Keio High School played in Koshien twice in spring and summer…Yuji Suzuki‘s entrance exam preparation “The output in junior high school was effective”
Of course, in order to get into the baseball team of a prestigious high school, you don’t just have to play baseball. Long-term preparation is required, including academic scores, interviews, and essay preparation. Yuji Suzuki, who graduated from Koshigaya Little Senior (Saitama) to Keio High School (Kanagawa) in 2006, enrolled using the recommendation entrance examination that began in 2003. We spoke to him about his preparation for the entrance exam before joining the Keio High School baseball team and how he passed the exam.
“First, I often talk about the system.Keio High School does not recommend baseball, but rather self-recommendation.There are two main conditions for this.The first is that you must have a grade of 5 in terms of academics. You can apply if you meet these two conditions: you need a score of at least 38 points out of a total of 45 points in nine subjects, and you have to have achieved appropriate results in athletics, culture, and entertainment activities.
There is no written statement regarding “appropriate achievements,” but in the case of baseball, it would be better if the applicant had individual accomplishments, such as participating in a national tournament as a full-time player or even representing Japan. Mr. Suzuki received close to a perfect score, and in terms of his baseball accomplishments, he had participated in national tournaments in the spring and summer consecutively during his third year of junior high school, and was also selected for the Kanto selection team, which is equivalent to a quasi-Japan representative, so he passed the qualifications for the entrance exam.
“I played baseball, but I remember a diverse range of people entering the school, including the best sumo wrestler in Japan, the best Hyakunin Isshu in Japan, and the world’s top debater.”
At first, he wanted to attend a baseball powerhouse, but with the encouragement of Keio High School officials and his parents, he decided to take the entrance exam. However, there is no guarantee that you will be accepted. The first round of examination is a document review, and the second round is an interview, essay writing, and group discussion. Even though he took proper precautions, he was told that “there is no guarantee that you will receive a job offer, so there is a chance that you will not be accepted.”
“The junior high school I attended was very involved in classes, and I was also a member of the class committee, so I had many opportunities to communicate with the teachers and output what I had input, so I think that helped me. I can’t help it.”
“Preparation and effort” during the third year of junior high school entrance exams were refined after entering high school.
Still, she was nervous during the group discussion during the actual exam, and recalls, “I remember sweating.” The examiner hands you a piece of paper, and after reading the topic, a discussion begins among four or five examinees. For 15-year-olds, there aren’t many opportunities to exchange opinions with each other, but the experience of clearly communicating my opinions from school was a great experience.
“I liked talking, so I remember going home after the interview feeling confident in terms of how much I could say.However, a player I knew from baseball was also taking the entrance exam, and when I spoke… I remember being flustered when he replied, “No, I have a different opinion than him…” (laughs)
Suzuki successfully passed the exam and participated in Koshien in 2008 as the No. 4 batter in consecutive springs and summers. At Keio University, he joined the bench in the fall of his second year, and played an active role in contributing to the league championship in the spring of his third year. While currently working for a major alcoholic beverage manufacturer, he founded the glove brand “YK BROTHERS” with his younger brother Kensuke in February of this year. There is no doubt that the seven years I spent at Keio laid the foundation for my later working life.
“Keio is a school that emphasizes thinking for yourself and taking initiative.From the time you take the entrance exam in third year of middle school, you have to prepare, put in effort, and think carefully. I feel like I’ve become even more polished.”
I am where I am today because of my school days when I took baseball and studying seriously. Mr. Suzuki will run through his life with all his might.
(Katsuharu Uchida)
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