Education in University

Generally speaking, Japanese university is difficult to enter, but easy to graduate, and American university is the opposite of this. I heard before that the student life in Japanese university is called "the summer holiday of life".

This time, I would like to describe about big differences between Japan and the U.S in university education system.

Actually, my father used to be a professor at Osaka university. I remember he always thought about how to make an interesting class for his students.

This time, I called and asked about problems of education system in Japanese university. I also checked it on the internet. Then I got a lot of information about it.

In the U.S, at first of all, university students concentrate on their class and many students ask questions to a professor in their class. If they make a bad academic record, they are dropped out from their university. Also, many students work part-time or make a academic loan for school expenses. Besides, there is an interesting system that students evaluate their professors. So, students and professors try their best.

Compared to this, in Japan, basically university students don't concentrate on their class and never ask questions. Also, even if they attend their class only a few times, they can get credits and never be dropped out. In addition, almost of all Japanese students go to university by parents' financial support.

Moreover, there isn't a students' evaluating system like in the U.S.

So, students and professors tend to do not make effort.

My father also said that in some private university in Japan, a students' evaluating system has just started. Also, in national universities, there are similar system, too. However, the results are never open to students; they are open to only professors. That's why this system doesn't work for now. If presidents of national university in Japan try to introduce the U.S system, the faculty council will against strongly.

In my opinion, basically universities should be a place for people to study more deeply for their cultural studies. So, I agree with the U.S system.

However, I think it's physically impossible to change it immediately, because even if universities introduce the U.S system, there are no takers.

From professors point of view, it's impossible to change it dramatically.

So, I guess changing slowly is the best way and Japanese government should lead for the new system.

Written in 2009 and revised in July 2012