Matsuura Seminar (6th Student Interview, M.H.)
Title: “See Things as an Opportunity Without Narrowing Down the Possibilities”
Why did you join Matsuura Seminar?
Well, the first reason was that I was interested in the research field. Since I was a high school
student, I’ve been interested in urban development, and as a sophomore after entering university,
I wanted to join a seminar related to that field. At Matsuura Seminar, we cannot study urban
development directly, but I thought that we could study urban development indirectly as it
focuses on the fields of corporate location, corporate innovation, and international
competitiveness of cities. I was also attracted to the Matsuura Seminar because I can gain data
analysis skills which would be useful even when I enter society and what was more, it was a newseminar and I thought we could create our own seminar and history. After applying during theDate B registration period, I was accepted.
Did Matsuura Seminar participate in Seminar Information Sessions or open seminars?
Actually, no! A week before the Date A registration period, I received a notice that Matsuura
Seminar was open and that it would be accepting students. I didn’t know what kind of teacher
Professor Matsuura was or what he specialized in until I applied.
I see. So in your case, did you apply for another seminar during the Date A registration
period and applied for Matsuura Seminar during the Date B registration period?
At first, there was a seminar that I really wanted to go to during the Date A registration period,
but as I mentioned earlier, I heard about Matsuura Seminar a week before the registration period,and I thought that the research field sounded interesting as well. However, looking back on mylife, I realized that I had never been accepted to my first choice, so I decided to take a shot at myfirst choice instead of going to a seminar where I had a chance of being accepted from thebeginning. I was thinking from the start that if I get rejected from my first choice, I would applyfor Matsuura Seminar.
I see. Please tell us about your Date A registration period experience in detail.
As I mentioned earlier, I was interested in urban development, which Kawabata and Takeyama
Seminars specialize in, but I applied for Kurino Seminar during Date A registration period.
Professor Kurino was originally from the Department of Civil Engineering at Kyoto University
who studied urban engineering. As urban planning requires knowledge of microeconomics, I wasdrawn to his seminar. Above all, Professor Kurino was my microeconomics professor and since I
wanted to study under a professor I knew well, I decided to apply.
How did you move on when you were not accepted during the Date A registration period?
Also, did you think about applying to the Date B registration period before applying to theDate A registration period?
I was greedy, so I thought, “If I fail during the Date A registration period, I can apply for
Matsuura Seminar during the Date B registration period!” However, when I didn’t get accepted, I
was shocked that I stayed in my room for two or three days (Laugh). But this also meant that I
had the chance to study at Matsuura Seminar, so I changed my mind in three or four days anddecided to do my best to pass the entrance exam.

Is there anything you wish you had done better before applying for seminars?
Yes, I guess one is that there is nothing better than getting good grades. This is not a very goodstory, but when a friend of mine also applied for Kurino Seminar, he was not satisfied with his
result and thus, directly asked the professor why he was not accepted. The professor replied thateveryone did well on the tests and interviews, so it was decided that they would cut students off
based on grades in the end. So, I would like everyone to know that there is the possibility thatsome seminars may cut you off based on your grades in the end.
What do you like about Matsuura Seminar?
One of the things I like is that the professor is very kind and caring. At first, I applied for aseminar specializing in microeconomics, and although I had some confidence inmicroeconomics, I was struggling with statistics since my first year. Since I joined Matsuura
Seminar under such circumstances, I was worried whether I could really keep up. However, theprofessor explained how I can use statistical software, what specific analysis method I can use
for certain types of data, and so on from step 1. While I was not good at statistics, I was able toget used to it without having such a hard time with the help of my teacher. Now, I can write mygraduation thesis on my own, and I really appreciate his kindness.
Also, as it was a new seminar, there were times when I was trying to figure out with theprofessor how we can run the seminar. I am glad that I joined the Matsuura Seminar because I
was able to spend time getting to know the other seminar students and the professor.
What makes a new seminar so special?
In a seminar where there are senpais, the seminar's policy is decided to a certain extent, so thesenpais and teachers tend to give instructions on what to do at this time of the year and what todo the next time, and the third-year students act accordingly. However, in our case, there were nosuch restrictions at all; we were able to do whatever we wanted to do. The professor was willingto accept requests when students say “I want to try this kind of thing”, “I want to do this kind ofresearch” or “I want to hold this kind of event and interact with other people, and I feel that thismakes a new seminar so special, unlike a seminar with a long history.
I see. Some sophomores may think, "I want to do this, but I don't think I can do it in aseminar," but in a new seminar, there is a high chance that they can do it themselves!
Next, looking back on your student life, what was your seminar like?
It was the heart and pacemaker of my third and fourth year at Mita.
Seminars tend to determine the course of study during your third and fourth years. For example,
those in a seminar specializing in macroeconomics will take classes related to macroeconomics,
while those in a seminar specializing in economic history will take many history-related classes
to gain knowledge that will be useful for their graduation thesis.
In that sense, I also took many classes on data analysis to feel more comfortable with statistics,
which I was not good at all when I joined Matsuura Seminar. In order to find a research theme, I
took a class on international economics, which Professor Matsuura was researching, as well asclasses regarding urban development, which I had always been interested in. Furthermore, bytaking courses offered by Tokyo Institute of Technology, I took classes on urban planning andcivil engineering from a more scientific approach. In this way, the seminar shaped my life atMita.
Is there anything you would like to tell the sophomores who were not accepted during theDate A registration period?
I hope that sophomores will not be discouraged even if they are not accepted during the Date Aregistration period and will try again during the Date B registration period. In my case, I spent
my sophomore year thinking that I would be doing microeconomics in my third and fourth year,
but in reality, I realized that I was doing something completely different (data analysis) which I
thought I was not good at first, but once I started, I found a lot of interesting things. At the sametime, my seminar professor turned out to be very good (Laugh).
I think that the sophomores who will take the entrance exam for Date A registration period aretaking the entrance exam with extraordinary feelings, but even if the results did not turn out theway they wanted, they may meet someone they never expected to meet, or they may meet aseminar or research field that will change their future. I think there are many sophomores who
have already decided which seminar they would like to join, but it is important that you do notlimit your possibilities. When the Date B registration period starts, you can say “I didn’t get in aseminar during Date A registration period, but now I have the chance to apply for anotherseminar during Date B registration period! I’m going to work hard for it!” If you think in thisway, you might get accepted during Date B or Date C registration period and have an experiencethat you could not have had in the seminar you were accepted to during Date A registration
period, which will enrich your life at Mita. I would like to tell you to not be discouraged and to
do your best!
Do you think it is important to rest? (Laugh)
Yes (Laugh). During the Date A registration period, there is about a month between theregistration date and the entrance exam, so I think that many people study very hard to pass theexam during that period. Therefore, it is important to tell yourself that you did a great job and if
you fail, I think it is OK to cry for 3 to 4 days. I think it’s not too late at all to start preparing forthe Date B registration period after you’ve cried and decided that you’ve rested enough.
One thing to keep in mind is that I had already decided to apply for Matsuura Seminar during theDate B registration period beforehand, so it was OK to not do anything for 3 or 4 days. However,
if you do so without having decided which seminar to apply for during the Date B registration
period, you will have to look for a seminar to apply for after 3 or 4 days have passed. To avoid
this, you should rank your first, second, and third choice from the beginning and research until
you can say, for example, that you will not apply for a specific seminar because it is hard to get
accepted, that you would be fine even if you apply during Date B registration period, or that yourlife at Mita will be fine as long as you apply during the designated period.
Indeed. You’re saying that before applying, it is important to gather proper informationand have your own strategy while preparing, right?
If you were to look back now, do you think you would take the Kurino Seminar during
Date A registration period? Or do you think you would take the Matsuura Seminar?

I like Matsuura Seminar so much that I think I will probably apply for Matsuura Seminar insteadof Kurino Seminar. The teacher turned out to be very kind, and more than anything else, I
learned how interesting data analysis can be.
I was able to learn about causal relationships and connections between events that I did not know
before, and I think such knowledge will be useful even after I work at a company, and I think it
has broadened my future. There may not be many jobs that directly use microeconomics, but I
think there are many jobs that directly use data analysis. In that sense, I think I would probably
go to Matsuura Seminar if I were to go back to the past, in that I was able to take on thechallenge of being interested in various things when I was job hunting.
Even though you felt that you were not good at statistics as a sophomore, you haveovercome the difficulty by taking the seminar. What do you think is the difference?
In a statistics class required by the economics department, hundreds of students take the class atthe same time taught by a teacher, so I think there were many cases where students did notunderstand the material even though they asked their friends for help. As was the case with me,in the end, there were probably students who took the exam and received the credit without
really understanding the subject and ended up struggling with statistics.
However, in a seminar, there are approximately 10 students, so the professor knows the level andknowledge of statistics of each student, so he/she can teach in a way that suits the student'sneeds, or he/she can give a supplemental class. Even if you enter a seminar that specializes in afield you think you are not good at (not only in the case of statistics), I think every seminar has
an environment in which the professor will give you a lot of support, so I don't think you need toworry too much.
I think that many students will have fewer choices of seminars to apply for during the Date B
registration period and will apply for seminars specializing in the fields that they are interested in
but are not good at. Still, I think they should apply without worrying about that!
Please give a message to the sophomores who are about to apply for a seminar.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students were able to visit only six seminar
information sessions a day, whereas in the past students were able to visit many seminars in one
day. Although it is a time when you need to narrow down your choices, please participate in thethird information session and take a look at other seminars which you did not consider in the firstand second information session. By doing so, you can change your choice immediately if you
encounter any issues, or find out if you can actually do the research you want to do in a seminar.
Even if the result of your first choice did not turn out to be good, I think that there are still plentyof seminars that will suit you and make you happier than your first choice. I hope you willcontinue to study hard without worrying about your result.
Last question, what is the strength of Matsuura Seminar?
First of all, the professor is really kind, and I have never seen him get upset even once. No matter
how poor the quality of my presentation was, he did not get upset; rather, he politely told me
what was wrong with it. As a result, I was able to present my research without feeling scared.
Furthermore, the professor is a specialist in data analysis, so he will tell you anything if you ask

him. He is also very knowledgeable in fields other than data analysis, so even if you ask him aquestion in a field that he does not specialize in, he will tell you a lot about it. Although theseminar is in the international economics category, you can do data analysis so if you are notgood at statistics but would like to analyze data using statistical software, please come and joinus!
Also, the current third graders are very unique and include international students as well asstudents from other universities. I think it would be a challenge to study with such a diverse
group of people in other seminars, so please apply to Matsuura Seminar!
I found it important for sophomores to attend the third seminar information session to get
to know more about each seminar! Thank you so much for your time!
Sidenote:
This time, we decided to interview a student who has applied and was accepted during the Date
B registration period. Once again, thank you so much!
One thing I noticed through this interview is that we should not narrow down the possibilities
and see everything as an opportunity. It is true that even if you fail in Date A registration period,
you still have Date B registration period and Date C registration period, so you have two morechances. For those of you who will be applying for Date A registration period, I hope that you
will not give up and apply for the seminar.
Through this interview, I also realized that there are many strengths of the seminar that I did notknow about. I would like to continue to do my best in conducting interviews so that I can convey
the strength of other seminars as well.
Thank you very much for reading!