(2016-05-14, 6:17 am)SydNRTgo! Wrote: Hello, I'd like to introduce myself: I think I'm usually ok at N4 material, and need to work on my understanding of N3 level stuff. I'm not actually planning on taking the test in 2016 (because I hate doing tests if I haven't prepared for them properly) but I'd really love a place to share my progress & friends to keep me honest if I'm slacking off
My background is: I learnt Japanese for 2 years at Uni (starting from nothing) and then spent an exchange year in Tokyo. I understood 400 kanji at that stage, and coped (very awkardly & often inadvertently rudely) with whatever life threw at me that year. I did speak English at home, tho' so it wasn't really a full immersion experience. That was 6 years ago. I then learnt Mandarin for a bit, played around with RTK, learnt & did other non-language stuff...
Now I want to get back into serious, consistent Japanese study. I found KIC in Kinokuniya, really liked it, bought it & I'm planning on going through it (starting at level 2, I just can't stomach revising from the beginning). I think I can learn 4 kanji a day, together with all their alternate pronunciations. I might SRS later on, but for now I'm planning on the old school read, cover, write/say, check... although I have a copy of the kanji on my phone if I want to revise on the bus.
Welcome SydNRTgo! I too started off taking Japanese classes in college for 2 years. Never did the abroad program though as my school don't have an exchange option. But they did once every 3 years or so have one of the Japanese classes in Japan as a 6 week course. I was unlucky to have not been taking classes during that time frame (oh well). Now it's 4+ years later for me.
BTW, you should try the J-CAT and see what your strengths and weaknesses are in regards to Japanese. The forum topic about it here.