I haven't seen you in a while 8D
OMG so much has happened.
And decisions have been made!
First of all- university.
Since my mum is INTENT on me applying to Oxbridge, I have decided which one I am going to apply for: Oxford.
I went there for an open day and I LOVED the place.
I want to do Oriental Studies there, which would mean studying Japanese or Mandarin, a decision I still have not totally made.
So they told me, by the time I enter, the entire course will have changed. It's going to be more similar to Cambridge's course in fact.
The first year you start learning the language and taking other classes such as history, culture, economics, literature, whatever you want (I think).
Second year you spend abroad in the country of your chosen language.
Third year you can take a subsidiary language (which will probably be Japanese or Mandarin for me, as much as I want to do Korean as well T-T) and fourth year you just keep going.
That's basically it.
So yeah, I'd love to go to Oxford. But.. getting in, is going to be challenging D:
I've also been to Manchester and Sheffield's open days. The courses at Sheffield look really good. Manchester looks okay, that will probably be my last choice.
I also had a look around SOAS on a private appointment. The university is okay. It's quite small but at the same time, I kind of like the fact it's in London. I still need to look in to the courses there. No doubt they will probably be good since the university specialises in Asian languages (as well as African).
So in order of choice, I think the following:
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- SOAS
- Manchester
I can have a fifth one, but I don't really know where else to apply to.
Edinburgh I was advised against because they can be biased towards Scottish and international students.
So, I guess I can still try for US universities, I've still got my SATs booked and paid for. But... I still haven't studied for them T__T I'm not gonna do so well.. I can feel it.
And I still need to decide where to apply to in the US, if at all. D:
I think, the most important decision I need to make right now is, whether to study Japanese or Mandarin. I can always learn the other as a subsidiary language, but I don't know which one I should focus on.
One day I'm like, 'I'll do Mandarin!' and on another day, I'll be like 'I think I'll be much happier doing Japanese'.
I still don't know what I want to be in future. But I've had ideas of setting up shops in the West selling Asian products.
So, let's make a list of motives for doing each language.
Mandarin:
- Useful in future because of China's growing economy
- Get things made in China for future business
- A lot more people speak Mandarin worldwide
Japanese:
- I prefer the culture and language
- I can see myself living in Japan
- More Japanese brands/products to sell for future business
EURGHH I DON'T KNOWWWWW!?!?!???!!!
My parents say I should do Mandarin.
But to be honest, I'd feel a lot happier doing Japanese. But I also know, Mandarin is a lot more useful.
My friend also told me, that it is hard for women to get jobs in Japan.
Argh, I really don't know. T____T
