I am currently in my final year of highschool and I plan to take a drop year(2025-26) so I can save up money for my language school, university fees and living expenses.
I am also attending a language school here in my home country(currently N5) so I can learn Japanese upto N2 before moving there, so I can spend less on language school and live comfortably without a financial instability stress. I plan to go do only N1 and EJU there, I plan to enter through 2027 April intake or anywhere in 2027 depending on how language school in Japan suggests, I plan to study in language school for no more than 1.5 years.
As I was discussing my plan with the principal of my current language school, he said that having drop years is a red flag to the Japanese embassy, he explained that a drop year signifies that I am desperate to be in japan and I am doing practically nothing in the mean time while I stay in my home country, that's why it's a red flag. So he recommended me to join a college right after high school in my home country and then drop out of it after a year when I am prepared with my funds, so there's no blank year. But I don't wanna do that, I just wanna work and work on my art/Japanese skills and do jobs to save up money in the drop year(2025-2026) instead of entering a college in my home country. I might be sounding childish here, that's why I need your perspective on this.
Is a drop year truly a red flag to the Japanese embassy or the language schools/universities? I did research on this on the internet but I couldn't find an answer.
by even_I_cant_fix_you