Post by Oomori Aya on Nov 12, 2003 18:56:38 GMT -5
Okay, this will suddenly become relevant when a bunch of the main characters and OCs graduate... So first I'll talk about the colleges in the RPG and then I'll talk about general Japanese college life.
BTW, people playing MCs don't get to choose where the character goes to school (unless, of course, they've recieved honorary status and the character becomes 'theirs') you're free to make up their dream school--but as the decision isn't ultimately theirs in real life, neither is it yours. =P I mean obviously, if you want them to get into a certain school then I'd probably write them as studying very hard to get into the school... ;P Otherwise they get assigned due to likeliness of them getting in.
The Schools in the RPG:
Much of the info on the first two schools is taken from reality as of 2002, just if you wanted to know. ^_~
Tokyo University (Tokyo Daigaku aka ToDai/TouDai)
The most prestigious school in Japan, basically the Harvard/MIT of Japan, and like Harvard and MIT, one of the best schools in the world. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get into this school, one of the hardest in the world to get into. Only the absolute brightest of students get in, after going through years of rigorous cram schools, and studying the entirety of their senior year of high school. The students have a reputation for being geeky/dorky and doing nothing but studying (well, uh, if you got into the school you probably are). Toudai has top-notch medical, law, and engineering programs. Students at Toudai are basically guaranteed jobs at the best places around Japan and the world. Because of this, there is definately a sense of elitism and snobbery amongst the students (afterall, they did work their asses off to get there.)
Waseda-Keio University (aka Soukei University)
Back in the 21st Century, there were two rival private schools called Keio and Waseda--well, somewhere the schools merged. It's called 'Soukei' for short (Sou and kei being the two first characters of Waseda and Keio) Soukei is a very good school, also difficult to get into, also very prestigious--but nowhere near as good as Todai. Its the best choice for smart kids who just couldn't pass Todai's extremely rigorous entrance requirements. Or you could just be rich. Being rich is almost a necessity as it is expensive to attend (and with the proper bribing, anyone could get in.) All programs at Soukei are good, though their business school is particularly known for being good (though anyone seriously considering business is better off studying in the United States or London.)
We'll be accepting a couple of ideas for your colleges, if you have any. Though we literally are accepting only a couple. We'll pick ones we think are really good, if the first come, first serve policy doesn't work out. ^^
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College Life in Japan
College life in Japan is a complete joke, unless you go to ToDai or KyoDai (Kyoto University) or a couple other difficult schools. Even prestigious schools like Waseda and Keio are what Americans would call "party schools." One might say that highschool and college are reversed from what they are in the United States. Students spend a disgusting amount of time studying and cramming for the very difficult college entrance exams, but once they get accepted its smooth sailing. Many Japanese people consider it a nice time to relax between high school and the "real world."
The tests to enter college are quite difficult, often students who don't get accepted to the college of their choice take a year (or two) off to study harder and try again the next year. These students are called "ronin." (Yes, masterless samurai.)
As noted, college life at most universities is a complete joke. Professors arbitrarily take days off sometimes, and very little homework or papers are assigned. Its rather difficult to actually fail a class, as many professors don't wish to do that to students. In fact, college students in Japan say that the most important things about college are clubs, sports, and socializing...while college students in America will reply class, studying, etc (which they're probably lying about anyways ;P) Like America, a big part of college is drinking your life away. Drinking in Japan is a VERY social experience and people who work with companies are expected to go drinking with their co-workers (that's apart of being with the group.) However, most people in Japan don't drink *that* much (well, of course that's all relative.)
Since college students have so much time on their hands, they often get part time jobs (which were generally impossible while in high school due to the strenuous nature of it.)
As dormspace is extremely limited, most people choose to live at home and commute for an hour or two to get to their school.
For the truly studious student who doesn't/can't go to TouDai, and is also very good at English (or another foreign language) another good choice is to send their students abroad as the Japanese univerisites themselves are admitting now that their schools aren't very good.
Any other questions about college *only* (I have a seperate thread to high school) please feel free to ask.
BTW, people playing MCs don't get to choose where the character goes to school (unless, of course, they've recieved honorary status and the character becomes 'theirs') you're free to make up their dream school--but as the decision isn't ultimately theirs in real life, neither is it yours. =P I mean obviously, if you want them to get into a certain school then I'd probably write them as studying very hard to get into the school... ;P Otherwise they get assigned due to likeliness of them getting in.
The Schools in the RPG:
Much of the info on the first two schools is taken from reality as of 2002, just if you wanted to know. ^_~
Tokyo University (Tokyo Daigaku aka ToDai/TouDai)
The most prestigious school in Japan, basically the Harvard/MIT of Japan, and like Harvard and MIT, one of the best schools in the world. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get into this school, one of the hardest in the world to get into. Only the absolute brightest of students get in, after going through years of rigorous cram schools, and studying the entirety of their senior year of high school. The students have a reputation for being geeky/dorky and doing nothing but studying (well, uh, if you got into the school you probably are). Toudai has top-notch medical, law, and engineering programs. Students at Toudai are basically guaranteed jobs at the best places around Japan and the world. Because of this, there is definately a sense of elitism and snobbery amongst the students (afterall, they did work their asses off to get there.)
Waseda-Keio University (aka Soukei University)
Back in the 21st Century, there were two rival private schools called Keio and Waseda--well, somewhere the schools merged. It's called 'Soukei' for short (Sou and kei being the two first characters of Waseda and Keio) Soukei is a very good school, also difficult to get into, also very prestigious--but nowhere near as good as Todai. Its the best choice for smart kids who just couldn't pass Todai's extremely rigorous entrance requirements. Or you could just be rich. Being rich is almost a necessity as it is expensive to attend (and with the proper bribing, anyone could get in.) All programs at Soukei are good, though their business school is particularly known for being good (though anyone seriously considering business is better off studying in the United States or London.)
We'll be accepting a couple of ideas for your colleges, if you have any. Though we literally are accepting only a couple. We'll pick ones we think are really good, if the first come, first serve policy doesn't work out. ^^
---
College Life in Japan
College life in Japan is a complete joke, unless you go to ToDai or KyoDai (Kyoto University) or a couple other difficult schools. Even prestigious schools like Waseda and Keio are what Americans would call "party schools." One might say that highschool and college are reversed from what they are in the United States. Students spend a disgusting amount of time studying and cramming for the very difficult college entrance exams, but once they get accepted its smooth sailing. Many Japanese people consider it a nice time to relax between high school and the "real world."
The tests to enter college are quite difficult, often students who don't get accepted to the college of their choice take a year (or two) off to study harder and try again the next year. These students are called "ronin." (Yes, masterless samurai.)
As noted, college life at most universities is a complete joke. Professors arbitrarily take days off sometimes, and very little homework or papers are assigned. Its rather difficult to actually fail a class, as many professors don't wish to do that to students. In fact, college students in Japan say that the most important things about college are clubs, sports, and socializing...while college students in America will reply class, studying, etc (which they're probably lying about anyways ;P) Like America, a big part of college is drinking your life away. Drinking in Japan is a VERY social experience and people who work with companies are expected to go drinking with their co-workers (that's apart of being with the group.) However, most people in Japan don't drink *that* much (well, of course that's all relative.)
Since college students have so much time on their hands, they often get part time jobs (which were generally impossible while in high school due to the strenuous nature of it.)
As dormspace is extremely limited, most people choose to live at home and commute for an hour or two to get to their school.
For the truly studious student who doesn't/can't go to TouDai, and is also very good at English (or another foreign language) another good choice is to send their students abroad as the Japanese univerisites themselves are admitting now that their schools aren't very good.
Any other questions about college *only* (I have a seperate thread to high school) please feel free to ask.
