Entrance
Exams
Recently,
we have had shortened or cancelled classes because of Junior High School
entrance exams. This is a very interesting concept for me, because in America,
there are no entrance exams for either Junior or Senior High School. Students
are assigned to schools based on where they live, not on exams. The good thing
about this system is that students live near their schools, within an area
where they can ride a school bus for free. I was very surprised by how long
some students commute to get to Fujimura each morning, and by the fact that
there are no school busses. In America, some families will move in order to get
their children into a certain school district. In Japan, there is more responsibility
on the student, and it starts from a young age. There is pressure for students to
get into a good Junior High School, so that later they can get into a good High
School, so that later they can get into a good university. In America, the
important University entrance tests don’t usually start until 11th
or 12th grade. There are other standardized tests, but overall, I
think that exams are more important in Japan than in America. I think that
there are pros and cons to each country’s way of doing it, and I have enjoyed
learning more about the Japanese system.
-
Emma Sletteland
