Yonsei Korea

Positive Things about Korean Education

Koreans' High Abilities in Math by Yang, Hye Jin

Korean students always test first or second in the world in math. One of the most important reasons is the pressure to them. Math takes a great part in the entrance examination for university in Korea. Because of this condition, Korean students have to take math quizzes frequently. Also, parents and teachers exert pressure upon students to study math hard for the high score in the entrance examination for university. Another reason why Korean students are good at math is Koreans' early beginning of learning math. Koreans begin to learn math at age 4 or 5. Therefore, they are familiar with math from childhood. It makes them acquire concept of math easily in their school life. Another reason to their high abilities in math is their free and unrestricted uses of multiplication table. Korean students memorize the multiplication table while they are in elementary school. When other nations' students use calculators in calculating, Koreans work mental sums swiftly without calculator. Using multiplication table in a practiced manner effects students' math abilities. Due to these reasons, Korean students are superb in math.

Support to the Admission System of the Contributors by Seo Young Kim

Yonsei university, one of the top ranking private universities in Korea, announced that it would admit students who contributed more than two billion won (approximately $1,500,000 US) regardless of their academic abilities. In spite of severe criticism spreading all over Korean society about the admission system of the contributors, there are many essential benefits. First of all, the admission system of the contributors will settle the financial difficulties of the private universities. Most private universities in Korea are in financial trouble and Korean government cannot afford to satisfy their needs. Assuming that a university has 5,000 new students a year, and admits 100 students (2% of the entire new students) who donate two billion won ($1,500,000 US), it earns two hundred billion won (150 million US dollars) which is half as much as the university's budget for a year. It means that majority of students can benefit from one student's donation. In addition, the admission system can decrease the outflow of wealth due to the students studying abroad. In the 1999 statistics, it appeared that 150,000 students were abroad for their studies. The admission system will prevent students from going abroad and help use the national wealth for the educational development. Finally, specific private universities, like Yonsei, can develop into global-standardized universities with the benefit by the donation. With the profit, the university will be able to reduce the registration fee, give more scholarship to students, increase the number of professors, and improve educational facilities such as library, dormitory, etc. The top ranking universities in the world, such as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, are all private ones which also admit contributors. It is about time that Korean government let the universities take charge of their own management. For these reasons, admitting the contributors to private universities is beneficial not only to the universities themselves but also to the society as a whole.

School Uniforms by Lee, Hee-jeong

Many Korean students have to wear school uniforms in middle and high schools. Wearing school uniforms has lots of advantages. First, if students put on school uniforms, they can remove everyday worries about choosing clothes. I'm a university student, so I don't wear a school uniform now. Every morning I spend much time with deciding which clothes will I wear. Students who are in uniforms don't have to care about their appearances when they go to school. They can more concentrate on their studies. Second, school uniform can reduce visible gulfs between rich and poor. Students go to school in same style, so classmates can't recognize who are rich or not. They don't have prejudices. Poor students also don't need to have an inferiority complex, because of high-priced clothes. Above all, a school uniform reminds students that they are students and that they are part of a group. Students try to behave more politely and carefully outside the school when they wear school uniforms, because they think they represent their schools. For example, young people may think it's ok to throw away dump refuse on the street if nobody look at them. This behavior usually doesn't cause them to feel guilty. They regard it as a trivial thing. However, if students wear uniforms, they tend to control their behaviors. Added to this, when students are enticed by adult's sports (drug, alcohol, tobacco, etc) they can thrust temptations away more easily. Their uniform restricts their desires to look like adults. School uniform system can work profitably in many ways in our life. We must keep this system.

School Uniforms Have Many Positive Points by Hwang, Ji-Young

In Korea, many middle and high school students wear school uniforms. Even though lots of Korean people say that school uniforms ignore the individual character of the students, they have many positive points. First, school uniforms provide convenience to the students. Students do not have to think what they wear every morning, and they need not to worry to buy many clothes. Besides, wearing school uniforms is cheaper than purchasing different kinds of normal clothes. Second, students feel unity with their school friends. Most of the Korean high school students wear school uniforms and every school has its own uniform. On the street, a student will try to help another student who is in a danger if they both have the same uniforms on. Third, there exists regularity among students when they wear school uniforms. Students do not need to worry if they look funny or their clothes are worse than those from other students. Korean students, as an adolescence, consider much about their appearance, but wearing school uniforms keep them away from those ideas. School uniforms provide convenience, unity, regularity to the students. They are so valuable that Korean people can not give up the school uniforms, although the negative points like ignoring the individual character.

Home