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Which course do I go for?

Hi all,

I'm already a 1st year student at a university but for reasons I won't go into here I have extenuating circumstances and will be re-doing my 1st year.

TL;DR: Do I go for Japanese for International Business which will likely be better for my future or go for Asia Pacific Studies (Japanese) which will likely be more enjoyable?

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My current course is Asia Pacific Studies (Japanese) where the official course is called Asia Pacific Studies but it focuses on learning the language primarily, with things like culture, ways of life, politics, business, etc. secondary (which focuses on those things in Asia but can be explored in different ways with the focus being on different subjects within anything that falls into the secondary category) and I enjoy it. It's a 4 year course where I spend the whole 3rd year abroad in Japan, and by the end of the course I should be competent in the Japanese language.

I'm considering changing to Japanese for International Business. The main differences is that it's a 3 year course (so it's 1 year shorter) and you spend 2nd semester (January-May) of 2nd year in Japan so the time you spend in Japan is shorter. I feel like JIB would look much better on a CV to a potential employer as well.

Overall, APS is the slightly easier (depending on which option modules I choose I suppose)/more relaxed/more flexible course whilst JIB focuses on knowledge of international business as well as knowledge of Japanese, with placement modules in 1st and 3rd year to give you real world experience. Also, with APS you get to choose 2 option modules whilst with JIB you only get to choose 1.

What I want to do job wise? I'm not really sure, I'm leaning towards working somewhere in the international relations department or something but it's not something I've put too much thought towards as it's like 3-4 years from now.

I guess I rambled on for a bit but opinions and advice from others would be much appreciated as I literally can't decide. Thank you.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

I doubt very much whether an employer would think 'Japanese for International Business' is better than 'Asian Pacific Studies'. I really think you should do what you enjoy most; it's not a good idea to switch degrees just because you think it has a more impressive name. Do some LinkedIn stalking and see where Asia Pacific Studies graduates end up.