Language schools & uni

[Ran]

I know this is a frequent question, but i'm going to ask anyway.
I have been to japan as a high school exchange student for a year and came back in january this year. i really liked the experience of living in japan ( a hos family at the time), and want to attend university there. because i have been in japan for this time, i've become a pretty fluent speaker. writing was a lower priority at the time, as i can do that in my home country as well, so i'm studying that right now. from what i've understood and read in other related threads, you have to pass the JLPT lvl2 exam to be able to apply at a japanese university. right now i'm studying to achieve that level and am planning to take the exam later this year. now the thing is i want to attend a japanese language school to get to a level that allows me to fully understand classes in japanese. I'm asking about global information, not really school specific (but if you have any, it's greatly appreciated). i would like to know about what you need to enter one of these schools. do you think what i want to do is an attainable goal? is education prior to entering university relevant in japan? I's sorry for asking so many questions. some of them might have been answered in another topic, but as everybody's situation is different, some of the answers dont apply. thanks in advance!

edit: I mailed Yamasa about this as it was recommended in other threads, but the school being in a small village, is a slight minus for me. If you know any schools in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto or Hiroshima ( or any big city) it would be preferred.

 

[Glenski]

Some universities require that you attend 3-6 months of their intensive Japanese classes before you even set foot in their own classrooms. So, decide on a major, see what schools have what you need, find out their policy on language requirements, and apply.

There are also a couple of universities that teach in English here, so there would be no requirement for Japanese.

 

[Grim Roach]

First of all, I'll admit, I didn't just skimmed through your message, sorry but I don't really have time.

Now, in an attempt to help you:

From what I know, before these higher level schools accept you, they'll need you to pass JLPT Lv. 2 but just to be safe, I'd say you should get a JLPT Lv. 1 since after you're done with these schools, you might want to seek employment in Japan.

I heard that the language schools in Japan will help you seek for universities so you can worry about that later. Right now, your primary concern should be looking for a language school.

Here are some info to get your started:

一般財団法人 日本語教育振興協会 - This is a site with a list of recognized language schools. Simply click on the 'English' link and then take it from there. It's basically a language school search engine! Heck, you can even search via cities.

http://www.abk.or.jp/jls/abk.html - Here's one school without too much requirements. Some schools require you to have a guarantor, this one doesn't.

独立行政法人日本学生支援機構 - Here's another one.

The requirements are there but to save you the trouble, basically, you need 12 years of prior education before entering a language school, the tuition fee is around 500-800,000 Yen a year.

I hope that helps, I'm going to check your topic from time to time just to see if you need additional information aside from the ones I already gave you.

Good luck, dude.

 

[Ran]

Thanks a lot Glenski and Grim Roach! right now i'm checking out the indormation.
i'll post a reply as soon as i have found something that fits what i want.
thanks again