Too advanced at Japanese for a uni course? Help!

Sorry for putting this here amongst all the clearing panic! :colondollar:

I'm thinking I would like to do Spanish and Japanese at university as they are two subjects/languages I'm passionate about, and I will have them both as A-level.

There are no universities in the country (as far as I can find) that offer Japanese at any level apart from beginners' (which is understandable - it's not the most popular A-level subject!), but I'd really like to have it as part of a degree as I'm self-taught and really benefit from cultural modules, more formal teaching, oral practice, a year abroad, etc.

I've emailed around a bit but it doesn't seem to be an option for me to skip ahead or anything. So does anyone have any ideas what I can do as an alternative? Would it make sense to take all the exams at the same time as everybody else but not turn up to all the language classes for the first year or so? I don't see any other way to do it, but if any one has any ideas?

My level Japanese is around JLPT N2. I think this is just a small step up from A-level - though my speaking is pretty dreadful as I've never had much chance to practice!

Would love if anybody could share some advice!

Thank you :tongue:

Reply 1

SlowlorisIncognito

Original post by a-98

Sorry for putting this here amongst all the clearing panic! :colondollar:

I think if you think you would enjoy the degree, then the best thing to do would be to apply, and then in first year if you found certain language classes a bit too basic for you, either stop attending or discuss your options with your lecturers.

Until you're actually at uni, you won't know if you'd get any benefit at all from these classes (e.g. speaking practice even at a basic level might really help you). Also, the lecturers won't actually know the standard of Japanese you have- if you're totally self taught they might expect there to be gaps in your knowledge.

Basically, you'd probably want a uni where class attendance would be non-compulsory, so you could pick and choose bits that would benefit you. Once you are actually at the uni, you might also find some other people with more advanced Japanese on your course, who you could join for informal study or similar.

Reply 2

Good bloke

Original post by a-98

You should bear in mind that degree courses move very much faster than A-level study. I recall being told by a fellow student when I was an undergraduate, that we had covered more than the A-level (which I had not taken) syllabus of the subject we were studying already - and we were still in the first term.

Reply 3

a-98

Original post by Good bloke

Good to know, thank you!

Reply 4

jelly1000

Original post by a-98

Sorry for putting this here amongst all the clearing panic! :colondollar:

UEA offers double honours languages with the option to take Japanese post A-level https://www.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree/detail/ba-modern-languages-double-honours#course-profile

Reply 5

insert-username

SOAS, University of london (School of oriental and african studies) offers Japanese as a degree. A smaller number of classes can be taken and only at your level of proficiency, so you wont have to take beginner classes, you'd be able to go straight to advanced/intermediate.

You can also do joint degrees so for example Japanese with music (a friend of mine studies that) Japanese with History and many more combination etc. In fact SOAS is probably the best university in the country for Japanese/east asian language degrees. The courses there also feature a year abroad in the country of the language you're studying. I have a friend studying Chinese and she's moving to China at the end of the month for her year abroad.

Honestly if you're really serious about learning Japanese, SOAS is the best bet, it actually has one of the largest societys of Japanese nationals/native speakers, so you'll be able to meet many japanese people and also have the option of living in Japan for a year during the degree. (its actually compulsory, you have to spend 3rd year in a university in Japan)

Another reason SOAS is the best bet is because it doesnt just offer a BA in japanese where you focus on the language. it also offers "Japanese studies" which is a different degree with less focus on language classes and more of the cultural learning you're looking for.

I'm half Japanese myself and I have a cousin (who's japanese) who studies there.

Reply 6

a-98

I've been looking a bit more into it, but I'm still struggling to get anywhere with this.

I don't want to go to UEA as it doesn't appeal at all, or SOAS as I want to take Spanish.
I'm having a bit of panic here!

Is there anybody here that's taken Japanese anywhere else and has more information on the course itself and the speed it goes at? Thanks :colondollar:

Reply 7

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle all offer post-beginners / intermediate Japanese modules in the first year.

I don't think it necessarily a bad thing if you were to take beginner's Japanese and use the time to consolidate what you already have learned. If your speaking is 'pretty dreadful' then take advantage of the opportunity to improve it! Just because a university says it only offers beginners Japanese doesn't mean you don't have options. They may allow you to take more advanced Japanese modules in your first year, either in the department or at the university language centre, or they may let you study another language for the first year whilst the other students catch up.

Rosetta Stone?

cardiff, manchester and sheffield are the only universities i'v found which actually offer joint japanese and spanish degree.

Reply 10

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by insert-username

cardiff, manchester and sheffield are the only universities i'v found which actually offer joint japanese and spanish degree.

Not sure why you think that, plenty of universities offer Japanese and Spanish degrees.

Reply 11

karen-samue

Hi! I've just finished my Japanese Alevel as well as others and, if everything goes as planned tomorrow, I should be starting International business and Japanese at University of Leeds for Post Alevel in Japanese.

When I was applying for unis through UCAS there were a few that did Japanese for post Alevel.
The ones that I remember are:
-Oxford
-Cambridge
-Sheffield
-Leeds
-Edinburgh
-Durham
-Manchester
-University of East Anglia
-Oxford Brooke
-SOAS

Also, the other people are right. Taking Japanese from beginners level isn't as bad an idea as you think. It turns out that the amount of Japanese learnt by a student who did GCSE and Alevel (7years) is learnt by beginners in Japanese at Uni in 1 year or less. So you wouldn't be in front for long and it might give you the chance to review your Japanese.
But if that's not what you want to do then definitely go for post Alevel. But before you start University, they will make you do a test to check that you are good enough to be in the post Alevel class.

Hope I helped!

Reply 12

a-98

Original post by karen-samue

Aw, that's great. I'm looking into Manchester now but we'll see. It'll work out somehow!

Reply 13

insert-username

Original post by Snufkin

Not sure why you think that, plenty of universities offer Japanese and Spanish degrees.

"cardiff, manchester and sheffield are the only universities i'v found which actually offer joint japanese and spanish degree."

It's great if there are more, i was just saying those are the only two i've come across.

Reply 14

Sugoi123

Hi I have an unconditional firm to study economics and japanese at the University of Leeds. I also have an A-level in Japanese (got an A woop woop) and am similarly worried about how well they will accomodate for us post a-level students :s-smilie: