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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.

To understand oneself is a very difficult thing to do. While it is important to reflect on one's behavior, it cannot be done too often, as rumination is damaging to mental health. Thus, it is important to have lived experiences, and spend a minority of the time reflecting. However, this time reflecting is crucial to understanding yourself. When I first came to Japan, I was 22 years old. I didn't know much about the country or life in general, but I said "yes" to almost every opportunity I had. Because I did this, I had a lot of content to reflect on. When living in a foreign country, you must push yourself. When you push yourself, you can learn a lot about who you are and your limits after reflecting on your experiences.

Self-efficacy

I learned this during my first year of study when I was really stressed out in this lab. However, with the support of the student support room, seniors, and my family, I was able to calm down and realize that my stress was caused by trying to please my professors and doing things I didn't like. After I understood this, I started working as much as I could and focused on doing what I was good at.

Self-efficacy

After getting my master degree from Faulty of computers and Artificall Intellgence - Cairo University . My dream to complete my post studies overseas so I applied for JICA- ABE and also fulbright . The rule in my job is , they must recommend the scholare so I didnt get the recommendation in the year 2022 and also I didnt get accepetence from fulbright . but in the 2023 I reapplied and I got accepetcnce from JICA and also accepetence from university in Gulf countries. but my dream was Japan so I choose to travel to Japan desit of it is Master scholarship and I already had master degree.

Initiative

I never studied economics before. But now when i got enrolled in Economics, I had to cover a lot of basic concepts. Most of the course was totally new for me. I didn't give up and challanged myself to keep working hard. I wasn't quite satisfied with my grades in 1st semester but I took it as goal to get better grades in 2nd semester. I set goals and timelines to achieve those goals. And I did pretty well in 2nd semester. This is how I think I gained competence in taking initiative and fulfilling them.

Initiative

During my nearly two years at the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, I have developed resilience through the rigorous research work assigned by my supervisor. These projects were often challenging, requiring me to deeply engage with complex academic materials and manage tight deadlines. Initially, balancing multiple responsibilities while maintaining the quality of my work felt overwhelming. However, I gradually learned to break tasks into manageable parts, prioritize effectively, and seek clarification from my supervisor when needed. This approach not only enhanced my understanding of the research topics but also significantly improved my time management skills. By staying disciplined and adapting to feedback, I successfully completed each assignment on time. These experiences have strengthened my ability to recover from difficulties and approach future challenges with greater confidence and efficiency.

Initiative

When I first got into AISLab, I had to decide which research topic I would work on. That includes learning about my preferences, my abilities, and my future goals. I made the plan and proposed it to the professor, and received some feedback; the whole process involved me being very proactive in defining the tasks and goals. I reflect on that goal constantly to keep everything on track. I achieved 2 papers published after one year in the master's program; I think it mainly reflects how I took the initiative.

Initiative

Over the past year at the Intelligence Computer Entertainment Laboratory, I've grown significantly in my ability to set and pursue goals independently. During our lab seminars led by my professor, I consistently pushed beyond assigned tasks. I began proposing my research ideas, designing experiments, and working late into the night to see them through. When faced with setbacks or unexpected results, I didn't give up. Instead, I adjusted my approach and kept going. This self-driven attitude led to several breakthroughs in our game AI projects. My initiative caught the attention of my peers and my professor, who encouraged me to present my findings at a conference. This experience taught me the value of self-motivation and perseverance in academic research.

Initiative

As a student pursuing a doctoral degree, we were required to think proactively, identify problems around us, and propose effective solutions. Being a Doctoral Student automatically positioned me as a "senior" student in the laboratory, making it essential to become a role model that students from other levels could look up to. With limited time and the high expectations of producing novel research, I often had to take the lead in starting discussions and setting clear goals right from the start. When discussing research topics with my professor, the conversation dynamic shifted from directives like "You should do this to obtain this" to more collaborative conversations such as "What do you think we should do to obtain this?" this kind of approach consistently challenged and strengthened my initiative mindset.

Initiative

When I was swimming, sometimes I was still a little bit away from the finish line, and at that time I felt a certain amount of fatigue, but I would still keep swimming to the finish line.

Initiative