There seems to be a never-ending roundabout discussion whether it is best to go to a Japanese language school for a year or so and then apply to a real Japanese University or study somewhere such as Temple University Japan and immerse yourself in the language whilst you are there.

Being 17 I am currently in the process of considering what to do once Sixth Form (high school junior and senior years) finishes and I want to go to Japan. I have known that for a long time. After much research over the past couple of months and research I have done over the past year or two it seems that every way to go about doing this is a bad way.

People have said that you should not go to a Japanese language school for a year because they teach you from the book and will only teach you what the book says you need to know in order to pass the exams. It is said that it will be a waste of money as it is something you can do for free at home. This is a fair point. Of course without passing the JLPT N2 and taking entrance exams a gaijin student cannot enter Japanese university and it would take 3/4 years to do that in a home university.

Another way to study in Japan is to apply to an international university such as Temple University Japan. If I were to study here I would major in Communication Studies and minor in Japanese however people mentioned many faults. They say that the university has a bad reputation and the courses are in English which doesn't help immersion not to mention the cost.

Is there a best way to do this? Is it easier just to do what I think is best? Do any 'good' options and pathways exist?

Apologies if this is poorly written, I am quite tired. If parts do not make sense please ask and I will reword them.

Why not do both? Many language schools in Japan are geared towards university admissions. Your chances of getting into a Japanese university that doesn't suck is much better if you attend a language school first. (If the school's website or promotional materials have a "university admission course" or say 進学 somewhere, you can be sure they know something about getting into Japanese universities.)

I attended a language school for a little over a year, and I loved it. It helped me tremendously. I don't think the actual classes are the biggest benefit of attending a language school, however. The resources are what is valuable.

Most students were idiots and just went to class, failing to take advantage of any of the resources. Little did they know, most of the full-time teachers (正社員) had to stay at the school at least until 6:30pm. The head teacher never left until 9pm. This meant that I had full access to several native Japanese speakers with professional teaching experience from 12:30pm to whenever I wanted to go home.

They reviewed grammar with me, administered JLPT practice test after practice test, suggested helpful books in the school library, corrected my writing and reviewed them point-by-point with me, answered in minute detail every single question I asked, and on and on. They often brought snacks for all the students who remained after class too. The kids studying for university admissions were loaned drill books for the university entrance exams and administered practice tests, etc.

Everyone who stayed after class invariably ended up with impressive Japanese (a few of the Chinese students who did this started with zero Japanese knowledge and were able to pass the N1 within a year. Their Western counterparts were able to do the same in under two years). Of course, they were all admitted to universities as well, and most entered their first choice schools.

I wouldn't be so quick to discredit language schools. If you find one with dedicated teachers and a decent library, it could change your life. However, that's on the condition that you're dedicated too.

vileru Wrote:Why not do both? Many language schools in Japan are geared towards university admissions. Your chances of getting into a Japanese university that doesn't suck is much better if you attend a language school first. (If the school's website or promotional materials have a "university admission course" or say 進学 somewhere, you can be sure they know something about getting into Japanese universities.)

I attended a language school for a little over a year, and I loved it. It helped me tremendously. I don't think the actual classes are the biggest benefit of attending a language school, however. The resources are what is valuable.

Most students were idiots and just went to class, failing to take advantage of any of the resources. Little did they know, most of the full-time teachers (正社員) had to stay at the school at least until 6:30pm. The head teacher never left until 9pm. This meant that I had full access to several native Japanese speakers with professional teaching experience from 12:30pm to whenever I wanted to go home.

They reviewed grammar with me, administered JLPT practice test after practice test, suggested helpful books in the school library, corrected my writing and reviewed them point-by-point with me, answered in minute detail every single question I asked, and on and on. They often brought snacks for all the students who remained after class too. The kids studying for university admissions were loaned drill books for the university entrance exams and administered practice tests, etc.

Everyone who stayed after class invariably ended up with impressive Japanese (a few of the Chinese students who did this started with zero Japanese knowledge and were able to pass the N1 within a year. Their Western counterparts were able to do the same in under two years). Of course, they were all admitted to universities as well, and most entered their first choice schools.

I wouldn't be so quick to discredit language schools. If you find one with dedicated teachers and a decent library, it could change your life. However, that's on the condition that you're dedicated too.

Which schools would you recommend? I have heard good things about GenkiJACS, Shibuya Gaigo Gakuin in Tokyo as well as NILS in Fukuoka.

Why not just get JLPT1 during undergrad then go to graduate school in Japan? This is what I did.

What do you want to do after you graduate?

jourukun Wrote:There seems to be a never-ending roundabout discussion whether it is best to go to a Japanese language school for a year or so and then apply to a real Japanese University or study somewhere such as Temple University Japan and immerse yourself in the language whilst you are there.

Being 17 I am currently in the process of considering what to do once Sixth Form (high school junior and senior years) finishes and I want to go to Japan. I have known that for a long time. After much research over the past couple of months and research I have done over the past year or two it seems that every way to go about doing this is a bad way.

I'm going to play the voice of reason here, which might come off as sounding quite defeatist. Its not my intention.

You didn't mention really why you want to go to school in Japan or what your long term goals are, so as far as I can extrapolate from your post it sounds like "I want to go to college in Japan because I've dreamed about it since I was X years old." I felt the same way at 16-17 as well so there's nothing wrong with that. But your goals will really dictate whether something is a good idea or not.

Reality provides some steep barriers though and much of it comes down to how long you want to put off your university education for it plus your finances. If you are considering language schools and/or Japanese universities, then I can only assume that you have the financial support to accomplish. As a foreigner here, you'll be expected to pay for almost everything out of pocket. There are not a lot of scholarships out there for foreigners seeking education in Japan, and the assistance that you can receive will only amount to about 30-50% of the expenses (unless you get MEXT) you'll have for living in Japan as a student (primarily during college). If your parents are wealthy, then this isn't an issue, if they aren't and you were overlooking this issue, then I suggest you research it more.

Entry is the other barrier you need to consider. As you already know there are entrance exams into the schools. My suggestion would probably be to filter for the schools that offer a "global/international" entrance path. These schools would have English programs and classes that are in English. The exam would also be in English. This usually won't block you from taking classes that are in Japanese either, so you can get both.

But if you are still convinced you need the Japanese entrance method then you have to bring you Japanese level up to N1 probably. You might glide by on N2, if you study specific region stuff and are good at working out meanings. If you are seriously considering this course, then you need to try googling "大学　入試　問題" and looking at the kind of questions that appear on the test to make sure you are even at a comparable education level. You can even find past test questions for other universities if you are willing/able to sign up for some of the testing prep sites online.

Even after all that, there is the issue of what you plan on doing. There are constantly people that will say that most degrees from Japan are worthless. Its true that many students in university slack off and do nothing in college, but whether the rest of the world knows that or not is the question. This particular topic alone is grounds for its own thread so I won't get even more long-winded about the (de)merits of going to a Japanese college.

Your goals are ultimately what will dictate what you [should] do. My advice is the same as dizmox. Go to undergrad in the UK. Do a year long study abroad in Japan while in school. Go to graduate school here if it's still something you want to do. Otherwise, just come over here and work after college. (Make sure you have built your skills up for that later one.)

jourukun Wrote:Which schools would you recommend? I have heard good things about GenkiJACS, Shibuya Gaigo Gakuin in Tokyo as well as NILS in Fukuoka.

The only school I have knowledge of is the one I attended in Sendai, called Sendai Language School. As far as I know, of all the language schools in Tohoku, they have the 2nd highest rate of passing JLPT N1 and N2.

The #1 school more or less focuses entirely on reading, listening, and test cramming, and so their students are notorious for having a strong passive command of the language but terrible accents and speaking skills.

In contrast, the students who attended my school are well known for making jokes and partying. A typical week for me consisted of studying Monday-Friday and immediately going to a bar or izakaya after 6pm on Friday. At least once a month or so, we'd go drinking on a Saturday night too.

My advice: I'd recommend contacting people who've gone to other schools and ask very specific questions about their experiences. For relationship reasons, I already planned to live in Sendai, and so my only options were schools there. You probably have more options than I did.

Also, I second the advice given above. I assumed you have no plans for grad school. If you do, then doing your undergrad in your own country, and then doing grad school in Japan is the more prudent choice.

However, first get clear about what your goals are. If you're not even sure about undergrad, then taking a year or two off to attend a language school and figure out what you want to do might not be a bad idea.