Random Thoughts on Entrance Exams for the New Faculty and Graduate School | Keiichi Yoshino (Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)
2005.02.10
It is now the season for various entrance exams. As I have been deeply involved in the entrance exams for one new faculty and one new graduate school recently, I will write some of my random thoughts on them this time.
1. About the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care
The first general entrance examination for this faculty, established in April 2001, was held in early 2001. My initial worry was whether we would receive a respectable number of applications for what was Juku University's ninth faculty. This concern stemmed from the fact that the term "Nursing and Medical Care" was being used for the first time in this field and that the faculty is located far from the affiliated Juku University Hospital. Fortunately, this worry proved to be unfounded. The application ratio was a magnificent figure of over 27 to 1, which, even if partly due to a "first-time celebratory bonus" (the Keio brand, an unknown deviation score, etc.), was wonderful. At the same time, I was pleased that the number of students advancing from within Keio was a satisfactory figure of just over 10 percent. This is because, at times like these, it feels somewhat awkward as a dean if the number of students advancing from within Keio is extremely low. In any case, due to the aforementioned 27-to-1 ratio, the deviation score for the acceptance line indicated by preparatory schools for the following year's entrance exam was extremely high, and naturally, we became the undisputed leader among private four-year nursing universities. As a result, prospective students were deterred, and the application ratio has been declining year by year. For the Heisei 17 (2005) academic year, for which exams begin this weekend, the ratio has fallen to 9.1 to 1, dropping below the Juku-wide average of 10.8 to 1 for the first time. Nevertheless, I am relieved that we are not the lowest among the faculties. Also, the deviation score remains as high as ever.
Another feature of this faculty's entrance examinations is their sheer variety, which makes it feel as if we are conducting exams all year round. After the largest entrance examination mentioned above is over and the spring semester, filled with orientations, concludes safely, summer vacation begins. Before it's even over, in early September, there are entrance exams for second-year transfers for bachelor's degree holders and third-year transfers for graduates of three-year nursing junior colleges. All of these consist of a first-stage written exam and a second-stage interview exam one week later, which fills up my weekends and my schedule book. For each written exam, we must create high-quality questions every year. In fact, it doesn't end there. The AO (Admissions Office) entrance examination, a self-promotional style exam that is one of the hallmarks of SFC's admissions process, begins in October, before the dust has even settled from the second- and third-year transfer exams. The first stage of the AO exam is a selection based on submitted documents. While I have yet to encounter the rumored "truckload" of application materials said to have been for the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, organizing and evaluating them places a great human and physical burden on us. As soon as this AO exam work is finished, December is upon us, and we must begin preparations for the general entrance exams for the following spring. Furthermore, this spring, the entrance examination for the new Graduate School of Health Management, which I will discuss next, was also added.
2. Graduate School of Health Management
Timed to coincide with the graduation of the first class from the aforementioned Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, the entrance examination for the Graduate School of Health Management—which will launch this April as Juku University's 11th graduate school—began at the start of this month, and the results are being announced at SFC this morning. This initial series of events is exactly the same as what I described for the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. The term "Health Management," as well as its specialization names like "Medical Management" and "Sports Management," are either the first of their kind in Japan or are highly novel, so once again, I was worried whether we would get enough applicants to meet the admission capacity of 40 students. When we saw the results, we had 115 applicants, an application ratio of 2.9 to 1, which allowed us to exceed the average application ratio for Juku University's graduate school entrance exams. This was another great relief. My true feeling is that it's a relief that this graduate school entrance exam is, for now, held only once a year.
3. True Random Thoughts
To the members of the entrance exam committee, the administrative staff, the examiners, and the proctors who have handled this tremendous amount of work, thank you so much. Thanks to you, we have made it this far without any issues. Well then, starting this weekend are the faculty's general entrance exams. I'm counting on you all.
Addendum: By the way, last night's World Cup qualifier soccer match against North Korea was a close call. All the more reason why the victory in injury time at the very end sent shockwaves of joy through the Japanese archipelago. It was a happy flash of light amidst all the dark news, such as major earthquakes, large tsunamis, and multiple simultaneous deaths from hit-and-run incidents. (End)
(Date Published: 2005/02/10)