Advice Needed, Graduate School in Japanese Lang & Lit

[Michael McCaskey]

I'd suggest starting out by taking at least one year of Japanese, by itself, as a special student at a regional or local college, but for a grade. If you work hard and get a final A on your transcript, that will certainly help with a graduate school application.

In practical terms, at least three years of Japanese language study are needed in order to begin graduate study using Japanese language sources. Most graduate schools don't give any graduate credit for 1st or 2nd year language courses, nor for 3rd in many cases.

By studying Japanese separately for credit first, and doing well, you can qualify yourself for graduate study later on, while developing a transcript that can get you into a good graduate program.

There are also some excellent commercial schools in Japan that teach Japanese to foreigners. If you found one that also teaches English to Japanese people, you might (or might not) be able to get some tuition discount. But this kind of program - though possibly as good as or better than an academic one - is not likely to give you the grade transcripts you need for a graduate school application later.

All this is assuming you do not know any Japanese now. If you do, you may be able to start off at a higher level.

I hope this may be helpful, and wish you every success.

Michael McCaskey

PS
In the first of the trilogy of the classic Miyamoto Musashi films, as I recall, the hero, already around your age, is locked up with piles of books for a long time, studies hard, and transforms himself into a true samurai. In the Japanese tradition, it's never too late to start to learn more, and there are several proverbs to that effect.



----- Original Message -----
From: Jerry Turner <jdturner1 at gmail.com>
Date: Sunday, June 1, 2008 11:07 pm
Subject: Advice Needed, Graduate School in Japanese Lang & Lit

> Hello Kinejapaners,
> 
> First, let me apologize if this message is a bit off topic. I know the
> listserv is primarily for discussions of Japanese film, but 
> perhaps some
> other members might be thinking about making the plunge into graduate
> studies and find the advice of the accomplished scholars on here 
> helpful.
> I am twenty-eight and just completed my B.A. in English last 
> winter. Over
> the last few months I have been seriously considering going to 
> graduateschool to study Japanese language and literature. No 
> particular school in
> mind as of yet; I've just been researching various programs (
> http://www.stateuniversity.com/program/Japanese-Language-and-
> Literature.html).It seems that most schools require at least a 3.0 
> GPA. Some even list on
> their website "no exceptions." I absolutely understand this.
> 
> My conundrum: I don't have a 3.0. My final overall GPA was a 2.4. 
> I fooled
> around a lot in college when I first started, dropping out without
> withdrawing, so, my transcript basically has semesters of "F's."
> 
> Recently, I met with an adviser about graduate school and she 
> noted that
> without those "dead" semesters my GPA would be close to a 3.5. In 
> fact, my
> final year, including all summer sessions, I had a 4.0. This final 
> yearincluded the bulk of my junior and senor level classes. I also 
> have a fair
> amount of extracurricular activities dealing with creative and 
> academicwriting.
> 
> My question now is what route to take to get into a good Japanese 
> languageand literature program. My grad adviser said I should 
> really try and ace the
> GREs, concentrate on good recommendations, and write a good letter 
> statingmy academic goals. I feel confident I can do all of these 
> things, yet I'm
> still nervous.
> 
> In you guys and gals informed opinions, would it help to apply to 
> a local
> graduate program for a semester or year (probably in English 
> education) and
> transfer, just to show admissions that I can do graduate level 
> work? I feel
> confident I could get into the graduate school at my alma mater.
> 
> Should I apply to a university that has an Asian studies undergraduate
> program and complete a second undergrad degree,  then apply to their
> graduate program?
> 
> I know many colleges allow a student to enter graduate school as a
> non-matriculated student, but I think my low GPA prevents that. I 
> also live
> in North Carolina, which is problematic, because they're aren't a 
> lot of
> graduate programs that include Asian studies around here.
> 
> I've also considered going to Japan to teach English and really 
> learn the
> language. Would that make any difference?
> 
> Well, I apologize for laying my lengthy burdens on the group, but 
> maybesomeone can identify with my dilemma.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jerry
>