South Korean Universities: Compared to High School.

In North America, high school students spend a lot of time in between work and classes trying to manage their social life and stay connected with family members all the while struggling with their own deep personal inflictions. In South Korea, high school students simply have time to study. No time for family, friends, hardly any time for themselves. They have to prepare for to get into their desired university so they can hopefully have a good future. But once they get to college, well, that seems to be a whole other story!

The CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test, similar to American SAT) is an exam that tests students on numerous subjects such as Korean Language, mathematics, English, Social Studies (ethics, history, geography, law & physics, economics, society, & culture), Science (Physics 1, Chemistry 1, Biology 1, Earth Science, Physics 2, Chemistry 2, Biology 2, Earth Science 2), Vocational Education (Agriculture, Industry, Commerce & Information, Marine & Shipping, Household Affairs & Business), another foreign language.

Depending on the scores students receive on this exam will determine what universities they are able to go, the scores they also receive on their subjects also depend on what courses they are able to take. For an example, if a student received an overall score of 400 (each segment is worth 50-100 points total) that means they could go to any university they want and could most likely take whatever major they want (I do not know exactly how the points work, I am only using this as an example) but a student who got an overall score of 50 this means they could only go to certain universities. They also would not be able to pick any major they want. So if someone wanted to be an engineer, if they did not get the appropriate score: tough luck.

The most desired universities, according to Simon and Martina Stawski of Eat Your Kimchi (and various others), are “Sky” which is Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. Basically, if a student were to get accepted to these universities (in which the acceptance rates are 2% slightly more or less) then they are all set. There is no way they will not get hired for their desired job, they will be able to get married and have kids and lead a successful life, etc. Because of this test many students have led themselves to commit suicide deeming their score was not good enough ultimately making suicide the second highest rate of the nation after car accidents. Now how does all of this lead into university life?

Well, let’s say a student gets good scores on the CSAT and they get accepted to one of the SKY universities and start their classes and they’re studying, continuing to get good grades and scores. Well, that is great, right? Right! But college in Korea gives those young adults something that is common for students in America to receive in high school, furthermore, it is something Korean students can not receive when THEY are in high school (because they are so busy). College in Korea provides their students with free time. Time that they can use for themselves.

With this free time, they can learn more about themselves and discover new hobbies or pick up some old ones. College students can maybe even begin to form relationships with someone they like a lot and actually spend quality time with their family and friends in between their schooling! Of course, as one can imagine there is also quite a lot of drinking, social gatherings, and a party every now and then. South Korean colleges provide a time for their students to get to know others and themselves better which is critical in life for becoming a successful human being. After all, try finding a job if someone has a relatively “bland” personality? Such as not willing to communicate with others or losing their temper easily?

Imagine trying to have a relationship with another person if you did not know what your own interests or talents are? How would you carry on a conversation or compare skills? What about creativity even? It is because of this basic human skills that enable us to be creative and think outside of the box to attain certain goals.

Although, it is not just Korean university students that get to experience these late adolescent challenges many other people from around the world that decide to receive education in Korea often feel a similar experience back from when they were in high school albeit a little different considering those students are foreigners in a different country and whatnot. Foreign students can also take whatever major they want unlike native Korean students and their tuition is infinitely cheaper, unlike native Korean students who have to pay $7,000+ for their tuitions while the average income hovers over $20,000 (South Korea has the 3rd highest tuition among OECD countries) whereas a foreigner’s tuition is roughly around $6,000 while on campus housing is roughly $625!

Albeit university is very expensive in Korea for the self-development it produces my biased opinion is that I think it is worth the cost especially since the Korean high school system strips their students of that must needed self-development!

Works Cited:

“College Scholastic Ability Test.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

Lee, Ji-Yeon. “South Korean Students Balk at the High Cost of College.”CNN. Cable News Network, 22 June 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

“Want to Study Abroad in Korea? 14 Things to Expect – Seoulistic.”Seoulistic. 20 July 2014. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.

“Korea University.” Flickr. Web. 15 Jan. 2016.