Welcome messages from our students: Lindsay Waters, second year BA Japanese and TESOL
Lindsay Waters and friends at a Japanese Society dinner
Attending university at York St John has opened a whole new world for me.
I deferred attending university for several years after completing my A-levels and so initially had my reservations about attending university in my mid-twenties. I was concerned about starting study again after a long absence and, crucially, if I would be able to make friends with my fellow students. However, I quickly learned that York St John has many facilities and platforms available to assist mature students of all ages acclimatise to university life. In addition, I found the staff and the other students to be both welcoming and friendly.
There are plenty of opportunities offered within the subject area and I have endeavoured to seize as many as I can. From the fortnightly colloquium lectures, I have learned a variety of additional information relating to my field of study; from becoming an academic representative, I have felt more connected to my fellow students and staff; from the language exchange café, I have made friends with Japanese exchange students to further my understanding of the language and culture; from the Japanese Society, I have not only met a variety of students from different years but also had the opportunity to become part of the committee and help plan events. These opportunities, as well as being both fun and challenging, offer a great experience and useful skills for post-graduation such as leadership and teamwork.
I was a complete beginner to the Japanese language when I began at York St John and the thought of learning a new language was both exciting and daunting. Despite my initial nerves, I found that the Japanese lecturers are extremely helpful, patient and approachable. Their thorough understanding of the Japanese language and open attitude means that asking for further explanation isn’t a problem. And booking a private tutorial with the lecturers is simple.
I have just completed my first year at York St John University and am excited to see what new opportunities Languages and Linguistics will have in store for me over the next three years.
