Taking a Shot in the Dark at Entrance Exams
I wanted to go to Tsuda University, founded by Umeko Tsuda, so I simply applied.
I can never forget the sight of the math teacher, M (a man), laughing while I was cleaning the girls' school restroom with a deck brush, saying, 'So, I hear you're taking the Tsuda University entrance exam?'
He had that look on his face like, 'I've never seen or heard of such a thing at this stupid school with a deviation score of XX, unbelievable, are you sane?' While thinking, 'You jerk,' I managed to hold it in, smiled vaguely, and answered, 'Yes.'
I wanted to go to a four-year university, so I decided to apply to five four-year universities, and thinking I might as well apply to junior colleges too, I added two of those, filling my schedule as much as possible for a total of seven schools.
A 'shot in the dark' strategy.
The day of the entrance exam at Tsuda University.
The people sitting around me all looked like they were applying to national universities, and I was completely intimidated by the atmosphere.
The English test was okay, I managed somehow...
The world history test, which I was bad at, only had two questions. What on earth is this? 😱😱
The first question was, 'Something happened in world history; discuss it in 300 characters or less.'
The second question was, 'Something else happened in world history; discuss it in 300 characters or less.'
I thought world history was just about rote memorization, so I hadn't prepared for essay questions, hadn't even anticipated them—no, I didn't even know they existed—and without being able to put up a fight, I went down in flames.
It felt like it was saying, 'Are you making a mockery of entrance exams?'
Then, I continued to go down in flames at the remaining schools, one after another, and with only the results of the last school (a junior college) left to wait for, I was pushed to the edge of a cliff.
'If I fail all of them, I guess it's vocational school...' As that thought crossed my mind, I was sitting blankly in my living room at home, feeling dark and depressed, when the phone suddenly rang.
'This is the academic affairs office of XXX Junior College. Is this Ms. XX?'
'Oh, yes.'
'You are 13th on the waiting list. Do you have the intention to enroll?'
'...Yes, oh, please!!'
With my head in a jumble of shock and bewilderment, I answered firmly.
I hung up the phone and tried to calm my head.
For now, it seems I was saved somehow.
Still, 13th on the waiting list... that's a really close call.
Does that mean if I had missed one more point, I wouldn't have had a chance?
I was saved. Just barely made it.
In this way, I was given the opportunity, and I gratefully attended that junior college.
After that, I took a transfer exam and entered the affiliated four-year university as a third-year student, so in the end, I was able to attend the four-year university I had hoped for.
Life is a mysterious thing where you never know what will happen.
The End