Statement of purpose
Rikkyo University · Department of Economics, College of Economics
Starting from an observation in a shopping street, explain why you want to study economics, why you chose this university, and how you will continue exploring after enrollment.
The Japanese manuscript uses a Mincho-style font with a one-character paragraph indent. Read it through, then use the commentary to check your learning motivation, university choice, and plans after enrollment. Controls at the bottom let you change reading mode, copy the main text, or print.
A high school graduate visited several small shops near home as part of an inquiry project, observing how customers and shops chose payment methods. The resulting questions became the starting point for applying to Rikkyo University's Department of Economics in the College of Economics.
私は、身近な買い物で人が何を基準に支払い方を選ぶのかを学びたく、貴学経済学部経済学科を志望する。きっかけは、通学路にある商店街で、同じ店に現金とスマートフォン決済の利用者が並ぶ様子を見たことだった。支払いが速いかどうかだけでなく、使い慣れた方法への安心感や、店側が用意できる手段も関わるのではないかと考えた。
高校の探究学習では、近所の数店を訪ね、掲示されている決済方法を記録し、許可を得られた店では店員の方に、客から支払いについてどのような質問を受けるかを聞いた。現金を使う人が多いと話す店もあれば、昼休みにはスマートフォン決済を選ぶ客が目立つと話す店もあった。私は店ごとの違いを表に整理したが、訪ねた店は少なく、客の年齢や購入額も確かめていない。この経験から、目にした違いをすぐに一つの理由で説明することの難しさを知った。
そこで、消費者が支払い方法を選ぶときの費用や便利さを、店の導入負担や地域の状況と合わせて考えたい。例えば、利用者にとって便利な方法でも、小さな店には機器や手数料の負担があるかもしれない。反対に、現金を選ぶ理由も年齢だけでは決められない。高校でできたのは問いを見つけるところまでであり、選択の背景を調べ、異なる立場から確かめるための経済学の基礎を学ぶ必要がある。
貴学科では、ミクロ経済学・マクロ経済学などの基礎理論を学んだうえで、経済理論・経済政策・国際経済の三つの科目群から専門性を深められる。私の問いには、個人や店の選択を考える視点と、その選択を取り巻く制度や経済の動きを捉える視点の両方が必要だ。まず基礎を固め、経済理論科目群を中心に学びながら、政策や国際的な決済環境にも視野を広げたい。また、一年次の基礎ゼミナールで文献の読み方や調査、報告の方法を学べる点は、限られた観察を検討可能な問いへ育てたい私にとって大切である。
入学後は、授業で学ぶ理論を身近な事例に当てはめる前に、何を比べればよいかを明確にしたい。基礎ゼミナールでは、先行する資料を読み、調査の仕方と記録の残し方を身につける。さらに、決済方法の選択に関する公的な資料や既存の調査を探し、高校で見た店の違いと照らして、説明できることとまだ分からないことを分けたい。ゼミで他者の意見を聞き、自分の見方を修正することも続けたい。
将来は、利用する人にも店を営む人にも分かりやすいサービスを考える仕事に関わりたい。そのために、便利さだけで一つの支払い方法を勧めるのではなく、誰にどのような負担が生じるかを確かめて判断できるようになりたい。商店街で生まれた小さな疑問を、根拠に基づいて考え直す力へと育てるため、貴学科で学ぶことを希望する。
In interviews, you are often asked why you want to study economics before discussing the university itself. Moving from a personal observation to a question you cannot yet explain shows why university study matters to you.
同じ店に現金とスマートフォン決済の利用者が並ぶ様子を見たView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 1Two payment methods appearing in the same shop immediately show readers where the question came from and that the applicant is interested in people's choices.
Why it matters:Reviewers can judge whether the interest has a concrete starting point, rather than relying on a slogan such as economics being closely connected to everyday life.
How to prepare:Split the paragraph into three parts: place, observed behavior, and resulting question. Check that each detail helps readers understand the question.
Points to watch:Do not infer which method is more popular from a single passing observation, or add headcounts you did not record.
消費者が支払い方法を選ぶときの費用や便利さを、店の導入負担や地域の状況と合わせて考えたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 3Considering customers, shops, and their surroundings together shows that convenience is not the only basis for judgment.
Why it matters:Reviewers check whether you know what you want to learn and why economics can help analyze each party's choices.
How to prepare:Identify at least two groups involved in your scene. Write one possible benefit or burden for each, and mark which points are only guesses.
Points to watch:Do not turn a possibility into a proven causal relationship, or expand the topic to the whole cashless society.
高校でできたのは問いを見つけるところまででありView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 3This sentence separates the exploration already undertaken from learning tasks at university, avoiding the pretense of completed rigorous research.
Why it matters:A credible statement explains the limits of your understanding. Those limits themselves help explain the need for further study.
How to prepare:Write one sentence each on what you have done and what you still cannot explain, then connect the latter to specific learning.
Points to watch:Do not dismiss your high school activity as worthless because the sample was small. It already helped you identify a question.
Course names support a university choice only when connected to gaps in your knowledge. See how this manuscript links customer and shop choices to foundational theory and seminar training.
ミクロ経済学・マクロ経済学などの基礎理論を学んだうえでView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 4The official website lists foundational theory, including microeconomics and macroeconomics. The manuscript first raises choices made by customers and shops, then explains the need for theory, giving the progression a clear rationale.
Why it matters:Reviewers want to know why you chose the Department of Economics; simply including its name is insufficient.
How to prepare:Check current course information, choose one foundation you truly need, and explain which personal observation it will help you reconsider.
Points to watch:Do not claim you will definitely be able to take a particular class or work with a specific teacher. This manuscript refers only to the educational content described on the official website.
経済理論科目群を中心に学びながら、政策や国際的な決済環境にも視野を広げたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 4The official website introduces three subject groups: economic theory, economic policy, and international economics. The sample selects a main focus and then explains how to broaden its perspective, rather than copying a list.
Why it matters:Reviewers can check the relationship between course choices and the question, and see that the applicant has not listed every resource as something they want to study.
How to prepare:First ask which knowledge you lack most, then choose one main focus. Describe other courses only in terms of how they complement your question.
Points to watch:The subject groups are a structure published on the official website. Your study plan remains subject to the courses and enrollment conditions for the relevant year.
The paragraphs should progress: experience raises a question, the question establishes learning needs, and university courses address those needs. Check the original sentences to see which step each paragraph completes.
人が何を基準に支払い方を選ぶのかを学びたくView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 1The opening directly states the question to study and the target institution, then uses a shopping-street scene to show where the question began.
Why it matters:Reviewers grasp the central focus in paragraph 1, so the inquiry activity in paragraph 2 does not feel abrupt.
How to prepare:When reviewing the opening, remove vision statements unrelated to the core question and retain a concrete scene that leads into the next paragraph.
Points to watch:Do not substitute praise for the university's long history for your own question.
訪ねた店は少なく、客の年齢や購入額も確かめていないView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 2Recording payment methods, asking shop staff, and organizing a table are concrete actions. Acknowledging sample and variable limitations immediately afterward keeps the account credible.
Why it matters:Reviewers can distinguish direct observation, staff reports, and the applicant's own interpretation.
How to prepare:Check your notes for how you visited, what others said, and what you recorded. Clearly state when a question was not asked.
Points to watch:Do not present staff impressions as customer survey findings or invent proportions.
選択の背景を調べ、異なる立場から確かめるための経済学の基礎を学ぶ必要があるView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 3The previous paragraph's limitations become learning needs here: customers alone are not enough; shops and institutions must also be considered.
Why it matters:This paragraph bridges experience and university choice. Without it, the course paragraph would read like an extract from the official website.
How to prepare:Check that everything you say you want to learn relates back to a specific difficulty in explaining an earlier observation.
Points to watch:Do not imply that you have already mastered economic models or completed causal analysis.
限られた観察を検討可能な問いへ育てたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 4Foundational theory, the three subject groups, and introductory seminars serve one goal: turning limited observations into questions that can be examined further.
Why it matters:Reviewers can more readily believe that the applicant has read the curriculum and can explain its personal relevance.
How to prepare:Check each sentence against university materials. If it would apply to any university after removing the name, add accurate course details and explain your own use for them.
Points to watch:Do not copy whole passages from the official website or promise that a particular course will solve your research question.
説明できることとまだ分からないことを分けたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 5Reading sources, organizing records, comparing existing surveys, and revising views through seminars are actions you can actually begin.
Why it matters:Reviewers can see how you will study after enrollment, beyond a simple promise to work hard.
How to prepare:Rewrite your plan as actions: what you will read and organize, whom you will discuss it with, and how you will record unresolved points.
Points to watch:Do not claim to possess primary data or research findings you have not yet obtained.
誰にどのような負担が生じるかを確かめて判断できるようになりたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 6The career direction carries forward the perspectives of both customers and shops, and the ending returns to the shopping-street question.
Why it matters:Reviewers see continuity in the learning purpose, while the career outlook retains an appropriate openness for a high school student.
How to prepare:It is enough to state a problem you want to address and the skills it requires. If you have no settled career choice, you need not name a job title.
Points to watch:Do not guarantee a job after graduation or claim you can single-handedly solve every problem in payments.
Fill in facts that affect credibility before polishing the wording. Focus on the inquiry you actually conducted, the training courses can provide, and whether earlier passages support your future direction.
近所の数店を訪ね、掲示されている決済方法を記録しView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 2The manuscript describes visiting, recording, and asking questions. One key link could be clearer: which observation changed the applicant's original view?
Why it matters:Interviewers care both about what you did and what you came to understand. Explaining how your understanding changed allows the inquiry experience to become a motivation for learning.
How to prepare:Choose an observation from your inquiry notes that changed your understanding. Summarize your initial view, what you saw, and the remaining question in two or three sentences, adding them between the process and limitations in paragraph 2.
Points to watch:Do not merely add activity steps or shop counts. New details should explain how your thinking developed.
一年次の基礎ゼミナールで文献の読み方や調査、報告の方法を学べるView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 4The role of introductory seminars is specific, but course arrangements change. Before applying, check the relevant year's syllabus to verify that the courses are offered.
Why it matters:Accurate university facts and a clear personal purpose together establish why you chose this institution.
How to prepare:Open the College of Economics' four-year study overview and the current year's course materials. Identify one form of training that addresses a current skills gap and update this sentence.
Points to watch:Do not cite an older description and imply that courses never change.
利用する人にも店を営む人にも分かりやすいサービスを考える仕事View the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 6The direction fits the statement, but services remains broad. If supported by real experience or further exploration, add a more specific setting.
Why it matters:Reviewers may ask how you ultimately intend to apply your studies to real problems.
How to prepare:Write one sentence stating whom you hope to help and what decisions they need to make, while keeping room to adjust your career plans.
Points to watch:Do not invent internships, corporate partnerships, or firm employment targets merely to appear mature.
Any experience or choice in the manuscript may prompt interview follow-up questions. Try answering yourself first, then consult the answer approaches and preparation methods below.
同じ店に現金とスマートフォン決済の利用者が並ぶ様子を見たView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 1Describe the specific scene, then explain the question it raised for you.
Why it matters:Interviewers want to hear your interest explained through personal experience, rather than a recital of industry trends.
How to prepare:Explain what you saw, what you thought, and what you still do not know in 30 seconds. Practice without looking at the manuscript.
Points to watch:Do not present one observation as a general conclusion about payment habits.
訪ねた店は少なく、客の年齢や購入額も確かめていないView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 2Explain your recording method and acknowledge sample and variable limitations. You can only say that shop accounts and on-site observations differed.
Why it matters:This checks whether you can distinguish facts, reported accounts, and inferences.
How to prepare:Organize your observation table and question list in advance so you can identify the source of each piece of information.
Points to watch:Do not describe a small set of shop visits as proof.
個人や店の選択を考える視点と、その選択を取り巻く制度や経済の動きを捉える視点の両方が必要だView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 4Start with customer and shop choices, then explain your need for theory, data handling, and seminar training.
Why it matters:Course names become persuasive reasons for applying only when connected to gaps in your knowledge.
How to prepare:Explain in one sentence each how microeconomic and macroeconomic foundations and introductory seminars help address your question.
Points to watch:Do not simply repeat the three features on the university's website.
公的な資料や既存の調査を探しView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 5First find reliable sources and note their subjects and survey methods, then compare them with your high school observations item by item.
Why it matters:Interviewers can judge whether the plan starts with tasks a beginner can undertake.
How to prepare:Choose one public source you have actually read and prepare to explain what it answers and what it leaves unanswered.
Points to watch:Do not claim to have read sources you have not found, or present future plans as existing achievements.
誰にどのような負担が生じるかを確かめて判断できるようになりたいView the Japanese manuscript · Paragraph 6Explain what users and small shops may each care about, and acknowledge that your specific career direction may change as you learn.
Why it matters:This checks whether your future plans remain connected to the statement's central question.
How to prepare:Choose a familiar payment situation and identify one condition to verify from each perspective: customer and shop.
Points to watch:Do not promise a particular company, role, or social outcome merely to appear determined.
Verify your own actions and observation records from the shopping-street inquiry, then check Rikkyo University's curriculum pages and the relevant year's admissions requirements. Review university facts separately from your own reasons for choosing it.
Paragraph 2 describes visits, recording payment methods, asking shop staff, and organizing a table. Compare each statement with your inquiry notes to check the activity sequence, your own work, and which information came from observation or staff accounts.
University facts on this page come from Rikkyo University's official website. The department overview lists microeconomic and macroeconomic foundations and three subject groups; the four-year study overview describes first-year introductory seminars and their training. Recheck current courses, subject names, and enrollment conditions when applying.
First check whether the prompt asks about learning motivation, university choice, or plans after enrollment, then review the space allocated to the six paragraphs. If shortening is needed, preserve the progression from experience to question to university connection to learning actions, and remove repeated explanations.
This statement uses official curriculum information and generally does not require an academic citation for every sentence. If the actual prompt requires sources, follow the admissions guidelines and give the page title, institution, link, and access date. A separate assigned essay citing data or views needs a verifiable source for each. You can format references with the site's bibliography tool.
Close the manuscript and explain how the shopping-street observation, economics question, and course choices connect. Then separate your records from your interpretations, and return to the official website to verify the courses.
Close the manuscript and use four sentences: what you saw, what you still do not know, why you want to study at Rikkyo, and what you will do first after enrollment. Points where you get stuck need more facts or clearer transitions.
In the left column, list direct observations, your own records, and other people's accounts; in the right, your interpretations. For any sentence mixing the two, add the source or turn it into a question.
From the official curriculum pages, choose one foundational training opportunity and one area of further study you need most. State the knowledge gap each addresses and check whether they fit back into paragraph 4.