Just started taking Japanese

[Stunt]

On Wednesday, I'll start my Japanese language course in college and wanted to ask -- other than the class, what else could I do to help further my learning of the language, specifically reading and understanding?

Are there any applications (iPhone) or programs (Windows 7) you would suggest I also look into?

[asqkcom]

flash cards?

[JohnBraden]

Kana Quiz is free and it will help you learn both hiragana and katakana....

I also use Midori, but that's a pay one....

[KyleGoetz]

First semester you should just do your work on time. Don't go out partying, don't wait until the last minute. When you get home from Japanese class, do the homework. It will probably be less than thirty minutes of work. Easy.

You're not going to be learning too much your first semester that's going to require flashcarding, and you're probably not going to be at a level for a few months where learning anything on your own is going to be very likely. You're going to be learning set phrases and kana. Maybe 20 vocabulary words a week. You might learn around 50 kanji this semester. I can't remember how many I learned, but it wasn't that many (maybe the numbers, elements/days of the week, and a few important ones like 人 and 員 and 買).

I guess use Anki to learn the kana and the vocab. It will decrease your study time and maximize your grade.

Also, don't quote anime in class. You'll look stupid. You'll be surprised how many people will do this.