Japanese STUDENTS PLZ REPLY-- School & College

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:53 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

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.

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

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.

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

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!

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:01 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

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.

Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:06 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0