The Student Room Group

Japanese Language/studies Applicants For 2011

Scroll to see replies

I'm becoming more and more enticed by the Japanese & Linguistics course, because it sounds very flexible concerning modules... but can this be right? 80 credits worth of electives after first year? Does that mean I could pick whatever I liked (that doesn't have pre-requisites etc.?) :eek:

http://www-online.shef.ac.uk:3001/live/owa/web_cal.cal_year_form?course_code=ELLU10&course_title=Linguistics+and+Japanese+Studies+(BA/Linguistics+%26amp;+Japanese+St)&nos=T&adm_code=QT12&int_level=&p_year=2010
Do any of you know what the university holiday dates are like in Japan? Do they even break up for Christmas? Thanks!
Original post by da Vinci
Do any of you know what the university holiday dates are like in Japan? Do they even break up for Christmas? Thanks!


I'm a Japanese studies student starting in september and terms are like this... (at my university (university of tsukuba)).

Start of term 1 =1st september-18th November then exams etc
Start of term 2 = 1st december - 29th of february (Spring hols = March 8th- 31st
Start of term 3 = April 1st - june 27th. (summer hols (July 5th -31st)

Though Japanese university actually starts in April so we go in half way through the term which kinda sucks..

No 2-3 months of holidays like In Britain.. My uni might be unique in the "trimester system" though =/

EDIT: Reading about Manchester, thank god sheffield is nothing like that, we ahve to take our 4th year classes in Japanese and apparently we even have to do interviews in Japanese as part of our Oral tests =O

Hope that (mess) helped.. =)
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Vongustedt
I'm a Japanese studies student starting in september and terms are like this... (at my university (university of tsukuba)).

Start of term 1 =1st september-18th November then exams etc
Start of term 2 = 1st december - 29th of february (Spring hols = March 8th- 31st
Start of term 3 = April 1st - june 27th. (summer hols (July 5th -31st)

Though Japanese university actually starts in April so we go in half way through the term which kinda sucks..

No 2-3 months of holidays like In Britain.. My uni might be unique in the "trimester system" though =/

EDIT: Reading about Manchester, thank god sheffield is nothing like that, we ahve to take our 4th year classes in Japanese and apparently we even have to do interviews in Japanese as part of our Oral tests =O

Hope that (mess) helped.. =)


Thanks Vongustedt! That helps! Seems very different to here haha.

Where is Tsukuba in relation to Tokyo? I ask as I have applied for Chiba University for October!
Original post by da Vinci
Thanks Vongustedt! That helps! Seems very different to here haha.

Where is Tsukuba in relation to Tokyo? I ask as I have applied for Chiba University for October!


45 minutes-1 hour train ride North East from Tokyo, a lot cheaper though =)

Still very jealous of the people getting assigned to Kyoto though, oh well couldnt of afforded it anyways.

Are you going for a year abroad, which english Uni are you with?
Original post by Vongustedt
45 minutes-1 hour train ride North East from Tokyo, a lot cheaper though =)

Still very jealous of the people getting assigned to Kyoto though, oh well couldnt of afforded it anyways.

Are you going for a year abroad, which english Uni are you with?


Ah nice, you must be excited! Yeah I guess that's a great advantage of being outside Tokyo! But you will still have the chance to experience it.

I think I'd rather be near Tokyo though! My university will only let me do 5 months. I'm not at an English Uni but at a Scottish one, the Glasgow School of Art. How about yourself?
Original post by da Vinci
Ah nice, you must be excited! Yeah I guess that's a great advantage of being outside Tokyo! But you will still have the chance to experience it.

I think I'd rather be near Tokyo though! My university will only let me do 5 months. I'm not at an English Uni but at a Scottish one, the Glasgow School of Art. How about yourself?


Soon to be third year from Sheffield University Japanese studies, going on my year abroad ^^.

Even if its only 5 months it will be a great experience. I 'have to' go for at least 11 months =O
Reply 667
Lol - reading that account of Manchester Uni makes me glad I didn't go there. I did apply but I was worried the course was too new. But Japanese, like any language, you need to study it in your own time - you can't possibly learn a language in 4 years with just 13 hours (or so) a week of work. And as Avila said people with a problem shout the loudest so...

With regards to jobs - Japanese Studies is just like History or English with the added bonus of Japanese language skill. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to go into any profession that any other Arts student goes into. You can do accountancy, law, banking, tonnes of grad schemes in a variety of fields etc. (The uni pages have examples of careers people with Japanese have gone into). You won't get it for free - you need work experience and internships of course - but the degree itself certainly won't hinder you any more than any other arts/social science degree. I certainly have no desire to teach English to snot-nosed children.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Vongustedt
Soon to be third year from Sheffield University Japanese studies, going on my year abroad ^^.

Even if its only 5 months it will be a great experience. I 'have to' go for at least 11 months =O


Ah nice! haha good luck :smile: hope it goes well. I'll be checking up on you to see how you are doing!
Well having not got the grades for Leeds, im now studying Japanese studies at Sheffield, so anyone else doing this at Shefield, i heard the course is intensive which is good as i rly wanna keep my japanese on lock. After this long summer i forgot all my A level japanese lol but still got my A yay!
Reply 670
Original post by Narutofan88
Well having not got the grades for Leeds, im now studying Japanese studies at Sheffield, so anyone else doing this at Shefield, i heard the course is intensive which is good as i rly wanna keep my japanese on lock. After this long summer i forgot all my A level japanese lol but still got my A yay!


Remember your kana? Good.

Word has it the less you know to start with, the better (since you won't be all like "hur dur I know this already, let's not study"). D:
Original post by avila
Remember your kana? Good.

Word has it the less you know to start with, the better (since you won't be all like "hur dur I know this already, let's not study"). D:


yh i hope i dont fall into that trap, but i probs would hav forgotten alot so it wont be too boring/bad. so have u done japanese before or have u just learnt the kana in preperation for the course?
(edited 12 years ago)
How did everyone do?

I hope you guys all got into your first choice unis/Insurances/found a place through Clearing.

By some miracle I got into Leeds :biggrin:
Reply 673
Got into Manchester, hoorah! See anyone there! Also quit whinin' about how much you didn't enjoy the course, just let people experience it for themselves.
Reply 674
Congrats to all of you that secured your places this year, and I'm sure if you have any questions about the university and its course, or just want to meet people on your course before it begins to lessen the nervousness on the first day, there are facebook groups available with your "senpai" in them :] Congratulations as well, Shuu, and anyone else going to Manchester this year; will probably see you during welcome week, or in the FaceBook group at some point.
Reply 675
Does anyone by any chance have copies of 'an introduction to modern Japanese', by Richard Bowring and Haruko Laurie (both vol. 1 and vol. 2) that they no longer need/ would like to get rid of? They're frightfully expensive new! thanks :smile:
do u know wat hea reading list is for sheffield like for the language side

Quick Reply

Latest