Language classes in NUS

Hello!!

I'm interested in taking a language module next sem. Japanese and Korean in particular!
Does anyone know how heavy the workload is for those classes? What are the assessments involved?
Will there be a lot of people who already have prior knowledge of the languages?
Or which is the easiest language to learn?

Cheers,
Su.

Hi!

I've just completed the Korean 6 (last course offered in NUS) under the Korean Language Preparation Programme (KLPP), and also took Japanese 2 in NUS while I was in my first semester in NUS, so I think I'm in a good position to answer your questions

Both Korean and Japanese classes in NUS consist of two two-hour lecture classes and one two-hour tutorial class. For Japanese, there is an additional one-hour listening class. Korean lecture classes are generally smaller than Japanese lectures. In both tutorial classes the class size is limited to around 15 students in each session, so you'll get to really know your classmates in detail because teachers usually encourage students to speak to each other during class exercises. Group assignments also make up the bulk of the final score for both subjects.

Workload wise I will have to say that I had an... easier time in Korean. for Japanese tutorial there is a weekly quiz, so if you do not do your revision regularly this might be a big problem grades-wise. There were also a few times in which I was late for tutorial and missed the test entirely... not cool

You don't really have to worry about people with prior knowledge of the language because those people will have to take a placement test to determine which class they should take. Very often they will not be assigned to the beginner's class, so everyone starts on pretty much the same level. For example, I had previous knowledge of Japanese before entering NUS, so I take the placement test and was assigned a spot in Japanese 2. When I came back from exchange in Korea I took a placement test to skip Korean 5 for Korean 6 as well. One point to note about skipping grades is, of course, whether you have the discipline to be diligent about self-studying to ensure that you are coping well in class.

As for which language is easier to learn, I can't really answer this question because it really depends on the individual haha. At first I found Japanese to be infinitely easier because I could pronounce the words better, but after three years of Korean classes I am in love with the Korean language. It really depends on what you like I suppose But the thing about Japanese and Korean is that they share the same syntax and even similar words, so if you get one, you'll probably be able to get the other.

Let me know if you have any other questions!!!

is korean class hard to bid?
any tips?

Hi roong, are you a freshman? If you are a freshman, I would say that it's generally easier to bid for Korean modules if you're from FASS because there are more spots allocated in the first few rounds to FASS students, but if you're looking at Korean 1-3 modules competition can get reallyyyyyyyyy high so be prepared to fork out a lot of points!

If you're waiting to be enrolled I will HIGHLY recommend you sign up for the Korean Language Preparation Programme (KLPP) when you apply for NUS as well! Through KLPP you will be allocated the modules at 1 point each every semester, so no bidding wars to worry about hurrah!! Thanks to this my programme account is very full as well even at year 4 haha