CaRe

Japan teens prep for Harvard at elite cram school

TOKYO - WANT to get into Harvard, fast? A new cram school in Tokyo could be the answer for Japanese teens - if they manage to squeeze into the US$28,000-a-year (S$75,200-a-year), intensive after-school course.

'Route H' - or the route to Harvard - opened for business late last month for those keen to get into the prestigious US university, selecting only 15 high school students at a time through special examinations.

The cram school preps the students for the SAT and TOEFL, aptitude and English language tests which most major US universities require foreign applicants to take.

It also coaches them for admissions interviews, helps them prepare their applications and invites students from top universities abroad to share their experiences.

'We've had a couple of cases where people mentioned their interest in applying to top schools abroad,' said Ms Kaori Sakamoto, a spokesman for educational services firm Benesse, which operates Route H.'That's why we are focusing on students who aim to get into top-class schools in the United States.'

Cram schools and tutoring services targeting students who plan to study abroad are not new to Japan, but Route H is the first to specialise in getting into Harvard, Ms Sakamoto said.

She said the school is named after Harvard 'since it's somewhat symbolic and it's easy for people to understand what this prep school is aiming at', but students keen to go to other Ivy League universities are also welcome.

To be accepted into Route H, students must pass entrance exams which show they have sufficient academic capabilities to apply for top universities.

So far, only two students have been accepted after 15 students took Route H's entrance exam.

Route H's tuition fees ranges from 1.5 million yen to three million yen - considerably higher than many other cram schools - but Ms Sakamoto said that was due to the small number of students and quality of the teachers.

Education is highly competitive in Asian countries, including Japan, China and South Korea, as students vie for places in exclusive universities that are seen as a way up the economic ladder. Many attend cram schools to supplement studies outside of formal schooling.

In South Korea, the number of students going abroad to study has been growing over the years, and the number of South Korean students in the US outnumber any other foreign student group at 100,000.

The figure for Japan is smaller with around 47,000 students in the US, data from the education ministry showed.

About 32,000 of those attended undergraduate programmes. -- REUTERS.

Miss QQ

Wow... they really studied hard for it...

Life is full of unexpected surprises

xRebornZ

omg.. studying so hard for a harvard degree.. i wish i can go harvard too

Kay

i wish too. but isnt that the reason y jap citizens are stress thus resulting in the massacre on its very own street?

raph

harvard seh.. if gt chance i oso wana try try...

Blogshop

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...lets go back to basics

Milk_Mynk

There was an article that my Japanese course made me read last sem, about how Japanese students actually study VERY hard. In primary school, they study to get into a good secondary school. In sec sch, they study hard to get into a good jc that has a high university admission rate. Then in JC, they study like HELL to get into a good university.

All because being a graduate from a good university gives you the chance to apply for a good job with good pay.

But after getting into university, they virtually play for 4 years till they graduate, haha.

But basically competition is so intense that if you're aiming for a good university, it's considered a given that you'll go for after-school cram school.

Shi Yuen

wah seh.
hardcore sia!
stress so much to get a good job in the future is kinda worth it thou.

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Bleach has invaded MS!
Life is a spiral, you can either take the way up or the way down.

water-sprite

So scary!!! >.< Actually not only Japan but look at all the other countries' teens...
Look @ the china scholars in SG!
Every1's so absorbed in the paper chase!!
Nowadays, a degree is like something expected out of you and who knows in the future, everyone would have masters or phD!!

platform

to think im slacking here >.<

Voodoo Vince

They studied real hard, hope they can get a degree out of it, and not go round killing people.

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People don't plan to fail... They fail to plan.