Sophie Bennett

Japanese Studies

“I choose Oxford Brookes because it ranked highly for Japanese Studies and I had heard that its year abroad was one of the best in the country”

Before coming to Oxford Brookes Sophie Bennett studied Japanese as part of her International Baccalaureate. Her interest in the country and language only grew after visiting Japan in 2011.

I choose Oxford Brookes because it ranked highly for Japanese Studies and I had heard that its year abroad was one of the best in the country. Since I wanted to return to Japan, and knew Brookes had year abroad exchanges with a broad range of universities in Japan, this was a major factor in my decision to choose Brookes.

In my first two years, I was a member of the Japanese Society, which is the largest student-led society at Brookes. It was great to be able to get together with my friends and to meet new people with similar interests.

On my year abroad I studied at the acclaimed Aoyama University in Tokyo and had a fantastic time. The lectures were interesting and very detailed, and the lecturers themselves were friendly and always ready to lend a hand. I also had a great time experiencing Japanese culture, particularly the festivals and music. I got to participate in some things that I would have never had the chance to do in England. It was definitely one of the best years of my life.

After I graduate I hope to return to Japan to work as an English teacher or translator.