Studying at a Japanese University worthwhile?

Hello everybody, I am Fuentes from Spain and I am 17 years old, I am in the last course before going to the university. I really want to study at a Japan university but before I would study Japanese in Japan since this July or this October to next November EJU. I only know some words and Kanjis, and Hiragana and katakana, could I reach the level to pass the Eju in that short time?
Another question, if I study in a japanese university will be easier to get a job in Japan or it will be easier if I get my degree in Spain and next go to study Japanese and looking for a job there?
Thank you for answering me!!

Whether it would be worthwhile depends on many factors, not least which university, program, and language.

Programs taught in Japanese frequently have a pretty bad reputation. Many teachers in the Japanese programs only see teaching as a distraction to their research (like some professors in US / UK / Australia / insert country here) an invert the corresponding amount of effort.

Other programs are better. Some of those taught in English are pretty good. I work on an English program at a national university, and I am currently writing recommendation letters for my 4th grade students. They are applying to places like Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Yale, among others, for their graduate programs. In the past, we've had students accepted to Yale, Berkeley, UCLA, U Michigan, National University Singapore, etc. Others have went into domestic universities (Tokyo, Kyoto, etc), or have went into jobs directly.

So, it is entirely possible to graduate from a Japanese university and have excellent post-graduation prospects, although be careful to choose your program and university carefully.

As for learning Japanese - probably you need to look at 18 months to 2 years of full-time study at a language school in Japan before you would reach the required level. You may also need remedial math and science classes for the EJU to come to a level more comparable to the Japanese students.

There's this old myth that Japanese universities are a pain in the ass to get into, but then you can pretty much cruise around until your graduation day. I've heard that if you want to learn, you definitely can, but you don't necessarily have to. If you go back to a country like the U.S. or U.K., Japanese universities might be less valued than their local universities. But in some places like Latin America and some parts of Asia and Europe (maybe in Spain too), they associate Japan's universities level to the country's positive reputation in the world and might think that you're a super smart guy.

But anyway. If your overall objective is to land a job in Japan right out of college, you definitely stand a better chance if you go to a university here and follow the usual job-hunting process as the locals. Besides, you can learn a very good japanese during that time (if you commit to it) and it won't be a problem later. In fact, these type of candidates are very attractive for employers here because they can have a clear understanding of your educational background, can be sure that you're familiar with the culture and language, and at the same time appreciate your international mindset and ability to speak other languages, which can be a clear advantage over many locals.

On the other hand, if you decide to study in Spain and then apply to jobs here, you'll find that employers don't usually look outside of Japan unless you speak the language fluently and also offer a lot of experience in a very specialized field. In my own experience as an engineer, I can tell you that companies in Japan did not start to take my applications from outside seriously until I had built a decent amount of experience (for about 5 years), and even so, is not easy because most of them want you to be fluent in the language, which is difficult to achieve if you don't live here. So it can easily become a chicken and egg situation: You can't move to Japan because you don't find a job. You don't find a job because you're not fluent in the language. You can't be fluent in the language because you haven't lived in Japan.

Now, if you go to university here, the most important thing for employers is usually the name of such university. Grades and majoring area play a less important role because companies usually train you for whatever position they offer you. You could study engineering and get hired for the Sales Dept., for example. So more than your skills, the fact that you made it into a prestigious university among many candidates, means for them that you are a really hardworking and strong-willed person that can adapt and learn. If language is now a problem, go to an international university here and take lectures in english, but make sure to take a japanese language class in parallel. If it goes alright, you should be fluent by the time you graduate.

anyway, sorry for the long post, i got a bit carried away. best of lucks!

Thank you both of you for answering the post. One last question what of this is a better idea, to go on October and take Eju next November or to go on April and take Eju November of 2 years later, in the first option will I be able to reach The level of Eju?
You say you can't speak fluent Japanese because you don't live here but if you study Japanese in a Japanese school and next enroll in a postgrade program you will be able to find a job with a lot of chances no?
Moreover, the first who replied in the post, I don't remember your name sorry, can you say me some English program?

In the UK we have the School for Oriental & African Studies, part of the University of London which offers degrees in both Japanese & Japanese History. The Japanese course feature a year in Japan. Is there something similar in your country that might be another option?

Now, if you go to university here, the most important thing for employers is usually the name of such university.

But also note that many popular companies haven't been asking university names for years. They would not let you write it on your resume, and they make it a rule to not ask it upon the interviews.

However, prestigious universities do tend to nurture students who do well at job interviews and exams.

So it's better to study IN Spain and then go to Japan to get my post grade?

If you do decide to wait till postgrad. Maybe you could read this.

http://tokyofromtheinside.com/guide-entering-a-postgrad-program-in-a-j...

These programs are set up with people like you in mind
http://www.uni.international.mext.go.jp/

You can complete your degree requirements in English, while learning Japanese at the same time. If you work hard, by the end of 4 years, you have a degree, and you are fluent in Japanese.

Alternately, 2 years at language school, then 4 years at university.

You say you can't speak fluent Japanese because you don't live here but if you study Japanese in a Japanese school and next enroll in a postgrade program you will be able to find a job with a lot of chances no?

My honest opinion is that this is too much waste of time. I'll go by steps.

First, yes, you can always come here and enroll in a japanese school after graduating college. Learning fluently will take you about 2 years of full-time study. I can't speak for all industries, but in engineering, generally most employers will think there's a noticeable gap of non-professional activity in your resume since the time you graduated. This is not attractive for them. The only moment when companies are willing to hire people with zero experience and train them is when they are about to graduate college. After that, job applications don't follow the regular agenda for newly-grads, the rules are different and they usually require you to have some level of professional experience. I'm not saying it's impossible to find a job with this plan, but just that it doesn't get easier. Yes, you go up in japanese skills (which is a basic requirement), but lose 2 whole years of potential time to build valuable professional experience.

Now, if on top of those 2 years of japanese school you add 2-3 more years for a post-grade, by the end you'll have a total gap in your resume of 4-5 years without professional experience in the industry. This situation no employer will like it. Here, usually professional experience is more valuable to employers than additional academic titles. If you go this route, my opinion is that you're best option is to stick to academics. Pursue a doctorate, then work as a researcher in some university. Again, for sure there are exceptions to this case, but I'm trying to say that it gets even more difficult.

My advice is that you try to look for a way in which you can build both professional experience and japanese proficiency at the same time, with no time gaps in your resume. And the best way to achieve this, imho, is to go to a japanese university and simultaneously take japanese classes. By the time of your graduation, you will be basically ready to look for a job in Japan and get the same treatment and chances as the locals.

Yes butabara I can't speak Japanese so before going to study to university I have to go to a language school to learn Japanese and then enroll in the university

What I've been saying all along is: do both at the same time. Go to a university in japan where you can take lectures in english AND study japanese at the same time. Why do them separately and waste time?

but well, i already repeated myself many times. it's up you.