The number of “recommended applicants” has drastically increased at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, and their evaluation has drastically changed over the past 10 years from “burden” to “better than general entrance examinations.

Students who enter the university through the Comprehensive Entrance Examination are really excellent. They clearly have a higher sense of purpose than students who enter through the general entrance examination. They also have a high level of reading comprehension and creativity. Their goal is not to be accepted into a university, but rather to study this field of study after entering the university.

A source at a well-known private university in Tokyo said, “Each university has its own “recommended entrant” system.

At various universities, “students with recommendations” are being valued. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has changed the name of the “recommendation-based entrance examination,” which is based on high school grades and extracurricular activity records, to “school recommendation-based selection. The “AO Entrance Examination,” in which aptitude is judged through interviews and essays, has been renamed the “Comprehensive Entrance Examination. For the sake of convenience, we would like to refer to students who took both types of entrance examinations as “students admitted on recommendation.

In FY2009, more than 50% of all admissions to public and private universities in Japan came from “students admitted on recommendation. In the past, “recommended entrants” were ridiculed as “monkey entrance examinations” and even as “baggage” because of their image of being able to pass entrance examinations more easily than the highly competitive general entrance examinations. What is the background to this drastic change in evaluation? University journalist Reiji Ishiwata answers.

Until about 10 years ago, it was true that students who entered universities with recommendations were often said to be lacking in academic ability. In fact, some students dropped out of some universities after entering because they could not keep up with the classes. When the University of Tokyo introduced “recommended admission” in 2004, it was criticized as ‘the deterioration of the University of Tokyo’ and ‘the end of the most difficult universities'” (Ishiwata).

Application criteria changed from “no conditions” to “a grade of 3.5 or higher.

The tide turned in the latter half of the decade, when in 2004 the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) limited the number of accepted applicants to 1.1 times the maximum number for private universities in urban areas in order to promote regional development, and in 2007 it regulated the establishment of new faculties, making general entrance examinations more difficult.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has also introduced the “Admission with Recommendation” system, which is held in the summer and fall. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also tried to improve the quality of “recommended applicants,” instructing applicants to emphasize reading comprehension in their essays. The difficulty level of the exam increased rapidly.

The selection criteria of each university also became stricter. At Kyorin University’s School of Policy Studies, the application criterion was “no requirement” in 2010, but in 2010 it was “a grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Waseda University’s Faculty of Sociology raised its “3.5” to “4.0” in 2010.

The content of the essay has clearly become more difficult. For example, in the past, it was common to write about Francis Xavier, a missionary of the Muromachi period (1336-1573), ‘Answer in 50 words or less the purpose of your visit to Japan. Now it is different. If you were Xavier, what exactly would you do for missionary work in Japan? They require not only knowledge, but also writing ability and creativity.

Interviews are also becoming more specialized. In the past, if you answered “yes” to the question, “Are you sure you want to join us? and all you had to do was answer “yes. Now you are asked to give your opinions and impressions on the research of each department. You can’t compete with them if you are not feeling appropriate. You need to read at least an introductory book.

The University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law requires the following theme for group discussion in “recommended admission.

The percentage of female students is only about 20%. What measures should be taken to promote diversification of the student body? After considering their advantages and disadvantages, please propose a specific institutional design.

The high schools that send out students for entrance examinations are also eager to take measures.

At Shibuya Gakuen Shibuya, a well-known Tokyo prep school, students write a 10,000-word essay in their second year of high school. The theme can be any theme. The student who was ‘recommended’ for admission to the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo was interested in animals. He observed the behavior of bears in front of their cages for a long time and compiled an essay on the study of animal stress and rearing environment.

The days of getting through exams by memorizing knowledge are over. Now, comprehensive thinking and judgment are required. Students who enter the university with a “recommendation” have a clear idea of their field of specialization even before they enter the university. They have a clear idea of their field of specialization even before they enter college.”

It is now an old story that “recommended entrants” do not have high academic ability. Their reputation is increasing year by year.