When I was a high school student, I wanted to study English for two years in college. Since my father thought that high school education was already enough for girls, I tried to save money for college by myself. I had some part time jobs to earn money in three years during high school days.
I felt lucky when some major newspaper companies offered scholarship programs. That was a very good opportunity for me.
The scholarship programs had the following features:
1. Students will be assigned to live in a certain newspaper delivering agent which is close to the student's college.
2. Students have to deliver morning and evening editions of newspaper. Each student will be assigned to deliver approximately 200 papers. Each delivery lasts for 2.5 hours. This means 5 hours of work every day.
3. In addition to the delivering work, students should also collect monthly subscriptin fees by visiting the readers' houses. This work should be done from the 25th of the month until the 5th day of the next month. (i.e. from Jan. 25 to Feb. 5)
4. Breakfast fromMonday to Sunday and supper from Monday to Saturday are prepared by the newspaper agents.
5. College or university tuitions and entrance fee will be paid as scholarship to the students. The amount is 1,200,000 yen to 2-year or 2,400,000 yen to 4-year college students.
6. If students give up working for newspaper agents, students need to leave the apartment and also return the scholarship money to the newspaper agent immediately.
7. There is no need for students to return the scholarship money after they had successfully performed their work until graduation.
8. On top of tuition and entrance fee coverage of the scholarship, an additional 50,000 yen as a monthly salary will be paid to the students for lunch and transportation costs to the college.
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When I was a high school student, I was not sure if I could perform both working and studying with the above conditions. They expect me to be up at 4 a.m.to deliver the morning edition until 7 a.m. Afterwhich, I have to leave for school at 8 a.m. to attend classes from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Immediately after school, I need to go back to my apartment house straight to resume delivery for the evening edition from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. I also have to study to catch up our classes in my free time.
I thought I wasn't able to coninue like this for 4 years, but why not give a try for 2 years. That's why I chose a 2-year college instead of 4-year.
Just two weeks before my graduation from high school, I was very glad to know that my applications to the newspaper scholarship and college entrance were both accepted.
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When I moved in to a newspaper agent in Tokyo, there were five other new students who also moved in. Three were boys, and three of us were girls.
The three male students were offered to live in small apartment houses in the neighorhood while the three female students were offered to live in the second floor of the newspaper agent.
Each girl was offered a small room which had only 3 tatami mats.
Remembering back, I can't believe how I managed to live such a tiny room.
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