How universities evaluate us in Japan
Hi, I’m Erika from Japan!!
In this post, I want to compare the process of entering universities in Japan and the US. They are drastically different and in my opinion, I prefer the US application system much more, which is one of the reasons I did not apply for any Japanese universities in my senior year of high school.
First of all, in order to apply for a university in the States, we submit so many different documents. For example, essays, high school GPA records, information on extracurricular activities, test scores such as the SAT and TOEFL, letters of recommendation, evidence of awards that you have won and so on. Some say that is confusing and too much work, but on the other hand, the admissions committee evaluates your hard work during high school, your personality, your passion, many aspects of you which I love about this system.
On the other hand, in Japan and some other Asian countries, most of the time you are evaluated only with your test score. And you can only take the test once a year on a specific date in your senior year. If you are sick or did not do well as you expected, you have to wait another whole year to take the exam. Depending on that score, you decide which University you want to apply to. This means, basically, the school draws a line based on the test scores, and if you are below that line for even one point, you are dropped.
They do not look at what kind of person you are or what is on your mind with essays, they do not look at how hard you worked during high school regarding your GPA. They do not care about your social life through extracurricular activities, nor check to see if you are contributing to society in any way. What they care about is just how much you faced your books and tests, and how well you performed on the exam on that one day.
Japan has one of the lowest percentages of high school students to go to college. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan, 51% of seniors in high school choose to go to college. In comparison, the United States is 74%, and the average of OECD countries, (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) which mostly consists of developing countries, is 62%. Japan is behind. And for those that do choose to go on to college, the process is very difficult.
In 2017, more than 580,000 Japanese High school students took the University entrance exam. The stakes of the tests are so high that winter in Japan is widely known as “examination hell.” (The Atlantic 2018) Pressure is also intense. For this one day of testing, students have to go through the pressure for 3 years of high school studies preparing for it. Furthermore, the entrance exam is always in mid-January which is the flu season adding to the drama. If you miss the test and the makeup test which is a few days later, you have to wait another year. Since which college you get in to is so important, and graduating from a good college means a more promising career, the pressure to do well on this test is intense.
I am so impressed and proud of all my friends in Japan who went through all this stress and chaos. I, in a way, ran away from all that by pursuing my dream to come here. Coming to the US was tough for me too, but in comparing how universities evaluate incoming students, I truly think that there is a huge difference and I prefer the US system much more! I am a person as an applicant, not a test score.
The high school seniors who I mentored last summer have actually just taken their entrance exam last week. I hope they get the chance to apply to their dream school!!
Here is a picture of me and my friends heading for study camp that all seniors have to attend in my high school during summer vacation. I know we look happy in this picture, but we were forced to study 14 hours a day for a week in the mountains without the internet! I had to go even if I was applying for the U.S…. It did not feel as bad as it sounds since I was with my friends and we were striving together. Fun memories…I guess!!
Erika :)
Resources
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/01/overhauling-japans-high-stakes-university-admission-system/550409/ http://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/giji/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/04/17/1333454_11.pdf
In this post, I want to compare the process of entering universities in Japan and the US. They are drastically different and in my opinion, I prefer the US application system much more, which is one of the reasons I did not apply for any Japanese universities in my senior year of high school.
First of all, in order to apply for a university in the States, we submit so many different documents. For example, essays, high school GPA records, information on extracurricular activities, test scores such as the SAT and TOEFL, letters of recommendation, evidence of awards that you have won and so on. Some say that is confusing and too much work, but on the other hand, the admissions committee evaluates your hard work during high school, your personality, your passion, many aspects of you which I love about this system.
On the other hand, in Japan and some other Asian countries, most of the time you are evaluated only with your test score. And you can only take the test once a year on a specific date in your senior year. If you are sick or did not do well as you expected, you have to wait another whole year to take the exam. Depending on that score, you decide which University you want to apply to. This means, basically, the school draws a line based on the test scores, and if you are below that line for even one point, you are dropped.
They do not look at what kind of person you are or what is on your mind with essays, they do not look at how hard you worked during high school regarding your GPA. They do not care about your social life through extracurricular activities, nor check to see if you are contributing to society in any way. What they care about is just how much you faced your books and tests, and how well you performed on the exam on that one day.
Japan has one of the lowest percentages of high school students to go to college. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan, 51% of seniors in high school choose to go to college. In comparison, the United States is 74%, and the average of OECD countries, (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) which mostly consists of developing countries, is 62%. Japan is behind. And for those that do choose to go on to college, the process is very difficult.
In 2017, more than 580,000 Japanese High school students took the University entrance exam. The stakes of the tests are so high that winter in Japan is widely known as “examination hell.” (The Atlantic 2018) Pressure is also intense. For this one day of testing, students have to go through the pressure for 3 years of high school studies preparing for it. Furthermore, the entrance exam is always in mid-January which is the flu season adding to the drama. If you miss the test and the makeup test which is a few days later, you have to wait another year. Since which college you get in to is so important, and graduating from a good college means a more promising career, the pressure to do well on this test is intense.
I am so impressed and proud of all my friends in Japan who went through all this stress and chaos. I, in a way, ran away from all that by pursuing my dream to come here. Coming to the US was tough for me too, but in comparing how universities evaluate incoming students, I truly think that there is a huge difference and I prefer the US system much more! I am a person as an applicant, not a test score.
The high school seniors who I mentored last summer have actually just taken their entrance exam last week. I hope they get the chance to apply to their dream school!!
Here is a picture of me and my friends heading for study camp that all seniors have to attend in my high school during summer vacation. I know we look happy in this picture, but we were forced to study 14 hours a day for a week in the mountains without the internet! I had to go even if I was applying for the U.S…. It did not feel as bad as it sounds since I was with my friends and we were striving together. Fun memories…I guess!!
Erika :)
Resources
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/01/overhauling-japans-high-stakes-university-admission-system/550409/ http://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/giji/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2013/04/17/1333454_11.pdf
Comments
Post a Comment