2023 Osaka University School of Engineering Science Transfer Experience Report
2024/11 Update
If anyone wants the answer keys for the School of Engineering Science past exams, please contact me on Twitter @chii560. I have about 10 years' worth of the ones I solved.
Introduction
Nice to meet you. My name is Chii-san.
I passed the entrance exam for the Department of Information and Computer Sciences, Software Science Course at Osaka University's School of Engineering Science, so I am posting this experience report. I hope it will be helpful for those who plan to take the exam for the same school.
If there is anyone else from Osaka University's School of Engineering Science, please contact me via Twitter DM (@chii560). Let's be friends. I don't have any acquaintances in my cohort, help me.
Self-Introduction
Background - A certain KOSEN (National College of Technology) Department of Information Engineering
Class Rank - 1st place from 1st to 4th year
Exam Year - 2023
Exam Department - Department of Information and Computer Sciences, Software Science Course
Other Universities Applied To - My KOSEN's Advanced Course, Osaka University School of Engineering (declined)
TOEIC - 805
Rank might just be an indicator of how serious you are. I like studying, but there were seniors and friends around me who were waaaay more amazing in their specialized fields, so it was fun.
If there is a university you want to challenge, it is best to challenge it.
I recommend researching various universities before you start studying for the entrance exam. Do you really want to go there? Can you do what you want to do there? Decide while analyzing yourself.
I was quite torn between the University of Tsukuba and Osaka University. The exam dates for the University of Tsukuba and Osaka University's School of Engineering Science overlapped for two consecutive years (2022, 2023), so those considering both might want to be careful.
Overview
University transfer is an information war. Since there was a senior from another department who passed the Osaka University exam, I received various pieces of advice and answer keys for past exams. I have nothing but gratitude.
I got the past exams from my KOSEN's reference room and the answer keys from my senior. There was a wonderful site that had answer keys for old past exams, which I have shown below.
Study Content
I plan to record the details and recommended ratings of the reference books I actually used in a separate article, so I will omit them here. I have listed all the reference books I studied with.
Most reference books are in the library, so I recommend utilizing them. I think libraries are great. Out of the reference books I used, which I will mention later, I only purchased two for mathematics and two for physics.
Also, while I basically go through reference books multiple times, for the second round I only solve the problems I got wrong in the first round, so even if I write that I did 3 rounds, in the actual 3rd round I might only be solving about 10 problems.
I recommend keeping a study record. StudyPlus is recommended.
During long vacations, I studied for an average of about 5 hours, and in the month before the exam, I studied for an average of 6 hours on weekdays and 11 hours on holidays.
English
Since English will be replaced by TOEIC starting next year, I will omit the study content.
My TOEIC scores progressed as follows: 500 points in my 2nd year, 740 points in June of my 4th year, and 805 points in December of my 4th year. I have been doing online English conversation for nearly 3 years, and I feel that this directly contributed to my listening skills and score improvement. It is not an absolute necessity, but I do recommend English conversation.
Mathematics
Mathematics consists of 3 problems: calculus, linear algebra, and probability, to be solved in 2 hours.
Calculus includes partial differentiation, multiple integration, differential equations, etc. The difficulty is about the same as the B and C problems in the 'Past Exam Training' (Kakomon Tokkun) book.
Linear algebra includes matrix diagonalization, linear transformations, eigenvalue and eigenvector problems, etc. The difficulty is about the same as the B problems in 'Past Exam Training'.
Probability covers a wide range, such as drawing balls, tossing coins, and solving probability recurrence relations. The Osaka University probability problems listed as examples in 'Past Exam Training' are, I think, among the more difficult ones for Osaka University. Around 2008, some very difficult probability proofs appeared, and while it had become easier recently with problems like drawing balls, it became more difficult this year.
Reference books used
Tettei Kenkyu (3 rounds)
Kakomon Tokkun (3 rounds)
Mathematics Problem Collection for University Transfer (2 rounds)
University Transfer Exam Problems: Mathematics / Tettei Enshu (0.3 rounds)
Masahiro Hosono's Book on Probability (2 rounds)
Chart-style: Probability and Statistics from Basics (0.01 rounds)
+ Kosen textbooks (n rounds)
Study Schedule
I started solving 'Tettei Kenkyu' around October of my 3rd year. The first round took quite a bit of time, and I used my Kosen textbooks alongside it to understand the material.
I started solving 'Kakomon Tokkun' after finishing about 1.5 rounds of 'Tettei Kenkyu'. Many of the C problems are difficult. Some people try to be efficient by looking at the answers immediately if they don't understand, but I chose the method of thinking until I could solve them as much as possible. I think this depends on the person.
By the end of the summer vacation of my 4th year, I had completed 2 rounds of 'Tettei Kenkyu' and 1 round of 'Kakomon Tokkun'.
By the end of the winter vacation of my 4th year, I had completed 2 rounds of 'Kakomon Tokkun'.
After that, I did about 2 rounds of Hosono's Probability. The comprehensive problems were all from the University of Tokyo or Kyoto University, and I felt the difficulty was just right for Osaka University transfer preparation.
Around May of my 5th year, I started solving the 'Mathematics Problem Collection for University Transfer'. I solved all the B and C problems. There are many interesting problems among the C problems. There were no Osaka University problems at all.
Around June of my 5th year, I started solving 'University Transfer Exam Problems: Mathematics / Tettei Enshu'. I chose this book to confirm whether I could solve mathematics problems in general. In fact, I had done so many rounds of 'Kakomon Tokkun' that the answers were already in my head, so I thought unknown problems would be more fun. I picked out and solved only the interesting problems that seemed difficult (I recommend those from Osaka University, Tsukuba, Kyoto University, and the University of Tokyo). Compared to the 'Mathematics Problem Collection for University Transfer', this book had more Osaka University problems, which was good. However, be aware that it is mixed with problems from the Faculty of Engineering.
Around the same time, I started solving 'Chart-style: Probability and Statistics from Basics'. I only solved about 10 necessary problems in areas where my understanding was poor. Other books would have been fine, but I chose this one because the binding was beautiful. Since it is an old book, some Kosen libraries might not have it. I think the recent Chart-style books are also fine.
The day before the exam, I solved 'University Transfer Exam Problems: Mathematics / Tettei Enshu' to calm my mind.
Physics
For physics, you choose two out of three problems—mechanics, electromagnetism, or thermodynamics—to solve in 1.5 hours. (For the Software Science and Computer Science courses.)
Mechanics almost always involves rigid bodies. There was one instance several years ago involving a problem related to first cosmic velocity, but it is no exaggeration to say it has been almost exclusively rigid bodies for the last 15 years. Problems involve vibrating rods, rolling pulleys, or rolling spheres. If you can properly understand and solve problems using the law of conservation of momentum, law of conservation of angular momentum, law of conservation of energy, equations of motion, rotational equations of motion, and conditions of motion (e.g., does it roll without slipping?), you should be fine.
Electromagnetism covers a wide range of topics. Questions come from electric fields, magnetic fields, electromagnetic induction, etc. The difficulty varies from year to year. A few years ago, electromagnetic waves appeared, which surprised me. I had studied them to some extent, but I had decided that if electromagnetic waves appeared, I would skip the electromagnetism section.
Thermodynamics covers cycles, kinetic theory of gases, and piston operations. Recently, there has been a trend toward easier problems. It is sufficient to understand the various quantities associated with cycles (W, Q, ΔU), the outline of the kinetic theory of gases, and an introduction to entropy. I have never seen a problem involving Helmholtz or Gibbs free energy.
Since you choose two out of three problems, it is possible to choose not to study electromagnetism or not to study thermodynamics, but I do not recommend this due to the risk. In the past, topics outside of classical mechanics, such as electromagnetic waves for electromagnetism or photons (relativity?) for thermodynamics, have appeared.
Reference books used
Basic Physics Exercises I (Mechanics, Thermodynamics - 3 passes)
Basic Physics Exercises II (Electromagnetism - 3 passes)
Overcoming Weaknesses: Elementary Mechanics for University Students (2 passes)
Overcoming Weaknesses: Electromagnetism for University Students (2 passes)
Overcoming Weaknesses: Thermodynamics for University Students (2 passes)
Detailed Mechanics Exercises (2 passes)
Handouts provided by my teacher
Study schedule
I started studying physics in earnest during the summer vacation of my fourth year.
During the summer vacation, I completed one pass through the mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism sections of Basic Physics Exercises I and II. Since there were no classes on thermodynamics and electromagnetism at my technical college, the first pass was difficult. I finished three passes by the end of the fourth year, but I feel I should have studied with a deeper understanding.
At the same time, I solved the handouts (mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics) provided by my technical college teacher several times.
I started the 'Overcoming Weaknesses' series at the beginning of April in my fifth year. I wish I had started this series earlier. Compared to Basic Physics Exercises, it includes actual problems from transfer exams and is closer to the problems at Osaka University. This series deepened my understanding of physics.
Around May, I solved last year's mechanics problems and got the impression that they were quite difficult, so I started 'Detailed Mechanics Exercises' to strengthen my mechanics. When I was looking for books to solve in the library, I was attracted by the beautiful red binding, and after taking a quick look inside, I found the content to be quite excellent, so I chose this one. There are many problems similar to Osaka University's mechanics.
The day before the exam, I solved the 'Overcoming Weaknesses' series to calm my mind.
Past exams
I did 17 years' worth of math and 14 years' worth of physics. Since I didn't have the answers for English, I focused on practicing with 20 years of Osaka University English exams. Therefore, I only did 8 years' worth to grasp the trends.
I started solving past exams around January.
Because I wanted to solve the past exams carefully, I saved the H27 and H28 exams until June and solved them on the exact same schedule as the exam day.
I recommend solving them on the exact same schedule as the exam day.
Math problems tend to be more difficult the further back you go, so be careful not to be shocked. I was shocked.
Oral Examination
I only practiced for the interview. This is because, until the oral examination began on the day, I did not realize the oral examination was an oral examination; I thought it was an interview, so
I did not do any preparation for the oral examination (despair).
I requested about three interview practice sessions. I referred to the entrance examination reports from my technical college, researched the question items, and summarized my thoughts on each item. Typical items are shown below.
Motivation for application
Self-promotion
Current research content
Research of interest at the School of Engineering Science
University plans
Future plans
I think it will be fine if you can speak with a firm sense of your own core values. I started interview practice two weeks before, but my core was shaky and I was terrible, which was mentally tough. It might have been better to start interview practice a little earlier. When I felt mentally drained from interview practice, I studied to stabilize my mind.
Examination
I stayed overnight at a relative's house in Osaka. Since it takes about an hour to get to the Toyonaka Campus of Osaka University's School of Engineering Science, I woke up around 6:00 AM the day before. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from Ishibashi Handai-mae Station to the exam venue.
English (90 min)
Mathematics (120 min)
Lunch break (60 min)
Physics (90 min)
Below, I will describe my performance and impressions of each subject in the 2023 academic year examination. Please consider that these are purely subjective opinions.
English
TOEIC will be introduced from next fiscal year, and the English examination will be abolished.
Since this was the final year of the Osaka University transfer English exam, I expected some special questions, but it followed the usual trends.
My performance was about 80-90%.
I am good at English, so this was a battle I absolutely could not afford to lose.I couldn't think of the word "wheel" for the translation of "車輪" (sharin), so I wrote "car ring," which sounds like a translation from an old version of Google Translate, but I passed, so it's fine.
I think the fact that I did relatively well in English was a big factor.
Mathematics
Osaka University's mathematics exam had been trending toward becoming easier, but this year it took a turn and became more difficult.
For calculus, the questions covered total differentials, tangents to implicit functions, tangent planes (as functions of t), and finding the coordinates of point P when the tangent plane passes through P regardless of t.
The definition of a total differential was far back in my memory, so I missed that. I got the tangents and tangent planes, but I couldn't figure out point P. I wish I could have become friends with point P.
My performance was about 50%.
For linear algebra, the questions covered linear transformations and their representation matrices, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors. Compared to calculus and probability, it seemed easier, so I decided I couldn't afford to miss these.
My performance was 100%.
For probability, there were many proofs.
There was an interesting problem that required two ways of explaining a certain matter: a mathematical proof and an explanation using only text. I was able to do the mathematical part, but my text-based answer was questionable. I feel this even when solving physics problems, but qualitative evaluation is difficult. There were two more questions, but I didn't really understand them, so I left them blank. It is a golden rule in transfer exams not to leave blanks, but I broke it normally. I think it was a very difficult set of problems. The difficult probability problems from around 2008 made a comeback.
My performance was about 50%.
I think my overall performance was about 70%. I didn't do very well, but the atmosphere suggested that others around me hadn't done well either, so I tried to maintain my mental state and not get too down.
Lunch Break
I focused my mind by listening to my favorite music (Fujii Kaze). I didn't know anyone else taking the exam for the same department, but it seemed like many people around me were also alone. Come to think of it, there were no other female applicants in my course besides me.
Physics
I think the difficulty level was as usual. I chose mechanics and thermodynamics.
At first glance, this year's electromagnetism problem seemed to require solving a system of differential equations with three variables. I had only ever solved systems with two variables, so from a risk perspective, I decided not to choose electromagnetism.
For mechanics, the questions were about the rotational equation of motion for the vibration of a rigid rod, the angular velocity of small vibrations, and finding the distance between the fixed point and the center of gravity when that angular velocity is at its maximum.
Since I felt last year's (2022) mechanics exam was quite difficult, I studied a lot, but this year's problem was extremely easy. My strategy of "getting ahead of other applicants by solving difficult mechanics problems" collapsed.
My performance was 100%.
For thermodynamics, it was a problem about a piston with a heater, involving adiabatic, isobaric, and isochoric processes.
Even though I had time to spare because I solved the mechanics part in 30 minutes, about 30 minutes later I realized that the initial operation was not an adiabatic process, so I committed the reckless act of erasing everything and starting over. I was quite panicked, but I managed to fill everything in with the feeling that "I'll regret it if I don't write anything here, so I must write something." However, for some reason, I didn't realize it was just an isobaric process and got the value for the work done on the piston wrong. I think that affected the following two questions as well. This mistake really lowered my spirits after the exam. Perhaps there might be partial credit. In any case, the mindset of filling everything in is important.
My performance was about 60-70%.
I think my overall performance was about 70-80%. As mentioned above, I messed up thermodynamics, so my spirits were quite low.
Oral Examination
The oral examination was on the second day. I approached it feeling unsure if I had managed to fix my low spirits from the first day.
I waited in the waiting room for about 1.5 hours. The actual oral exam lasted about 10 minutes. There were three professors interviewing me, and while I didn't feel pressured, I could feel their overwhelming intelligence or intensity. I feel I was able to speak in a relaxed manner.
The questions asked are shown below.
Motivation for applying
Reason for choosing Osaka University's School of Engineering Science instead of another university
Other universities applied to and their preference ranking
-
Oral Examination
Explanation of Quicksort and its average and worst-case time complexity
(Choose from 3 questions) Explanation of the differences between combinational and sequential circuits, and the differences between Mealy and Moore machines
(Looking at the transcript) It seems you have participated in various external conferences; how did you gather information?
I passionately spoke about why I chose the School of Engineering Science and that it was my first choice.
As mentioned earlier, I had done absolutely no preparation for the oral examination (despair).In other words, this was my first time explaining a technical topic on a whiteboard.
Before the interview, I was nonchalantly thinking about how the other candidates behind me were talking so much about technical topics, but this is what it was about. To everyone taking the exam in the future, please prepare for the oral examination.
The actual oral examination consisted of the first question being an explanation of Quicksort, and the second question being a format where you choose one out of three problems to answer. The use of a whiteboard was permitted.
Regarding the first question about explaining Quicksort, I had implemented it while preparing for the Osaka University School of Engineering exam, so I managed to get through it.Algo-shiki was a wonderful service I used to study basic algorithms.
Regarding the second question about the differences between combinational and sequential circuits, and the differences between Mealy and Moore machines, I had studied circuits quite a bit for my major course preparation, so I was able to explain it well (?). Unfortunately, I have forgotten the content of the other two questions I did not answer.
I will omit the details because it is embarrassing, but overall, I feel my explanations were not very intelligent. I want to improve my communication skills.
I recommend participating in various events and conferences during your 3rd and 4th years to increase your knowledge, which will also help increase the content you can talk about in interviews.
I was not asked anything about my plans after entering the university, my current research, or research I am interested in, so I was quite depressed, thinking, 'I probably failed this.'
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this far. I did not think I would pass until the very moment the results were announced. I was crying on the subway ride home, thinking, 'Is it really not enough even after doing all this?' To the person sitting in front of me, I am sorry. I spent the entire week until the results were announced studying for the School of Engineering.
I am a person who wins by sheer volume of problems solved, but I am at least grateful that I can feel that studying is a hobby.
More than that, my family provided an environment where I could focus on exam studies, friends applying to universities at the same level contributed to maintaining my motivation, and wonderful seniors gave me a lot of advice; I think I am a person blessed with a great environment.
Thanks to humanity!
Oh, my favorite character is Diglett.
References
I referred to various blogs for my transfer exam studies. Thank you very much. I cannot thank my seniors from the same technical college, K-senpai and R-senpai, enough.
2022 Osaka University School of Engineering Science Transfer Admission Experience Report - Department of Systems Science - Sumiko Blog
Osaka University School of Engineering Transfer Admission Experience Report - Aquarium who wants to become orange
[Transfer Admission Experience Report] Osaka University School of Engineering Science - Templepumetto
And many others