picking up a second language from scratch as breadth

[silverpixeli]

Hey guys,

Looking at uom science with a mechanical systems major and then master of engineering, with possibly a breadth track in japanese. the last time i took jap was year 8 or 9 and i remember like half of one of the alphabets, so basically nothing, but it's a language that i'd really love to learn. i'd take it and not worry about the marks but i think i remember some people suggesting i take lighter subjects as breadth so i dont put my place in the masters program at risk by performing poorly in a hard subject, damaging my marks.

is the workload manageable with no prior skills or will taking jap likely drag my marks down? should i look for a lighter breadth option?

[LOLs99]

Hey guys,

Looking at uom science with a mechanical systems major and then master of engineering, with possibly a breadth track in japanese. the last time i took jap was year 8 or 9 and i remember like half of one of the alphabets, so basically nothing, but it's a language that i'd really love to learn. i'd take it and not worry about the marks but i think i remember some people suggesting i take lighter subjects as breadth so i dont put my place in the masters program at risk by performing poorly in a hard subject, damaging my marks.

is the workload manageable with no prior skills or will taking jap likely drag my marks down? should i look for a lighter breadth option?

Hmhh I would like to have an answer for this ques too because I'm wondering about it.

[LeviLamp]

The Master of Engineering doesn't have an outlandishly high entry mark, so even if you were to do badly in Japanese (and with effort you really shouldn't!) it wouldn't impact too much on your chances of getting in. I think the entry score is only an H3 average (65?) so if you work hard you'll be fine Lots and lots of people pick up languages at the base level in university (I did and I definitely don't think it's impossible), you're not alone!

[RTandon]

I took French 1 last semester and I had never ever done French in my life. It was hard, but it was most definitely manageable.

I ended up dropping it because it was moving too fast for me but so many people do languages in uni and so many love it!

[ChickenCh0wM1en]

Hey mate,

I did Jap 1 having no prior knowledge of Japanese (did French as LOTE in PS and HS).
I still managed to get H1, however the workload is pretty tough in the sense that there is a lot of grammar and rules and just vocab to memorise. I personally dont think that doing Jap will hinder your ability to get the 65 avg for your Masters so try it out for one semester and drop it if you feel it is too much.

Good Luck!

[appianway]

I'm doing the same sort of thing but not at Melbourne (currently taking my first semester of Indonesian). Would highly recommend it, as you emerge with a tangible skill and the opportunity to study/work abroad at some point if you push yourself (I have another year and a half yet and I hope to become semi-fluent at Indonesian if I work really really hard).

[charmanderp]

I know quite a few people doing a second language for the first time through breadth, and getting very good grades.

My understanding of the Master of Engineering entry requirements (which is repeated here: https://handbook.unimelb.edu.au/view/2012/MC-ENG#admissionRequirementsId) is that only your grades in the final two years of your undergraduate degree are taken into consideration. So feel free to take a language as breadth in your first year, and if you feel like you're not able to do well in it going forward or you don't enjoy it, you can drop it with no consequences to your postgrad entry chances!

[Art Vandelay]

I did Japanese Introductory this year. If you just manage to memorise how to read and write both hiragana and katakana over the holidays (which isn't that hard), you'll be way ahead of most of your classmates, and can focus on learning easy grammar and vocab. Introductory 1 at Monash was an easy HD, because a lot of the people taking the class were bludging, but I'm not sure how it'll work at Melbourne. Learning to write the kanji can be difficult if you're not of a Chinese background, but mindless repetition will ensure you get it right and get that HD.

[silverpixeli]

Thanks for all the replies guys, really cleared stuff up So it is a lot of memorisation? I don't really like the sound of that, I enjoy maths and physics and hopefully engineering because I work to understand the concepts rather than memorise them, then the grades follow on from that. But japanese is something im very interested in, for the culture and the country (always wanted to go there) so hopefully that might make the hard work not suck so much. Anyway it sounds like I have nothing to lose by starting with it in first year so I'll probably do that. Thanks again guys

[appianway]

Grammar is very formulaic - it's like applying a physics formula. I think languages are worthwhile because think about it like this - how could would it be to read Japanese news and watch Japanese TV/movies? What about doing a masters or a PhD in Japan? What about working for a multinational which does business in Australia and Japan? Sure, it's hard to get to that level of fluency, but now isn't too late.

[BelVP]

I did Japanese 1 as a random breadth purely for fun for similar reasons (already knew most of the alphabet and could also read kanji decently from having studied Chinese in high school). Word of advice: the work is quite easy HOWEVER I personally HATED the cultural projects and partner activities since I swear the subject favours internationals over locals. I am of European background and often felt out of place.... and found it quite frustrating the tutor kept grouping me as an "Australian" when my culture is quite distinct.

[Fyrefly]

I did Japanese Introductory this year. If you just manage to memorise how to read and write both hiragana and katakana over the holidays (which isn't that hard), you'll be way ahead of most of your classmates, and can focus on learning easy grammar and vocab. Introductory 1 at Monash was an easy HD, because a lot of the people taking the class were bludging, but I'm not sure how it'll work at Melbourne. Learning to write the kanji can be difficult if you're not of a Chinese background, but mindless repetition will ensure you get it right and get that HD.

I don't know if it's still like this, but when I did Jap 1 at Monash in 2009, Monash and UoM used the exact same textbook. Strong sign that the experiences are pretty equivalent.

I'll just add that I took the time to learn hiragana and katakana over the summer before I started. Learning a new language is always challenging, but I managed a score in the high 90s. I also just finished the highest level of Jap Monash has on offer. You can go from zero to advanced within the space of a few years of university study, if that's something you'd be interested in.

[ChickenCh0wM1en]

I totally agree with what has been said above esp. BelVP's statement on the cultural projects etc.
The content was actually quite fun to learn because you could actually put it into practice (speaking and reading basic japanese).
The pace is relatively fast and can sometimes be a little overwhelming if you do not keep up to date with the content.
I wrote a review on Japanese 1 in the Melbourne Uni threads, have a read and PM me or something if you have any questions!

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