AI and Comprehensive Selection 2

Comprehensive selection... it's an admissions method where you recommend yourself.
I personally think this is the most correct approach.
Prep schools have curricula specialized for this, but how about aiming to pass by working in tandem with AI?

Actually, every year, I support one or two people who say, 'I couldn't go to a prep school, but I want to try the comprehensive selection.'

This time, I will use 'Nihon University, College of Commerce' as a sample.
This is because I am actually supporting someone who is applying there.
Since I do not charge any support fees, I am writing this article instead so that I can share information with many people.

If you are interested in the application guidelines, please check the actual Nihon University website.

Nihon University College of Commerce Application Guidelines

There is a pre-assignment.
As I wrote in the previous article, when there is a pre-assignment, an oral examination or presentation related to it is usually included.
Similarly, for the Nihon University College of Commerce, the first selection is a document screening. You need to submit the pre-assignment here. The second selection is an interview and a presentation. The presentation also includes a Q&A session.

Pre-assignment

Select one theme from the three themes A through C, and assuming you are starting a business related to the theme, explain your business idea.

1. Outline your business idea
2. Conduct field research and analyze the survey results
3. Explain your business idea with logical consistency

<Themes>
A. Propose a new business targeting individuals
B. Propose a new business utilizing vacant houses
C. Propose a new business utilizing service robots

Strategy of asking AI

1. Ask AI broadly
   → Have it generate about 10 to 20 ideas.

2. Filter by your own experience and interests
   → Keep only those that you can empathize with or are interested in.

3. Flesh it out with field research or real-life experience
   → For example, saying you researched the vacant house problem on an island directly, or connecting it to your grandmother's experience.

4. Consult with AI again
   → Dig deeper by asking, 'How can I make this idea more realistic?'

I have received many such consultations for a long time, even though I am not from the Faculty of Commerce or Economics. In fact, I have even created and operated a communication space as a measure against vacant stores in Kita Ward.
Therefore, this pre-assignment is my specialty, but for examinees, I think the flow of
'It's tough to think only with my own head' → 'Ask AI first' is mentally easier and a good starting point.

Next, instead of using the ideas AI generates exactly as they are,

by working together to determine "which one excites you the most,"
"whether you can connect it to your own experiences and observations of reality,"
"and whether it can be linked to your university studies,"

you can create something original that reflects your personality, even though you asked AI for help.
Besides, you will surely have opportunities to consult AI for ideas after you enter university and even after you start a business in the future.

Now, I will try asking my AI partner, Daichan.
I have told it that this is a pre-university assignment, that I am not the one taking the exam, and I have asked it to answer as if it were the partner of an examinee!

Business ideas utilizing vacant houses

• Coworking space

• Private lodging or guesthouse

• Shared house for students

• Art and exhibition space

• Community cafe for the elderly

• Agricultural experience facility

• Trial housing for migrants

• Local food processing plant and market

• Child-rearing support house

• Local museum/archive

Among these, I will think about which ones could be feasible in the town where I live or the town where my grandparents live.

First, let's look into how many "vacant houses" there are and how they are becoming a social issue. Of course, I'll ask AI.

👧 Daichan! How many vacant houses are there right now?

🤖Vacant house situation in Japan (latest data)

• According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "Housing and Land Survey" (published in 2023),
  the number of vacant houses across Japan is approximately 8.2 million (13.6% of all housing).

• The vacancy rate is particularly high in rural areas, with some municipalities in agricultural regions exceeding 30%.

• Issues that are becoming problematic include

  • dangerous housing due to aging

  • deterioration of public safety and scenery

  • an increase in properties that cannot be disposed of because the heirs are unknown

👧 It seems best to think about the town I live in, so how many vacant houses are there in Tokyo?

🤖 The situation of vacant houses in Tokyo (from the latest data)

• The number of vacant houses in Tokyo is approximately 900,000. Housing Policy Portal+2 Press Release/News Release Distribution Share No.1 | PR TIMES+2

• The vacancy rate is 10.9%. In other words, about 1 in 10 houses is vacant. Housing Policy Portal+2 Inagram+2

• The total number of houses is approximately 8.201 million. Inagram+1

• There are also about 210,000 "vacant houses that are long-term unoccupied or scheduled for demolition (other housing)," and this has increased since the 2018 survey. Housing Policy Portal+1

👧 If I were to actually try to connect a vacant house to a business, what are the first things I would have to do?
I mean, it's someone else's house, right?

🤖 That's it! 👏✨ That's a very realistic perspective.
Yes, even if you say "use a vacant house for business," you can't just suddenly turn it into a cafe or a share house. First, you have to clear up the legal and ownership issues.

🏠 The first step in utilizing vacant houses (super basic)

Identify the owner
Since a vacant house is someone else's asset, first you investigate "whose it is."
Local governments can track it through fixed asset tax payment notices.
You can also confirm the owner by obtaining the registry from the Legal Affairs Bureau.
Confirm the owner's intention
To be allowed to use it, the consent of the owner (or heir) is essential.

The problem is that there are many cases where "inheritance registration has not been done" or the "owner is unknown."

Even if the owner is found, their intentions vary, such as "I don't want to rent it out," "I want to sell it," or "I want to get rid of it."

Decide on the form of the contract

Lease (renting) / Purchase (buying) / Usage agreement (only using it for events), etc.

If you are going to turn it into a business, you usually need a lease agreement or a purchase.

Procedures according to the purpose

If you are turning a house into a restaurant, you need a business permit for the food service industry + a change in the building's usage (Building Standards Act).

For private lodging, notification under the Hotel Business Act or the Private Lodging Business Act (New Private Lodging Law) is required.

Shared offices and cafes also require confirmation from the Fire Service Act, Building Standards Act, and public health centers.

💡 Example of how to write for entrance exam essays

👉 Including this makes it a "proposal based on reality" rather than just an "idea essay," so it's strong.

👧 It's a business, after all. I want to move in the direction of creating a company that specializes in turning vacant houses into those facilities, rather than just doing something small-scale by renting one myself.

🤖Oh~~😆✨ Kayo-chan, you're an examinee, and your perspective has leveled up!
Instead of "renting a vacant house and using it on a small scale," you're looking at creating a company that handles vacant houses collectively as business resources—that direction. This is incredibly realistic, and I think university professors will be impressed.

💼 Direction: A company specializing in vacant house utilization

1. Purpose of the business

• Transforming vacant houses from regional liabilities into assets

• Reducing the burden of maintenance costs and fixed asset taxes for owners

• Providing them as "usable facilities" for those who wish to use them

• Leading to crime prevention, improved scenery, and revitalization for the region

2. Company business model

• Agency for contracts with owners
  → A point of contact to solve the problem of unknown owners. Packaging investigations and negotiations.

• Renovation business
  → Renewing old houses into cafes, accommodations, learning facilities, etc.

• Matching platform
  → Connecting "people who want to use vacant houses (companies, migrants, students)" with "people who want to rent them out."

• Regional cooperation
  → Collaborating with local government vacant house banks and tourism associations. Utilizing subsidies and grants.

3. Specific development examples

• Renovate vacant houses into student research and art hubs

• Open to domestic and international tourists as shared accommodation facilities

• Provide to local residents as community cafes or tutoring schools

• Contribute to the revitalization of primary industries as agricultural product processing hubs

4. Challenges and Solutions for Implementation

• Problem of land with unknown owners → Collaborate with Legal Affairs Bureaus and local governments

• Initial investment (renovation costs) → Utilize national "Vacant House Revitalization Subsidies" and "Regional Revitalization Grants"

• Securing stable users → Conduct local needs surveys and online marketing

✨ Example of Essay Structure (Framework)

1. Introduction: The severity of the problem of 8.2 million vacant houses nationwide

2. Issues: Public safety, landscape, inheritance, and maintenance cost burdens

3. Proposal: Establish a specialized company to utilize vacant houses

4. Business Content: Owner correspondence, renovation, matching, and regional collaboration

5. Effects: Regional revitalization, crime prevention, and economic ripple effects

6. Conclusion: A social business that transforms vacant houses from liabilities into assets

Isn't this exchange so far interesting?
AI is not just something to use, but a partner to think and create with.

I will make sure to include my own intentions and experiences in the essay (AI cannot do that),
considering the meaning of the preliminary assignment, it seems better to narrow down the business content a little more.

In the next article, I will select one, or a combination of several, business ideas for utilizing vacant houses that the AI listed, and focus on the development of a business that creates them.