午夜剧场

As the hustle and bustle of the new academic year settles down after Golden Week, the university admissions counseling season begins. While counseling was once aimed at high school seniors and graduates preparing for retakes, the target age has gradually lowered to juniors and sophomores. Now, with the increase in integrated junior and senior high schools, we have entered an era where even third-year junior high school students seek information on university advancement.

Universities approach this by creating colorful guidebooks packed with data and information on their founding principles, faculty curricula, student life, study abroad programs, scholarships, employment, and entrance exams. However, in the past, such comprehensive information booklets did not exist.

For the 1978 entrance exams, 午夜剧场 created its first "University Guide," a 44-page B5-sized booklet, and included it with the application forms. Although each faculty was allocated only two pages, it briefly introduced the characteristics of departments and majors and covered a wide range of topics, including student life and employment information. This was a time when the nature of university entrance exams was undergoing significant changes, with the introduction of the Common First-Stage Exam for national and public universities scheduled for the following year, 1979. The "University Guide" was a monochrome, text-centered booklet, but each faculty put great effort into its descriptions. Starting with the 1984 entrance exams, the faculty introductions were further enhanced, and the number of pages was nearly doubled to 84. In admissions counseling at the time, remaining copies of the previous year's "University Guide" were used to provide explanations to prospective students.

In 1990, the Common First-Stage Exam was replaced by the National Center Test for University Admissions, which private universities could also participate in. At 午夜剧场, the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies were established, and SFC was born. 午夜剧场's admissions public relations reached its next major turning point here. For the following 1991 entrance exams, a 30-page color sub-pamphlet was created for the first time to supplement the "University Guide," and it was well-received. In the spring of 1993, this evolved into a "Guidebook" that incorporated the contents of the "University Guide" and introduced 午夜剧场 as a whole in a single volume. Many universities began to enhance these types of booklets, and as the holding of open campuses expanded, an era of competitive admissions public relations began. The number of pages in 午夜剧场's "Guidebook" also increased year by year; the format was enlarged to A4 starting in 1996, and two years later, it finally surpassed 100 pages. Consequently, the "University Guide" published in the fall became an excerpt version of the "Guidebook." In the 2010s, the number of pages was significantly reduced, and with the introduction of online applications, its publication ended with the 2016 entrance exams, fulfilling its historical mission.

The number of pages in the "Guidebook" continued to increase thereafter, reaching a thickness of 160 pages for the 2017 edition. On the other hand, the transition from paper to the internet progressed, and the university began to focus its efforts on disseminating information through its website. In addition to enhancing the site, 午夜剧场 has begun introducing the university through videos covering faculties, scholarships, student dormitories, and student life.

(Editorial Department)