Question regarding learning time...

[chr0nik]

Hi,

I've got a question for those who are studying (at college, university, etc) and learning Japanese at the same time and my question is how do you manage your time when studying Japanese and your education? I'm asking this because I would love to learn the language but I keep having the problem of "crashing" between my university work and my japanese learning... For example, I go to uni for 4 days a week and I normally finish at 5pm (I get home around 6pm) and with the work I get from uni I find it hard to learn Japanese and I keep ending up quitting for a period of time and then start again but I keep facing the same problem.

Could anyone tell how do you manage to study the language when you have to do assignments for your college or university?

Thanks a lot!!!!

(By the way, I'm from the UK so that's my I'm mentioning the words "college" and "uni", I don't know the equivalents in your county"

[Solvi]

I use Japanese as a way to take breaks from my school work... It feels so good to do something I don't _have_ to do, and it also helps my conscience to do something useful in my breaks.

[theresachan]

Well you go to uni 4 days a week, that means you still have 3 days left right? lol. I will be doing 5th year architecture next year and it seems that I'll have Wednesdays off during weekdays. I go to my Japanese teacher's place once a week (wed), mainly to practise conversation and get her to clarify some grammar points. The rest is up to you! I have a friend who also study architecture so we try to chat in Japanese when we see each other, and of 'cos we do the same online on MSN.

I listen to podcast in between lectures and study grammar bit by bit in weekends. I agree with Solvi. When it is something that we don't_have_to do. It brings a lot more pleasure than pressure!

[tiroth2]

I'd take advantage of the resources you have now -- it will only get harder. I work full time and am taking classes for my M.S., but I still try to find time for Japanese.

I think the key is consistency. It's better to do 20-30 minutes a day every day than work hard for a month and then crash. During finals etc it's reasonable to slack off on the Japanese but just for a few days.

[spinozza]

I do the exact same thing as everyone esle has already said.

I use Japanese as a break from my other studies.

[Tom]

Doing Japanese homework isn't really a study break, but every other type of review gets close. I get worksheets and projects in my class which are not fun. When I'm done with those and have some time, I typically spend 30-60 minutes with flashcards (in BYKI or VTrain). I practice either kanji or vocab, whichever I'm feeling worse with at the moment. I also try watching Bleach without subtitles... which is fun, but incomprehensible.

To make studying fun, find a way to review that's fun. I'm happy with flashcards, but practicing with a partner or four is a lot of fun, as is translating texts.