Why does Leeds send students abroad in their second year? (Japanese)

Hi, I've applied to a number of unis for a BA in Japanese, including Leeds. Manchester turned me down but I've recieved an offer from Oxford Brookes so far, although they're definitely not my first choice.

The course at Leeds seems good, but in my mind there's a big asterisk next to them because they send you abroad in their second year. It's honestly putting me off quite a bit, and I'm baffled as to why they do it because I've seen a number of people who seem apprehensive towards Leeds due to this. Does anyone here have any experience with going abroad in their second year?

Reply 1

999tigger

19

Original post by MrBleu

Hi, I've applied to a number of unis for a BA in Japanese, including Leeds. Manchester turned me down but I've recieved an offer from Oxford Brookes so far, although they're definitely not my first choice.

The course at Leeds seems good, but in my mind there's a big asterisk next to them because they send you abroad in their second year. It's honestly putting me off quite a bit, and I'm baffled as to why they do it because I've seen a number of people who seem apprehensive towards Leeds due to this. Does anyone here have any experience with going abroad in their second year?

The easiest way would be to contact and ask.
Also see if you can contact a student who has done it.
https://www.luu.org.uk/japanese/

Reply 2

Soonie

4

Original post by MrBleu

Hi, I've applied to a number of unis for a BA in Japanese, including Leeds. Manchester turned me down but I've recieved an offer from Oxford Brookes so far, although they're definitely not my first choice.

The course at Leeds seems good, but in my mind there's a big asterisk next to them because they send you abroad in their second year. It's honestly putting me off quite a bit, and I'm baffled as to why they do it because I've seen a number of people who seem apprehensive towards Leeds due to this. Does anyone here have any experience with going abroad in their second year?

It's just what they believe is best really; I'm pretty sure Oxford does the same thing.

I think it's down to personal preference. I'm in my second year doing Japanese (not at Leeds) and I'm so glad that I'm not on my year abroad now as I definitely don't think I would have been ready. However, for others, they'd rather be immersed in the language as soon as possible rather than spending another year in a classroom.

My friend is in their second year doing Russian there and they're on their year abroad right now. I think they mentioned something about the university said that it'll allow them more time to focus on their dissertation when they come back (don't quote me on that, though :colondollar:

).

Reply 3

EllaMay89

10

Hi there, I am a graduate of Japanese from Leeds, and I did my year abroad in the second year. The course itself is good, you get to learn a lot about a wide variety of facets of Japanese culture, but when it comes to the language it is sharply focussed on personal study - if you are not dedicated and committed to putting in a lot of hours you will not be able to speak Japanese when you graduate. The year abroad being in the second year doesn't really affect this, honestly. Although, saying that, when I met people over there who were studying abroad in their third year, their Japanese was more advanced than mine at the start of the year. So even though by the time we left we were all equal, it may have been a bit easier to integrate themselves in the culture at the start of the year abroad.

If you have any questions about the course at all, please do get in touch. I graduated in 2014, so things may have changed a bit but happy to answer any queries :smile:

Reply 4

EllaMay89

10

Sorry - forgot to say why Leeds sends students abroad in second year - theoretically, it's so when you return from Japan you still have two years to study with a deeper understanding of Japanese language and culture. This way, you get two years of classes on Japanese politics, media, literature and history, taught mostly in Japanese language, that you wouldn't necessarily be able to study to the same level had you not already been in Japan.

Reply 5

umbrellala

Universities Forum Helper

19

Original post by MrBleu

Hi, I've applied to a number of unis for a BA in Japanese, including Leeds. Manchester turned me down but I've recieved an offer from Oxford Brookes so far, although they're definitely not my first choice.

The course at Leeds seems good, but in my mind there's a big asterisk next to them because they send you abroad in their second year. It's honestly putting me off quite a bit, and I'm baffled as to why they do it because I've seen a number of people who seem apprehensive towards Leeds due to this. Does anyone here have any experience with going abroad in their second year?

I'm a second year Korean student and I'm on my year abroad right now. Personally, I'm glad we went in second year. By throwing us in the deep end as early as possible, we've learned a lot of the really essential vocabulary and grammar whilst totally immersed in the language. We've been able to learn it as naturally and thoroughly as possible, so our foundations and intermediate-level stuff are really strong. We also had to get used to speaking to native speakers on a daily basis at an early stage so now we're more confident and have no qualms about speaking to natives or about making mistakes. I think the longer you avoid/are not able to have frequent conversations in the language you're learning, the more anxious and reluctant you get about actually speaking, so being forced to at an early stage sets us up well for the future. It also helps iron out common mistakes and pronunciation issues before they become a habit.

The TOPIK (Korean version of JLPT) level 1-4 is more conversational and level 5 and 6 are focused on academic writing and more advanced stuff. The way our curriculum is set out is that our requirement is to reach what is essentially the equivalent of TOPIK 4 (as a minimum) by the end of our year abroad, so we can practice conversational skills in a setting which allows us to have lots of conversations with natives. Then level 5 and 6 can be taught in an academic setting back in the UK where using them in conversation is less important. We can read Korean books and newspapers in the UK pretty easily, but having conversations with natives and hearing Korean around us is much more difficult.

So all in all I'd say it's nothing to worry about, you'll reach a good level of fluency whichever year you do it in and there are positives and negatives to both. Just don't let it put you off Leeds if you like everything else about the course!

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 6

super_kawaii

20

Original post by MrBleu

Hi, I've applied to a number of unis for a BA in Japanese, including Leeds. Manchester turned me down but I've recieved an offer from Oxford Brookes so far, although they're definitely not my first choice.

The course at Leeds seems good, but in my mind there's a big asterisk next to them because they send you abroad in their second year. It's honestly putting me off quite a bit, and I'm baffled as to why they do it because I've seen a number of people who seem apprehensive towards Leeds due to this. Does anyone here have any experience with going abroad in their second year?

Original post by umbrellala

I'm a second year Korean student and I'm on my year abroad right now. Personally, I'm glad we went in second year. By throwing us in the deep end as early as possible, we've learned a lot of the really essential vocabulary and grammar whilst totally immersed in the language. We've been able to learn it as naturally and thoroughly as possible, so our foundations and intermediate-level stuff are really strong. We also had to get used to speaking to native speakers on a daily basis at an early stage so now we're more confident and have no qualms about speaking to natives or about making mistakes. I think the longer you avoid/are not able to have frequent conversations in the language you're learning, the more anxious and reluctant you get about actually speaking, so being forced to at an early stage sets us up well for the future. It also helps iron out common mistakes and pronunciation issues before they become a habit.

The TOPIK (Korean version of JLPT) level 1-4 is more conversational and level 5 and 6 are focused on academic writing and more advanced stuff. The way our curriculum is set out is that our requirement is to reach what is essentially the equivalent of TOPIK 4 by the end of our year abroad, so we can practice conversational skills in a setting which allows us to have lots of conversations with natives. Then level 5 and 6 can be taught in an academic setting back in the UK where using them in conversation is less important. We can read Korean books and newspapers in the UK pretty easily, but having conversations with natives and hearing Korean around us is much more difficult.

So all in all I'd say it's nothing to worry about, you'll reach a good level of fluency whichever year you do it in and there are positives and negatives to both. Just don't let it put you off Leeds if you like everything else about the course!

I did Chinese Studies at Sheffield and went abroad in my second year as well, and I agree with everything umbrellala has said. The HSK exams (Chinese equivalent of JLPT) runs from levels 1-6 with 6 being the highest. At Sheffield, we're expected to be HSK5 by the end of our year abroad in second year, and use 3rd and 4th year to focus on more academic language, which is essential for the dissertation, as you're required to use academic recourses in your major language at Sheffield.

Why does Leeds send students abroad in their second year? (Japanese)

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