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+--- Thread: Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? (/thread-6222.html)
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - jason_thestudent - 2010-08-20
Hi everyone! Just joined this forum and had a question in the hopes of anyone willing to give some advice. I know a similar thread has been posted but I believe my situation to be a little different.. I was recently informed about Temple University and their Japan campus in Tokyo as I'm interested in attending college in Japan (as many other people are). I saw that they offer Japanese Language as a major and then they also offer a Specialization Certificate in Japanese. I actually want to attend a Japanese University to major in music (composition or performance). I found many colleges in Tokyo that have GREAT music programs and I have contacted some of the schools. But all their requirements are that you have to be proficient enough to attend their college and take a test called the EJU. I know most people that pass the JLPT 1 (N1) have no problem with the EJU Japanese part of the test. Even if I did major in in Japanese at TUJ I don't plan to make a living with that type of degree. Would the degree program help me out more to become proficient or would the Specialization course be better for me and what I want to do?
I looked into colleges in my state and all of them don't really have a Japanese course intensive enough to guarantee me the ability to pass a test like that within 2 years so I thought of attending Temple University since they offer courses similar to that. And then transfer (even if the credits don't) over to the Japanese University I'm interested in. Has anyone attended TUJ with the Japanese major or for the Specialization Certificate in Japanese? How is the school it's self (general information and things you like or don't like)? Is it hard to get into that university? And what would they look for in a potential student? I also looked into language schools but they are anywhere from 40-50 grand for 2 years with no financial aid (includes all school fees and living expenses). And since TUJ is an American school, financial aid is available. I also know that I could attend music college in America but I am interested in Japan and the language. I also talked to a couple of Japanese music students and they all pretty much told me that if I hope to work in Japan, it would be better to get a degree from a reputable university in their country and be proficient in the language (working in Japan in some music field is my long term goal after college.). For anyone that read this thread. The advice you give would be greatly appreciated! ^_^ Thanks!
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - quincy - 2010-08-20
I don't know much about language schools, but from what I've heard on here there are affordable ones, and you will learn far more than at Temple. Temple is also an incredibly expensive school, and attending just for JLPT training sounds a bit extreme.
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - Bokusenou - 2010-08-20
Maybe this thread will help?
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - TheVinster - 2010-08-20
All English-speakers go to Temple. You will get English-speaking friends. You will speak English. You will pursue expensive training that can be attained elsewhere.
My opinion? Avoid, as I said in the thread that was hyperlinked by Bokusenou.
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - jason_thestudent - 2010-08-20
Thanks for replying! I read that thread earlier and I did also take into consideration that it is an all english school and I'll have english speaking friends. But even if I took Japanese in the states which from my research there aren't really any intensive courses other than the couple of classes you attend a week which doesn't help me out. I'd be in the same boat as Temple if not worse. And I did check out Temple and how expensive it is but it looks like attending a language school would cost way more in the long run than Temple. For example the average Japanese language school in Japan that sponsor visas and attend a full time schedule will cost you a anywhere from 15-17 thousand for a total of 2 years (which is stated to pass the JLPT). On top of that housing is VERY expensive and thats what's really stopping me from attending one.
Some also offer dorms (and third party dorms) but from what I've seen they cost the same or maybe a little less than a studio. A studio will cost 600-800 not including utilities. On top of that you have to include food, clothing, utilities and transportation. Believe me I crunched the numbers over and over and I was looking at 40-50 Grand with "no financial aid". I even talked to the international department at a local community college and they said it would have to be completely paid for with no help through me. (T_T) Although if it was a Japanese University I could then get some assistance but since it's a language school I can't. I know some people would say self study but I would like some actual instruction just in case I had questions and the like.
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - quincy - 2010-08-21
I don't know how much financial aid you're expecting, but it sounds like all the money you spend at temple will basically for the sake of living in Japan. It's up to you to decide if that's worth it. Also don't forget you'll still have to pay a full four years tuition to your Japanese university (assuming credits won't transfer)
I made a similarly rash decision when I first got out of high school that I regret every day. It's important to study what you really want to, but once you take on debt you lose the freedom to do whatever you want.
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - thistime - 2010-08-21
I think you will probably find yourself quite disallusioned if you come here thinking that you will have opportunities to speak Japanese all around you all the time. As others have said, you will be attending an American Univ. where all the Japanese students there will be attending FOR THE ENGLISH and will not want to speak Japanese with you. I know you said that it can't be any worse than if you were to major in Japanese in America, and that's right, I just hope you're not expecting it to be considerably better or different. If you speak little or no Japanese and the Japanese people around you speak English quite well, then the conversations will be 100% in English 100% of the time. I first came to Japan because I wanted to learn Japanese and I came as an English teacher naively (sp?) thinking that I would be surrounded with plenty of opportunites to speak Japanese outside of work and I would come back fluent after one year, and when that didn't happen I went through a major period of disillusionment an even slight depression, so I just hope that your expectations are more realistic than mine were.
Also, a degree from an American University will be valuable anywhere in the world including Japan, but a degree from a Japanese university will only mean something in Japan. I know you may think that you want to live in Japan long term, but that's really not a decision that can be made if you've never even lived there (or even been there possibly?) before and if you change your mind later on an American degree will serve you a lot better than a Japanese one will. So I'd say you should get your degree in America and then decide where you want to settle.
Though with music the degree might not be as important as the musical ability, so you may be fine, I don't know.
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - saritza - 2010-08-22
I'm a student at Temple in Philly, and I haven't actually studied at TUJ but I visited while I was studying in Japan (at a language school) and I've talked to professors about it and stuff.
My impression of TUJ when I visited was that half the students were Americans who just wanted to go to Japan because it was cool and they like anime and Japanese fashion or whatever and had no interest in learning Japanese language or being engaged in the culture. And the other half were Japanese students who decided to go to an American university without leaving Japan and had no interest in making friends with Americans or actually learning English. Of course this is a VERY negative perception on my part and I'm sure it's extremely biased. Like, I'm sure there are lots of really cool and interesting people there, and I know that I'm always too quick to judge, so don't take what I say too seriously.
I was told two semesters ago by my Japanese professor that if what I want to do is study advanced Japanese, TUJ was not where I should go.
Then I was talking to the head of the Japanese department, an American woman who has been teaching Japanese language, literature and culture classes both at TUJ and regular Temple for many, many years and she asked, out of curiosity, why I wasn't considering going to TUJ. I told her my reasons (it didn't seem like a serious learning environment, etc), and she told me that it actually really depends on what your goals are in going there. Basically, she said that if you are motivated and know what you want, you'll be able to get it. Since she taught there for a long time, I'm inclined to trust her.
Honestly, if your goal is to get completely fluent in Japanese in a short amount of time, I'd recommend going to a language school, like someone else suggested. I spent 10 months at ISI Language School in Tokyo (http://www.isi-education.com/english/school/ils.html) and it was basically incredible. If you can keep up with the material and speak Japanese with your classmates, you will pass JLPT1 within two years (depending on your current level).
Planning Future at Temple University Japan? Any Advice? - darthjohn0 - 2010-09-01
Hi, I went to TUJ for one year and the Naganuma School of Japanese Language for 1.5 years. If your goal is purely to learn Japanese, a language school will be of more benefit to you. Depending on your current level of Japanese, you can study at a language school for 1 - 1.5 year(s) and pass the EJT. Many of the schools exist solely for getting kids to pass various proficiency and entrance exams.
However, a word on TUJ. I really enjoyed my time there. Yes, it's an American school and everything is in English. But it is possible to make friends with many Japanese students and use Japanese. You just got to make an effort, because most of the Japanese kids certainly won't even though they would like to make foreigner friends. They seem cold and unfriendly at first; in class, class participation among Japanese students is basically zero and they confide mostly among themselves in Japanese. Sometimes teachers have to force them to say something and then thats when you realize some don't speak English very well. Many always come to class armed with electronic dictionaries and spend half the lecture looking up words. In my opinion, for the sake of the Japanese students, classes are very, very easy.
I'm also interested in culture, politics, economics and international relations and TUJ offers a lot classes along those lines, so it was a good fit for me.
Anyway, I made some Japanese friends while I was there. You won't be spending all your time in school; you'll be in Tokyo after all! There's lots to do and when you're out with Japanese friends, things tend to switch back and forth between English and Japanese. You have to understand that there are a lot of unique kids at the school. Many grew up partially overseas in America, etc. or went to international school their whole lives or their parents were diplomats and they grew up in different countries. The reason they go to TUJ is because they don't speak Japanese very well. Some don't speak perfect English either, so really they have no mother language lol. There are a few that grew up near US military bases and therefore have an affinity to all things American. These people tend to be ghetto-like lol. And there are a good amount of half-Japanese/half-whatever kids. Anyway, they aren't normal Japanese kids; they're more internationalized I guess. That's good or bad depending on the person I suppose. I found it fascinating, mostly because I'm bi-racial and have dual citizenship myself.
Sorry, I ranted it on there. But maybe you'll gain some information from all that. Bottom line though is that it's up to you to get what you want out of a situation. But you can't be selfish. If you go to TUJ and make Japanese friends, don't try and force every conversation in Japanese just so you can practice. They're your friends after all and they probably want to learn English as much as you want to learn Japanese, so be sensitive.
As for making ends meet: if your a resident of PA (like me), you're TUJ tuition will be significantly cheaper. You can work part time with your visa. It's also possible to find decent accommodations cheaply.
My situation when I went to Japanese language school: $500/month rent for a shared room in a newly built guest house in the Shibuya area. I had a road bike, so no transportation costs. I lived near a huge discount supermarket, so food costs were low (avg. grocery costs 30-40 dollars/week). I rarely ate out. And I had a part time ALT job teaching English at night high school that surprisingly had me using a lot of Japanese; outside of class I spoke 100% in Japanese and during class was 50/50. And I taught private English lessons from time to time as well. However, I used a lot of savings to balance my time better in order to get more study time. You can self-support yourself, but you'll be working a lot. But you'll need some savings for start up costs.
Again, if you put the effort in, it's possible. I knew a lot of Thai and Vietnamese kids at my language school who woke up every morning at 2AM to delivery newspapers rain or shine, 365 days/year, followed by Japanese class at 9AM for 3.5hrs+ (depending on their goal). And they did this for probably 1.5 years in order to enter Japanese University or Senmon Gakkou.
You might want to check out Senmon Gakkou too. There are a lot of music ones out there. The credential doesn't mean much outside of Asia, but that might not matter to you.