Waseda WeeklyWaseda Weekly

The case of Korogi-san, second-year student School of Culture, Media and Society

Aika Korogi, 2nd year student, School of Culture, Media and Society Media and Society

Korogi-san has been a reader monitor for Waseda Weekly since she enrolled. She started reading Waseda Weekly during her entrance exam period after a senior recommended it to her. We asked Korogi-san about when she reads Waseda Weekly and how she uses it.

--Please tell us your weekly schedule. Also, when do you usually read Waseda Weekly?

I read it every day during my commute. By reading articles on a variety of topics every day, I am able to learn a lot without being limited by my own interests.

Kohrogi-san's schedule for a certain week in 2024. Time to read the weekly magazine.

--What activities are you focusing on at school?

Language study. I have always been interested in Korean music and culture, so in my first year I chose Korean as my second foreign language and aimed to improve my language skills. This is because I wanted to become familiar with various fields by studying Korean in more detail as a second foreign language, and in the future I wanted to be someone who could connect the people of Korea and Japan using my own language. In School of Culture, Media and Society and Society, we had compulsory language classes four times a week, and I worked hard in each class. In addition to reading and listening, I was conscious of improving my speaking and writing skills, and in the future I would like to work even harder to improve my ability to communicate in languages other than my native language and English.

Left: Participating in a Korean speech contest on campus in December 2024
Right: November 2024, at Waseda Festival. They also enjoy student club activities.

-Do you have a favorite corner in Waseda Weekly?

"People" because it introduces the experiences, student life, and activities of students from various faculties and years, and allows me to learn about Waseda University students who are taking on challenges with goals in a wide variety of fields, and their attitude has had a big influence on me.

I think that because university students have the free time to do what they want, they are expected to take action to make their lives more fulfilling. Waseda Weekly gives them that opportunity and encourages their spirit of challenge. It is a valuable opportunity to hear from people who have actually experienced it, and I feel that it is useful for getting interested in a wide range of fields rather than a specific genre.

From People 2024 (clockwise from top left)
"Japan's No. 1 Student Mahjong Player! The culmination of four years of university experience with mahjong"
"Debuted as a manga artist while still in junior high school! A talented young artist who is expanding his field of work to anime and original works"
"Towards a future where we can all go into space: A homemade robot program heads to the ISS"
"Waseda University student who launched Nishijin-ori dog wear brand aims to promote dogs' social advancement"

--What do you expect from Waseda Weekly in the future?

In the daily life of a student, there is a great deal of information disseminated from the university. Waseda Weekly is also a reliable source of information for Waseda students to learn about and utilize on-campus facilities, services, projects, systems, etc. The wide variety of articles, not limited to a particular genre, give readers a multifaceted perspective and the opportunity to take on new challenges, so I hope to continue to reflect the voices of our readers through reader monitor surveys and other means, and to remain a familiar presence for Waseda students.

The case of Ishii-san, a first-year master’s student at the Graduate School of Science and Engineering

Tomoki Ishii, 1st year master's student, Graduate School Graduate School of Fundamental Science and Engineering

Ishii-san has been a reader monitor for three times since he was an undergraduate. By reading the articles in Waseda Weekly, he has become familiar with the affairs of the university, and is active in events as a member of a student group. Ishii-san, who entered graduate school this spring, how did he read Waseda Weekly when he was an undergraduate?

--Please tell us your weekly schedule. Also, when do you usually read Waseda Weekly?

In the spring semester of 2024, I read a week's worth of articles on Fridays. I learned about the activities of various Waseda University students in Waseda Weekly, which motivated me to study harder.

Ishii-san's schedule for a certain week in the spring semester of 2024. Before studying on Friday, he read the weekly magazine for the week.

--What activities are you focusing on at school?

I enjoy my activities with VIVASEDA. VIVASEDA is a student group at the Waseda University Athletic Center, and we work with each athletic club to promote Waseda sports, such as by organizing Waseda-Keio support tours. The above schedule is for the spring semester of 2024, when we prepared and implemented events for the Waseda-Keio Regatta.

In rowing races, it is easy to see who wins and who loses, but at the event, we explained how to start a rowing race and the roles of each position, and introduced the course shape that is actually run in a regatta. We also had fun with the participants in the form of a quiz, so that they could learn about the appeal of rowing races and regattas.

Left: Diagram of explanation given at the Waseda-Keio Regatta event
Photo on the right: At the VIVASEDA-sponsored pre-Keio-Waseda autumn baseball game event, the main focus was on interaction between the baseball team players and participants.

--What articles in Waseda Weekly do you find useful?

"My Waseda Cuisine" is very useful because it broadens my repertoire of Wasemeshi dishes. When I go to a restaurant I've never been to before, I don't know what the atmosphere is like, so I worry about whether it's a place a student should go to and I feel uncomfortable going in. However, the article gives information about what the restaurant looks like, student discount menus, and a message from the restaurant, so my worries are immediately alleviated. I remember going to the ramen restaurant "Zweiter Läden" the same day I read the article.

--What do you expect from Waseda Weekly in the future?

I hope they continue to feature Waseda students who are doing great things. Tomoda Ore-san, winner of the R-1 Grand Prix, and Nakano Shinji, who advanced to the finals of the men's keirin at the Paris 2024 Olympics, were featured in People when they were students. In addition to people in fields such as comedy and sports, Waseda students who are active in a variety of fields such as Go players, inventors, novelists, and business plan contest winners are also featured.

Reading People, it is clear that Waseda is a university that values the independence of its students. I think Waseda Weekly is the only place where you can learn about Waseda students who are active in such a wide range of fields, so I hope they will continue to publish it in the future.

Left: Ishii, who also works as a cultural promotion student advisor at Waseda University. Waseda University History Museum A photo from when I was guiding
Photo on the right: Studying functional analysis in the lab