Hello. I am a first-year undergraduate student and an aspiring researcher who hopes to enter a PhD programme in the future.
In this article, I write about what I do to get the most out of my university fees and make the most of my tuition fees.
Reference: average university tuition fees and post-university salaries in Japan.
On average, private university students in Japan have to pay about 1 million yen/6700 euros per year in tuition fees. Japanese salaries after university undergraduate studies are approximately 2 million yen/13,400 euros per year.
Basic Education Law (Japanese law)
It is calculated that it takes four years to graduate from university (Japanese universities take four years to graduate), which costs approximately 4 million yen/34,400 euros. What is the point of paying these fees to attend university?
Universities, as centres of learning, shall contribute to the development of society by cultivating a high level of education and specialised skills, creating new knowledge through deep investigations of the truth, and providing the results of this knowledge to society at large.
From the Fundamental Law of Education, Article 7.
In summary, university students need to acquire three things.
1 Highly educated and specialised skills
2 The search for truth and the creation of new knowledge
3 Achievements that contribute to the development of society.
Let’s look a little more at the Fundamental Law of Education, which is the foundation of education in Japan.
Education shall be conducted with the aim of perfecting the personality and fostering citizens of sound mind and body who, as builders of a peaceful state and society, love truth and justice, uphold individual values, value hard work and responsibility, and have a spirit of self-reliance.
From the Fundamental Law of Education, Article 1
Article 1 of the Fundamental Law of Education describes the purpose of education, the main points of which are as follows:
1 The purpose of education is to perfect the personality.
2 The subject to be educated (pupils) is expected to become a peaceful nation and society builder.
3 It is necessary to receive schooling in a spirit of independence.
These articles of the law also give us an idea of the kind of university students we should aim for.
The most important thing is to be willing to learn with a voluntary spirit.
Achieving results for the development of society is only a by-product. Every research has its own meaning. It depends on whether it is, for example, a major invention like generative AI that will fundamentally change society, or basic research that never sees the light of day. Nevertheless, it is important to be motivated, curious and willing to learn independently.
In addition to these abstract things, there are three concrete things university students can do right now.
How to get the most out of your 1,000 yen/8 euros per hour by getting the most out of each and every class
1 Sit in the front row (for lectures where you can choose your seat).
2 Always attend every class.
3 Don’t sleep during class and don’t use your smartphone.
Even if you only observe these things, you will be able to concentrate more in class, spend the same amount of time with maximum concentration and get more out of the class.
1 Sit in the front row (in the case of lectures where you can choose your seat) → It is harder to sleep or use your smartphone in these seats.
2 Always attend every class → Each class is worth about 1000 yen/8 euros. It is up to you to make the most of this amount or kill it.
3 Don’t sleep in class and don’t use your smartphone → It should be easy to see which a more appropriate place is to sleep: in the lecture theatre during class or in your bed at home. Also, it is more fun to be at home and not have to worry about anyone than to use your smartphone at university.
Again, it is important for university students to be motivated, curious and willing to learn independently.
These hungry and voracious students will get.
2 That the subject (student) to be educated will be a peaceful nation and society shaper.
3 That they will be schooled with a spirit of independence.
What we have explained above is how to get the most out of the 1000 yen/8 euros per hour by getting the most out of each and every lesson.
What we will talk about next is ‘how to get the most out of these amounts by getting the original 500,000 yen/335 euros in one semester’.
1 Attend a university teacher’s laboratory.
2 Use the library and read lots of articles and books.
3 Use the university library for self-study on holidays.
Please see this article again.
Universities, as centres of learning, shall contribute to the development of society by cultivating a high level of education and specialised skills, creating new knowledge through deep investigation of the truth, and providing these results to society at large.
From the Fundamental Law of Education, Article 7.
There are two places in a university where “the search for truth”, “high culture” and “professional ability” are concentrated. The library and the laboratories of the teaching staff. It is no exaggeration to say that almost everything a university student needs to know is concentrated in these two places. Books and articles are truly part of their authors’ lives, sharing the knowledge gained with the world. University teachers in their laboratories are people who make research their business. Research is conducted with three minimum requirements: the search for truth, a high level of education and professional competence. These are the three things that university undergraduates need to learn.
コメント / Commentare