University Prospectus and Guidebook

2018/05/01

By the time Golden Week ends, the hustle and bustle of the new academic year subsides, and the season for university entrance exam consultations begins. While these consultations once targeted third-year high school students and those studying for another year to retake exams, the target age has gradually lowered to second- and first-year high school students. Now, with the increase in combined junior and senior high schools, we are in an era where even third-year junior high school students seek university admissions information.

Universities respond to this demand by creating colorful guidebooks as information tools, packed with data and information on their founding philosophy, faculty curricula, student life, study abroad programs, scholarships, employment, and entrance examinations. However, such comprehensive informational booklets did not exist in the past.

For the 1978 academic year entrance examinations, Keio University created its first "Daigaku Annai" (University Prospectus), a 44-page, B5-size booklet, and enclosed it with application forms. Although it dedicated only two pages per faculty, it briefly introduced the features of departments and majors and broadly covered topics such as student life and employment information. This was a time when the nature of university entrance examinations was undergoing significant change, with the introduction of the Joint First-Stage Achievement Test for national and public universities scheduled for the following year, 1979. The "Daigaku Annai" was a monochrome, text-heavy booklet, but each faculty devised creative ways to describe their programs. Starting with the 1984 entrance examinations, the university further enhanced the faculty introductions, nearly doubling the page count to 84 pages. During consultations at that time, leftover copies of the "Daigaku Annai" from the previous year were used to explain to prospective students.

In 1990, the Joint First-Stage Achievement Test was replaced by the National Center Test for University Admissions, in which private universities could also participate. At Keio University, the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies were newly established, and SFC (Shonan Fujisawa Campus) was born. This marked the next major turning point for Keio University's admissions public relations. For the 1991 entrance examinations, the university created its first 30-page, full-color supplementary pamphlet to complement the "Daigaku Annai," which was well-received. In the spring of 1993, this evolved into the "Guidebook," which incorporated the content of the "Daigaku Annai" to introduce the entirety of Keio University in a single volume. This ushered in an era where many universities enhanced these types of booklets, expanded their open campus events, and competed in their admissions public relations. Keio University's "Guidebook" also increased its page count year by year, expanding its format to A4 size from the 1996 academic year and finally surpassing 100 pages two years later. Consequently, the "Daigaku Annai," published in the fall, became an abridged version of the "Guidebook." In the 2010s, its page count was significantly reduced, and with the introduction of online applications, it ceased publication after the 2016 entrance examinations, its historical mission having come to an end.

The page count of the "Guidebook" continued to increase thereafter, with the 2017 edition reaching a hefty 160 pages. On the other hand, the shift from paper to the internet progressed, and universities began to focus on disseminating information on their websites. In addition to enhancing its website, Keio University has also started to provide university introductions through videos covering faculties, scholarships, student dormitories, and student life.

(The Editors)