Hello! I am from the US and I am planning to spend at least a year in Japan studying the language. My goal is to be close to native as possible by the end of the experience!
I took some college classes but that was almost 7 years ago, I never took the JLPT and started studying it on my own about a year ago. I would say my skill level is all over the place (around N5-N4). That’s probably not helpful, I’m sorry. :’) Forgive me.
What are some things I should consider that can’t really be researched? I looked up all the basic things such as tuition, course length, location, housing, etc., but obviously there are things I wouldn’t know unless I experience it for myself.
* How much does class size matter? What range would you say is best?
* Is the demographic of students important?
Some concerns & preferences I have:
* I do plan on getting an apartment on my own and don’t want to end up shut in and not socializing, or end up socializing with only English speakers. Any tips to avoid this?
* I am also worried that classes won’t cater to my needs, because of my inconsistent (self) education. Can I expect most schools to reassess in the middle of the term (?).
* I would like a fairly high intensity school, if possible.
* Do extracurricular classes & activities help considerably in fluency, or are they more for personal interest?
* I don’t know what to consider when choosing between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.
I have narrowed it down to these schools, but am open to your suggestions!
* Naganuma School
* Fukuoka Foreign Language College
* ECC
* Yoshida
* Yamasa
I don’t know what other questions I should ask. I know it is a lot. If you have any advice or recommendations, please let me know! Thank you in advance to anyone who responds!
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**I need help deciding on a language school!**
Hello! I am from the US and I am planning to spend at least a year in Japan studying the language. My goal is to be close to native as possible by the end of the experience!
I took some college classes but that was almost 7 years ago, I never took the JLPT and started studying it on my own about a year ago. I would say my skill level is all over the place (around N5-N4). That’s probably not helpful, I’m sorry. :’) Forgive me.
What are some things I should consider that can’t really be researched? I looked up all the basic things such as tuition, course length, location, housing, etc., but obviously there are things I wouldn’t know unless I experience it for myself.
* How much does class size matter? What range would you say is best?
* Is the demographic of students important?
Some concerns & preferences I have:
* I do plan on getting an apartment on my own and don’t want to end up shut in and not socializing, or end up socializing with only English speakers. Any tips to avoid this?
* I am also worried that classes won’t cater to my needs, because of my inconsistent (self) education. Can I expect most schools to reassess in the middle of the term (?).
* I would like a fairly high intensity school, if possible.
* Do extracurricular classes & activities help considerably in fluency, or are they more for personal interest?
* I don’t know what to consider when choosing between Tokyo, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.
I have narrowed it down to these schools, but am open to your suggestions!
* Naganuma School
* Fukuoka Foreign Language College
* ECC
* Yoshida
* Yamasa
I don’t know what other questions I should ask. I know it is a lot. If you have any advice or recommendations, please let me know! Thank you in advance to anyone who responds!
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Regarding class size, intensity and activities to do after language school, place to rent, etc. is all going to be personal preference and up to you to decide.
I think the main thing to be thinking about would be if you want to find work in Japan during your time at language school and if whatever city you decide to live in has a good job market for your field. Example being, if you work in IT, Tokyo is going to be the best location for that.
After one year you won’t be near native level at all. More like conversational.