[Feature: International Exchange at Keio University] Ryoko Ishii: International Exchange at Affiliated Schools - Keio Affiliated Schools Study Abroad Program: Jinkan Kosai (Society) Spanning the Globe

The Keio Affiliated Schools Study Abroad Program was launched in 2012 under the leadership of then Vice-President Akira Haseyama, following the wishes of a benefactor. It began as a project to send students from affiliated schools to prestigious overseas boarding schools for one year.

Starting with the task of finding host schools, we visited 12 candidate schools in the United States and the United Kingdom with the help of the Keio Gijuku Shachu. Although none of the schools initially had a system for accepting one-year study abroad students, negotiations led to the decision in 2014 to send students to The Taft School and Deerfield Academy in the U.S., and Shrewsbury School in the U.K. While one-year study abroad programs for high school students through external organizations like AFS Intercultural Programs Japan had existed for some time, school-led study abroad programs were rare in Japan. I believe that Keio University's establishment of a system that provides scholarships and allows students to advance to the next grade without repeating a year upon their return had a significant impact on promoting study abroad at the high school level in Japan. At the launch of the program, we sent press releases to various newspapers, and several of them covered it as news.

The host schools are part of groups known as the Ten Schools in the U.S. and The Nine in the U.K. Students gather there from all over the world, and many graduates go on to the Ivy League, Oxford, or Cambridge. We wondered if Keio students could compete on equal footing in such environments. It was an unprecedented challenge, but from the very first year, the response far exceeded our expectations.

Immediately after arriving, students struggled with the differences in teaching styles, but after about two months, their opportunities to speak up in class seemed to increase, and students sent back photos of themselves smiling. Classes at all the schools were small, with about one teacher for every ten students, conducted in a discussion format. With tasks such as long-form reports, students needed the thinking skills to view things from multiple perspectives.

Japanese education is often criticized for being rote-based, but one student noted, "Because I had a base of knowledge cultivated in Japan, I was able to understand the depth of discussions in my classes abroad, comprehend and respect the opinions of others, and present my own thoughts." From the multi-page study abroad reports submitted after their return, I gained confidence that the education at Keio University's affiliated schools forms an educational foundation that is effective even overseas.

Boarding schools seem to have strong networks among admissions officers, and the reputation of Keio University's exchange students from the first year spread. In 2015, Phillips Academy Andover was added as a destination for the 12th-grade course, followed by the establishment of an 8th-grade course in 2019 and a 5th-grade course in 2020. Currently, we send about eight students per year.

During their time abroad, middle and high school students in particular often encounter major turning points in their lives. At Shrewsbury School in the U.K., each student is given their own set of chemistry lab equipment; one student was so fascinated by the environment where they could experiment to their heart's content that they decided to go on to the Faculty of Pharmacy. Another student decided to become an international lawyer after meeting a Keio University alumni who is a lawyer. There was also a student who discovered a passion for art and pursued a path in architecture.

At the study abroad report meeting held every July, the students' slightly anxious expressions from before their departure are replaced by dignified presentations, looking just like business professionals active in international society. One parent wrote in their report, "(My son) has surpassed me." I feel the same way. Every year, I am amazed at how much a teenager can leap forward in just one year of studying abroad, and I feel the joy of being involved in this project.

The aim of this system was not only to lead to the personal growth of the students who went abroad but also to "bring about ripple effects." Initially, I only looked at the scope of students returning from study abroad and sharing their knowledge with their homeroom teachers and peers to revitalize the school. However, to my surprise, the ripple effects also spread to the host schools. They contributed to their host communities not as "exchange students who were only there for a year," but as "exchange students who it's hard to believe were only there for a year."

They started Japan Societies at their host schools, contributed to swimming and ice hockey matches, led teams to victory in Math Olympiads, and played the piano in the magnificent Winchester Cathedral. One student even conducted a comparative study and presentation on Winchester College's motto (Manners makyth man) and the words of Yukichi Fukuzawa. Perhaps it is because it is only a one-year study abroad that they greedily take on challenges, and their drive attracts those around them. Even after returning to Japan, teachers and friends from their host schools visit them in Japan, and I feel that they value their relationships with Keio students.

Several schools hold events in Japan for alumni, current students, and their families. Winchester College held an event in Tokyo for the first time this year, where a Keio student introduced their study abroad experience at Winchester. Additionally, the Center for Affiliated Schools Support participated in a Phillips Academy Andover event held this April, and I was given the opportunity to give a speech about the exchange with Keio. Students who studied at Fay School or Eaglebrook in the U.S. have also helped with Japan tours for local students after returning to Japan.

As representatives of Keio, I hope each exchange student can leave their mark at their host school. I hope they leave even a small impression that there is a school called Keio in Japan and that Keio seems interesting. And I hope that someday, I might hear word that a student from one of our host schools has gone on to Keio University or its graduate school.

This system, which began in the 2014 academic year, sent out its 10th cohort in the 2024 academic year. Graduates who experienced the study abroad program in high school gather voluntarily every summer to report on their current situations. Among them are doctors working in community healthcare, researchers who pursued architecture and went on to overseas graduate schools, lawyers and accountants working on the front lines, those who found employment at airlines as pilots, and graduates who founded startup companies using brainwave technology. Many seem to study abroad again after graduating from high school.

Their destinations are diverse, including not only the U.K. and the U.S., but also Canada, Italy, France, and Northern Europe. I have great expectations that they will continue to value their connections with Keio University and their friends and mentors from their study abroad destinations, build their own unique, "hybrid" relationships, and play active roles on the world stage.

The Keio Affiliated Schools Study Abroad Program is exactly what Yukichi Fukuzawa called jinkan kosai (society) itself.