Applied for a BA in Japanese/Japanese Studies... having second thoughts
Hi, all. Apologies in advance, this might be a bit long.
So this could all just be a result of me overthinking everything as I sat in my room in pitch-black darkness at an absolutely ungodly time, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about my applications for a BA in Japanese/Japanese Studies. Which is a bit terrifying as I have no idea what I'd do otherwise. I've applied to Manchester (my first choice), Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Oxford Brookes - I know SOAS is supposedly great but honestly I was put off it by things I've heard from friends and online. I technically started learning Japanese at school a long time ago but didn't stick with it, and after a few false starts I've been self-studying for a few months now with Genki, Anki and whatever else I find useful. I can read Hiragana and Katakana (albeit somewhat slowly), and can recognize/write maybe 30+ Kanji at the moment. So still a beginner obviously, but I'm going pretty hard at it. In addition to the textbook studying and whatnot I've written kana on post-it notes and stuck them on the corresponding objects around my room, put most of my social media into Japanese, listening to Japanese podcasts when I go out, etc.
But last night I basically got sucked into looking through all these Reddit threads where people ask if a Japanese BA alone is worth it, and the majority of the answers (from both people who had and hadn't officially studied it) said no. It mainly seems to be for two reasons: the first is because unis (according to these guys) move at too slow a pace for a lot more money compared to if you self-studied everyday. I saw one or two people say they spent their entire first year going through Genki 1, and their second going through Genki 2, which is shockingly slow - I'm almost halfway through Genki 1 after maybe a month on my own. I saw a surprising amount of people say they were at, or knew people at, about JLPT N3 level after finishing. I don't know where these people were based - I assume a lot of them were in the US - and I know languages are hard, especially Japanese, but I can't get my head around only being at that level after years of university-level studying. Not sure if they spent a year in Japan or not, luckily every uni I applied to offers that.
The second reason is that knowing Japanese alone probably isn't going to help you land a job in Japan, if that's your goal. But I honestly don't know what my goal is, all I know is I'm passionate about learning the language and have wanted to go back to it for years. I mean, I wouldn't mind localizing Japanese games or something, but for now that's a pipe dream.
Most people were recommending either just self-studying Japanese in your spare time as much as possible while going to uni for something that might lead to a more lucrative career, like Business or Economics or something to have a marketable skill. But I'm honestly pretty disinterested in most of those things, even though I have little to no really desirable skills right now. If I did this, maybe I'd be able to speak decent Japanese, but that's it(?). Up until deciding to pursue this after putting it off for so long, I basically had no idea what to do with myself. If I decide to throw in the towel on this, I'll be back to square one.
Does anyone here have any knowledge/experience with Manchester or any of my other choices? Because moving out of London for four years just to go through Genki in a classroom would probably be an abysmal idea...
So this could all just be a result of me overthinking everything as I sat in my room in pitch-black darkness at an absolutely ungodly time, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about my applications for a BA in Japanese/Japanese Studies. Which is a bit terrifying as I have no idea what I'd do otherwise. I've applied to Manchester (my first choice), Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Oxford Brookes - I know SOAS is supposedly great but honestly I was put off it by things I've heard from friends and online. I technically started learning Japanese at school a long time ago but didn't stick with it, and after a few false starts I've been self-studying for a few months now with Genki, Anki and whatever else I find useful. I can read Hiragana and Katakana (albeit somewhat slowly), and can recognize/write maybe 30+ Kanji at the moment. So still a beginner obviously, but I'm going pretty hard at it. In addition to the textbook studying and whatnot I've written kana on post-it notes and stuck them on the corresponding objects around my room, put most of my social media into Japanese, listening to Japanese podcasts when I go out, etc.
But last night I basically got sucked into looking through all these Reddit threads where people ask if a Japanese BA alone is worth it, and the majority of the answers (from both people who had and hadn't officially studied it) said no. It mainly seems to be for two reasons: the first is because unis (according to these guys) move at too slow a pace for a lot more money compared to if you self-studied everyday. I saw one or two people say they spent their entire first year going through Genki 1, and their second going through Genki 2, which is shockingly slow - I'm almost halfway through Genki 1 after maybe a month on my own. I saw a surprising amount of people say they were at, or knew people at, about JLPT N3 level after finishing. I don't know where these people were based - I assume a lot of them were in the US - and I know languages are hard, especially Japanese, but I can't get my head around only being at that level after years of university-level studying. Not sure if they spent a year in Japan or not, luckily every uni I applied to offers that.
The second reason is that knowing Japanese alone probably isn't going to help you land a job in Japan, if that's your goal. But I honestly don't know what my goal is, all I know is I'm passionate about learning the language and have wanted to go back to it for years. I mean, I wouldn't mind localizing Japanese games or something, but for now that's a pipe dream.
Most people were recommending either just self-studying Japanese in your spare time as much as possible while going to uni for something that might lead to a more lucrative career, like Business or Economics or something to have a marketable skill. But I'm honestly pretty disinterested in most of those things, even though I have little to no really desirable skills right now. If I did this, maybe I'd be able to speak decent Japanese, but that's it(?). Up until deciding to pursue this after putting it off for so long, I basically had no idea what to do with myself. If I decide to throw in the towel on this, I'll be back to square one.
Does anyone here have any knowledge/experience with Manchester or any of my other choices? Because moving out of London for four years just to go through Genki in a classroom would probably be an abysmal idea...
(edited 5 years ago)
It is a very good idea, especially if you’ll marry that with economics. Japan is a dynamic market with huge language barrier for many. You will find a well paid job easily with your qualification.
Most employers in the UK do not recognise self taught skills.
Most employers in the UK do not recognise self taught skills.
Original post by shrotoovek
It is a very good idea, especially if you’ll marry that with economics. Japan is a dynamic market with huge language barrier for many. You will find a well paid job easily with your qualification.
Most employers in the UK do not recognise self taught skills.
Most employers in the UK do not recognise self taught skills.
That's the thing though, the way it's going I won't be able to combine it with anything else. It's too late now (right?) as I've sent off the application, plus I'm honestly so disinterested in that kind of thing the idea of me studying it is almost laughable. Economics and Business are just not me.
I did Communication Studies for a year abroad before which wasn't bad, I could go back to that I suppose, but again... bit late.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by MrBleu
Hi, all. Apologies in advance, this might be a bit long.
So this could all just be a result of me overthinking everything as I sat in my room in pitch-black darkness at an absolutely ungodly time, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about my applications for a BA in Japanese/Japanese Studies. Which is a bit terrifying as I have no idea what I'd do otherwise. I've applied to Manchester (my first choice), Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Oxford Brookes - I know SOAS is supposedly great but honestly I was put off it by things I've heard from friends and online. I technically started learning Japanese at school a long time ago but didn't stick with it, and after a few false starts I've been self-studying for a few months now with Genki, Anki and whatever else I find useful. I can read Hiragana and Katakana (albeit somewhat slowly), and can recognize/write maybe 30+ Kanji at the moment. So still a beginner obviously, but I'm going pretty hard at it. In addition to the textbook studying and whatnot I've written kana on post-it notes and stuck them on the corresponding objects around my room, put most of my social media into Japanese, listening to Japanese podcasts when I go out, etc.
But last night I basically got sucked into looking through all these Reddit threads where people ask if a Japanese BA alone is worth it, and the majority of the answers (from both people who had and hadn't officially studied it) said no. It mainly seems to be for two reasons: the first is because unis (according to these guys) move at too slow a pace for a lot more money compared to if you self-studied everyday. I saw one or two people say they spent their entire first year going through Genki 1, and their second going through Genki 2, which is shockingly slow - I'm almost halfway through Genki 1 after maybe a month on my own. I saw a surprising amount of people say they were at, or knew people at, about JLPT N3 level after finishing. I don't know where these people were based - I assume a lot of them were in the US - and I know languages are hard, especially Japanese, but I can't get my head around only being at that level after years of university-level studying. Not sure if they spent a year in Japan or not, luckily every uni I applied to offers that.
The second reason is that knowing Japanese alone probably isn't going to help you land a job in Japan, if that's your goal. But I honestly don't know what my goal is, all I know is I'm passionate about learning the language and have wanted to go back to it for years. I mean, I wouldn't mind localizing Japanese games or something, but for now that's a pipe dream.
Most people were recommending either just self-studying Japanese in your spare time as much as possible while going to uni for something that might lead to a more lucrative career, like Business or Economics or something to have a marketable skill. But I'm honestly pretty disinterested in most of those things, even though I have little to no really desirable skills right now. If I did this, maybe I'd be able to speak decent Japanese, but that's it(?). Up until deciding to pursue this after putting it off for so long, I basically had no idea what to do with myself. If I decide to throw in the towel on this, I'll be back to square one.
Does anyone here have any knowledge/experience with Manchester or any of my other choices? Because moving out of London for four years just to go through Genki in a classroom would probably be an abysmal idea...
So this could all just be a result of me overthinking everything as I sat in my room in pitch-black darkness at an absolutely ungodly time, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about my applications for a BA in Japanese/Japanese Studies. Which is a bit terrifying as I have no idea what I'd do otherwise. I've applied to Manchester (my first choice), Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Oxford Brookes - I know SOAS is supposedly great but honestly I was put off it by things I've heard from friends and online. I technically started learning Japanese at school a long time ago but didn't stick with it, and after a few false starts I've been self-studying for a few months now with Genki, Anki and whatever else I find useful. I can read Hiragana and Katakana (albeit somewhat slowly), and can recognize/write maybe 30+ Kanji at the moment. So still a beginner obviously, but I'm going pretty hard at it. In addition to the textbook studying and whatnot I've written kana on post-it notes and stuck them on the corresponding objects around my room, put most of my social media into Japanese, listening to Japanese podcasts when I go out, etc.
But last night I basically got sucked into looking through all these Reddit threads where people ask if a Japanese BA alone is worth it, and the majority of the answers (from both people who had and hadn't officially studied it) said no. It mainly seems to be for two reasons: the first is because unis (according to these guys) move at too slow a pace for a lot more money compared to if you self-studied everyday. I saw one or two people say they spent their entire first year going through Genki 1, and their second going through Genki 2, which is shockingly slow - I'm almost halfway through Genki 1 after maybe a month on my own. I saw a surprising amount of people say they were at, or knew people at, about JLPT N3 level after finishing. I don't know where these people were based - I assume a lot of them were in the US - and I know languages are hard, especially Japanese, but I can't get my head around only being at that level after years of university-level studying. Not sure if they spent a year in Japan or not, luckily every uni I applied to offers that.
The second reason is that knowing Japanese alone probably isn't going to help you land a job in Japan, if that's your goal. But I honestly don't know what my goal is, all I know is I'm passionate about learning the language and have wanted to go back to it for years. I mean, I wouldn't mind localizing Japanese games or something, but for now that's a pipe dream.
Most people were recommending either just self-studying Japanese in your spare time as much as possible while going to uni for something that might lead to a more lucrative career, like Business or Economics or something to have a marketable skill. But I'm honestly pretty disinterested in most of those things, even though I have little to no really desirable skills right now. If I did this, maybe I'd be able to speak decent Japanese, but that's it(?). Up until deciding to pursue this after putting it off for so long, I basically had no idea what to do with myself. If I decide to throw in the towel on this, I'll be back to square one.
Does anyone here have any knowledge/experience with Manchester or any of my other choices? Because moving out of London for four years just to go through Genki in a classroom would probably be an abysmal idea...
Hi,
I am in the EXACT situation as you. Ive got an unconditional from Japanese Studies from Sheffield Uni.
I also learnt hiragana and Katakana 2 years ago but it was just a hobby type thing. I had Alevels so couldnt do it seriously.
Anyways when i did get my alevels in 2017. I actually took out 3 gap years since i was majorly ununsure on what i want to do in life.
Anyways i did in 2017 want to do international business and japanese. But i diddnt want to take the plunge.
Now however, 3 years later. Japanese studies is the only one that appeals to me.
Initially i applied for Business Management and Japanese at sheffield but was rejected due to ONE GRADE. But instead they offered me Japanese studies to start in Sept 2020.
I also have no idea on what i want to do in future job wise. But my wet dreams would be to work as a transalator in the Japanese video game industry or just any part of that industry. Im also really into working for the UN or teaching. I wanna use my degree to travel abroad and work there. Doesnt have to be japan. But that would be wicked if it was
If you decide to firm Sheffield then add me on FB or something since you and me have alot in common.
It’s never to late to start communication studies. You can always go back. Don’t make it a race. Otherwise you’ll lose the drive and abandon your plan.
You are already ahead of everyone who don’t know Japanese at all. You can make anything with it.
You are already ahead of everyone who don’t know Japanese at all. You can make anything with it.
For now I think I'm gonna stick with studying Japanese at uni. Partly because I actually need to go there to become proficient at the language and I don't see that happening any other way at the moment, plus there's nothing else I'd rather study more. Adding another course is definitely something to consider but I can sort that out later, I suppose. Tired of fretting for now.
This was a pretty comforting post to read, glad I posted this when I did, lol. I don't use FB much anymore but I'll definitely add you if I get into Sheffield. Best of luck to you.
Original post by VICE32
Hi,
I am in the EXACT situation as you. Ive got an unconditional from Japanese Studies from Sheffield Uni.
I also learnt hiragana and Katakana 2 years ago but it was just a hobby type thing. I had Alevels so couldnt do it seriously.
Anyways when i did get my alevels in 2017. I actually took out 3 gap years since i was majorly ununsure on what i want to do in life.
Anyways i did in 2017 want to do international business and japanese. But i diddnt want to take the plunge.
Now however, 3 years later. Japanese studies is the only one that appeals to me.
Initially i applied for Business Management and Japanese at sheffield but was rejected due to ONE GRADE. But instead they offered me Japanese studies to start in Sept 2020.
I also have no idea on what i want to do in future job wise. But my wet dreams would be to work as a transalator in the Japanese video game industry or just any part of that industry. Im also really into working for the UN or teaching. I wanna use my degree to travel abroad and work there. Doesnt have to be japan. But that would be wicked if it was
If you decide to firm Sheffield then add me on FB or something since you and me have alot in common.
I am in the EXACT situation as you. Ive got an unconditional from Japanese Studies from Sheffield Uni.
I also learnt hiragana and Katakana 2 years ago but it was just a hobby type thing. I had Alevels so couldnt do it seriously.
Anyways when i did get my alevels in 2017. I actually took out 3 gap years since i was majorly ununsure on what i want to do in life.
Anyways i did in 2017 want to do international business and japanese. But i diddnt want to take the plunge.
Now however, 3 years later. Japanese studies is the only one that appeals to me.
Initially i applied for Business Management and Japanese at sheffield but was rejected due to ONE GRADE. But instead they offered me Japanese studies to start in Sept 2020.
I also have no idea on what i want to do in future job wise. But my wet dreams would be to work as a transalator in the Japanese video game industry or just any part of that industry. Im also really into working for the UN or teaching. I wanna use my degree to travel abroad and work there. Doesnt have to be japan. But that would be wicked if it was
If you decide to firm Sheffield then add me on FB or something since you and me have alot in common.
This was a pretty comforting post to read, glad I posted this when I did, lol. I don't use FB much anymore but I'll definitely add you if I get into Sheffield. Best of luck to you.
Hey there! I had the same worry about whether Japanese on its own would be enough but Manchester offer a flexible honours program which is compatible with the Japanese Studies degree. Taking the flexible honours route allows you to minor in a subject of your choosing from a range of subjects. You wouldn’t have had to have applied to it when you were doing your application — I firmed Sheffield but am currently reconsidering because of the flexible honours thing
Original post by VICE32
Hi,
I am in the EXACT situation as you. Ive got an unconditional from Japanese Studies from Sheffield Uni.
I also learnt hiragana and Katakana 2 years ago but it was just a hobby type thing. I had Alevels so couldnt do it seriously.
Anyways when i did get my alevels in 2017. I actually took out 3 gap years since i was majorly ununsure on what i want to do in life.
Anyways i did in 2017 want to do international business and japanese. But i diddnt want to take the plunge.
Now however, 3 years later. Japanese studies is the only one that appeals to me.
Initially i applied for Business Management and Japanese at sheffield but was rejected due to ONE GRADE. But instead they offered me Japanese studies to start in Sept 2020.
I also have no idea on what i want to do in future job wise. But my wet dreams would be to work as a transalator in the Japanese video game industry or just any part of that industry. Im also really into working for the UN or teaching. I wanna use my degree to travel abroad and work there. Doesnt have to be japan. But that would be wicked if it was
If you decide to firm Sheffield then add me on FB or something since you and me have alot in common.
I am in the EXACT situation as you. Ive got an unconditional from Japanese Studies from Sheffield Uni.
I also learnt hiragana and Katakana 2 years ago but it was just a hobby type thing. I had Alevels so couldnt do it seriously.
Anyways when i did get my alevels in 2017. I actually took out 3 gap years since i was majorly ununsure on what i want to do in life.
Anyways i did in 2017 want to do international business and japanese. But i diddnt want to take the plunge.
Now however, 3 years later. Japanese studies is the only one that appeals to me.
Initially i applied for Business Management and Japanese at sheffield but was rejected due to ONE GRADE. But instead they offered me Japanese studies to start in Sept 2020.
I also have no idea on what i want to do in future job wise. But my wet dreams would be to work as a transalator in the Japanese video game industry or just any part of that industry. Im also really into working for the UN or teaching. I wanna use my degree to travel abroad and work there. Doesnt have to be japan. But that would be wicked if it was
If you decide to firm Sheffield then add me on FB or something since you and me have alot in common.
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