Race for new 2007 students heats up

Competition is heating up among universities trying to secure students for the 2007 school year, when the number of those who want to enter universities equals the number of spaces available, approaches.

Tadaaki Inano, a 19-year-old who hopes to enter Hiroshima University's faculty of medicine was received by then dean of the faculty, Koki Inai, at the university's admissions seminar held in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on March 18.

"I want to visit the campus in April," Inano said. In response, Inai said, "I'll have one of our students take you around, so when you know the date, e-mail me."

About 30 high school students and graduates from the Kanto region who are preparing for next year's university entrance examinations attended the seminar.

Although the university hosted the seminar, it included a short lecture given by an instructor from major correspondence study company Z-kai. Inano said: "It was useful that they told us what were the key things to study. I feel up to studying now."

The earliest of the seminars, held in 11 cities, was on March 2, before the results of the entrance examinations for 2006 enrollment had been announced, and was unusually early for a national university.

"Our university isn't located in a densely-populated area, such as the Kanto or the Kansai regions. The university has to be noticed by students and taken into consideration early as a possible choice," said Takeshi Nagasawa, deputy director of the university's admission center.
National universities outside major centers are not the only ones to hold admission seminars nationwide. Tokyo University held admission seminars in six locations last year. The seminars, jointly held with other prestigious national universities, were the first ones the university had held in its history.

An admissions department spokesman for Tokyo University said: "We held seminars for the first time because we wanted to get students who have clear purposes in studying here. As a result, more students from public high schools in rural areas passed the exams for 2006 entry."
===


Autumn admissions on increase


In an effort to attract exceptional students, other universities are changing the style or the schedule of their entrance exams.

Toho University's biology department started admission in autumn 2001 for those who had graduated from high schools but failed in the latest exams. As exams for autumn admission are held earlier than the next regular exams in winter and spring, the department has the privilege to secure students with a strong desire to study there.

In this case, students who enter the university in autumn can graduate after 3-1/2 years, with those who had entered in spring of the same year, if they do well enough. This will eliminate the disadvantage for them in looking for a job after graduation.

Toshitaka Suzuki was one of the students who got into the university through the system. The 22-year-old student graduated in March, and advanced to the graduate school in April.

"I chose to take the exams for autumn admission, as I wanted to start studying biology at the university as soon as possible. After I got in, I studied hard to catch up with the ones that had started half a year ahead of me," said Suzuki. His experience shows how the system can encourage students to study.

Such a system has been adopted for teenagers who had spent time abroad, but it is rare for general examinees. When Waseda University's School of Commerce introduced autumn admission in 2005, drawing upon the university admission systems in foreign countries, 1,379 high school graduates applied for 50 places.

Meijo University was the first private university in 2001 to accept high school students who excelled at math after completing their second year at high school. In 2008, Osaka University will also accept high school students who are chosen to attend the International Physics Olympiad to its physics department without qualifications.
===

Competition never been higher

Koichi Nakai, who runs a private cram school and is an expert on university reforms, said: "With the decrease in the number of children, there is competition for good students among universities, with each promoting a campaign on admission or reforming its admissions system."
He added, "There's no doubt that all universities will have to try harder to attract exceptional students."

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060413TDY04004.htm