The Path I Found Through Entrance Exams

From the second grade of elementary school through the sixth grade, I lived in Mexico for about four years because of my father's work. While attending a local international school there, I naturally developed my English skills. After returning to Japan, I enrolled in a combined junior and senior high school in Tokyo. The school placed a strong emphasis on English education, and thanks to my early exposure to English, I was able to keep up with the coursework with ease and remained in the highest-level English class throughout all six years.

While I was confident in my English abilities, I struggled to find something I was truly passionate about or wanted to pursue wholeheartedly. As a result, I spent much of my high school life simply following the curriculum without a clear sense of direction. At first, I approached university admissions the same way, assuming I would go on to university simply because that was what everyone around me was doing.

However, at one point I began to wonder, "Do I really want to go to university?" When I asked my friends why they planned to continue their education, most of the answers centered on university rankings or were otherwise vague. This led me to take a step back and spend some time seriously reflecting on my own reasons for pursuing higher education.

What ultimately convinced me to apply to university was learning that there are universities where students can discover their interests and future goals after enrolling. As I researched different institutions on my own, I found several universities that would allow me to build on my strength in English while also exploring possible directions for my future.

I became interested in APU while researching the Japan University Rankings published by Times Higher Education (THE), a UK-based higher education magazine. APU had been ranked second in the category of international outlook, which immediately caught my attention.
I felt that APU would provide an opportunity to broaden my perspective in a highly international environment and build global connections during my university years. With that in mind, I decided to apply to APU as well as several other private universities with a strong international focus.
Because it took me some time to firmly decide that I wanted to pursue higher education, I did not begin preparing seriously for university entrance exams until the summer of my third year of high school. As a result, I did not have the opportunity to attend open campus events, so I gathered most of my information through university websites and social media.

Since I was not very confident in my performance in subjects other than English, I looked for admissions methods that required as few subjects as possible. Taking the requirements of other universities I was applying to into consideration as well, I chose the March Admissions method.
I already knew that my IELTS score would be converted to the maximum score for English, so I spent very little time preparing for that subject. Instead, I used the extra time to focus on Japanese, social studies, and essay writing, which allowed me to prepare for the exams efficiently.
I am the type of person who finds it difficult to concentrate when studying at home, and when I studied at school, I would often end up chatting with friends. Because of that, I usually studied either in the self-study area of a cram school where I did not know anyone or in cafés. Since the cram school was only a few minutes' walk from my house, I would stay there until late in the evening, only heading home after completing my study goals for the day.
On the day of the exam, not having to worry about my English score gave me greater peace of mind, allowing me to stay calm throughout the test. I was delighted not only to be admitted to APU but also to be selected for the Domestic Students Academic Excellence Scholarship.

When I first enrolled, I was actually still carrying the disappointment of being rejected by my first-choice private university. However, once I arrived at APU and moved into the residence hall, I found myself surrounded by students from many different countries and backgrounds. We quickly became friends, and the university's rich international environment exceeded all my expectations. Before long, I had developed a genuine affection for APU. To be honest, it did not take long for me to feel that this was a place where I truly wanted to spend the next four years. I hope to deepen my connections with even more people in the future.

Based on the results of the English placement test I took upon enrollment, I was exempted from the required English courses and was able to start taking specialized courses right away. I am particularly interested in Spanish, which I was exposed to during my time in Mexico, as well as subjects such as bioethics and statistics. Starting next semester, I will also have the opportunity to study advanced business English, and I look forward to further developing my strongest skill, English.

Looking back on the entrance exam for my first-choice university, one of my biggest mistakes was letting my strong mock exam results give me a false sense of security. When I took the actual exam, the difficulty level was higher than I had expected.
I believe it is important not to become complacent, even if you achieve good results on mock exams, and to stay focused until the very end. At the same time, even if your mock exam scores are not as strong as you had hoped, do not give up. Keep challenging yourself and continue striving toward your goal.