*Phew*
That last week will forever be known as Hell Week (and by forever I mean until an even shittier week comes along).
First things first: I passed. I'm going through to the next class. I spent all weekend fearing I'd failed my final tests (especially the Listening) but actually I did fine; 88.6% on the Written, 80% on the Listening (which a lot of people failed), and 91.3% on the Speaking - all above the average.
It used to be that the pass grade was 70% for all three areas which meant that, apart from the odd tricky listening test, you were fairly likely to pass. After the first tests this term, however, we were told we had to get over 80% in the Writing, which seemed fair enough given the level we're now at. Then, apparently for this second round of tests, we were supposed to get over 85% on the Written which we once again learned after the event. Basically Yamasa seems to be making it all up as they go along and some people are having to repeat this term who possibly shouldn't, and more would be repaeating if they weren't leaving this term. Others got through by the skin of their teeth. Like me.
Although I passed their tests and was joint best with one other guy (who minored in Japanese at college for 3 years before coming to Yamasa) at all the essays, in the end I had to beg to go through to the next level because I failed the 実力テスト. This is the competency test every Yamasa student has to do once a term for Yamasa's own records so that they can gauge our progress. There's one for the first 4 terms and another for the last four terms. Basically, if you're in the bottom class when you do the first one for the first term, you won't know the answers to most of the questions asked because you haven't studied the gramar yet. What it does mean is that you can guess (however wildly) and a right answer counts as a right answer whether you had any reasoning or not.
Anyway, since I've now been at Yamasa for a year and a half, I did the second test for the second time and was told I had to get over 70% to pass it unlike last time when the pass rate was 50%. Now, these pass rates are based on previous averages so if the previous class the average was taken from is compased of people who know kanji and/or have studied Japanese before coming to Yamasa, that average is bound to be high. Long story short, I only got a 63% on that test.
My head sensei for this term was Aya sensei who was firmly on my side and believed I should go through to B Class. She gave me my results on Monday and we were both very pleased since we didn't see any problem with me advancing. We had a meeting at the end of that day to discuss everything and we parted with her saying she would email me the verdict once she had spoken to what sounded like a board of teachers who say whether you can advance of now but is namely one man - Yokozawa sensei. It was a very positive meeting and I went away quietly confident that I was going up and Aya sensei seemed so too.
Imagine my surprise then when I got Aya sensei's email later that night and it said very apologetically, that the teachers were worried and she couldn't yet say whether I was going up or not but that we would need to have yet another meeting on Tuesday. Since I've always been bettter at writing than speaking I sent an email stating my case. The next day we had our meeting where I pulled out all the evidence of my study (vaste notes and mountainous flash cards) so that Aya-sensei would have more in her arsenal to once again argue my case. She already knows I work blooody hard which is why she was so willing to battle on my behalf. She then asked me if she could show Yokozawa sensei my email from last night and if I would write another one after this second meeting, which I did. At long last, I found out after school on Wednesday, that I was being allowed to go up. I still don't know about a few other people who we being similarly scaremongered based on this one competency test we were always told was not important but rather, simply for Yamasa's own benifit. They even told us every single term that we didn't need to bother preparing for it when now it seems we should have been teaching ourselves grammar we've yet to cover in class in preparation.
As for my sending emails to plead my case, it seems to have started a trend. Now other people in danger of not going up are being asked to write similar emails >_<
I'm telling you, it was one trying week. If I hadn't gone up I would have just gone home which would have been a lot earlier than I'd planned. Plus Yamasa would have been pretty much stealing my money. I'm so glad I'm going to be out of there soon. They are going down the pan fast and I'm not the only one noticing it.
Anyway, sorry for the dry post. I just wanted to get this crap written down while I remembered it. I'll be reviewing Yamasa properly once I leave. Hopefully they'll get their act togetehr before then. I won't hold my breath though.
First things first: I passed. I'm going through to the next class. I spent all weekend fearing I'd failed my final tests (especially the Listening) but actually I did fine; 88.6% on the Written, 80% on the Listening (which a lot of people failed), and 91.3% on the Speaking - all above the average.
It used to be that the pass grade was 70% for all three areas which meant that, apart from the odd tricky listening test, you were fairly likely to pass. After the first tests this term, however, we were told we had to get over 80% in the Writing, which seemed fair enough given the level we're now at. Then, apparently for this second round of tests, we were supposed to get over 85% on the Written which we once again learned after the event. Basically Yamasa seems to be making it all up as they go along and some people are having to repeat this term who possibly shouldn't, and more would be repaeating if they weren't leaving this term. Others got through by the skin of their teeth. Like me.
Although I passed their tests and was joint best with one other guy (who minored in Japanese at college for 3 years before coming to Yamasa) at all the essays, in the end I had to beg to go through to the next level because I failed the 実力テスト. This is the competency test every Yamasa student has to do once a term for Yamasa's own records so that they can gauge our progress. There's one for the first 4 terms and another for the last four terms. Basically, if you're in the bottom class when you do the first one for the first term, you won't know the answers to most of the questions asked because you haven't studied the gramar yet. What it does mean is that you can guess (however wildly) and a right answer counts as a right answer whether you had any reasoning or not.
Anyway, since I've now been at Yamasa for a year and a half, I did the second test for the second time and was told I had to get over 70% to pass it unlike last time when the pass rate was 50%. Now, these pass rates are based on previous averages so if the previous class the average was taken from is compased of people who know kanji and/or have studied Japanese before coming to Yamasa, that average is bound to be high. Long story short, I only got a 63% on that test.
My head sensei for this term was Aya sensei who was firmly on my side and believed I should go through to B Class. She gave me my results on Monday and we were both very pleased since we didn't see any problem with me advancing. We had a meeting at the end of that day to discuss everything and we parted with her saying she would email me the verdict once she had spoken to what sounded like a board of teachers who say whether you can advance of now but is namely one man - Yokozawa sensei. It was a very positive meeting and I went away quietly confident that I was going up and Aya sensei seemed so too.
Imagine my surprise then when I got Aya sensei's email later that night and it said very apologetically, that the teachers were worried and she couldn't yet say whether I was going up or not but that we would need to have yet another meeting on Tuesday. Since I've always been bettter at writing than speaking I sent an email stating my case. The next day we had our meeting where I pulled out all the evidence of my study (vaste notes and mountainous flash cards) so that Aya-sensei would have more in her arsenal to once again argue my case. She already knows I work blooody hard which is why she was so willing to battle on my behalf. She then asked me if she could show Yokozawa sensei my email from last night and if I would write another one after this second meeting, which I did. At long last, I found out after school on Wednesday, that I was being allowed to go up. I still don't know about a few other people who we being similarly scaremongered based on this one competency test we were always told was not important but rather, simply for Yamasa's own benifit. They even told us every single term that we didn't need to bother preparing for it when now it seems we should have been teaching ourselves grammar we've yet to cover in class in preparation.
As for my sending emails to plead my case, it seems to have started a trend. Now other people in danger of not going up are being asked to write similar emails >_<
I'm telling you, it was one trying week. If I hadn't gone up I would have just gone home which would have been a lot earlier than I'd planned. Plus Yamasa would have been pretty much stealing my money. I'm so glad I'm going to be out of there soon. They are going down the pan fast and I'm not the only one noticing it.
Anyway, sorry for the dry post. I just wanted to get this crap written down while I remembered it. I'll be reviewing Yamasa properly once I leave. Hopefully they'll get their act togetehr before then. I won't hold my breath though.