I’ve decided on going to a language school in Japan and eventually proceed onto a national university there. However I’m unsure of where to start. I’ve looked around and inquired on a few websites however I’m not sure if these courses or school are very good. Is there anywhere that could give me a list of solid language schools? Maybe if any of your guys have recommendations from when you studied? I’ve seen from people on here that language schools that are more focused on speaking the language than exams-focused unis are generally better? Is this true and is there any examples of such?
Ideally I’d like to live and rent on my own. Is this hard to do or is it a case where the school finds accommodation for students? I haven’t had good experiences in the past with roommates or shared apartments and prefer to live on my own.
I want to work in Japan while on a student-working Visa. Is it hard for foreigners to acquire a part-time job(s) while studying with only entry level experience?
How much funds should I ideally save up including course and accommodation fees? Money isn’t really an issue for me but I’d appreciate it if you have ballpark figures.
Another question is when is the best time to enrol in one? I’m aware National Japanese universities start around Spring as opposed to Autumn in Europe. Is there an optimal time of year to start a language course in order to prepare for taking entrance exams to a National University or the JPLT later on?
2 comments
My advice is to go to a regional city. Less likely for someone to think you are a tourist and try to speak to you in English. Also, people have more free time there so it is easier to form relationships with people.
Most schools are going to be focused on the JLPT if they are serious schools. This can be good and bad but at the higher levels most of your classmates will be Korean or Chinese and they don’t need to do as much Kanji study, so you’ll have to study Kanji much more than the school is going to prepare you for.
I’d probably try to have 3 million yen to live in Japan as a student and pay for tuition for one year.
Also, Japanese universities aren’t really that good. If your goal is to learn Japanese they are fine, but if your goal is to learn a specific skill in university you might find the education a bit lacking compared to schools where you are from.
national universities (not private) are quite difficult to get into since you’re competing with other japanese students and they’re the best ranked universities in japan (generally). your best bet is to enrol in a course taught in english at a university since it’ll be very hard to gain the fluency at such a high level that you’re better than other japanese high schoolers. that’s unless you’re already like N1+ then good luck with your exam prep. courses taught in english are easier to get into but are kinda useless in getting a job when you graduate but that’s just my opinion – take it with a grain of salt.