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Episode

The eight competencies developed at Ritsumeikan Academy.
We introduce how they are developed through daily experiences, along with diverse episodes.

*These episodes are based on responses actually submitted by students at every level of education—including elementary, junior high, and high school students, as well as university and graduate students—in the Quantitative Survey for Ritsumeikan Academy Competency Framework conducted in the 2024 academic year. Information that could identify individuals has been removed or modified before publication.

Before coming to APU, I always felt like I needed someone to lead me and I could not complete the task alone. However, when I had experience with both group work and individual work, I found out that I can work more efficiently independently as I can decide things based on my judgment. I gain more self-respect and self-esteem.

Self-efficacy

Since I was a kid, I have always loved talking and playing with other people around me. Back in the days, I spent a lot of time hanging out with my friends and sharing daily events around me with them. We went to each other houses and played card together while talking about our days at school. I was considered as a smart kid back then, especially in English so my friends would come and ask me about English homework. I enjoyed sharing what I knew with them because I found I could be helpful to them. Another thing which I am really good at is giving pieces of advice for relationships. Many of my friends ask me for bits of advice regarding relationships with their loved ones or even disliked ones. I think it is because I am good at listening and I often give them ideas which they never think about. I also do not have much conflicts with anybody as if something goes wrong, I am always the one who say sorry and show attitudes to move toward a better things. I do not like fighting and quarelling against anybody and anythings. That might be because I am afraid to be hurted and hurt other people. My friends tell me I am easy to cry whenever I feel sad. I do not like but also not hate this part of me. Because I do not like the feeling to be hurted and sad so I always careful with words and actions in order not to hurt anyone. And thus that makes me good at talking and building relationships with others. I have always enjoyed playing and chatting with those around me, even as a little child. I used to hang out with my pals a lot and tell them about the things that happened in my life. We visited one other's homes and played cards while discussing our school days. Back then, I was thought to be a bright child, particularly in English, so my buddies would come to me with English homework questions. I discovered that I could be of assistance to them, therefore I appreciated sharing my knowledge with them. My ability to offer relationship counsel is another one of my strong points. A lot of my friends ask me for small pieces of advice about how to interact with their loved ones or even those they don't like. I believe it's because I listen well and frequently offer them options that they would never consider. Additionally, I don't have many disagreements with people since I'm the one who constantly apologizes and adopts a positive outlook in order to make things better. I don't enjoy arguing and fighting with people or things. This may be because I'm scared of getting hurt and hurting other people. According to my friends, I cry easily when I'm depressed. Although I dislike this aspect of myself, I also do not despise it. I always take care with my words and actions to avoid hurting anyone because I dislike the feeling of being unhappy and wounded. As a result, I'm skilled at interacting with people and establishing rapport.

Empathy

Same as answer one. I have been more critical of myself and started taking notes and doing journals to keep track of what I have been doing the past few months, and have been trying to change my approaches.

Initiative

I was conscripted into the Korean military for 18 months. I am Korean American and an American citizen therefor I am not necessarily obligated to enlist. However, I chose to do so to overcome my personal limitations regarding adaptation and better myself as an overall individual. It was during service where I truly learned the rewards of trying your best. I was able to overcome my personal limitations and after discharge (with flying colors) I had some time to self reflect and figure out the base of my issues in life. With the skill sets and mentality I had obtained from the military, I am now doing much better in my academia and everyday life.

Resilience

I am currently in my final year of studies at Ritsumeikan, and I am doing job-hunting at the moment. I have applied to many companies, have not heard back from majority of them, and gotten rejected by those that I went for an interview with. Despite that, I never gave up and I am still continuing my job hunt as I am determined to stay in Japan. After each unsuccessful attempt in finding a job, I would always reflect on what I did, and how I can improve myself in my next interview opportunity. I am also working harder than ever, finding jobs on all platforms possible, and trying to network with new people, which is something that I have never done before in the past. Albeit still not having land a job yet, I can see that there is a gradual improvement in myself throughout these few months as I am becoming a stronger person while learning new things about myself and the world.

Resilience

I had lost a lot of precious people and things in my entire life that made me realise I must keep going through and push through all my failures no matter how vast.

Resilience

Since I'm an international student, I'm basically living alone in Japan with no family or relatives. The first 6 months after coming to Japan, I went through the adjustment phases which was challenging and sometimes exhausting both physically and mentally. I started to understand that self-assurance by understanding yourself is a very important part in facing problems in life. My interest in psychology basically helped me in reaching self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy

Living alone abroad gave me a lot of time to reflect on my passions, interests, and where I want to go next in life. It is through these reflections that I began to understand myself and the processes throughout my lifetime that made me who I am today.

Self-efficacy

By friends and others around me I was able to acquire the self-efficiency. Living in different countries also made me change my mindset to believe in myself and try new things.

Self-efficacy