I want to major in either Japanese studies or Chinese studies. Would it be better if I stay in the US or go to an Asian country? I don’t mind if I am far away from home, I actually would really like it lol.
I am half Chinese but my Mandarin is pretty bad and my Cantonese is decent at best since I’ve been living in the US my whole life. I don’t have any relatives living in Asia so I will be alone. I really don’t know much Japanese aside from learning a little bit from watching so much Anime and listening to J-pop. I did get accepted to Earlham which has a great Japanese program. But the problem is that I will never be able to speak like a native speaker if I stay in the US which in turn will hurt me when I look for a job given my major?
" But the problem is that I will never be able to speak like a native speaker if I stay in the US which in turn will hurt me when I look for a job given my major? "
you DON’T know that.
It is FAR better to had a degree at a US college than one from overseas, as far as landing a job in the US is concerned.
Does the program at Earlham allow you to spend a semester or better yet a year overseas?
Is it still better to have a degree at a US college if you plan on living in Asia after college? I don’t know if I will but if my language skills become really good(or if I meet my future wife there) I might consider it.
I can’t advise you on Japan, but for China, it much better to have a degree from a US university, unless you get into a top university—and I would only recommend Peking or Tsinghua in Beijing, or Fudan in Shanghai. These universities are happy for foreign (and especially US) students, so they even have scholarships available.
But for working in China, having a degree in Chinese studies, and fluency in Chinese, will not be enough to get a decent job (since you’re competing with locals). If you plan to try to work in China, you should plan on getting a degree in the field where you hope to find work—finance, international business, etc. Then learn Chinese on the side (by living in China). Or do Chinese studies as your undergrad and something else as your masters (international relations, finance whatever)
My suggestion would be to:
- try to get into NYU-Shanghai and study a major other than Chinese. That gives you the option to live in China and learn the language plus a degree from a very well known Uni in China.
- go to a good Univ. in HK (Chinese Univ. of HK, or HKUST)
- go to Peking Univ in Beijing
- earn your degree in Chinese studies in the US and then a masters in China (your Chinese should be good enough by then to attend a degree course in Chinese) at Peking or Tsinghua, or HK, in the field you want to work in.
Don’t try to do both Japanese and Chinese – decide now which direction you’re going to go.
Yeah I’m not going to study both Japanese and Chinese. I’m still deciding on which one to study but it will be one or the other.
By the way I’m a senior right now. I’m not sure if I can still apply to those colleges, can I?
Application dates for NYU, and Peking Univ., have passed already:
http://www.isd.pku.edu.cn/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=116&id=353
The same is true for Japan. You are better off studying in the US for undergraduate school. If your school has a study abroad option in your program check to see if they list sites in Japan and if any have language immersion options. There are also summer language immersion programs in these countries, though these cost money, so might be out of the question if you need to earn money during your summer vacations.
Study in the US, spend a full year abroad, and add if you can a TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) certificate along with some experience as a tutor or a test prep teacher. This will help support yourself as you do your Master’s degree at one of your chosen country’s top programs.
If you decide on Japanese, then go to Earlham, their Japanese program is one of the best. You could then apply for a masters program at a university in Japan if you want to study and potentially work there.
Agree with the others who say study in the US but do as much study abroad as you can, preferably an entire year. Look for study abroad programs that are language-focused, and that will have you living among those who speak the language even at home. Staying in a dorm with a bunch of students speaking mostly English won’t give you the type of full immersion you want for true fluency.
If you want to reach a professional level of,proficiency in Mandarin, I would recommend attending a US university with a Chinese flagship program. http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/content/chinese
Unless you are truly bilingual (and usually even then) your Chinese/Japanese language skills probably will be just one tool in your professional life. I’d suggest you aim for a good liberal education at a US college and develop fluency in one language through regular classes combined with summer or study abroad immersion experiences.
Also look into Associated Colleges in China. From what I’ve heard it’s an incredible program and open to qualified U.S. students nationally.
US college and plan on doing a semester or year abroad for language study. For Chinese language look into IUP.
I did get accepted to IU-Bloomington in state. I didn’t realize they had a Chinese flagship program so I guess I have that option. I don’t really want to go to grad school, is it necessity for my major to do so?
The Chinese Flagship is designed so that you’re in high demand after your major and have one of the highest levels of proficiency in your chosen language.
Call the Chinese Flagship to see if you can join, though, as you might have had to apply right away? (Not sure).
You’ll tackle grad school or not later. For now, focus on college.
The fact that you have already been accepted into IU-B is great. I would definitely pursue the flagship program if you are eligible.
@OP
Out of curiosity, what do u intend to “do” w a Chinese or Japanese major?
Not sure about OP, but I have one friend who has a master’s degree in Japanese, and she works as a liaison for an international company that, while headquartered in the US, has a major Japanese presence. They value having someone from the US who can not only communicate with the Japanese branch of the company but who also understands the cultural nuances. She does translate, but also does so much more…
In regards to this ^ comment, this is much more true of Japanese than Chinese, because there are many more ABCs or Chinese who study in the US and go back to China to work for international companies there.
Translating is definitely an option, but bear in mind its an endangered profession (rise of the machines). If you want to make a solid career out of it, I would recommend focusing on interpreting (much harder to replace with bots), and pursuing a graduate degree in Monterrey.