Reasons for Attending College

      In Japan, many people attend college or university. Then, why they go to school? I suppose they attend school with their own purpose. But it can be divided into some groups. In this essay, I parted it into three types.

      In the first place, people in Japan tend to have the way of thinking which the man who graduates college can win rapid promotion. In the past, an employee's rank and salary in the most company are based on length of service. It was called the seniority system and people thought it is natural. But now there is very little company that has such system. In the same way, the person who graduates college cannot always rise in rank. There is an intimate relationship between rank and skill now. It doesn't matter whether they graduate great college or not. Ability is counted in the company.

      Second, people who attend college don't know what they want to be. So they try to search for their own future by attending college. They attend college to find their goal. I think this is good reason for attending college. In fact, I also attend college to find my future. I wanted to do a job that has something to do with English when I was seventeen. But I did’t know what job I ‘d like to. So I decided to enter this university. Now I seek my dream while I study English. There are few people who can know what they want to do. They have only to push their way toward their goal. But others have no choice but to attend college and think themselves in two or four years. Besides, if we learned extensive knowledge, we could choose many kinds of jobs.

      Thus, many kinds of people attend college but the reasons are within narrow limits. But it is not bad thing to attend college. I don't think people who attend college suffer a loss. We can meet a lot of new friends and some honorable professors. On the top of that we can enjoy the last feeling of student.

Experience or Books

      There are various delicate situations in life. Then and there, which knowledge is more important gained from experience or get from book? In my opinion, knowledge gained from experience is more useful. There are some reasons.

      First, I'd like to tell you about similarity points. I think there are few similarities. But one thing that I can say is both of them have power that is able to get out of the impasses similarly. When we come up against a difficult problem, we are helped by these knowledges. Knowledge is assistance and thing that enhance our value in either case. Besides, when the person obtains some the more knowledge people have, the better we are. I think I can say both these things are needed.

      Second, concerning differences, we cannot know whether the knowledge from book can work or not because we have not done before. The knowledge that I acquire from book is not own experience but someone's experience. We cannot forecast the result. It is more risky to do. On the other hand, the knowledge from experience can be surmised. Since we remember similar condition and can image the reaction. So we can find our way out of the difficult situation. For example, when I try some sport, I do not understand even if I read the book. I can understand by using my body. In this case, reading book is the knowledge, which I obtain from book and using my body, is the understanding, which I learn from experience. Moreover I give another instance. When we meet with a disaster, it makes no differences whether we read the book which is about how should we do at a disaster or not. Because when we have a disaster, we get into panic and we may forget about a book. However, if we had knowledge from experience, we learned how to act. Like this, most of the case, we are able to use only the understanding that we get from experience.

      In conclusion, both of them are very important. I think if which knowledge lack, we could not spend life comfortably. But as a result of my thinking, I suppose that knowledge gained from experience is more important than knowledge from book.

Change in Your School

      Now our school has great system of education. I learned many things in this university. However, I notice the change in our school. It is there are few native teachers. I take only one class by native teacher. There are some friends around me who take no lesson by them. I believe this is problem.

      The first reason that I think that is a problem is about pronunciation. Of course there are some teachers whose pronunciation is good. I think the teachers who make a study English pronunciation is marvelous in our school. The teacher tells us very kindly. I do not say that the teacher who are Japanese. But I am sure that native teacher pronounces more clearly. We also try to speak to them by pronunciation like them. If so, our linguistic ability ought to improve. A pronunciation is hard to understand for foreign people. But by imitating the pronunciation that native people says and repeating it many times, we can acquire it. It is very important thing for master foreign languages. It is not a thing that I can do alone.

      Second, we especially me study English to do a job that is something to do with English. In that case, the person who becomes my companion or client should be a foreigner. So we have to get use to talk with them. Even if we learn English grammar and writing, when it comes the talking to them we may be thrown into confusion. In fact, similar case happened to me when I went to Canada some years ago. I had thought I managed to speak English but when it comes to the crunch, I could understand their language but I could not speak at all although I ought to know words or sentences. I felt bitter. We sometimes lose our nerve when we speak to foreigners. But if we become inured to talk with native speakers, we may are not afraid of talking another foreigners. Of course we need to learn not only conversation. In fact, if I want to speak English, I can go some English conversation school. However, I don't want only to speak English. I want to do a job using English. So I believe that what we learn now is very important. But before I learn some other things I need some experience that we talk with native people.

      In conclusion, I suppose the lack of native teachers is problem. Our ability of English should make progress. It is important that we can come in contact with foreign people. If it is possible, I hope that the school increases the number of them.