Solo Student Life

1. Introduction

Let’s be honest—university credits in Japan have lost their meaning. Too often, they are nothing more than attendance points dressed up as “proof of learning.” Sit in a lecture hall for fifteen weeks, turn in something that vaguely resembles a report, and you pass. Is this really higher education, or just an expensive box-ticking game?

2. The Flawed System

Professors have wildly inconsistent grading standards. Some demand genuine mastery of the material; others hand out credits like free samples. There is no real accountability, no universal benchmark. The result? A piece of paper that says you “earned” the credit, without any guarantee you actually learned a thing.

3. The Hollow Symbol

A credit is supposed to represent knowledge, effort, and growth. Instead, it has become a hollow symbol—proof not of skill, but of passive compliance. We’re producing graduates who can list dozens of completed courses, but struggle to apply even a fraction of what they supposedly studied.

4. The Real Purpose of University

University should be a place where you’re forced to think, question, and create. Where your ideas are challenged, your perspective is broadened, and your mind is sharpened. But if all we do is chase credits, we reduce higher education to a glorified attendance sheet.

5. A Wake-Up Call

It’s time to admit the truth: the credit system is broken. We need evaluation methods that reward curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to solve real problems—not just the ability to show up. And students, too, must stop treating credits as the end goal. A diploma without real skills is nothing more than an expensive piece of paper.

6. Final Word

Your future will not be built on credits—it will be built on what you can actually do. The sooner we stop worshiping the credit system and start demanding real education, the sooner universities will stop producing graduates who are ready to pass exams but unprepared to face the world.