早稲田大学 国際教養学部 AO入試 志望理由書 提出例(近藤 眞理子 教授参考)

早稲田大学 国際教養学部 AO入試 志望理由書 提出例(近藤 眞理子 教授参考)

Dear Admission Office, 

First of all I would like to thank for the opportunity and out of excitement to join a prestigious school, I am writing this letter to explain my purpose in applying for School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, hoping to pursue a major in International Communications and Language Studies later in my academic years. I would be more than grateful if you could kindly give it a read and grant me an admission. During the in-person interview, I would also be delighted to expand more on my area of studies and what I can achieve upon joining the school.

I feel that Japan focuses too much on English as an indicator of intelligence, but it is merely a communication tool to express your intelligence to others by talking, reading, writing and even body language. Scientific reports have proven, being bilingual has been shown to have positive effects on the brain, due to the work involved in suppressing one language or the other at all times depending on the situation and switching quickly. However, by continually associating ‘good English’ with intelligence, supremacy and civilisation, and by using English as a benchmark to limit opportunities for other people, we are barking up the wrong tree. Then it makes me wonder how one’s mother tongue, its characteristics and use of multiple languages determine one’s intelligence.

We speak so effortlessly that most of us never think about it. But psychologists and neuroscientists are captivated by the human capacity to communicate with language. By six to ten months children have already learned to be sensitive to the basic sounds, known as phonemes, that matter in their native language. Yet different languages differ profoundly in the sounds that are important for communication. In example, Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language in which the same basic sounds can refer to vastly different things based on the tone with which it is spoken. In a non-tonal language such as English, tone might convey emotional information about the speaker, but indicates nothing about the meaning of the word that is spoken.

Peking University, Beijing, has found that these structural differences between these languages impact the way the brain’s networks work. English speakers showed stronger connectivity leading from Wernicke’s area to Broca’s area. This increased connectivity was attributed to English relying more heavily on phonological information or sounds rather than tones. Meanwhile, Chinese speakers had stronger connections leading from an area of the brain called the anterior superior temporal gyrus to both Broca’s and Wernicke’s area. Meaning, this increased connectivity is attributed to the enhanced mapping of sound and activation of different brain networks who speak both tonal and phonal languages. 

It is true, that if you speak English, you will have a better time around. However, it is just a means of communication and proficiency in mother tongue and specialization matter much more in real life. Now that neuroscience has seen a great traction, it should be used within area of education as well. Many people may be indifferent to this area, but I feel passionate about gaining broad knowledge in Language Studies and International Communications from diverse perspectives. And in order for me to attain high-level education and equip myself with what is needed to survive the next decades of globalization and competition, and locate professional opportunity, it is extremely important for me to study various international studies among like-minded students at Waseda where liberal studies is offered. Thank you very much for reading and I am very much looking forward to hearing good news. 

 

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