learning japanese

[ender51244]

Maybe you might want to try the hougang language school. the grammar components seems to be not bad... but not sure about the oral components.

I think intensive classes for JCS have to apply early... because fees are cheap and a lot of people will sign up for the classes.

so far, have yet to find a school that has strengths in both schools. if money isn't that of a problem, you can study at both places. that's what my friend is doing - taking grammar lessons from both bunka and JCS. As her level is pretty high and the lessons are pretty intensive, she took 2 classes to understand the lessons better.

of course, its better to find a convenient school near your place but if you do not happen to have one, you still have to travel the distance to take good education. for me, i used to have a period of time where i need to rush down to school for some extra lessons i take up. its very rushed and i'm always about 5 minutes late (due to the traffic). But if you really want to learn, small matters should not be a reason that hinders you from learning (that's my opinion).

for most jcs language classes, i afraid you have to wait till december. in the meantime, you can start by taking conversational lessons or reading up some simple textbooks for Japanese. Kinokuniya has lots of them and JCS uses some books which could be found there. or you can check with bunka to see if they are offering any lessons.

ikoma is not a bad Japanese school too but its slightly expensive (for me). so if you might need to call and check if there's any new classes that's about to start. Information on some Japanese schools could be found at the 1st post of Page 7 of this thread.

 

[samuel21]

what are the fees at JCS like? i am rather gian at the bunka learning style, its short and efficient and they focus on fast learning, good for busy singaporeans lol. Any comments?

 

[ShougunX]

i dun wish to flame against any sch in particular but from my friend's experiences learning in bunka, the so called 'fast n efficient' way of learning might not be good for some ppl. for one thing, it's sort of an express lane n being a beginner, u might not be able to build on a more stable foundation. Foundations are veri important. If u are not proficient enough on ur basics, u will suffer as u progress....just my 2cents: grammar n vocab are important specially for beginners.

 

[v1hypersg]

anyone tried the lessons at cambridge language school ?

 

[ender51244]

what are the fees at JCS like? i am rather gian at the bunka learning style, its short and efficient and they focus on fast learning, good for busy singaporeans lol. Any comments?

for JCS, the elementary class (for a year) is about 500 dollars... between 500 to 600 (inclusive of textbook & registration fees), i think. *can't remember the course fee clearly* you can split up the payment through 3 terms, which is about 150+ per term. currently, since i'm at level 3, i'm paying 200 per term... which is around 600 a year.

i dun wish to flame against any sch in particular but from my friend's experiences learning in bunka, the so called 'fast n efficient' way of learning might not be good for some ppl. for one thing, it's sort of an express lane n being a beginner, u might not be able to build on a more stable foundation. Foundations are veri important. If u are not proficient enough on ur basics, u will suffer as u progress....just my 2cents: grammar n vocab are important specially for beginners.

for bunka, i'm not really sure, so i can't comment on the language school.

it all boils down to oneself and what kind of learning methods is good for them, i guess. some people prefer the short & efficient (as quoted by u) bunka, while some like JCS's steady and slightly slower-paced lessons.

and though, i'm a JCS student, i can tell you not ALL JCS teachers are good. depends on what teachers you get. like some teachers will revise the main points of last week's lessons before they start this week's. some teachers are able to distinctively explain the difference between 2 words (for example, mamonaku and shibaraku - both meaning "a short while") and some aren't so strong in it. I once had a teacher who is SUPER STRICT as compared to another who doesn't care if you pass or fail your classes. There's always some not so good sheep in the herd. this applies to most schools and that's why you will see people changing classes to a better teacher at mid-term.

 

[ender51244]

anyone tried the lessons at cambridge language school ?

i think cambridge should not be too bad ? since its "cambridge" and they have been around for some time ? i dunno, honestly. but the fees are a bit steep, i think. maybe you want to call up cambridge and ask on their fees ?

its also gives services to help you register and study Japanese at Japan for a year or two. its just a medium body that does that, really. I have a friend who does all the visa and applied to a Japanese preparation school all by herself.

 

[ShougunX]

i think cambridge should not be too bad ? since its "cambridge" and they have been around for some time ? i dunno, honestly. but the fees are a bit steep, i think. maybe you want to call up cambridge and ask on their fees ?

its also gives services to help you register and study Japanese at Japan for a year or two. its just a medium body that does that, really. I have a friend who does all the visa and applied to a Japanese preparation school all by herself.

wa ur fren veri rich le study japanese in japan..i harboured tat tot for a while when i was schoolin...completely gave it up when i know tat i have to fork out 40k a yr on sch fees n living expenses (barely living a good life with 40k-sch fees)..

 

[ender51244]

wa ur fren veri rich le study japanese in japan..i harboured tat tot for a while when i was schoolin...completely gave it up when i know tat i have to fork out 40k a yr on sch fees n living expenses (barely living a good life with 40k-sch fees)..

haha~ yes. to be honest, i harboured that thought too. but i did my calculations. its roughly... 60,000 a year. too steep, right ? Japan's living expenses are the ones that really kills. not the school fees though. Look at Keio's and Waseda's Japanese programs and you will know that it is cheap.

Keio's Japanese Program
Waseda's Japanese Program

Surprisingly though, Keio is famous for its expensive school fees as it is a private school for the rich and famous (especially politicians, example: Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi took the Bachelor of Economics back in 1967), has a much cheaper school fee as compared to Waseda.

I have yet to compare the school fes of the rest of the famous Tokyo 6 Universities Alliance, so if anyone is interested, please go find out yourself.

*Tokyo 6 Universities (not in any order of ranking):
Hosei University
Keio University
Meiji University
Rikkyo University
University of Tokyo
Waseda University

Well, and then again, Tokyo is a place too expensive to study and live in for commoners like me. If anyone is really interested, you can head for the more sub-urban states in Japan to study Japanese. i believe the school fees and living expenses will be much cheaper. =)

 

[ShougunX]

Well...wat Keio n Waseda is offering is like 10k/yr...i find tat ex..haha. I'm not too sure on international students but private unis like keio n waseda are typically more expensive than public unis. just ot a bit..waseda's rankings has been dropping in recent yrs.......think if one is considering studying in japan, aim for todai. haha but i have yet to know any singaporean tat gain entry to todai. It's more of an arts n political science sch tat churns out ministers in japan...

 

[ender51244]

my dream school is actually Keio. it is every Japanese's student dream to enter Todai. but for me, i prefer Keio. haha~ *personal preference* i dunno if its the promotion/marketing but Keio seems more friendly. Traditional values are there and the place is nice. XD.

10+ K as school feels okay to me. of course, private universities are more expensive than public ones. that's the same everywhere, even in SG. i think some of the people who are on Japanese scholarships might be studying at Todai, since the scholarships basically disapprove private universities.

Waseda seems okay. maybe the drop in rankings is because they take in more international students ? it seems that Waseda is a school that is willing to take in international students more than other schools. i have 2 friends taking Japanese there. My friend's friend is going there at the next sem.

 

[ShougunX]

wow waseda? for wat? japanese language studies or full time under/post grad studies? Sch fees of 10K is pretty ex for japanese language only...anyway, the killer will be accommodation. Rental fees are crazy in tokyo. Keio..hmm...u wanna be PM Juichiro Koizumi's junior? haha.

 

[ender51244]

its waseda for Japanese language. its the intensive kind where you will be taught in depth. good enough to earn a JLPT 1 at the end of the year.

one of my friends paid the fees herself while the other went on a scholarship. 10K is pretty okay as considered to Aus's 20K. I mean i know you can't really compare like that but ... imagine the amount spent. -_-|||

haha~ if Junichiro Koizumi could sponsor me, i dun mind being his "junior" haha~~ but Keio is best known its Economics course... so its very hard to get in. It might be something like... LSE/UOL of london. haha~

 

[v1hypersg]

anyone register for the june intake for JCS ?

i am on waiting list, wonder if anyone on waiting list got contacted ?

 

[weeeeli]

Just to share something. Those aiming for a JLPT 4 or 3 can check out JapanesePOD101.com. The podcasts care free and they offer cool and fun way of learning, with beginner lessons, intermediate, survival phrases and also culture lessons. Its FREE!

 

[ShougunX]

Just to share something. Those aiming for a JLPT 4 or 3 can check out JapanesePOD101.com. The podcasts care free and they offer cool and fun way of learning, with beginner lessons, intermediate, survival phrases and also culture lessons. Its FREE!

I think i know who u r....weeli.....

 

[weeeeli]

I think i know who u r....weeli.....

I oso know who you are...hiaks hiaks

 

[XinShou]

went to apply for JCS intensive course for jun to nov 2006, but i am on waiting list,

so i am afraid that i cannot be enrolled for the classes,

after reading through the past posts, it seems that bunka hav oral components which is good and JCS offern grammar components,

is there any school that have the strengths of both schools ?

money is not a problem but cannot afford personal coaching so what do you guys suggest /

i am staying in the east, and i want to start my japanese classes soon and improve my japanese language ability,

pls help

what do you mean by oral components? i am studying at JCS, atm year2

 

[WillieTan]

Oh, i'm posted to MINDEF gombak base man.. so if i wanna get a place for my jap class. prefer west or north.

any idea?

I'll start with the most basic and does it charge by course like (whole of basic course) or charge by year?

 

[VH2006]

haha~ yes. to be honest, i harboured that thought too. but i did my calculations. its roughly... 60,000 a year. too steep, right ? Japan's living expenses are the ones that really kills. not the school fees though. Look at Keio's and Waseda's Japanese programs and you will know that it is cheap.

Keio's Japanese Program
Waseda's Japanese Program

Surprisingly though, Keio is famous for its expensive school fees as it is a private school for the rich and famous (especially politicians, example: Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi took the Bachelor of Economics back in 1967), has a much cheaper school fee as compared to Waseda.

I have yet to compare the school fes of the rest of the famous Tokyo 6 Universities Alliance, so if anyone is interested, please go find out yourself.

*Tokyo 6 Universities (not in any order of ranking):
Hosei University
Keio University
Meiji University
Rikkyo University
University of Tokyo
Waseda University

Well, and then again, Tokyo is a place too expensive to study and live in for commoners like me. If anyone is really interested, you can head for the more sub-urban states in Japan to study Japanese. i believe the school fees and living expenses will be much cheaper. =)

Hi, do you have any info on the Soka University?
Thanks

 

[ender51244]

Soka University (創価大学, Sōka Daigaku)
School Website: http://www.soka.ac.jp/en/index.html

Address : Soka University
1-236 Tangi-cho, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 192-8577, Japan
TEL : +81-42-691-8200
FAX : +81-42-691-2039
E-mail : intloff@soka.ac.jp

*Soka Uni is located at Hachioji (literal translation, Eight Prince), which is slightly outside Tokyo. (costs roughly 75 SGD to take a train from Hachioji to the centre of Tokyo). Soka Uni also do exchange programs worldwide, which include Singapore universities, NUS & NTU. Didn't spot course fees though. *sorry*

[Data extract from Wikipedia]

Brief History
Soka University opened in Japan in 1971 (undergraduate) and 1975 (graduate). Soka University of America, a separate, private non-profit educational organization, opened in 1994 (graduate campus in Calabasas, California) and in 2001 (four year liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California.) Both universities were founded by Daisaku Ikeda, leader of the Soka Gakkai International lay Buddhist organization.

Philosophy of Soka Education
Soka University's educational philosophy was established by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the first president of Soka Gakkai, who had worked as the principal of elementary school in Japan. Makiguchi published the Value Creating Educational System based on his belief that "the purpose of education is to lead students' happiness," and emphasized humanistic education pedagogy. This educational philosophy was shared by his successor, Josei Toda, who had served as an elementary school teacher. Toda's successor Daisaku Ikeda describes his goal as carrying out the dreams of Makiguchi and Toda.

Schools
Soka University of America (SUA) encompasses a graduate school, opened in 1994, in Calabasas, California and a four-year liberal arts university, opened in 2001, in Aliso Viejo, California. The graduate school offers a Master of Arts degree in Second and Foreign Language Education concentrating on English as an additional language education. The undergraduate school offers bachelor's degrees in Liberal Arts with emphasis areas in Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and International Studies. With a mission to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life, the university graduated its first class in 2005 with an 83% graduation rate over four years. In 2005, Soka University of America received its accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Soka University in Japan is located in Hachioji, Tokyo and offers a wide range of both graduate and undergraduate degrees. It was founded in 1969.

Controversy
SUA has been beset by controversy since its founding. The university's curriculum is officially nonsectarian, but it was founded by Soka Gakkai International, which provided $25 million to purchase the 103-acre site in Aliso Viejo and $225 million to build the first 18 buildings on that campus. SUA also has a $300 million dollar operating endowment and raised $100 million for a scholarship endowment in its first four years - most of the money coming from Soka Gakkai member contributions. Some students and teachers have charged that the university is not independent from the Soka Gakkai religious sect, and one professor sued the university for religious discrimination after being dismissed. This professor lost her case.

[end]

Undergraduate Programs

Faculty of Economics
Department of Economics

Faculty of Business Administration
Department of Business Administration

Faculty of Law
Department of Law

Faculty of Letters
Department of English Literature
Department of Sociology
Department of Humanities
Department of the Japanese Language and Literature
Department of Foreign Languages
* Chinese
* Russian

Faculty of Education
Department of Education
Department of Primary Education

Faculty of Engineering
Department of Information Systems Science
Department of Bioinformatics
Department of Environmental Engineering for Symbiosis

Institute of Japanese Language
Intensive Japanese Studies Program

Graduate Schools

Graduate School of Economics
Economics

Graduate School of Law
Law

Graduate School of Letters
English Literature
Sociology
Humanities
Education
*Psychological Education Counseling Room

Graduate School of Engineering
Information Systems Science
Bioengineering