Should I go to a Japanese Language School (university prep course) or apply to an english-based undergraduate program?

5 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **Should I go to a Japanese Language School (university prep course) or apply to an english-based undergraduate program?**

   I am currently planning in studying abroad in Japan and then living there. I have a few questions:

   Will an English-Based Undergraduate Degree get me a job after I graduate?

   Is going to language school then taking the EJU and entrance exams to attend a Japanese-based undergraduate program better?

   Or, is getting a degree in the US first than moving to Japan better? I want to experience the Japanese college life and be able to make friends. I’m afraid if I move after I get my degree, I won’t be able to experience a Japanese youth.

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. >Will an English-Based Undergraduate Degree get me a job after I graduate?

   Maybe? I mean its better than no degree.

   ​

   >Is going to language school then taking the EJU and entrance exams to attend a Japanese-based undergraduate program better?

   Probably?

   ​

   >is getting a degree in the US first than moving to Japan better?

   Usually yes.

   ​

   For all of your questions, it really depends a great deal on what specifically it is that you’re planning on studying and what your career goals are. Focus more on what you want your career to look like and less on trying to speed run the ‘in Japan’ part of it.

3. In general, the reputation of your school precedes in you in any job hunting scenario.

   The best universities in Japan aren’t that great by global standards, particularly when compared against top US schools. That said, if you attend a decent Japanese university, you’ll be in a much better position to get a job here afterwards in something that’s not English education, because the hiring manager will at least have some context for you and you’ll already be in Japan (no need to sponsor a visa). If you can’t speak Japanese by the time you’re job hunting, your options will be significantly limited regardless.

4. Have you considered doing your degree in the US and doing a study abroad year through your home institution in Japan? That way you’d be able to get some experience living in Japan and improve your Japanese, while still graduating from a US institution. That can be an excellent compromise, especially if you’ll get a higher quality education at the US institution.

5. Typically schools in japan that teach in English will be worse than those that teach in japanese, and much worse than the decent universities in an english speaking country.