From Tokushima to Tokyo: Prospects for the Future as a Physician

5th Year Student, School of Medicine (as of 2015), Yuto Kinoshita

With doctors in my family, including my father and grandfather, the existence of physicians was familiar to me from a young age. Seeing them work, I naturally developed admiration and respect, and I aimed to become a doctor myself. While many of my friends went on to the local Tokushima University, taking a mock exam for Keio University in the summer of my third year of high school sparked my interest in applying. Considering tuition, local public universities were an option, but my desire to go to Tokyo and support from my family led me to decide on Keio.

In Tokushima, there were no Keio University graduates around me, so there were many differences in my image before and after entering. For example, I had heard that Keio University School of Medicine has strong vertical connections and many affiliated hospitals, and I felt there might be a barrier of strong bonds that would be difficult to enter. However, once I entered, there was no such barrier; rather, I could feel a shared spirit. I think it is a characteristic of Keio University, but professors and seniors often mention Yukichi Fukuzawa's teachings such as "independence and self-respect" and "learning while teaching, teaching while learning." In the presence of Yukichi Fukuzawa, everyone maintains the feeling of being a student, meaning that both those who teach and those who learn help each other, and that spirit has been passed down through generations. I believe such philosophies and spirits create a sense of solidarity that continues even after graduation.

Yes. At the very beginning, until I got used to the environment, there was some, but regardless of being internal or external, we hit it off immediately. At Keio University School of Medicine, about 30 to 40% are internal students. Naturally, they have never experienced the National Center Test and are people who have won the competition for internal promotion in an environment different from the entrance exam race. I feel I was able to come here as a result of working hard on my entrance exam studies, but my values—where getting results on exams and tests was absolute—have been broken down in a good way, and I am being stimulated. I feel we are improving each other through friendly rivalry, not only in studies but also in club activities and communication.

I am working in a group of seven, and everyone is enthusiastic and highly motivated, so every day is very enjoyable and fulfilling. There are many difficult things, but instead of the classroom learning we did until the 4th year, actually examining patients, writing medical records, and consulting makes me feel a desire to help the patient in front of me. The feeling of getting closer to being a doctor step-by-step is increasing, and I think my awareness of wanting to learn more deeply in my own way is becoming stronger. Voluntarily searching for papers and reading them in English is not a burden. I don't think I would have been able to do that much with just desk study.

I belong to the Soft Tennis Club. I've liked racket sports for a long time and used to play table tennis, badminton, and tennis, but I decided to try soft tennis when I entered university. I'm the type who basically always seeks stimulation in new things, so that personality might be why I wanted to go to a university in Tokyo. In my 4th year, I served as the manager, handling preparations for social gatherings and training camps, and supporting other executives.

Club activities are three days a week, but I try to use my time efficiently. I plan to continue until the summer of my 6th year without retiring. Since most people are beginners in the club, the 5th and 6th year students mainly provide guidance, and it's a fun moment to feel the process of juniors getting better. Besides club activities, I continue my part-time job as a private tutor. Activities outside of study are fun to do, and I feel the connections made through these activities will become bonds that last forever in the future.

It's a feature of Keio University School of Medicine, but people always ask "What club are you in?" in conversation. That's because 90% of students belong to some kind of club. The remaining 10% are also remarkably active, joining student organizations or working as interns at companies. It's not that you absolutely must join a club, and it's not that you have to produce results even if you do, so I want those aiming for Keio University School of Medicine to come without feeling that it's a very high hurdle.

It might not be very familiar to the general public, but I am interested in the field of pathology. It is often called the "doctor's doctor," a job that handles all organs and investigates each disease using instruments like microscopes; it's a bridging existence right between clinical practice and research. I don't meet patients directly for examinations or prescribe medicine for treatment, but it's an important job for determining diagnoses, and in the case of a university hospital, I also do research.

The trigger was a lecture in my 3rd year. The classes at the Department of Pathology were very interesting, and I attended every single one, becoming more and more absorbed as I did. Later, in my 4th year, I chose a pathology theme for "Independent Study," where each student decides on their own research theme and works on it for three months. There, I saw the professor of pathology actually working and felt it was indeed interesting. Now that the feelings I felt in my 3rd year are still burning, I feel once again that I want to pursue a career in pathology.

I have a strong desire to recommend Keio University School of Medicine.

For someone from the countryside like me, private medical schools might not be much of an option. Most people don't apply to begin with, many apply to public universities, and I heard it was the first time in 15 years that someone from my high school enrolled here. Tokushima has a small population and was a very narrow world. I had good grades since I was little, but coming here, everyone around me is like that, and it's not easy to be number one like before. That's exactly why I want people to have a hungry spirit and challenge themselves in a wider world.

Also, the faculty at Keio University School of Medicine are all wonderful people. There are truly many professors I can respect from the bottom of my heart. For example, Professor Michiie Sakamoto, who helped me in pathology, is one of the top five people in the world for hepatocellular carcinoma. Right now I admire him, but I want to reach that kind of position myself. I want to become a doctor with an educational spirit who achieves results in clinical practice, research, and education, while also helping juniors grow.

I am also planning a short-term study abroad trip. It's because life only happens once, and I want to aim higher and challenge myself with a hungry spirit. Choosing pathology might also be because I want to challenge a difficult field. They say, "A frog in a well knows nothing of the great ocean." If you have a burning heart and want to jump into a big world, meet people more amazing than yourself, and grow even further, I definitely want you to challenge Keio University School of Medicine.

Soft tennis, which I started upon entering university and have played for 5 years, is now my favorite sport.

At the East Japan Medical Student General Athletic Meet. Happy memories come flooding back.

With my clinical clerkship (in-hospital training) group. I am blessed with talented and interesting peers, making for an enjoyable polyclinic life.

The Awa Odori dance, essential for Tokushima residents. I went to dance in Tokushima, Koenji, Yamagata, and other places.