The Path I Found Through Entrance Exams

I have always had a strong desire to pursue what interested me, and I challenged myself to take on any activity that caught my attention. In high school, I took on a variety of leadership roles, including Vice President of the Interact Club, which focused on volunteer work and international exchange, class representative for the school festival, and Head of the Election Management Committee.
My strong interest in international exchange began when I participated in NGO activities in Bangladesh during the summer of my first year of high school. Staying at an orphanage and spending time with local children led me to rethink the things I had always taken for granted as sources of happiness in Japan.
Wanting to share these experiences through photography, I organized a photo exhibition featuring images I had taken during my time there. Alongside my studies, I also worked as a freelance photographer.

I first learned about APU from one of my high school teachers when I was a first-year student. I was fascinated by its unique and global environment, with international students making up nearly half of the student body, as well as its location in Oita, Kyushu—an area I had never visited before. I felt that studying at APU would be a valuable and enriching life experience.
As the application season approached, I also applied to several private universities in the Kanto region, partly on the recommendation of other teachers. Even so, APU remained my first choice throughout the process, and I always felt strongly about studying there.

Since I had been involved in a wide range of activities both inside and outside of school during high school, I chose APU’s holistic admissions process, which allowed me to highlight those experiences. I applied through both the Inquiry-Based Assessment and Essay-Based Assessment tracks of the Comprehensive Evaluation Admissions category.

As I was applying to other universities through similar admissions methods, I enrolled in Waseda Juku to focus on interview and essay preparation. One of the biggest challenges at the beginning was writing my personal statement. I had so much I wanted to include that it was difficult to decide what to emphasize. To organize my thoughts, I created a timeline of all the activities I had been involved in and ranked them according to their importance. I probably rewrote my statement around ten times before reaching the final version.

For my interview and essay preparation, I worked closely with friends from my prep school. Exchanging advice with other students who were also aiming to gain admission through holistic admissions gave me valuable insights from a variety of perspectives.

APU also offers additional evaluation points based on external English proficiency qualifications, so I decided to take the IELTS. I had never been particularly strong at Eiken, which requires a great deal of vocabulary memorization. In contrast, the academic style of the IELTS suited me much better, allowing me to achieve a high score. On the other hand, some of my peers excelled at Eiken but found IELTS challenging. For that reason, I recommend choosing the test that best matches your strengths in order to maximize your score.

The essay portion focused on questions about my own experiences and background, so I actually found it relatively easy to write. As for the interview, those at other universities often felt formal and sometimes even intimidating. At APU, however, I was able to speak openly and comfortably with the interviewers in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
What stood out to me most was that the interviewers recognized and praised the activities I had been involved in up to that point. Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the interview without feeling overly nervous.
Although I had also applied to several private universities in the Kanto region, APU—the last university I applied to—was ultimately the only university that offered me admission. I was completely satisfied with the outcome and saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself in a new environment.

First, I would like to return to the NGO in Bangladesh where I volunteered during high school, this time as an intern. I have also been studying Korean as a hobby, and one of my goals is to travel around South Korea by car someday. In June, I joined the Korean Week Social Media Team as part of Multicultural Week.
In addition, I am considering joining a surfing club that was established by first-semester students. At university, I hope to keep trying new things and pursuing the activities that I find interesting.

Some people may think of exam preparation as something difficult and stressful, but for me, it was actually a very enjoyable experience.
In holistic admissions, interview preparation and revising personal statements involve a lot of discussion and exchanging ideas with others. Since I enjoy connecting with people, I found that process enjoyable from start to finish.
Of course, there are times when you need to persevere and put in extra effort. However, I hope you will approach the admissions process in your own way, without being constrained by preconceived notions or biases.