'm going to Korea. I will attend a University language program for a year before studying as a regular student. Korea is a lot easier though because foreign students are exempt from the entrance exams, so all we need to be good at is Korean.

[lsqB]

speaking of college prep classes...
well, 1) they're not fun. My friends have just the month of July and maybe a bit of August to prep, take the test, and by September they're admitted. It's like the college admission process shortened, which means the class goes pretty fast and it's pretty intense. Not to mention you're studying in the hottest time of the year...

Kawai is the most popular one, I think. You can look around. Different schools have different standards, so be careful.
Kawai is for kids who are already somewhat good, and they pull you harder so you get into the elites. There's one I forgot the name of, where they make the class 10% harder than the actual exam.
Basically it's like choosing between Barrons or Princeton Review or Kaplans. ^^'

[gixo]

thnx 4 tha replyz there good info and about the TOEFL il be taking it this year

you are going to take the Japanese TOEFL this year? Or do you mean the English test? As for the Japanese test, even level 2 is pretty hard as you have to know a lot of Kanjis. And as for level 1, it's nearly impossible. Even my coz who went to Japanese school until she was 12 and then lived in Taiwan said it was nearly impossible for her to pass it. and she is still reading Japanese books and uses it in her daily life. Someone who pass the level 1 test has to have a really good grammar knowlegde and has to know a lot of words. Haha, I have a preparation book for level 1 and 2 coz I wanted to take level 2 (I studied Japanese in university and lived some time in Japan) but after taking a look into that book I was kinda... scared.

If you are planning to study abroad I would advise you to enter a university who has a partner university in Japan and major in Japanese. Then it's not that hard to enter the partner university and live their for 1-2 years. I know it's your dream to study in Japan for all the time, but it's really not that easy to enter a university as a regular as yousei already explained. and 1-2 years is also pretty nice.

[spacecommand]

gixo,

The TOEFL is the Test of English as a foreign language, it is given to people who are not native english speakers to test them on their english, the "Japanese one" or Japanese test you are talking about is the JLPT (Japanese language proficiency test) which comes in 4 levels (4 easiest and 1 the hardest). It is to test non native Japanese speakers on their level of Japanese.

At times if you are not a native english speaker and wish to become a English teacher in Japan you'll need to demostrate your english ability/qualifications and the TOEFL will usually satisfy that requirement.

JLPT is usually required if a student wants to enter a fulltime regular Japanese University, since they need to demostrate enough Japanese skills to operate in a Japanese speaking environment.

[ngpossible]

i think you should consider attending a university where you are and after two years of studying, then do the study abroad program if you want to. what's the rush to have to transfer to japan immediately after graduating from hs? i don't know about other universities, but the the difference between the two schools are tremendous. it takes a long time to get used to college. not to mention, some get homesick. as much as you want to leave for japan after graduating, you'll probably still get homesick.

there's also a lot to do before transferring schools to another country. you have to do all the paperwork, purchase tickets, learn about their culture and language. even if you are going to transfer to a school that teaches in english, you'll have to learn japanese anyway since you'll be living there for god knows how long. and let me tell you, japanese isn't the easiest language to learn. aside from that, living in japan is extremely expensive. the standard of living there is so high that anyone will say it's expensive.

just think of the first two years as experience...learning how to communicate with others, adapting to the college life, saving up some money for studying abroad (i had to pay for tuition at my university AND the university i went to in japan), etc.

there's no rush. i don't know why in particular you sound like you want to go there immediately. waiting is also a good thing to see if this is just a spur of the moment thing. by the way, if it's also because you watched dramas and got interested in japan, let me tell you that life in japan is far different from the lives in dramas.

oh i forgot...courses in japan are intense. when i first entered college, i found that i had freedom and slacked off a little in the beginning of school. my grades dropped and then i had to develop my own effective study methods. if you fall behind while studying in japan, it makes a great difference. so just take your time.

[KaoruKamiya]

College in Japan is WAY easier than US colleges. I majored in Japanese at U. of WA and studied abroad for 1 year in Japan at Aoyama Gakuen which is a normal college in Japan. Meaning that I was enrolled in classes like any normal Japanese student along with 2 Japanese language classes. It is hard to get into college for Japanese people but college is considered a fun time to relax and enjoy before becoming "members of society" so to speak. Not all colleges follow the same curriculum of course but at AGU I had 10 classes a week all of which met once a week. I spoke to other exchange students also since U. of WA offers exchange to Japan in multiple colleges and it seemed to me that everyone had an easy time in Japan. I don't regret going at all though. The way to learn is not just by being in college there but just experiencing life and immersing yourself. Hope this helps possible exchange students!

[gixo]

gixo,

The TOEFL is the Test of English as a foreign language, it is given to people who are not native english speakers to test them on their english, the "Japanese one" or Japanese test you are talking about is the JLPT (Japanese language proficiency test) which comes in 4 levels (4 easiest and 1 the hardest). It is to test non native Japanese speakers on their level of Japanese.

At times if you are not a native english speaker and wish to become a English teacher in Japan you'll need to demostrate your english ability/qualifications and the TOEFL will usually satisfy that requirement.

JLPT is usually required if a student wants to enter a fulltime regular Japanese University, since they need to demostrate enough Japanese skills to operate in a Japanese speaking environment.

haha, I know that the TOEFL is the English test. I just thought that Hanazawa Rui might have written TOEFL by mistake as I assumed that she is American and doesn't need to do the TOEFL. That's why I asked her if she reallymeant the TOEFL (which didn't make sense to take as I thought she were American) or if she meant the Japanese test. But thanks anyway for the explanation. I didn't wrote the Japanese test's name coz I could only remember the profiency test part. Couldn't remember the whole name. That test is really freaking difficult (Took a look in my JLPT prepartion book level 2 and 1 yesterday and got scared by all the things I don't know)

Btw. there is always the possibility to go to Japan as an English teacher, but there are also programs in which you are able to work in a Japanese city hall. However you have to have passed the JLPT level 1. One of my classmates from university joined that program and he really likes it.

[spacecommand]

KaoruKamiya, I don't know what major or which classes you have taken when you were there, but I can say that I know many Japanese university students who go to the major national universities (the competative ones) who are constantly working on one project or another as they were already in the work force. I can certainly say with my own experience that is is not some walk in the park, maybe it is at some undergraduate unversity levels, or what major you are doing. So depends on the person, not to mention if someone doesn't understand Japanese language at a high proficiency to begin with (not just speaking but writing papers), then we'll you'll find it a bazillion times harder, then attending a University in your home country or an english speaking university.

[apartofmylife]

Hello
Im a high skool student and next year iz ma last year .... and 4 UNI i wana study abroad (JAPAN) .... when i told my parents i wana study there they were like -- 1week N ur gona get kicked out ..but my average score iz 86-90%-- they say there studies R VERY HARD ... IZ IT TRUE + R ur studies in english only or japanese only or both

I know that very person has to work hard 4 his future

thnx

If I am a teacher, I will not kick you out, but I would say this....

"If you are seriously asking for advice, please write normal English.
I am not saying you have to write perfect English. Since English is not my native language either, I do many mistakes. I hope you understand what I mean.
Your English is just like Japanese high school gal's Japanese...which only they understand...which is sometimes taken on quiz shows on TV...
If you want to study only that Japanese, it's fine, but I have nothing I can't teach you."

[Hanazawa Rui]

thnx 4 tha replyz there good info and about the TOEFL il be taking it this year

you are going to take the Japanese TOEFL this year? Or do you mean the English test? As for the Japanese test, even level 2 is pretty hard as you have to know a lot of Kanjis. And as for level 1, it's nearly impossible. Even my coz who went to Japanese school until she was 12 and then lived in Taiwan said it was nearly impossible for her to pass it. and she is still reading Japanese books and uses it in her daily life. Someone who pass the level 1 test has to have a really good grammar knowlegde and has to know a lot of words. Haha, I have a preparation book for level 1 and 2 coz I wanted to take level 2 (I studied Japanese in university and lived some time in Japan) but after taking a look into that book I was kinda... scared.

If you are planning to study abroad I would advise you to enter a university who has a partner university in Japan and major in Japanese. Then it's not that hard to enter the partner university and live their for 1-2 years. I know it's your dream to study in Japan for all the time, but it's really not that easy to enter a university as a regular as yousei already explained. and 1-2 years is also pretty nice.

well im not scared i really wana fight 4 my dream
and as 4 the TOEFL im taking the english one

[Riee109]

Btw. there is always the possibility to go to Japan as an English teacher, but there are also programs in which you are able to work in a Japanese city hall. However you have to have passed the JLPT level 1. One of my classmates from university joined that program and he really likes it.

In order to work as an English teacher in Japan, you actullay don't need any japanese skills (in many cases). For example there were some girls (with the working holiday visa) at my guesthouse who couldn't speak any Japanese but were working as English teachers.
It's the same case with the JET-Program, but you must have finished Univiersity for this one.

The JLPT level 1??? How long did your classmate study Japanese?
I mean level 2 isn't that hard, but level 1? wow