Academic Suicide?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I am very much interested in both Japanese and Mandarin, and have been studying Japanese on and off for the last 5 years. I strongly believe that I could test out of the intro classes in college with a placement exam. Since my high school, or anywhere near it never offered Mandarin, I believe that now (college) is the time to finally take it. Basically, I'm going to study it no matter what. </p>

<p>However, I do not want my prior studying of Japanese to go to waste. Would taking both of these at the college level be manageable? I still want to have a social life and was thinking that perhaps taking the intro Japanese class since I will know most of the stuff anyways would make it easier. Even so, would that be possible(provided I want a good GPA, and to enjoy my life)?</p>

2

<p>No one knows this better than you. Can't you just test out the waters for a few weeks and drop the class if it feels too much at the beginning of the quarter/semester?</p>

3

<p>That's what I would do if I were in your shoes. Try taking both, see how it is.</p>

4

<p>In my experience intro language class are so ridiculously easy people take them to boost their GPA</p>

5

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Alright in that case, how bad does it look if I go over my head and have to drop a class?</p>

6

<p>You school should have specific details on dropping classes. Here, you can drop a class the first week and there will be no record of you ever even being registered for the class. If you drop a class after the first week beut before the first 8 weeks is over, a W goes on your record. It doesn't hurt your GPA, but it's there until you either graduate or take the class in full. If you do it after the first 8 weeks is up, then you can drop with a WF, which will count against your GPA as an F, unless something really horrible happens(death in the family, nervous breakdown from stress, ect) then you could get an Incomplete and finish the work in the beginning of the next semester. </p>

<p>I say if you are totally 100% lost after 3 or 4 weeks of being in the class, it's time to drop it.</p>

7

<p>Just audit the course or sign up for it as pass/fail. That way you will still be able to learn and stay in the course but stress free since no grade.</p>

8

<p>Studying both might be hazardous to your gpa not now, but in the future, when you start getting into the higher up courses, you might find yourself in some trouble.</p>

9

<p>Although, since the two languages have a few things in common (i.e. kanji/hanzi), it might not be as hazardous as, say, a combination of German/Tagalog. Try it.</p>