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.
Competency
Episode
- Classes
- StudyAbroad
- ExtracurricularActivities
- ClubsAndSocieties
- StudyingOutsideOfClass
- Research
- SchoolEvents
- ExtracurricularLessons
- Community
- Family
- FriendsAndPeers
- TeachersAndMentors
- Goals
- Effort
- Achievement
- Growth
- Collaboration
- SeekingAdvice
- GivingUp
- Worries
- Happiness
- Anxiety
- Confidence
- Change
- EntranceExamsAndQualifications
- JobHuntingAndInternships
- PartTimeJobs
During my final year of high school, I faced significant academic pressure while preparing for IB exams, which included moments of failure and self-doubt when my efforts didn’t yield the desired results. One instance was receiving disappointing feedback on a major project I had worked hard on, which initially left me feeling defeated. However, instead of giving up, I reflected on the feedback, sought help from my teachers, and focused on improving step by step. Through persistence and learning from my mistakes, I not only improved my project but also developed the resilience to bounce back stronger from setbacks. This experience taught me that failures are opportunities for growth, shaping my ability to tackle challenges with determination and adaptability.
Resilience
During my final year of high school, I volunteered as a mentor in our school’s peer support program, working with younger students facing academic and social challenges. One student struggled with feelings of isolation and self-doubt, initially finding it hard to open up. By actively listening, reflecting their emotions, and imagining their perspective, I built trust and created a safe space for them to express themselves. Over time, they grew more confident, and seeing their progress reinforced the importance of empathy in fostering meaningful connections. This experience not only helped the student but also deepened my understanding of others and myself, making empathy a lifelong skill I strive to nurture.
Empathy
I have made many connections with people of different ages, cultures, and genders in and out of school. I have witnessed these people talk about their lives and what challenges they faced or how they overcame said challenges. From this, I believe that I became more open-minded and empathetic towards people I am especially close to such as childhood friends and classmates who are going through hard times with school, family, and trauma. My personal experiences also helped me understand others and give them a sense of support and understanding, although we haven't experienced the same events.
Empathy
Through the physics class, tackling difficult knowledge and understanding those allowed me to gain the ability to understand.
Understanding
I learned different ways to study that worked better for me.
Innovation
My grades evolving from middle school to highschool. I began with red marks in many classes like math and underperformed in comparison to my peers. I even failed Japanese, despite working on it very diligently and going to juku as it was my nonnative language. However, as the years progressed from 7th grade to 11th grade I've gotten more used to assessments, managing my study time, and learning efficiently. acquiring notably better grades in the subjects I study hard in and boosting my overall GPA.
Resilience
In the last exam, I wasn't doing very well in Global Politics especially paper 2 but I reflected on myself and worked hard on improving my scores. In this exam, I did better than before which I am proud of myself for doing but I think there is still a lot of room for improvement and I want to continue working on my writing skills.
Resilience
this year, at school, with myself, studying, and realizing that I can do better when I solved more problems. I learned that I can do better from my mistakes.
Resilience
I experienced a low score on the exam which allowed me to be motivated and reflect on the studies I have done.
Resilience