About two weeks ago, I was tutoring Haruna, a third year student and member of the ESS club, for a college entrance examination. Nobody from my school had taken the exam before, and the sample examination looked extremely difficult. I wasn’t sure that she could make it, but I found out this morning that she passed the exam.
She came and told me herself, and I was so proud of her. She worked so hard on preparation, and it paid off – I was bracing myself for disappointment, but I was really glad that she’s in.
College works a little differently here – once you pass an entrance exam, you are automatically going to that school. You can’t shop around and see what other colleges have to offer – you pick which one to try for, and then you take the exam. If you fail, you try somewhere else, and if you pass, you’re in.
The college that she is entering is in Kobe, and it’s a school that focuses on international skills. The students of English in that school are in demand for international businesses all over Japan. Things are looking good for Haruna.
