Best upgrading plan for a student?

Hey there!
So… I just reached level three, and I know that I will need to upgrade soon, but I need some advice.
Which plan would be the best for me? I am a student in high school, so I don’t have much money and I want to make the best possible purchase.
So, how long did/do you think it would take to get to level 60? Would it be better for me to go lifetime or just yearly?
Thanks!

Depends on how fast you feel like going. There is usually a sale sometime in december during which the lifetime subscription is only $200 so if you think it’s going to take more than two years, or if you want to keep reviewing after reaching level 60 you should get the lifetime. The fastest possible progress takes you to 60 in about a year, but I think the average is above two years.

2 Likes

The time it would take to get to level 60 varies on many factors. Commitment, time, motivation, accuracy, and a number of other factors. So if you go in for monthly or yearly, you had better not waste time when leveling up. I opted for lifetime because I believe that learning a language is a lifetime commitment. I’m sure to forget kanji I rarely see in my day to day life, so having the option to go back to this site at anytime and brush up my kanji knowledge is definitely a plus.

3 Likes

Okay. If I do happen to finish in only one year, would I still be able to access content past level 3?

Content past level 3 is only available to those with active accounts. So if you finish at about a year, and your subscription is a year. No you won’t see any content beyond level 3

1 Like

No. Also, you can reach level 60 in one year (at maximum speed), but not finish, because there will still be unburned items.

1 Like

It sounds like it’s best to just go lifetime. Is there any reason not to, in your experiences?

@Borx Likes to point out that a normal subscription applies more pressure to continue and helps with motivation

2 Likes

Okay. But since I plan to move to Japan once I’ve gotten my degree, wouldn’t it be better to just have the lifetime? Or would I still retain all of the information I’ve learned?

Again this all depends on personal factors. If you are constantly reading and studying Japanese until the time you graduate from college, then probably not. But statistically, people are more likely to quit than stick with a long term goal. You know your personality the best. Are you a type that is persistent and sticks with long term projects? If you don’t know, paying for lifetime might be an expensive investment for the chance to have it be put on a shelf and not used.

1 Like

If you can get ahold of the coupon code, you can get the suscription plan for 50% off ($50 a year if I remember correctly). I’m doing that with the intention of using it likely for three years since I’m using it casually. If you plan on moving to Japan in less than 4 years, I’d say try to find the coupon and go with the yearly. If it will be longer or you can’t find the coupon, go lifetime. I’d say it’s obvious that monthly is a terrible idea. :stuck_out_tongue:

If you use a strong grammar supplement, you should be able to start reading Japanese enough that living in Japan alone will be much more relevant practice than devoting time to WaniKani.

1 Like

The coupon code is only eligible for lifetime members of Textfugu. Please don’t advertise for people to steal from Tofugu!

5 Likes

^^^ The end-of-year sale sometimes includes Textfugu Lifetime ($50 instead of $99), which gives you the 50%-for-life Wanikani coupon legitimately. The 50% is applicable to monthly and annual.

EDIT: Lifetime at $200 (the usual annual-sale price) is really a great deal if you can afford it up front. I’ve seen more people regret not buying lifetime up front than those who do regret buying it.

2 Likes

I didn’t know about that. My bad @EiriMatsu

The Mo' You Know

2 Likes

I think the big question for you is do you want / need to go super fast? A lot of people try to get to 60 in a year (and make self congratulatory posts about their early progress), and a lot of people disappear in the mid levels.

Of people who make it, there seem to be two main types. Those who already had a decent base line knowledge of other areas of Japanese (and even kanji in some cases) when they started, and those who prioritize kanji over all other areas of study.

What’s your current level of Japanese generally? If you’re planning on studying all aspects of the language, you’ll need to make sure you have enough time for study outside WK.

This is the truest advice there is. When I signed up for lifetime, my progress had it looking like it would be a total waste of money. But I was very aware that I would not maintain that pace through the higher levels and it’s turned out to be a good decision. Think about what you want / need from the program and how it’ll fit into your overall studies and you should be able to make the best choice.

4 Likes

To go along with this, @anon85167355, if you’re a student, you could also try asking for the $200 for WaniKani Lifetime for Christmas - or part of it, even. Your parents might be excited you’re so interested in learning. This would likely be instead of a new gaming system, or something, but worth an ask if you’re serious about it (and wouldn’t miss the videogames/other expensive gift you’re hoping for).

I asked for it myself, (my parents said no) but my sister and her husband who were already using the system gave me $100 for Christmas for WK. Now we’re all (very slowly) learning together. XD (We’re all adults and have many things to do).

That may be an option for you, as well.

4 Likes

It’ll be longer than four years, since I’m still in high school… :frowning:

@riccyjay I’ve already learned Hiragana and Katakana, and I do plan to study all aspects. Thanks for the advice

@AnimeCanuck @riccyjay @LucasDesu @rfindley @EiriMatsu @Kumirei
Thanks for all the awesome advice! I think that I’ll wait until the holiday sale comes around, and I’ll talk to my parents about it.

1 Like

One last thing that wasn’t mentioned; So that you can continue, you should at least subscribe, if you do end up getting the lifetime, whatever part of the subscription you haven’t used yet will be credited to you in the final price of the lifetime subscription.

For example, you purchase a 1 year subscription at $90 USD right now. The holiday sale comes and offers a discounted lifetime subscription at $200 USD on 12/22* which you purchase. At that point, you’ve used 44 days of your subscription coming out to be about $11.00 USD, which leaves behind a $79 USD credit to be deducted from the price of the discounted lifetime subscription. 200 - 79 = $121 USD due for a lifetime subscription.

*DISCLAIMER: I have no idea if Tofugu will run a holiday sale this year, what products will be on sale, or what day the sale would fall on. I’m just doing this to make the example clear.

My point is if you’d like to subscribe either way, then subscribe !

6 Likes