University of Hawaii at Manoa, Questions (Majoring in Mandarin / Japanese) (Honolulu: home, dorms)

[Inouva]

I hope I am placing this thread in the right area.

I am very passionate about learning Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. In fact, I am in love with East Asian and Indo Pacific languages and would like to learn as much about the languages and cultures as I can during my college career. In fact, I am actively involved in Japanese culture events here on the East Coast where I am able to practice my Japanese frequently. I am considering the University of Hawaii at Manoa because of their diverse course offerings and unique language classes. I would be coming from the East Coast of the United States, so it would be a big change for me and I'd appreciate any insight anyone can provide me with. I've read a lot about the dorms and the campus and how it is relatively empty come 3 or 4 o'clock. Hawai'i seems like it has a magnificent and rich culture with a great deal of diversity, so it seems like it may be a nice place to attend college and study. I know some of these questions may be very specialized, but I was hoping that a person who could answer them may be on this forum.

Ps. Korean, German, and Latin are other language interests of mine.

Specialized
Question 1: Is the University of Hawaii at Manoa good for Japanese and Chinese language studies? Has anyone every majored in or known anyone who has majored in either of these at UHM?

Question 2: Are the courses very difficult to get into? I've read about some people having trouble graduating in four years due to popular classes only being available every other semester, etc. I am planning on majoring in Chinese and if possible double majoring in Chinese and Japanese. Also, are the programs rigorous for Chinese and Japanese?

Question 3: Is it difficult to find work in Honolulu? I would definitely try to have a job lined up, since I'll be paying for college on my own.

Question 4: Would you recommend UHM considering my field of study?

Question 5: Is it really difficult to get into the study abroad program (Japan, One Year)? Even just the abroad in general..

General
Question 1: Are there many student organizations there and if so, when are they active? For instance, Japanese or Chinese culture clubs, etc.

Question 2: What is the city of Honolulu like? What are the people like? Is finding a job very competitive?

Question 3: I don't think I will be able to visit this University. So if I go, it will be a leap. What are your thoughts? Do you think it is highly important to visit? My studies are very important to me, so I want to be at a place that offers my majors, but I am hesitant not being able to visit.

Question 4: I am very into outdoor activities. Mountain climbing, walking, exploring. I just love being in nature. Are there a lot of places near the University like this?

Me as a student: I am very serious about my academics, but I also realize that I will probably need to work to pay for college.

[hotzcatz]

Chinese and Japanese, huh? Those aren't generally learned side by side. You will be able to easily find native speakers of Japanese, Chinese and Korean. There will be the occasional German tourists, Latin is gonna be a hard one to find anyone else to speak it with. Do people even speak Latin as a language? We have all sorts of folks living next to each other so you may even be able to find all these languages spoken in the same neighborhood.

I can't help you much with specifics on the class courses, but my nephew just started there last semester and he seems real happy there.

If you can speak Japanese, you will have an easier time finding employment although the job situation is really tight right now.

For Japanese, Chinese and Korean culture clubs, you can join the ones for the general community if you can't find any specific to students. Of course, you have to be careful when you inquire about Korean clubs or you may end up in a seedy bar with a bar girl sitting on your lap asking "buy me drink, buy me drink". If you do, she gets a $25 soda on your tab. I think they split the take with the bar, I'm not sure of the details, but Korean bars are infamous.

Hawaii is full of nature, there is a lot of hiking trails in the hills above the campus. Surfing, swimming, walking, jogging, running, beach volleyball, etc. etc.

[Mar0]

I majored in Japanese at an east coast college and have a few friends who studied it at UH. Obviously because of the crazy Japanese influence here, the Japanese program is pretty good. I'm not sure about the study abroad programs, though.

Finding jobs is difficult, and life will be expensive here for you- esp since you will be paying your way through school. Just keep that in mind.

There are lots of clubs at UH, specifically language/culture clubs and I am sure that you would be happy with the offerings.

[Inouva]

My apologies for such a late reply and I truly appreciate your help in answering my questions.

hotcatz:
Latin is only spoken in Vatican city as I hear, it's basically learned to understand written Latin. However, I want to spark a revival of using it coversationally, ha ha.

You say because I speak Japanese I will have an easier time finding employment. What type of jobs, specifically would the Japanese language skills be helpful for? Is there any place I should start searching if I do decide to try and find a job in Hawai'i?

I would love to have the opportunity to speak it within the community. One of my best experiences was being able to speak it in NYC with native speakers of the language.

Also, there are Korean, Japanese and Chinese culture clubs in the area? I have trouble finding Chinese or Korean clubs anywhere around here, so that would be wonderful. I don't think I'll be going to any bars, but that warning is certainly good to be aware of, ha ha.

Thanks again for your insight!

Mar0:
How was your experience with Japanese here on the east coast if you don't mind me asking? It's so hard to find schools where you can major in Chinese and Japanese simultaneously. Or even just major in one of them...

My friend and I may be rooming together and we plan to live off the simple foods. XD I see that the prices are terribly expensive, so I'm definitely taking that into consideration.

I'm glad to hear there are culture clubs at UHManoa. I hear it is basically dead after about 4:00 because it is a commuter school. When do those clubs meet, do you know?

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by Inouva

I'm glad to hear there are culture clubs at UHManoa. I hear it is basically dead after about 4:00 because it is a commuter school. When do those clubs meet, do you know?

This isn't totally true. My impression is that it quiets down because the students either hit the beach or go to work. There are dorms on campus, and lots of students live in them or live nearby (Waikiki area, for example). It's much less of a commuter school than USC is (that's where I worked before coming here), for example.

Stuff goes on in the evenings more than the afternoons. I've been around lots of college campuses, and this one is definitely quieter. And I'm still getting used to the fact that none of the on-campus dining is open on the weekends (dorms are, but not the on-campus restaurants where a prof would eat). But last night, the International Student Association hosted the following (free) event:

***
International Night 2009 will feature music, ethnic performances, interactive cultural booths and games from Argentina, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Okinawa, the Philippines, Tahiti, Tanzania, U.S./Hawaii, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, among others! Bring your knowledge of the world and win a chance at great door prizes.

International Night 2009 will also focus on helping the Hawaii Food Bank! Although admission is FREE to International Night, donations of one can of food (tuna, soup, vegetables, fruit) will be very much appreciated!
***

There are movies on campus just about every weekend, and many weekend events both for the campus and the community.

Best of luck in your decision.

[Inouva]

USC? The University of Southern California?

Thank you for your insight, it really helps!

I'm really glad to hear that, being so far away from home it is nice to know that things do really occur on campus and there would be ways for me to become involved.

It's also really good to know that the on campus dining isn't open on weekends. I suppose students need to venture out in search of food, ha ha.

May I ask you a question if you don't mind? Do you know if it is really difficult to graduate in four years as a full time student at Manoa? I want to be a Japanese / Mandarin double major and am hoping to graduate in four years. I've heard classes are difficult to get because there are so many people applying to them and popular classes aren't always offered.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by Inouva

...
It's also really good to know that the on campus dining isn't open on weekends. I suppose students need to venture out in search of food, ha ha.

May I ask you a question if you don't mind? Do you know if it is really difficult to graduate in four years as a full time student at Manoa? I want to be a Japanese / Mandarin double major and am hoping to graduate in four years. I've heard classes are difficult to get because there are so many people applying to them and popular classes aren't always offered.

Yeah, that USC. Most students & faculty live pretty far from campus. A small percentage lives on campus. So it seems to me like people here, even if they live off campus, live closer.

And for food, the dorm dining rooms are open, just the campus restaurants are closed. But, yeah, if you're going to spend the day in the library or something you need to make other plans.

I'm pretty new at UH, and in a totally different department, so I don't know if my experience has any relevance. But here's what I've seen in my less than one year here:

Few students in my department graduate in four years, but it's because lots of them take time off or work a lot or have other demands on their time. I don't see a lot of students who can't get the classes they want, causing trouble graduating.

That said, I do turn away large numbers of students from the classes I teach (not the ones for majors). Why? We have an enrollment cap to make the class manageable for the prof and a better experience for the student. We don't have enough faculty to teach more sections of the course, so some students get turned away. (I have a cap of 25. I turned away 10 this semester.)

However, if you're responsible about registering in advance for the classes you need, it should be OK. The problem is with students who transfer in from elsewhere (and so have missed the pre-registration) or who want to make last-minute changes.

Things will only get worse for the next couple of years. Budget cuts mean fewer faculty (part-timers, lecturers, visitors are all getting cut... so there will be fewer, larger classes over the next couple of years at least). But again, this is all for my department. I don't know what it's like in languages.

[Inouva]

USC was actually one of the schools I was very interested in, but I only discovered it two months after the final deadline for applications had passed.

Regardless of the different departments, your reply really helps. It really shed some light on some of the questions that have been weighing heavily on me.

If I called the Chinese / Japanese language department do you think I would be able to talk to them about the class situation for the next couple of years?

So if I was a full time student and not working (I am perhaps taking up a job online) I would have a better chance of graduating in four years?

Do those who are majoring in a particular subject have a better chance of being selected to take the classes?

What department are you a part of if you don't mind me asking? I'm also trying to find out more about the Psychology and Journalism departments.

[newUHprof]

Originally Posted by Inouva

If I called the Chinese / Japanese language department do you think I would be able to talk to them about the class situation for the next couple of years?

So if I was a full time student and not working (I am perhaps taking up a job online) I would have a better chance of graduating in four years?

Do those who are majoring in a particular subject have a better chance of being selected to take the classes?

What department are you a part of if you don't mind me asking? I'm also trying to find out more about the Psychology and Journalism departments.

Calling the office couldn't hurt, or even checking out the website to see of the department manager has an email address where you can write and ask your questions. Certainly if there are issues around students getting into classes, the folks in the main office (and the department chair) will be the ones who know the whole story. And they will know how the current & future budget cuts will affect their department.

I suspect the students who don't work, or who work on campus, do have better luck graduating in 4 years. But stuff happens in college -- if you decide to change your major, it can take longer. If you choose to study abroad (which is an awesome experience), it might increase your time to graduation. Although maybe not for someone majoring in Japanese & Chinese, since whatever you take would likely be directly applicable to your major. If it's important to you to graduate in 4, I would let your undergrad advisor know that early on, and ask for her help to make it happen.

As for getting into classes, I may not have quite the whole story, but there are different times for enrollment. Student athletes get to enroll first, because they have to be sure to get into classes at certain times that don't conflict with their practices. Then regular UH students enroll. Students with "special status" (so I think transfer students, part-time students trying to get into a program, UH staff who are enrolling in classes)... they all get last dibs on classes, so they often have trouble getting into the courses they want.

I think it's only difficult to get into the introductory courses in some departments... the types of courses that everyone takes no matter their major. In my field (one of the hard sciences), once you hit 300/400 level courses, it's mainly those majoring in our field or a closely related one in the course. So those courses don't fill up. No official preference is given to students in the field, but if a student came to me saying "I really want to take your course and here's why" and they were a major in my department, I would sign them in if there were a seat in the room. It's really only something to worry about for getting your first-year courses in your field, and getting the general requirements out of the way, I think.

[Inouva]

Thank you very much for your help. This makes everything a lot clearer!