Anyone Else Starting the Japanese Studies Course in September 2011?

I am , firmed my offer a few days ago, I have set up a facebook group if any of you want to join: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_163901023664195&ap=1 if there is already a group let me know

Aww, lucky you guys! I wish I could do Japanese studies at the same time as Biomedical Science... It would be waaay too hard though. I've been teaching myself japanese since I was like...13...I'm even going to Japan in June for 3 weeks! Yippee! ^^ I can speak enough to get around, but not enough to have a conversation. And I can read/write hiragana/katakana, and did learn about 50 kanji at one point, but I've forgotten the kanji now... I figured I should probably improve my spoken japanese first, so that I could actually use my written kanji in sentences when I learned them.

So you did you guys have to take GCSEs, A levels or any exams in Japanese to be able to get onto the course?

Reporting in.

I read somewhere that Japanese Studies starts with 80 people and ends with 18 left. Any final years here to shed light on that?

I've heard this too O_O
I was talking to a student who dropped it after the first year. She said it's really hard and intensive. They had to be A-Level standard by Christmas, I know that. *_* MUST TRY HARD TO BE ONE OF THE 18 WHO SURVIVE!!!!

I think there's a slower-paced Japanese course at Sheffield as well. Downside = no year abroad. From what I hear they offer you to change to that instead if you start struggling.

But yeah, this is essentially what's really worrying. I doubt it's any different at any of the other unis though. :x

Edit: Related thread from late last year -- http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1490809

Nope, I never took any exams to get on this course. I have to complete an equivalent to A-Levels though. I've been practising Japanese at home for a while now and I looooove Japanese things. The history is so interesting *_*. Hehe, I think that came across as rather obsessive in my personal statement. Maybe that is why they accepted me XD.

LUCCCCCKY! Wish I was going to Japan too *hides in your suitcase* Mwhahah! FREE TRIP!!!

Do you start your first year this September or are you a second/third year student?

If you want, we can meet up some time on campus and practice Japanese.

I'm starting in September, can't wait! You'll get to go to Japan too in a couple of years, if you work hard enough xD I feel for you...500 kanji in a year was it? You'd better get started then! The Basic Kanji Book is probably the one you'll be following, I got one for 50p, it's quite good actually! I get the feeling I'm repeating stuff that has already been said here...oh well :P

I'd love to practice my japanese with you some time! Are you on Yougo?

The amount of work for this course is UNBELIEVABLE!!! :'( BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!! *_*

I sometimes wonder if they say that in order to lower the number of potential applicants? :V Applicants to places for Japanese Studies was like 10 : 1 this year.

[ And to answer for the previous poster in order to make my reply that little bit more worthwhile, Yougo is some social network the UCAS folks run. I wasn't aware anyone actually used it. D: ]

Edit: Fun read (from third paragraph) - http://outpostnine.com/editorials/student.html

Edit: Fun read (from third paragraph) - http://outpostnine.com/editorials/student.html

Make sure you learn kana well, you will be examined on it during freshers week. They are harsh on handwriting. I knew all the kana and got like 11%... its not important though, but you need to know kana before the course starts. (you will get a letter about it all etc when your offer becomes unconditional)
Don't worry about kanji, you start it in the 3rd week, doing parts of a textbook a week. I didn't know any kanji when i started really.

One of the things I read a lot is that the teachers are very harsh about correct handwriting, but I'm not exactly sure how to practice it. Do you know anything whether its a book or web-based that has handwriting drills?

If you don't have the book or anything DONT copy ones on a computer screen, a lot of typed kanji are a lot different to written.

Our Japanese teacher at Reading uni said that too. One reason she wouldn't deploy e-learning stuff was that there was no handwriting font or something. I did some research into it and found more handwriting-esque fonts for Japanese.

One good place is http://www.jay-han.com/2008/08/01/12-japanese-handwriting-style-fonts/ but some links are dead. Drop any of them into your Windows Fonts folder and it will show up.

I use Mikachan in my Anki deck at the moment in a redicilously huge size (87).

They even say its better the less you know because you will develop bad habits otherwise.