Advice on application process, and choosing between Chinese/Japanese/Korean

Poll

Which degree/languages?

Hi all..!

This is my first post here, so if I should post this elsewhere then I hope the moderators will let me know. There are mixed questions regarding SOAS and my choice of degree. Apologies for the insanely long post, I'm becoming quite nervous about everything so please do forgive me as I decided to be crazy thorough.

I am planning on applying to SOAS and my head is brimming with questions. I'd say I'd be applying as a mature student as I am 23, and still uncertain whether I will make the application as an EU student or as a naturalised resident (it seems possible given my 3+ years spent working in London).
I would be applying with my Swedish grades, but as I'm unsure how I fare with them I may decide to do a foundation year instead. I am considering different universities, but due to my language choices I feel that SOAS would be the ideal choice, otherwise Newcastle seems good as well considering the varied choice for YA universities in Japan. I don't know very much regarding other unis yet.

Currently I'm uncertain regarding the application deadlines for 2016 as it has already started - I mostly see June being mentioned, but for EU students I also see January 15th. If I have missed it how open is SOAS to late applications?

Now in regards to my questions regarding the actual degree; I am mainly considering Chinese and Japanese or vice versa. I feel like I need to list my current languages to ensure that I can receive as targeted advice as possible as we all know just how important the choice is.
I speak native Swedish, Norwegian and English, pre-intermediate Japanese and French, and beginner Mandarin and Korean. French was studied for 6 years during primary, and the others are self taught so my knowledge is slightly scattered.

In regards to studying these at SOAS, I have a friend who did Japanese there and I know it can be a killer for some people as it's one of the most intense (if not the most intense). I am unsure on the implications of doing a joint language degree, and what would make the most sense. My other friend doing Chinese there once said "I had a roommate who did Japanese, and I only ever saw him a few times once during my three years. He was just holed up in his room doing nothing but studying". I want to learn everything as well as humanly possible, but probably not at that price. HALP.

I do realise that Chinese and French or English may be the most practical choice, but my heart actually lies with Japanese and Korean. I also like Chinese, but I would mainly be choosing it since it is so widely spoken and due to China's continual rise as a super power (totally makes me envision a giant mecha robot for some reason...)

During my previous years I have also considered IT and programming as I do love tech, but as I do not have a penchant for programming as much as I love languages and tend to pick up pronunciation quickly, I feel that focusing on languages would be best. In the past I've also considered things such as Game Design, Environmental Sustainability, Global Management, Business, Nutrition/Health, Music, Goldsmithing, Design and a variety of majors as I have a wide range of interests. In the end I am mostly a creative/culture geared social person as opposed to an office person. And languages is the main thing I have always studied during my free time.

In regards to the jobs I've had so far; I've mainly worked as a translator, game tester, QA-related stuff, retail, CS, and most recently with acting.

My pure passion based choice would definitely be Japanese and Korean, but since depending on what you make of it Modern Languages can be a risky choice, I feel that it wouldn't really make sense to go down that route as it might create a particular impression on my CV later on.

I tagged two members who I have noticed giving advice on similar topics, especially Mike in regards to my SOAS questions!

To those of you who make it through my uh, little book here, I would really appreciate your advice.

Thanks a truckload everyone!

Much love,

S

Reply 1

throwaway54321

'Ello.

One of the few Japanese and Chinese Studies first year students checking in.

Although I've mostly erased all memory of applying through UCAS, what I gathered from skim-reading the UCAS website is that the 15th January deadline is the main deadline for everyone's applications, and guarantees that your application will be looked at by an admissions tutor in due course. It is still possible to send in your application now, right up until the 30th June but if a course that you apply to tends to be oversubscribed, then they might simply reject you because they don't think they'll have enough room for 2016 entry. After the 30th June, you have to go into Clearing which is a completely different ball game.

What SOAS won't tell you is that I remember an enormous number of courses at SOAS (including mine) were in Clearing last year so I suspect that, even though at this stage your application will be regarded as late, you're still in with a good chance of getting an offer as long as your grades match up to the entry requirements.

In the poll up top, I clicked Japanese and Korean because with the combined financial costs of tuition and accommodation in London, alongside the number of contact hours you will end up having, you can't be anything but committed. I have 16 contact hours per week plus two optional extra 'clinic' sessions which are basically teacher-supervised homework study sessions - each clinic lasts for an hour. For Japanese, it's recommended that you spend one hour on homework per lesson that you have, so dicking about is reserved for weekends only as you need the energy to go to class, which as students, we would otherwise be spending getting trashed (let's face it). Overall my number of contact hours is extremely high for an arts/humanities degree but hey, at least I can see where my money's going and for that reason, I feel that my course is good value for money. Although the workload is a lot, I would say that there is a definite team spirit amongst the people doing Japanese language and it's a very sociable course to be on as you see your fellow students and teachers so much, that you can't help but get to know most people at least a little bit (especially the teachers!). I'm certainly not locking myself in my room every day and not talking to my flatmates because I'm drowning in homework, because that's simply not the case. I do want and enjoy having a life besides my uni course.

^ Because of all of that, it's important to carefully evaluate your reasons for wanting to do Japanese, Chinese and Korean. For me when it comes to Japanese, I had private tuition in order to be able to sit the GCSE exams, so I had previous knowledge and therefore I knew what to expect with regards to the content of the course in the first term. Additionally, having done some Japanese tuition and being able to talk to people about what I know about Japanese culture made me feel different and as though I stood out, because I noticed that it sparked surprise and interest. When it came to deciding what to do at university, it seemed almost natural for me to progress to doing it full time. On the other hand, I picked Chinese Studies for the same reasons that you're considering it, as I have no previous experience of Chinese language study. However I had done some modern Chinese history back in sixth form as part of AS History and loved it, so I still had some interest in China and was intrigued to learn more, hence why I eventually chose my course. My main passion throughout the years had always been history but there was nothing stopping me from doing history of both Japan and China as part of the course, and the two history modules I'm doing this year are compulsory so that suits me :-P

However my personal interest in Korea largely comes from K-pop, which in reality only represents a highly manufactured niche aspect of South Korean culture and society, so although I in theory have a plethora of listening material for practice, my interest in Korea ultimately doesn't run as deep as perhaps it could do. I'd love to attempt Korean in future and I'm sure I'd do very well at it but there simply aren't enough days in the week to do three languages jointly.

School of Oriental and African Studies

London

Reply 2

Hanakiyo

Original post by throwaway54321

'Ello.

One of the few Japanese and Chinese Studies first year students checking in.
(...)
What SOAS won't tell you is that I remember an enormous number of courses at SOAS (including mine) were in Clearing last year so I suspect that, even though at this stage your application will be regarded as late, you're still in with a good chance of getting an offer as long as your grades match up to the entry requirements.

Original post by throwaway54321

In the poll up top, I clicked Japanese and Korean because with the combined financial costs of tuition and accommodation in London, alongside the number of contact hours you will end up having, you can't be anything but committed.
(...)
I do want and enjoy having a life besides my uni course.

This is what I feel myself as well. My motivation will be key, and then choosing Chinese would definitely not be the same for me as Korean. However, I did take beginner Mandarin and have studied it here and there, and I love the sound of the language. This is why I feel like I'd be silly to not choose it, considering that I'm already doing a "risky" language degree. But I don't naturally research Chinese the way I do with the other two languages. Japanese is always my #1 language and I've self-studied it since I was 12.
Getting trashed..! Haha that is true. Since I don't drink much and have already spent time clubbing once or twice in London (drugs, drugs everywhere..! just so NOT for me) I doubt I'd be partying as hard as the young'uns! I'm not old but still kind of at 23 haha. SO glad to hear that you still have a life outside of the Japanese studies! Especially when you're doing both, and Chinese especially. How are you finding your retention? Back when I studied Japanese and French, it would sometimes get mixed up.

Original post by throwaway54321

^ Because of all of that, it's important to carefully evaluate your reasons for wanting to do Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
(...)
On the other hand, I picked Chinese Studies for the same reasons that you're considering it, as I have no previous experience of Chinese language study. (...)
My main passion throughout the years had always been history but there was nothing stopping me from doing history of both Japan and China as part of the course, and the two history modules I'm doing this year are compulsory so that suits me :-P

I am pleasantly surprised at hearing what you said regarding having previous Japanese studies, in that case I hope I would be able to fit in well too! (if I ever get in). I think having previous studies, or rather that previous passion for these languages are quite vital when choosing to do languages. Unless you're a person who knows you want to only be a linguist/do research/teach. There are all sorts of routes to take of course, but it's not as easy with work so commitment is indeed super important. Additionally, since there is such fierce competition from other native Chinese, Koreans and Japanese for jobs, all of whom often have supreme English levels in the UK I think it's important to at least have an idea in regards to post-graduation. This goes for all languages, but because my friends who studied it are either struggling (he did pure SOAS Japanese) or doing well but exclusively in teaching (he did pure Chinese) and lastly my boyfriend's friend who studied Chinese and now works at a bank (great wage and secure, but not my route). My boyfriend loves history too! I really enjoy it as well but I mostly watch documentaries and talk to people about it rather than read hefty books on it, unless I feel that it is relevant for understanding a cultural trait.

I've found over the years since most of my friends are from Korea and Japan that I just seem to connect with them better from a cultural perspective than Chinese. And I am taken aback somewhat by China's insane patriotism and communism. I can't believe that new citizen rating system.. At the end of the day, I feel like one should be quite certain that one is beyond happy and almost have a need to be immersed in the culture, despite the cons. I feel this for Korea despite the crazy work hours, excessive drinking, blatant commenting on looks, the normalising of the beauty surgeries etc., etc. And for Japanese I still feel so passionate despite feeling that I struggle to connect with them sometimes due to them putting up that façade, and not ever being truly certain what they think since they are just so lovely, always, nice even when they don't like you haha. There is just so much beauty in both countries that I always come back to them, and nothing else in my life has had that level of intense never-ending pull.

I do love Taiwan though, and I adore Taiwanese dramas and learning phrases to it..! I shocked a Chinese friend of mine once because I knew how to say "weed" haha, as in the gardening type - not the drug! I also love how they can be so straightforward and passionate about things, Chinese and Taiwanese people feel so unrestrained. I am very intrigued by Chinese history in how it relates to the rest of Asia. And I sooo adore walking around singing Chinese songs, especially Wei Chen, Su Yi Cheng and Fei Lun Hai. Also films wih Zhang Ziyi and Jet Li never fail to make me feel almost ethereal. Somehow it's the ancient China I am drawn to, and martial arts. I never felt anything towards Cantonese though.. It's interesting but it just sounds a little curious to me.

Original post by throwaway54321

However my personal interest in Korea largely comes from K-pop, which in reality only represents a highly manufactured niche aspect of South Korean culture and society, so although I in theory have a plethora of listening material for practice, my interest in Korea ultimately doesn't run as deep as perhaps it could do. I'd love to attempt Korean in future and I'm sure I'd do very well at it but there simply aren't enough days in the week to do three languages jointly.

I'd be lying if I didn't say my Korean interest began with K-pop (my first was Big Bang-Lollipop and DBSK's Mirotic haha, I showed it to all my female friends and we all went crazy!). However over the years - although I still like some new catchy ones - the industrialised veil and sexism left a bad taste in my mouth. With time I got into the language, then the food, traditional clothing, history and all sorts of things. Then I met my boyfriend, and we meet up with his friends who only speak Korean, and last weekend I met his parents for the first time in our 2 year relationship (I'm sure you know how insanely serious that is, even despite my "gaijin" status)..! So for me learning Korean also means integrating into the family. My boyfriend and others keep telling me uni is an investment into one's career and I shouldn't forget that, and that I shouldn't study anything because I just "enjoy" it. But because of my route in life, and because I'm inherently drawn to creative things and not economy and business, I'd much rather see it as an investment in the enjoyment of being alive, while still keeping the career in mind.

Whoa MAD long reply! Hope you make it through at the other end haha.

Reply 3

Starbuckspolice

Original post by Hanakiyo

I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate your reply! This is the first time I'm talking to someone who is in such a similar situation language-wise, and especially someone who actually went for it and is currently studying at SOAS. I abbreviated some of the paragraphs for ease of reading!

This is very good to know.. At the moment it is possible my grades may not match up to the entry requirements. I am currently in the process of getting them translated as they're in Swedish, but even so my boyfriend is advising me to go the A-levels or foundation year route. Do you know of any EEA students who got accepted with below average grades? It's so tricky for me to compare as the only info available is for A-level grades. Did you and the other students mostly have only A* and A in your courses/subjects? We had like 30 different courses, and I got top grades mainly in languages, but otherwise quite a lot of "passed" grades in stuff like P.E. and more dreary stuff. I know I will have a strong case for my Personal Statement as my life basically revolves around Japan, Korea and China (Taiwan really) and always studying the languages. Also I recently shot a short film where I speak Japanese so I'm hoping that makes it stand out slightly, and I have collaborated with a Japanese magazine. If I fail this year, do you know of anyone who applied after trying to up their grades? Kind of like how the infamous Todai ronin do it? I always think of Rabu Hina haha.

This is what I feel myself as well. My motivation will be key, and then choosing Chinese would definitely not be the same for me as Korean. However, I did take beginner Mandarin and have studied it here and there, and I love the sound of the language. This is why I feel like I'd be silly to not choose it, considering that I'm already doing a "risky" language degree. But I don't naturally research Chinese the way I do with the other two languages. Japanese is always my #1 language and I've self-studied it since I was 12.
Getting trashed..! Haha that is true. Since I don't drink much and have already spent time clubbing once or twice in London (drugs, drugs everywhere..! just so NOT for me) I doubt I'd be partying as hard as the young'uns! I'm not old but still kind of at 23 haha. SO glad to hear that you still have a life outside of the Japanese studies! Especially when you're doing both, and Chinese especially. How are you finding your retention? Back when I studied Japanese and French, it would sometimes get mixed up.

I am pleasantly surprised at hearing what you said regarding having previous Japanese studies, in that case I hope I would be able to fit in well too! (if I ever get in). I think having previous studies, or rather that previous passion for these languages are quite vital when choosing to do languages. Unless you're a person who knows you want to only be a linguist/do research/teach. There are all sorts of routes to take of course, but it's not as easy with work so commitment is indeed super important. Additionally, since there is such fierce competition from other native Chinese, Koreans and Japanese for jobs, all of whom often have supreme English levels in the UK I think it's important to at least have an idea in regards to post-graduation. This goes for all languages, but because my friends who studied it are either struggling (he did pure SOAS Japanese) or doing well but exclusively in teaching (he did pure Chinese) and lastly my boyfriend's friend who studied Chinese and now works at a bank (great wage and secure, but not my route). My boyfriend loves history too! I really enjoy it as well but I mostly watch documentaries and talk to people about it rather than read hefty books on it, unless I feel that it is relevant for understanding a cultural trait.

I've found over the years since most of my friends are from Korea and Japan that I just seem to connect with them better from a cultural perspective than Chinese. And I am taken aback somewhat by China's insane patriotism and communism. I can't believe that new citizen rating system.. At the end of the day, I feel like one should be quite certain that one is beyond happy and almost have a need to be immersed in the culture, despite the cons. I feel this for Korea despite the crazy work hours, excessive drinking, blatant commenting on looks, the normalising of the beauty surgeries etc., etc. And for Japanese I still feel so passionate despite feeling that I struggle to connect with them sometimes due to them putting up that façade, and not ever being truly certain what they think since they are just so lovely, always, nice even when they don't like you haha. There is just so much beauty in both countries that I always come back to them, and nothing else in my life has had that level of intense never-ending pull.

I do love Taiwan though, and I adore Taiwanese dramas and learning phrases to it..! I shocked a Chinese friend of mine once because I knew how to say "weed" haha, as in the gardening type - not the drug! I also love how they can be so straightforward and passionate about things, Chinese and Taiwanese people feel so unrestrained. I am very intrigued by Chinese history in how it relates to the rest of Asia. And I sooo adore walking around singing Chinese songs, especially Wei Chen, Su Yi Cheng and Fei Lun Hai. Also films wih Zhang Ziyi and Jet Li never fail to make me feel almost ethereal. Somehow it's the ancient China I am drawn to, and martial arts. I never felt anything towards Cantonese though.. It's interesting but it just sounds a little curious to me.

I'd be lying if I didn't say my Korean interest began with K-pop (my first was Big Bang-Lollipop and DBSK's Mirotic haha, I showed it to all my female friends and we all went crazy!). However over the years - although I still like some new catchy ones - the industrialised veil and sexism left a bad taste in my mouth. With time I got into the language, then the food, traditional clothing, history and all sorts of things. Then I met my boyfriend, and we meet up with his friends who only speak Korean, and last weekend I met his parents for the first time in our 2 year relationship (I'm sure you know how insanely serious that is, even despite my "gaijin" status)..! So for me learning Korean also means integrating into the family. My boyfriend and others keep telling me uni is an investment into one's career and I shouldn't forget that, and that I shouldn't study anything because I just "enjoy" it. But because of my route in life, and because I'm inherently drawn to creative things and not economy and business, I'd much rather see it as an investment in the enjoyment of being alive, while still keeping the career in mind.

Whoa MAD long reply! Hope you make it through at the other end haha.

Hi, I am studying Japanese as well.

Reply 4

Starbuckspolice

Original post by Hanakiyo

Reply 5

throwaway54321

Original post by Hanakiyo

Whoa MAD long reply! Hope you make it through at the other end haha.

I wrote an enormous long reply to this, and then when I went to post it, I found that The Student Room had timed me out, tried to log back in but the page with my reply on it just white-screened. Refreshing couldn't save it. Thank you very much Student Room.

Anyway, uh... What were my key points in that post?

- https://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/ug/entryreq/ has the equivalent grades for the Mat, Abitur, French Baccalaureate etc. under 'Show more...' so if you're having problems converting A Level grades, you might be able to work it out via a different European qualification. Most of the EEA students I've spoken to have whined about how awful the International Baccalaureate was, but at least they didn't have the problems of how to convert their grades.

- I got in with A*BBB, my original offer was AAB. I've heard stories of some universities being extremely strict when it comes to meeting the specificity of their offer e.g. AAAC not being accepted in place of AABB, although as I said, those are stories or in other words, rumours/speculation. I've never heard about SOAS doing anything like this, and as they proved with me, they were happy to be flexible. I don't know of anyone who failed to get in on their first application but then applied a second time with improved grades and then got in. I met someone who was unfortunately messed about as she thought she'd received a place via Clearing, but as it turned out, she'd misunderstood the correspondence with SOAS and thus was offered a place on the foundation year instead as she didn't have the A Level grades.

- Speaking of foundation years, at 23, you're a mature student so I would get in direct contact with the admissions tutors of the Japan & Korea and China & Inner Asia departments to ask what they'd recommend with regards to foundation years. I personally wouldn't recommend taking A Levels (if you haven't already) unless there is a financial benefit to it as foundation years and A Levels are both supposed to get students to the same place: ready to begin their undergraduate degree. Foundation years will add extra tuition costs by increasing the overall time you spend at university though, so you may need to do a cost-benefit weighing up. As a mature student, your short film and magazine column will be much more indicative of where you are now than your school grades which were a measurement of your progress from five years ago. Again, ask the admissions tutors about what they like to see in an application and how likely they are to interview you, as you can't fit a lot of stuff into a personal statement. I was NEVER interviewed, not even for any of the other universities I applied to. The rest of your UCAS application is a list of schools that you attended, random hobbies etc. Not much really. With regards to what you actually did at school, the top grades in languages will pique interest as you've got some proof that you can succeed in a languages classroom. On the other hand, I don't know if SOAS will adopt an 'all grades must add up well' stance or if the admissions tutors will think, "It's only PE, it's pretty much irrelevant". It's worth asking them that too.

- If you end up living at Dinwiddy Hall, you will end up partying at some point, no matter how much you try to detach yourself from that. You will get dragged in :-P

- I did French A Level funnily enough, and I don't find myself getting confused between the two languages, however (very annoyingly) I've find myself midway through several tests unable to remember what a particular word is in Japanese but able to remember it in French! Strangely, I've found French to be useful when it comes to explaining/understanding little bits and pieces, especially when studying with my Italian friends (Italians... Italians everywhere). Having studied any other language before does mean that when you acquire a new language, you can take it all in your stride much more easily, or so I think. I haven't done any Chinese language yet for me to get those two mixed up, but if Modern Chinese still has a lot of Classical words and phrases in that the Japanese On'yomi are based off of, then second year will be grand.

- Retention? I'm assuming by retention, you mean how well am I absorbing and remembering information? I'll have to get back to you on that one :-P I had a bit of a rethink today on how I'm going to go about revising from now on so this point is very much a work in progress.

- I personally don't have a vision for my life beyond graduation. I picked my course for my own personal enjoyment and because I wanted a new twist to be introduced to more conventional subject areas e.g. history, languages which, although I guess you could call them safe options, had been wrung dry by A Levels. At the moment, my future plans are dedicated to thinking about summer jobs to help me save up for the year abroad and which Japanese university I want to go to.

- It sounds like you've got your heart set on Japanese and nothing's going to change that, so I think we can assume that 'Japanese' is highly likely to appear somewhere in the title of your degree. Although that said, if you're really having trouble deciding between the three then do you think it'd be possible for you to continue self-studying and do the degree course in the other two languages? Do you think you'd be able to keep up that motivation and passion for studying Japanese out and alongside your formal education? Just a thought.

- The Chinese degrees prioritise the People's Republic, so the BA Chinese (Modern and Classical) guys all go to Beijing for their year abroad (they don't get a choice of university over there!) and although everyone starts off learning traditional characters, to prepare for the year abroad, I'm told that the teachers start to switch to simplified midway through the year. Your love of Taiwanese dramas will give you plenty of listening practice and may significantly help you study in your spare time, but ultimately the colloquial speech, slang, idioms etc. that you pick up from them will be different to what you're learning in class as you'd be learning Mainland Mandarin. I believe there are a couple of modules on Taiwan reserved for third/fourth years but seeing as the focus on the People's Republic dominates throughout the course, you may have to do some serious thought on whether that's something you'd be happy with.

- I hope this doesn't sound too rude or intrusive but do you want to do Korean because you, independently, have a far-reaching interest in Korea or are you doing it for other people i.e. your boyfriend and his parents? I ask this because whenever I hear that someone has chosen a university degree because they have a significant other also doing it/related to the field of study in some way then I am wary of their choice because all relationships can only work because the two people involved in it are upholding it. Circumstances and people change, and that can affect the dynamic. Relationships are a great way to discover something new and it is entirely up to the person to take their interest further than what they were initially introduced to through the relationship but I feel that something as important as choosing a university has to be made independently and it should not be the means through which a relationship is maintained. Apologies if that seemed blunt and invasive. And agreed, you've met his parents, that's pretty bloody real.

- Also with Korean, it is viewed as being a far more niche subject as North and South Korea combined are tiny countries in comparison to China and Japan. That's by no means a bad thing but when you study Chinese, you end up resorting to all of the clichéd crap like "China is the future!", "The possibilities are endless!", "The East Asian dream is real!" to explain to people why your field of study is important. With Korea, that doesn't exist so what I'm trying to say is "Where are you going to fit in Korea/How do you see yourself working with Korea?", "Where will your study of Korean take you e.g. are you going to stick primarily with South Korea or will you venture north?". How would you justify studying Korean without the clichés?

- Once again with Korean, seeing as you've met your boyfriend's parents, would it be worth asking him or his parents for tuition to see how you like studying the language or whether you think you can take up self-study of it? I realise there are far fewer self-study books for Korean but if you did it with Japanese for so long, is it unrealistic to try it out with Korean too?

EDIT: I hope this 1 in the morning post was ok.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 6

Hanakiyo

Original post by throwaway54321

I can SO relate to this!! It happens to everyone with a penchant for long replies online. Due to this experience I have forcefully created the habit of going CTRL+A+C as I type in case of disaster (finishing off a paragraph is a good habit creator cue!). If I forget I can quite often save it by using the back button, this surprisingly often works as the webpage is often frozen in its offline state unlike with refresh.

I actually did this two days ago! I attempted to convert my grades into IB to see where I stand, and sadly it would appear as if I'm below the threshold by 1-3 points depending on the uni. Still glad I didn't go the IB route seeing what those students say about it...

Good on you for achieving those grades and getting in! Good to know about the variations. I feel sad for the girl with the misunderstanding, that must have been a huge blow.. But great thing that she still got in albeit through alternative means! Does this mean foundation year offers are possible even if one doesn't apply for it directly? From what I understand there is a specific application code for foundation years.

I contacted them a few days ago, although only with one question regarding the grade conversion. I have been thinking about asking them my related questions regarding entry, but I am concerned regarding what not to say. I don't want to come across as not being confident in my chance of success, and I'm worried that they might remember me in a less than ideally when my application comes in. I just finished the last revision (yeah right) of my Personal Statement, and I do feel that it's strong. But if it's strong enough to make up for 1-3 points below the IB entry threshold.. Now that, I'm not sure if it's possible. Could I ask this question to the faculty without risking anything? Meaning something along the lines of: "I may be a few points below the minimum entry level for IB-points based on my grade conversion, has someone in a similar situation gotten accepted in the past? If not, what would be the most viable route according to your suggestions and previous students; a foundation year, Access to HE or private A-levels?". And perhaps asking about lower grades in unrelated subjects as you say? The Swedish system is very different after all as we have to do all subjects.

Haha..!! I don't mind an occasional crazy day, but my body really does see alcohol as a poison in more than one way. I love beer but I can't deal with hangovers, and also people often think I'm more sober than I am and offer me too much - which any particularly drunk person would be happy to accept. Somehow I just like having a clear mind at all times, even though I enjoy the social aspects of casual drinking. I'd most likely live as I have done so far in a shared flat outside of campus I believe which might help!

Thiiiiis! This. It's exactly what happens to me, words only cropping up in the wrong languages. Gah. I haven't had any incidents with mix-ups between the J/K/C languages yet though. It's trickier with the four latin based languages due to the shared vocabulary roots. There are loads of Italians at SOAS? Huh! Yees, the differences that have evolved in the character meanings in the three languages does concern me. Though Japanese is the more worrying probably as it has such a huge amount of readings per kanji unlike Chinese and hanja which as I understand only has one for each.

Yep that's exactly what I meant, do correct me if I used the word strangely. There are so many ways of retaining knowledge, though tenacity is key and shitloads of flashcards and post-its seem to be the most popular methods. Personally I love my apps, watching TV-series and talking to native friends of course!

It's actually quite refreshing to hear that you don't have a set plan. My non-initiated friends and family have been killing me with the "but your CAREER"-talk. I actually do have a plan even though it's not related to one set profession, although some are against it, I firmly believe that all roads lead to Rome as long as you have the right mindset and never stop trying (with emphasis on not expecting new results with the same approach obviously). I can totally relate to passions/interests being wrung dry.. This happened to me with music being smashed for a few years after attending music secondary school.

It's funny but I actually thought about this quite a bit last week! Since Japanese has always been my strongest interest, it is definitely possible to leave it out of the degree to pursue alongside or after. However, after serious consideration I am now feeling confident about doing Japanese and Korean with the YA in Japan. Specialising in my strongest subject makes the most sense to me. I would then do as much Korean as possible in my free time outside of main studying, as well as visiting there as much as finances allow while abroad.

I had a feeling that Taiwan would be very hard to study in most universities doing Chinese. I would really enjoy learning about China and studying the language, but I feel it would suit better to do it as a background for the other two in regards to history and linguistics. Everyone choosing Japanese and Korean in the poll does strengthen this resolve.

NO goodness me, it's definitely not like that!!! Haha. Don't worry at all about being intrusive or anything though, I am a very straightforward person :smile:

I met my boyfriend as a direct result of my keen interest in Korea rather than the other way around. He has actually continuously discouraged me from it in many regards, but I have remained intent. I think once I start the degree he will help me with tutoring though, as he is very much the kind of person you have to prove your resolve to. His family have been nothing but lovely so far, despite me stealing their eldest son away haha, so I'm sure they could teach me many things as well! If any difficulties arise as already have so far, I know I will take it in stride. I have considered receiving proper tuition, though it has not been possible so far as my boyfriend has been very busy with work. His family has also been out of reach, until we met a few weeks ago. But now as I said before things may be different!

I do agree with you that many have a less than ideal interest in these countries to start with. It quickly wears off after the clock strikes midnight though, with the enchantment dissipating once the culture clashes and dark sides appear. Nary a single European friend of mine has retained their interest and I find it rather curious that it often corresponds with them assimilating into society and no longer feeling like outsiders. I still love anime, manga and some mainstream music, but most people who lose their interest have these as their main obsessive passion. No hate on anyone, but K-pop enthusiasts tend to be the worst in this regard as many mostly like it for the physical aspects, men and women alike. I like many of the groups, but it's important not to have a biased interest and to see the countries with all their pros and cons weighed in.

Haha that national pride! I frankly can't tell who has more of it, the Chinese or the Americans. I have been in this situation relentlessly in the last few days, mostly in regards to my family and boyfriend. Not gonna lie, some days I do get shot down as it can get damn personal sometimes with jabs towards my creative history - which is actually successful in many regards - but it's not the field that any of them feel that I "ought" to be in. They are not really creatives themselves, and the industry can be harsh indeed. There is competition abound in all fields these days though, and I feel it's wiser to go with one's strengths and motivations rather than go for a field which one is not good at simply to ensure a job offer waiting at the end of the degree. With tenacity, even in the toughest fields jobs can be located and secured.

GOSH this took ages ahaha. Had to save it so many times, I would have died if this disappeared in the IoT void. Maybe I should have sent this as a personal message instead? I'm worried there might be a bit too much personal info in these books we're writing haha, though I can't see that anything isn't something I stand for - uncertainties and all :smile:

Double negation really reminds me of Japanese now haha

I'm a night owl too..!

Reply 7

throwaway54321

Original post by Hanakiyo

^ Might need this tip in future, thanks.

Foundation years weren't something I ever looked at so I would assume that the girl's foundation year was also in Clearing. I can't confirm that though.

I think I would reword your questions to the admissions tutors slightly though, by asking whether a foundation year would be appropriate for you or would the chances of you getting in still be fairly likely seeing as you're not too far off the entry requirements for the IB, instead of jumping straight into "Have people been accepted with lower grades in the past?" as I feel that tends to be something that admissions tutors would be a bit reluctant to answer. It's definitely not unheard of for British universities generally, particularly on results day for them to still accept people who technically missed out. I'd perhaps work out a more roundabout or perhaps less direct way of asking your actual question.

I'm glad you've been able to make a more firm decision about which course you want to do though. Judging by your last post, you only needed someone to help arrange your thoughts and reasons for picking which two out of the three languages. Otherwise, you've pretty much got it all covered in terms of what you want to do. There are so many Italians, Italians in my class have told me that they're beginning to get disappointed when they find out that someone new is also Italian xD God I love them. They've ALL inspired me to put learning casual Italian on my bucket list.