To those who went to language school: what was the basis in picking your school?

Hello! I'm planning to go to language school next year in Japan (Tokyo, specifically). However, I'm having a hard time in deciding which school to go for and would like to ask about your opinions on how those who went to language school picked their school.

I am still having a hard time to really run down my options: do you think the quality of language schools really affect one's Japanese learning (like do you think it's more dependent on how much a student spends time and effort in acquiring language skills outside of language school?). I've read some reviews on their language school experiences: that it's more dependent on how much time you put after school, or the exposure you get by putting yourself out there ("breaking the foreigner bubble") by interacting with the natives.

Another thing to consider was the school demographic. A lot of schools that I considered are really catered to an East Asian demographic. While that is not a problem to me, I am worried about being able to make friends due to the majority of the demographic speaking their own language and just being the same nationality. What are your experiences with this? How can you overcome this struggle by being part of the minority nationality in the school?

With all these considered, how did you guys decide on your language school, overall? To summarize, my deciding factors were:

  1. Pace: a medium-high intensity is what I'm looking for in order to maximize the language skill I can acquire over a long-term course of 2 years. I think it'll really force me to study outside school hours more (which works for me!)
  2. Student Support: Since I want to find work in Japan, I'm aiming for schools that could provide assistance in job-finding (However, do you think this is really helpful for students? Or should I not worry too much about this and just focus on really acquiring the language? I'm not sure as I'm really overthinking about my school options due to this factor) What do you guys think about language schools that offer "career support"?
  3. Demographics: I want to make friends. Studying in another country, I would really want to make more international friends. But like I said, I'm also pretty worried about being part of a minority nationality.
  4. Facilities and Location: To me, school environment is also important. I've seen some classrooms being enclosed with narrow walls, no windows. For me, it just seems so crowded and doesn't seem to be a good learning environment. Although, not really a dealbreaker for me!

Would like to hear your thoughts and experiences on this. Thank you for taking time to read this!

by avg_lee

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