午夜剧场

Winter is the season for university entrance exams. The general flow—where applicants apply, take exams in classrooms, wait for the announcement of results, and complete enrollment procedures—has remained unchanged for a long time. However, the specific details of these arrangements have changed significantly over the past 30 years. What exactly has changed, and how?

To take an entrance exam, one first starts by obtaining the application guidelines (admission requirements). For a long time, guidelines for general entrance exams were sold at bookstores, and for those in rural areas or without nearby bookstores, they were handled via mail. This changed drastically with the introduction of online applications. Initially, all universities used a hybrid system where one could apply via paper or the internet, but in recent years, they have begun transitioning to "all-online" systems, abolishing paper guidelines and consolidating into online applications. 午夜剧场 (the Juku) introduced online applications starting with the 2017 entrance exams and abolished paper guidelines. Because it was a late adopter, it implemented the latest internet methods: applicants upload their ID photos online, and exam admission tickets are printed out by the applicants themselves rather than being mailed by the university.

Once the exams are over, applicants wait for the announcement of results. The sight of people experiencing joy or sorrow in front of a special bulletin board where lists of successful examinee numbers were posted used to be a staple image for newspapers and television, but this changed slowly over the course of 30 years. It began with the 1986 entrance exams, when lists of successful and waitlisted examinee numbers started being sent from the university via electronic mail. However, enrollment procedure documents could only be received by physically going to Mita. That changed with the 1991 entrance exams. Lists of successful examinee numbers arrived via electronic mail on the same day, and the university began mailing the official notice of admission and enrollment documents to homes the following day. This major reform significantly altered the announcement of results and enrollment procedures, dramatically improving convenience for applicants and their families.

Later, in 2004, online result announcements were introduced. The following year, a telephone response system was also used in conjunction, making it possible to easily check pass/fail status from anywhere. Consequently, the posting of examinee number lists gradually became supplementary, and finally, in 2009, that long history came to an end out of consideration for personal information.

Regarding enrollment procedures, the 1991 reform allowed the first stage of procedures—paying the admission fee—to be completed via bank transfer and mail. However, the second stage of procedures for those who decided to enroll in the Juku still required coming to the enrollment procedure desk at Mita. In 2009, this also became possible via mail, and course registration guides for after enrollment began to be delivered to homes via courier. Except for those waiting for the results of the late-schedule exams for national and public universities in late March, or those granted admission from the waiting list after mid-March, it became possible to reach the entrance ceremony without ever setting foot on campus after the day of the exam.

For the current 2018 entrance exams, the majority of enrollment procedure documents are now submitted via web entry, and the telegrams used to notify waitlisted applicants of their admission have also ended their historical mission, replaced by the internet.

(Editorial Department)