Entrance Exams for Realizing Your Aspirations
Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
General Selection
Male
High School | Zushi Kaisei High School (Private) |
|---|---|
Year/Grade | Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, 4th Year |
Primary Research Group | Ataka Research Group |
Major of Primary Research Group | Quantitative Analysis |
My Research Theme | What conditions make a forest feel comfortable to people? |
Other Research Groups (Current or Past) | Aoyama Research Group |
Major of Other Research Groups | Neuroscience |
What I Focus on in My Student Life | Research activities, and the management and development of communities. |
High School Club Activities | Physical Science Club |
How long were you in your high school club? | Until the fall of my second year of high school. |
Favorite Subjects | Physics, Japanese |
What I Focused on in High School | Playing and creating games. |
What I'm Proud of About My High School | It may not be a metropolitan or famous private school, but we have some very passionate and niche teachers. |
When did you first learn about SFC? | In the fall of my second year of high school. |
Did you attend an SFC Open Campus (including online)? | No |
Did you use a Juku or prep school? | Yes (for the basic five subjects, but not for SFC-specific preparation). |
Did you take a gap year to study for exams? | No |
When did you decide to apply to SFC? | In the fall of my third year of high school. |
Which entrance examination did you pass to get into SFC? | General Selection |
What subjects did you take for the exam? | Information, Short Essay |
Did you take any other entrance exams besides the one you passed? | No |
What was your preference ranking for SFC? | First choice |
What other faculties did you apply to concurrently? | Faculty of Policy Management |
What other universities did you apply to? | Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Tsukuba, Meiji University |
Why I Chose SFC and My Journey to University
In high school, I aspired to a life where I could articulate and realize my own ambitions, rather than just doing what I was told. I realized that to do so, I would need at least a university-level education and a degree, so I decided to go to university.
However, I fell ill from studying too hard for the entrance exams and had to change the universities I was applying to. At that time, I found that SFC not only allowed me to study neuroscience, which I was interested in, but also had an examination format that suited me, such as requiring a short essay. I decided to make it my first choice.
I also received an acceptance from the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Tsukuba, which I had applied to concurrently. However, I chose to enroll at SFC. This was because I was entering in the 2020 academic year when the COVID-19 situation was uncertain, and there was a high probability that we wouldn't be able to attend university in person often. Additionally, SFC offered the opportunity to join research groups from the first year and has an overwhelmingly free and open atmosphere.
What's Your Recommended Study Method?
I used to have the shallow idea that it was important to attend prep school classes and use many different textbooks. Now, however, I believe it's crucial to thoroughly review the problems in the materials right in front of you and your mock exam results to figure out exactly why you couldn't solve them.
All successful people are skilled at reflection; you could say that this is the training they are doing.
The Connection Between Your High School Studies and Your Current Learning at SFC
Having studied the five subjects and seven courses (for science track students), I can understand most topics that come up and can quickly catch up on anything necessary. I also self-studied the required parts of university-level mathematics and am now engaged in specialized research.
A Message for Prospective Students
During the period of studying for entrance exams, it's easy to fall into the mindset that there is no other path. In reality, that's not the case; your exam results only affect a very small part of your life in this world. It might be because I work at a startup, but my workplace is a place where people from various educational backgrounds come together and do great work.
Still, if you aspire to a good university, there must be a dream you truly want to achieve. You might want to learn from a specific person, or conduct a particular study, and so on. The process involves properly articulating that desire, and then planning, executing, and reflecting on what is necessary to make it a reality. If you think of it as practice for setting goals and managing projects to achieve them—something you will do many times in your life—it might ease your mind a little.
If the act of taking exams itself or your choice of university is not your own decision but that of your parents or teachers, I think it's best to stop right away. If you don't break away now, you might end up getting certifications you see no meaning in, studying abroad without enthusiasm, or job hunting for a career you have no interest in, all because someone told you to. And then you will start blaming others for your own life.
University entrance exams are an opportunity where almost everyone has an equal chance to experience "deciding and seizing your own life for yourself." I believe that fully embracing this opportunity to decide how you will live your future is more important than getting into your first-choice university.