[University Entrance Exam] The "Pitfalls of Ronin" That Students Who Have Decided to Take a Gap Year Should Know

Determination alone is not enough to pass!

The decision to become a ronin, the choice to keep challenging yourself to enter medical school, is neither an escape nor a disgrace. However, there is one thing you should honestly know. A ronin's year is filled with many hidden pitfalls. Whether you start running without knowing those pitfalls or start with your eyes open to them will completely change the landscape a year from now.

This article summarizes the "realities you should know" and the "mindset for fighting forward anyway" for medical school applicants who are about to start their life as a ronin.

1. Think seriously about where you will belong for the year

The moment a student decides to become a ronin, many think, "I'll just go to a prep school for now." But that "for now" can sometimes be fatal.

There are three main places where ronin students belong: studying at home (takuronin), large prep schools, and individual management-style cram schools.

Pros and cons of "studying at home"

Studying at home is cost-effective and offers a high degree of freedom. However, the flip side is that no one is there to manage you.If the reason you failed the exam was due to "incorrect study methods" or "neglecting weaknesses that no one pointed out to you," the results will not change if you do the same thing in the same environment.Unless you have very special circumstances, it is better to consider studying at home as a last resort.

Pros and cons of "large prep schools"

The appeal of large prep schools is the high quality of their instructors. This is undoubtedly top-tier. The environment where classes are scheduled from morning to night and you can hone your skills with other students who share the same goals can be a great strength. However, there is one pitfall.

In higher-level classes, it is easy for "ronin students who are capable but don't put in the effort" and "ronin students who are just playing around" to be mixed in. Moreover, those are the very people who study only at the last minute and manage to pass the exam. It may be hard to believe, but it is a fact.

They get into the upper classes because they are naturally bright and can get decent grades, but they don't study seriously. The pattern of being dragged down by the pace of such people and becoming lax yourself happens every single year.You must never get caught up in that.

Since a prep school is also a place where you "buy" an environment, I want you to keep being conscious of what kind of people you spend your time with after you join.

Pros and cons of "individual guidance-style cram schools"

The recently popular individual management-style cram schools provide progress management, achievement checks, and study planning as a set. Being able to run while objectively grasping your current situation is a strength. However, you also need to understand that it is not an environment that will "force you to do it even if they have to tie you down."It may not be suitable for people who have not developed the habit of self-study at all.

In terms of cost, some of the fully managed individual types cost several million yen a year, and in some cases over 10 million yen, but for example, if you are going to spend 2 hours commuting to a cram school, it is better to use that time for studying, so there is the option of online individual guidance schools. The total amount of study time determines the result. Choosing a nearby, high-quality environment is the basic rule.

For any of these choices, there is also the option of "combining" a large prep school and an individual cram school. I want you to decide where to belong after calmly taking stock of what you have and what you lack.

2. Make "A-grade in the May mock exam" your first goal

"I can just take my time and improve my grades over the year."

If you think that, I want you to stop and think for a moment. There is a law in the grade progression of ronin students that is often overlooked. The May Zento Mock Exam has a limited range of questions out of consideration for current students. Difficult units such as Math III calculus, applied science, and modern history in social studies are not yet covered. For ronin students who have already gone through the entire range once, this is the exam they can take under the most advantageous conditions.Not getting an A-grade here means that even though you are a ronin student, your foundation is not yet solid, just like the current students.

And from autumn onwards, current students will catch up rapidly. The grades of current students who have finished learning the entire range will improve rapidly from summer to winter.On the other hand, since ronin students have already finished one round, they don't have as much room for growth.Mock exam deviation scores are not "absolute evaluations" but "relative evaluations." Even if you improve, if those around you improve more than that, your grade will drop.

"B-grade in spring -> C-grade in autumn -> D or E-grade in winter -> Failure in the actual exam." This is the typical losing pattern for a Ronin student.

The countermeasure is simple. Start working backward with the mindset of "passing in the summer."
Set the mock exam in August as the actual exam, and make a plan now to exceed the passing score there. To do that,you need to get an overwhelming A-grade in the May mock exam, and to do that, you must start moving now in March and April.

As long as you think, "The entrance exam is in February, so there is still time," you won't be able to get serious until November. The speed at which "still 9 months" turns into "still 3 months" is many times faster than you imagine.

3. Discuss your target university and budget limit with your family

Many people decide in their hearts, "Since I'm going to be a Ronin, I'll go for a national or public university only." But the reality is not that simple.

Especially for those aiming for medical school, every year there are students who regret, "I should have taken the private medical school exam too," just before they are about to face the prospect of a second gap year.

At this point in your first gap year,"There is no way I will end up taking a second gap year"even if you think that, the reality of medical school entrance exams is that before you know it, a second gap year is right in front of you. It is a bit harsh to say, but the possibility that you, who think "there is no way I will take a second gap year," are actually the closest to it is something many experienced people say in unison.

That is why you need to talk seriously with your family at this stage.
Confirm not only "which university to take" but also "how much can be paid for expenses" in concrete numbers. Tuition for private medical schools is often between 20 million and 35 million yen for six years, but there are universities where you can attend at a lower cost if you use scholarship programs.Even if you vaguely think "it's impossible for us," if you actually look into it, paths sometimes open up unexpectedly. If you are prepared, there are even regional quotas.

Conversely, it cannot be called happiness to force yourself to aim for a university that exceeds your budget limit, even if you pass, it will make your family struggle. The important thing is to "create the best option within the limit you can afford." Confirm that limit with your parents at this time. This will make later decisions easier.In our family, we discussed it before the exam and ended up taking the entrance exams for three private medical schools. As a result, my child went to a national medical school, but they also say that taking the private medical school exams was very helpful.

Just before the exam period, parents tend to become emotional. There are not a few cases where they try to scrape together unreasonable expenses out of the feeling, "My child is working hard, so I want to do something for them." That feeling is truly noble, but drawing a calm line now will lead to the happiness of the whole family.

4. Do not be swayed by the results of mock exams

The first mock exam of the first year of being a Ronin often yields better results than expected. This is because you take it at a time when current students have not yet finished their preparation. One of the big traps for Ronin students is mistaking the deviation score or grade that comes out there for their "true ability."

The important thing is to grasp your "base" performance through multiple mock exams. I want you to have the eye to calmly analyze where your ability lies as an overall trend, rather than being swayed by looking only at the grades when you did well.

On the other hand, you don't need to be overly depressed when you do poorly. Mock exams are just a diagnosis of the current moment. The important thing is to analyze "why that result happened" and use it for the next time.

Gaining the ability to pass next year's exam is the goal of this year, and it is meaningless to have your feelings swayed by the process along the way.

5. You should be prepared that this one month, March and April, will determine your year

It is said that March is when Ronin students study the least. I can understand the feeling of "the exam is over, let's take a break." But that one month makes a difference.From April onwards, when prep school classes begin, learning will center on the curriculum. This moment right now is the only time you have to thoroughly crush your weaknesses and check your foundations at your own pace.

I understand the desire to hang out with friends. However, if you clearly tell them, "I want to go to medical school, so I will do my best this year," your true friends will definitely support you.
You can just meet and laugh together a year later. If that's a relationship that cools off, then that's the kind of relationship it was from the beginning.

I'm not saying you should stop playing completely. But I definitely want you to stop spending more than half of your week playing. Keep the pace as it has been, and at least protect the habit of sitting at your desk every day. Just doing that will change your start dash after spring significantly.

Determination alone is not enough to pass

Being a ronin is not a "failure." You chose to keep aiming for medical school because you have the determination and the reasons to do so. Those feelings are genuine.However, determination alone is not enough to pass.

Choose the right environment, give it your all at the right time, and fight after sharing the reality with your family. These are the conditions for seeing the acceptance results with a smile one year from now.

A year may seem long, but it truly ends in the blink of an eye. Today, while you think you "still have time," might actually be the most important day of the year.
Please do your absolute best.