"Easy to Enter, Difficult to Exit"-Hardly

I have recently read Brian J. McVeigh’s Japanese Higher Education as Myth, and it has inspired me to comment on some of the issues that he has documented and discussed. The first I’d like to look at is the myth that Japanese universities are “hard to get in, and easier to exit,” while American universities are “easy to enter and difficult to exit.” This is usually occurs in response to conversation about what I do and what I think of Japanese students. I guess people feel the need to stand up for their cultural institutions. I usually let it slide, but after reading this book I’ve decided that I will set people straight about that misconception. Students must pass difficult examinations to get into elite universities, but American universities are equally difficult to get into, furthermore, there are essay portions, interviews, letters of recommendation, as well as an evaluation of extracurricular actives. In Japan, they use letters of recommendation, but it is a cop out for students who perform poorly on tests, thus they are given recommendations by their high schools. Even on a state level, not everyone who wanted to get into my alma mater the University of Washington is able to do so, and it’s not as prestigious as Harvard. Moreover, because the Japanese population is declining, no one is ever turned away, because the universities need the income. So somewhere there is a place for even the worst students. There’s no question among my Japanese acquaintances that once in a university the fact that you actually have to study, since there are no social promotions, it is therefore more difficult to get your degree.

Comments

[Eric]

You mentioned that in Japanese universities that "no one is ever turned away." That is true here in the US, too. Some of the less prestigious universities accept anyone with a diploma, pulse and checkbook.

[MC]

Agreed, I guess I'm getting at the perceived idea here that it's a cakewalk to get into any American university. There are standards and once there you do have to do something-you can and will be put on academic probation and eventually kicked out. As far as I know you are basically guaranteed a diploma at a Japanese university if you enter.