Broadening my Perspective: Learning about “the Economy and Food” from Different Points of View

In choosing a university, I wanted to focus on a school’s available courses of study and its atmosphere. In terms of subject matter, I wanted to learn about “the economy and food” in a multidisciplinary way, taking into account the relationship between the economy and food from different angles to understand how to create a better society through food.

For this reason, I wanted to go to a university with a variety of departments, both liberal arts, and sciences; I was very attracted to the low barriers between departments at Sophia and the ability to take classes in other departments. In fact, after entering Sophia, I took classes offered by various departments such as welfare and environment, and was able to gain a range of knowledge wider than I could have imagined.

I also liked Sophia’s compact campus and peaceful atmosphere. Since I’m from Niigata, I’m not used to learning and school life at a large school, so I wanted a university with a relatively small student body. Although Sophia is located in the center of the city, the student body is relatively small and I thought I would be able to spend these four years at my own pace, in a peaceful environment.

When starting university in Tokyo, what I found most different from my hometown was the number of people and their diversity. I was able to meet people of the same age who had completely different upbringings, ways of thinking, and values. My friends from university, who have done activities and research in high school that I had never even heard of in my hometown, are an inspiration to me. In addition, something else that feels extremely unique to Tokyo is how English and other foreign languages are being spoken all around the Yotsuya campus.

How Living Alone Gives Me the Freedom to Create a Study-Focused Environment

As for living in Tokyo for the first time, I didn’t have any major concerns as I came to live on my own after living with my sister, who is in Tokyo as well. I’m the type of person who values spending time alone, so space and time away from university life, where I can cherish my alone time, was appealing to me.

One of the best things about living alone is the ease of inviting friends over. Only when living alone can I use my house freely, and do things like host birthday parties for friends at home.

As my rule for maintaining a sense of rhythm in my life, I’ve decided that home is a place where I can rest and spend time as I please. I try to do all my studies, assignments, and preparations for job hunting outside, like at the university library. I avoid bringing any of this work home – I try to lead a balanced life, working as hard as I can on assignments outside and focusing on relaxing at home. When I work on assignments at home, I sometimes take it easy and find time flies without making much progress, but at the university library, I can concentrate better on my work since others around are also working hard, driving me to want to do the same.

Thinking About my Future: Seeing how my Experiences Could Help Others

At Sophia, I participate in the “Peer Café” project, which is aimed at creating a place for on and off campus interaction with other members of the Sophia University community. As a group, we plan and manage open campus consultations with current students, talk events, and social events for new first-year students before they enter the university.

One of the most memorable moments for me as part of this group was when we organized an open campus exhibit based on the different experiences people have had when taking entrance exams. Since Sophia University has a variety of entrance examination systems, exams depend on the potential student’s preferred method and faculty.

Based on my experience, I thought through what potential students would want to know most and used that in my planning. Students and parents looked at what I had designed and found it very helpful, thanking me for my work. This experience and feeling that I could be useful to someone else was very rewarding.

At Sophia, I am also a member of the Environmental Economics Seminar and am currently studying the impact of COVID-19 on food consumption – a topic that I have recently started to think about from a more global perspective.

Before entering university, I think I was more career-oriented, focusing on the jobs that would provide stable work and income. However, through my studies and activities at the Peer Café, I discovered the joy of doing what I love and working with people. I would like to choose a career that fosters interaction with and among people and creates places for people to spend time comfortably. I want to contribute to society by fully utilizing what I have learned and experienced during my time at university.

*Please note that the content of this article is current as of July 2023.