[MuRaSaKiiNkI]

That's an interesting perspective, I've never thought of taking private lessons or an informal summer course instead of going through a university. I've heard of people learning how to write online, but transferring into classes when they want to practice speech and interaction.

I can see where you're coming from though. I'm from a private school, so our classes are already difficult and small. My third year Japanese class was two people (From a starting class of fourteen), so the teacher wasn't getting paid for it. But I love her! Japanese is the most interactive class I've ever had. So, a university class can be good or bad (Our Chinese classes, for example, are the worst, and hardly anyone passes). This is mainly due to the Chinese teacher not knowing how to teach American students (Or American students not knowing how to understand a fifty-year-old Chinese woman...either or).

I do love my university class, though, and depending on the professor, it can be more rewarding BECAUSE of the pressure to succeed, and the competition. We do simulations of buying groceries, and talking on the phone, and getting directions in the street...OMG! I love my class... It's not meant for some people who can't process information relatively quickly and set up basic patterns of speech. Although, now I do independent study, which, I think is close to what you're getting at SM. It's nice to have the informal, verbal stuff, but I also like the classroom-structured bits because it's easier to learn Japanese with a sturdy foundation, instead of putting jumbled pieces together.

For instance, my Sensei taught me how to conjugate the た(て)フォーム Ta-forms by a simple song, sung in the tune of "Oh, Christmas Tree":

Oh み、に、び
Oh み、に、びー
み、に、び to んだ

Oh い、ち、り
Oh い、ち、りー
い、ち、り to った

き -> いた
ぎ -> いだ
し -> した
来た/した

Oh み、に、び
Oh み、に、びー
たフォームがわかる。(Now we know our Ta-forms)


Without Sensei, I don't think I'd ever learn that nifty trick, which helps a lot with conjugating ta- and te-forms.