(I've already posted this in the Foreign Languages section, I'm really sorry if it's wrong of me to post it here too, I'm new)
Hello ^_^
I'm starting my 2nd year of college about to apply to unis this September/October.
I know I want to study Japanese, but I'm not sure where the best place is. I don't want to come across at all boastful, I just really need advice for my personal situation. I am very academic, I got 7 A*s and 3As at GCSE and I'm predicted 43/45 on the IB (so like A*A*A I guess). So, my tutor definitely thinks that I am good enough for Cambridge as I also have a strong passion for Japanese.
My problem is that although I feel I want to go to Cambridge ('one of the best unis in the world', I really enjoyed it when I visited, the course looked very good, I love hard, academic work - studying and reading etc.), my focus in life isn't going to the best uni just because I can. All I want is to learn about Japan: language, history, culture and so on and straight after uni live and work there for my foreseeable future. Therefore, my priority is going to the best uni for Japanese. Not just the course & facilities, but how much the degree will be respected when I live in Japan and how well it will prepare me for a life in Japan. And I have heard from a lot of people, though Cambridge is 'the best uni', SOAS is the best in the UK for Japanese.
I would really love some advice. I have heard from my teachers and parents (obviously they don't know about Japanese or anything) that Cambridge is the right choice, but I've heard from a lot of students that SOAS is better for the course. What I do want to reiterate though, is that I love academia. I don't know exactly what I want career wise (film director/film business...evangelical work...both) but I do know that I love studying, researching, writing essays so being a full time academic or Japanese University professor might be a viable option. Also to consider is that I am not very outgoing. I like friends, of course, but I am somewhat lacking socially so the isolation of Cambridge compared to inner London is quite appealing. That being said, if the vibrant Japanese scene at SOAS would help me for my future, then that's great.
Thank you for reading, I would really appreciate any advice and/or opinions that you may have.
Liz