Majorying in Japanese Language

[tennisball80]

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So yeah, what med schools would think if I major in Japanese language. I'm pretty sure I can get A's in all of the class.

Guys. I speak any language with an accent. So yeah, I am pound that I am from Earth. 😀 I went to a chines school for 4 years, a japanese school for 4 years, and an English school for 3 years. I have to take a Chinese as a second language exam if I go to China. I have to take a Japanese as a second language if I go to Japan. And I have to take an English as a second language exam if I go to the U.S.

I can claim any of the language as my first one.

 

[Myuu]

So yeah, what med schools would think if I major in Japanese language if I tell them that Japanese is my first language. I'm pretty sure I can get A's in all of the class.

Don't do that.👎 Your classmates will hate you. Your professors will hate you. Challenge yourself just a little. It's for your own good.

Edit: And to add to that, you will be incredibly bored, unless you suck hardcore at kanji and are at a school with a strong Japanese program like Iowa.

 

[Myuu]

Alternatively, you could major in Asian Lit.👍

 

[niranjan162]

I think its an awesome idea. Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. Why would everyone hate him, cuz he majored in japanese. I may envy the kids who did a psych major, but i dont hate them cause they were smarter about the process than i was.

 

[Myuu]

I think its an awesome idea. Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. Why would everyone hate him, cuz he majored in japanese. I may envy the kids who did a psych major, but i dont hate them cause they were smarter about the process than i was.

I think you missed the part about him being a native speaker, which is to say he already knows Japanese.

 

[glowworm]

english is your third language, right? could you major in your second language?

 

[Myuu]

english is your third language, right? could you major in your second language?

Med schools will see straight through any attempt to major in a language you are already fluent in...

 

[Maygyver]

So yeah, what med schools would think if I major in Japanese language if I tell them that Japanese is my first language. I'm pretty sure I can get A's in all of the class.

Med schools will realize that you tried to slight them and think that you were afraid to take a chance and do something new and challenging. Also, do you think they would think you were capable of getting an MD if you were afraid to get a BS in something new? Med school is tough, and you have to show you are able to handle college. Majoring in a foreign language, that isn't foreign to you, really doesn't look good, and it's a waste of money to be honest.

 

[tennisball80]

Guys. I speak any language with an accent. I went to a chines school for 4 years, a japanese school for 4 years, and an English school for 3 years. I have to take a Chinese as a second language exam if I go to China. I have to take a Japanese as a second language if I go to Japan. And I have to take an English as a second language exam if I go to the U.S.

I can claim any of the language as my first one.

 

[bluesmd]

I think its an awesome idea. Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. Why would everyone hate him, cuz he majored in japanese. I may envy the kids who did a psych major, but i dont hate them cause they were smarter about the process than i was.

japanese is not one of the hardest languages to learn. chinese is much much harder. and this will not look good. major in something else

 

[Dissected]

Guys. I speak any language with an accent. I went to a chines school for 4 years, a japanese school for 4 years, and an English school for 3 years. I have to take a Chinese as a second language exam if I go to China. I have to take a Japanese as a second language if I go to Japan. And I have to take an English as a second language exam if I go to the U.S.

I can claim any of the language as my first one.

don't do it, its a bad idea.

Try and actually learn something in college. Med-school will overwhelm you if you take the easy road in undergrad. Since it would be easy for you, you could get a minor in it though, I would recommend that 👍

 

[RemiJP]

It wouldn't be wise to major in Japanese - challenge yourself! Use all the resources colleges offer to students learning English as a second language. There are usually MANY resources for students who are still learning/perfecting English like conversations groups, free one-on-one tutoring for any class, as well as accent modification therapy from the speech and language clinic. It would not benefit you to start med school without the best possible language skills, in addition to the best possible grades! Best of luck.👍

 

[niranjan162]

I think you missed the part about him being a native speaker, which is to say he already knows Japanese.

sorry, i did miss that. Yea medschools would think u were a lazy douche if they knew it was ur first language.

 

[yanorglu]

japanese is not one of the hardest languages to learn. chinese is much much harder. and this will not look good. major in something else

..Well...depends who you ask. Mandarin grammar is ****-easy compared to Japanese's hellhole of irregularities and complexities.

But yeah, OP, don't take a super-easy major, especially something like a language you're already fluent in; like someone else said, med schools will see right through it.

 

[Okkaoboy]

Do something that sounds impressive, but is essentialyl memorization. Cause apparently you can remember stuff. Theoretical Physics? Learn about string theory and such? I took a summer course on that it was pretty iteresting if not a tad bit confusing.

 

[MeowMix]

I don't care if you have a degree in a language, I want to know if you can speak it and use it with patients. And, it matters which language it is. I do not care if you are fluent in Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, Danish, and Finnish, because I have zero patients who are monolingual in those languages.

Spanish is #1. Depending on where you are in the US, Vietnamese, Lao, Hmong, Myan, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, Arabic, Pashtun, Farsi, etc. - but very rarely Japanese. If you show up and can actually speak Spanish in most places in the US, you have an advantage. But, I've worked with people who have a BA in Spanish and can barely speak the language.

If you apply to med school and can actually speak Japanese, Chinese and Spanish, you are way more attractive than a monolingual applicant.

p.s. If English is your second language, work very hard on that too. All the standardized tests including the MCAT are challenging for non-native speakers.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I was/am fluent in Japanese and majored in Japanese. My college did not have a separate Asian literature major. Beyond one quarter of the highest-level grad-student language course, my course work consisted entirely of Japanese literature (modern and classic), Japanese linguistics, Chinese classics, and literary theory. If you are interested in literature or linguistics, I think this is a good option. I don't think any med schools held it against me - it was pretty clear on my transcript that I wasn't padding my GPA with a bunch of language classes.

 

[Myuu]

I was/am fluent in Japanese and majored in Japanese. My college did not have a separate Asian literature major. Beyond one quarter of the highest-level grad-student language course, my course work consisted entirely of Japanese literature (modern and classic), Japanese linguistics, Chinese classics, and literary theory. If you are interested in literature or linguistics, I think this is a good option. I don't think any med schools held it against me - it was pretty clear on my transcript that I wasn't padding my GPA with a bunch of language classes.

This is a great idea!👍

 

[El Nino]

sorry, i did miss that. Yea medschools would think u were a lazy douche if they knew it was ur first language.

So what about all the native english speakers who major in English? 😀

 

[Myuu]

So what about all the native english speakers who major in English? 😀

They're not taking classes to teach them basic English. Or at least I would hope they're not.

 

[physics junkie]

Well, your english isn't so great so good luck on the MCAT VR. You still have to do all of your premed requirements and will be evaluated based on those as well. If you aren't interested in getting anything out of college why not go to a foreign medical school straight out of high school and then come back to the US? You'll be an MD at 22. I couldn't imagine spending 4 years studying something that I'm not that interested in just because its easy.

 

[niranjan162]

So what about all the native english speakers who major in English? 😀

touche salesman

 

[Maygyver]

They're not taking classes to teach them basic English. Or at least I would hope they're not.

Hah, just what I was about to say. An english major usually is based on composition or literature, not basic grammatical english.


But yeah, back to Tennis, if you want to do well on the MCAT and medical school, you can't take the easy road. As Henry David Thoreau said "You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one."

 

[tennisball80]

"You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one."

Yes, we can. thats a nice quote man

 

[Myuu]

Yes, we can. thats a nice quote man

Agreed. That is an excellent quote. Thus it was learned that Myuu needs to read more Thoreau.

How's that for passive third-person.

 

[Maygyver]

Yeah, I love that quote. It is so true. Also, I thought of another reason why it would be good for you to do some kind of science major. Most of the MCAT is based on passages. Taking exams in college that involve having to read and analyze a question and then answer will help you with general test-taking tips for the MCAT. Also, if you decide to not do the medical field, most exams involve some sort of reading comprehension so it will be better in the long run to not shy away from having to deal with English. I know most schools have help for secondary english speakers so you can just visit them. You definitely have the drive to be able to do it.