[A Mother's Honest Thoughts] My University Entrance Exam That Everyone Said I Would Definitely Fail

This time, it's a story about myself.

I was told by both my famous cram school and my homeroom teacher that I would absolutely never pass my target university.
It was the summer of my third year of high school and I was still at a D-grade, so that made sense.

But I wanted to get into that university no matter what.

If I took the recommendation entrance exam, I could narrow down the subjects, so maybe I'd have a chance.
That subject was chemistry. For me, a liberal arts student, it was quite a hurdle.

It was the first time in my life I had ever studied that hard,
and I even laughed a little at the fact that I was writing down chemical symbols while I slept.

The painful period was long, but
my chemistry grade, which had been in the low 30s in terms of deviation score on the national mock exam,
rose to the mid-60s right before the entrance exam.
At the very last minute, my grade became a B. But honestly, it was still tough.

If I failed here, there would be no chance to challenge this university again.
Even though it was a recommendation, there was no interview, only a written test,
and my school record was barely enough to qualify, so I couldn't rely on it.
Everything depended on the exam that day.

The result was a pass. They said it was a miracle.
(By the way, a smart classmate of mine failed, and later I was on the receiving end of some snide remarks. I was very displeased.)

Since I forced my way into the university, my college life was filled with studying, constantly chased by make-up exams and re-exams.
Without exaggeration, I cried while studying, and I managed to obtain my national qualification.

To be honest, despite working that hard, my income is low, even though I work reduced hours.
My husband, who is all about sports and has never studied, has a much higher annual income.

That's why I don't think academic background determines your whole life.
However, studying gives you the power to go after your dreams when you find what you want to do.

For that reason, I have no intention of becoming a 'tiger mom,' but
I don't want my son to hate studying, so
I make an effort to properly answer his honest questions instead of saying 'I don't know.'
(Like, 'Why does it snow?', for example.)

This is an exam story I remember whenever this time of year comes around.
I still have nightmares about being chased by studying,
and I wonder how long this will last 😇

Thank you for reading until the end!
Likes and follows are very encouraging 🫶

#HowIOvercameTheEntranceExam