<p>I’m considering SLO but I really wanted to double major in Computer Science and Japanese… SLO doesn’t offer Japanese, but seems to have the better engineering program. CSULB which does offer a Japanese major though… Not too sure about their Comp Sci program…</p>
<p>Also, I’m not too sure because I got accepted with a ~3.4 Unweighted and a 1650 SAT… 24 ACT. 26 on ACT Math. I don’t think I will fit in that well…</p>
<p>What should I do?</p>
<p>This is really a personal choice. First of all, I would not worry at all about fitting in. CP wouldn’t have accepted you if they didn’t think you could do the work. Once you get there, you will find your little niche and will be fine. However, if minoring in Japanese is important to you, that is a pretty strong reason to go with CSULB. CP’s Computer Science program is very strong, and you will get a very good, hands-on education here. But if Japanese is not offered, than I’m sure you would do well at LB also. As a last thought, they are very different environments so you really need to look at both campuses and the surrounding areas to decide which works better for you.</p>
<p>Actually, Japanese language is offered at Cal Poly. However, it is only for introductory courses and there is no Japanese minor. We are a Japanese speaking bilingual family and our son is attending Cal Poly right now. There are very few Japanese speakers at the school. It took a few months for our kid to run into another native Japanese speaking student. There are a handful of them and we know most of them. But, then again our son did not go to Cal Poly to learn or speak Japanese. He went for engineering. You have a difficult choice. CSULB has both Japanese classes and a decent sized Japanese speaking student community. Many of them are accounting majors (as that is one field where they can get working visa’s after graduation). Additionally, CSULB is close to Torrance and Gardena, CA where the majority of the local Japanese community resides and there are numerous Japanese companies in the area including Honda, Toyota, and many other major firms. There are no less than three major Japanese supermarkets and more Japanese restaurants than I can count. If Japanese language and culture are really important to you, then CSULB might be it. That school is incredibly impacted though. I am a huge Cal Poly fan so it is hard for me to tell you not to go there. But, alas it is weak in Japanese language and culture and CSULB would be close to the heart of the Southern California Japanese community… How about going to Cal Poly and spending a year abroad in Japan with one of the sister schools associated with the Cal State study abroad program? That is an option. Take the intro courses at Cal Poly and go study abroad. The only way to master Japaense is live there anyway.</p>
<p>Hi OsakaDad,
I’ve been on CC to learn about ARCE opportunities for my son (entering Cal Poly in the fall), but this conversation is of interest to me because of my daughter. She is a senior at UCSB and only has 1 quarter left–yay! She is caucasian, native English speaker, with a love for the Japanese people and culture. She had the opportunity to be part of a Japanese exchange program while in high school where she went to Japan and a year later, a Japanese student stayed with us. It was a wonderful. She is an Asian studies major/Education minor student. She has done very well, but Japanese language has been so HARD for her! She got a C (her only C) in language class this quarter and was thrilled with the C–was actually afraid she might not pass it, which would make it so she couldn’t graduate on time! Do you have any suggestion on any resource that might help her with her last quarter? Thank you!</p>
<p>^^^Congrats on your son starting at Cal Poly. ARCE is one of the school’s most highly rated programs and clearly one of the top in the nation. Wow, what an opportunity for him. With regards to your daughter, Japanese language is really hard until one day it clicks and you get it. The grammar is basically the opposite of English. It flows a lot like Yoda’s way of speaking from Star Wars (no lie!). I actually think that may have been where they got it from. “The force strong within you it is, young Skywalker!” Verbs come mostly at the end including positive or negatives. For example: I eat breakfast at 9:00. I do not eat it at 9:30. Becomes: 9:00 at breakfast eat. 9:30 at eat not. (“I” is assumed and not spoken that often unless there is need for emphasis). Funky, but perfectly normal and understood in Japanese. What I suggest is that she finds a Japanese foreign student on campus that is willing to exchange English for Japanese. If they meet a couple of times a week and exchange ideas and correct each other’s grammar and pronunciation, they will get two things, (1) a great friendship; and (2) input from a native speaker. The best place to find such a student is from the ESL program if they have one at UCSB. This should help a bit. But going to Japan is always best, but there is not time for that now that there is only one quarter left. What she can do is go to Japan to teach for a while after graduating. Try the JET program. Fun!!</p>
<p>Is language in College a big step up from high school? I’ve been taking Japanese in high school for two years (I’ve been taking Chinese for three years.), and found it pretty easy and fun! A+ every semester so far! Ask your daughter to ask for help from the students and teacher. I would help anyone that asks for it, but no one has ever approached me for help(I’m probably not at your daughter’s level of Japanese though!) She could find some online resources, but from my experience, finding level-appropriate online resources have been hard for Asian languages.</p>
<p>That’s actually one of the reasons why I’m not sure what to choose. Learning a language at my level is hard without a teacher, but learning a language for two or more years in college would help me by preparing me to learn by myself. I actually live right next to CSULB, but I really want to move out(of town) and dorm… I should have applied to SDSU. That way, I would be able to double major in what I want and actually move away from home… I got waitlisted at UCI, and their policy for waitlist is everyone gets in or no one does…</p>
<p>IAmNowAnonymous,
I’m not sure from your post where you have been accepted or if you are maybe a junior in high school now? But as a mom with 2 kids in college and 1 on the way, it sounds to me like you are not sure yet what you want to do…which is true for many many young people and it’s ok! My daughter took some Japanese at our local community college and it was pretty easy for her–UCSB Japanese has been extremely challenging. Also, she started as a Japanese major but switched to Asian studies because there are so many more classes available. Japanese was more limiting for her, which is why she changed majors. You are also interested in engineering. You may want to consider job availability after graduation. Engineering will have probably many more opportunities. My daughter will be getting her teaching credential post graduation. Are you interested in business? Asian studies may go fit with business. Good luck to you!
OsakaDad,
Thanks for your advice. I will definitely encourage my daughter to seek out a native Japanese speaker for her last quarter! Also, I googled JET and it sounds like it might be a great way for her to really get to the next level with her language studies while also getting a great teaching experience–thank you! Also, she was encouraged to see in your post that all of a sudden it may click for her–she’s hoping that’ll be next week. Ha!</p>
<p>I’m planning to do both Comp Sci and Japanese. I’m also planning to move to Japan and get a job there at a western company. I want to master the language, so that has to be done. I could study Japanese separately by my self, but it’s kinda hard to do that. I could just move to Japan and study there, but I want a head start.</p>
<p>IAmNowAnonymous,
Sounds like a great plan! Best wishes to you in your future endeavors!</p>