<p>I know that Middlebury is a top language school, but how is the Japanese program?</p>
<p>One of the best.</p>
<p>I appreciate the input, but could somebody mention what makes it one of the best? Like how the program is run or how much you learn or what resources?</p>
<p>I believe they teach you the language of Japanese. It’s run by teachers. You learn the language of Japanese. The resources are the teachers and students. There’s probably more than that. </p>
<p>sorry, for some reason I’m feeling really snarky today, also, I can’t pass up an opportunity to use the word “snarky.”</p>
<p>Midd alum here who studied Japanese for all 4 years. I started the language my 1st year and I absolutely loved the language professors, especially Hayasaka Davis-sensei and Takahashi-sensei, who teach 1st and 2nd year Japanese. You use Genki textbooks 1 and 2 for the first 1.5 years and spring term of your 2nd year, you start using Tobira, which you finish it by the end of your 3rd year of Japanese. 4th year doesn’t use any textbooks; instead, it’s more like reading news articles, watching videos (documentary, movie, tv show, etc), and carrying out discussions with classmates (this level is suppose to prepare you for JLPT N2). I feel that 1st and 2nd year Japanese are very strong compared to other colleges; however, I cannot confidently say that 3rd or 4th are as strong as UMich’s program. I think it’s because there are fewer students in 3rd and 4th (I hear there was 1 student in 4th one year)
As for “culture” courses, I think they are okay. Being such a small department, you are bound to take multiple courses from one teacher (which can be a good thing and a bad thing). I don’t know if you know already, but Snyder-sensei is one of the famous translators out there and he teaches translation and contemporary Japanese literature classes (i.e. Murakami Haruki). His wife, on the other hand, White-sensei, specializes in sociology and gender studies in Japan. And lastly, Cavanaugh-sensei teaches courses on classical Japanese and film/anime. The only reason I say it’s okay is because once you take 3 or 4 culture courses, you get kind of bored of talking about same stuff (i.e. the war and post-war, economic stagnation, and social issues such as hikkikomori…). I just wished there was more variety, but other than that, the professors are all experts in their field and they are indeed the best.</p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Midd also is a member of the Associated Kyoto Program, which facilitates study abroad in Japan.</p>
<p>[Associated</a> Kyoto Program](<a href=“http://www.associatedkyotoprogram.org%5DAssociated”>http://www.associatedkyotoprogram.org)</p>
<p>And of course Middlebury operates its own school abroad in Tokyo, so there are many opportunities to spend part or all of your junior year abroad.</p>
<p>Thanks for the detailed reply! Those both helped a lot. How much fluency has middlebury given you? Like is the program and school worth the heavy tutition or would I get the same quality elsewhere? Would University of Michigan be better?! Thanks!</p>
<p>Since creating Middlebury’s own school in Tokyo (International Christian University) in 2010, Middlebury students have no option other than ICU to study abroad in Japan. ICU is a new program that will hopefully get better in the near future, but currently, it’s a so-so program (in terms of increasing your fluency + academic rigor; if you must know, ICU is a school for Japanese who want to learn English). I think Middlebury offers the necessary resources for you to be fluent in Japanese. It really depends on you and how committed you are in studying the language. I personally spent a lot of time and effort in Japanese because I knew I would need it for my career. Although I wouldn’t say I’m as fluent as a native speaker, since graduation, I’ve received translation/interpretation/bailingual job offers. Also, there are other Midd alums who work and live in Japan as well (many of them possess JLPT N1 and N2 certification too).
Because I didn’t go to UMich, I can’t give you a detailed information, but UMich has a HUGE Japanese department (I think they even have its own “center” and a traditional Japanese house). They do bring in great lecturers and have a bigger network (being a big school and all). But being a big school also means that there may be bigger learning gap among classmates and it may be hard to establish a good teacher-student relationship (in comparison to Midd’s small size).
I understand you want to attend a college with good Japanese program, but I don’t think that should be the only deciding factor. If tuition is a big factor, I would recommend going somewhere affordable and spending a summer at Middlebury Japanese Language School instead (which is also pricey, but there are FA and scholarships available). I attended there one summer and my Japanese got 100 times better. And if you are interested in more advanced level after graduation, I suggest 10-month Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I appreciate this. I have been needing help looking for a good college with a Japanese major forever. You helped a lot.</p>