The Truth Behind Choices

Out of all the universities and countries, why do most Koreans of the AISG community choose Korean universities? Especially for overseas student like us, it is harder to adapt to Korean society, making university years more difficult. So why choose Korea? This has been a question on mind since my freshman year, so I decided to interview some other Koreans like me for some of their reasons why they are choosing the country of their own nationality for later academic life. As the topic of article is fairly sensitive, interviews will be kept anonymous.

A Korean senior of our school commented that local students in the country may feel unfair about the 12 years overseas privileged program, whereas in reality, the students of the 12 years overseas actually have to study just as hard, or even harder than local students to be enrolled into a university considered to be excellent by society. Especially for students trying to earn the IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma), elements such as CAS (Creativity, Activity and Service) hours, TOK (Theory of Knowledge) and EE (Extended Essays) make them extremely busy throughout the school year.

The interviewed student also commented on how although international students like themselves can choose to attend university in other countries, factors such as high tuition, safety and distance from family hold them back. The senior states: “I once thought of [attending universities] in the United States. However, as time passed, I had to face reality and problems such as tuition made me change my mind.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement, as I personally wish to attend university in the United States just like this senior, but decided not to as I don’t want to give my parents any more financial pressure. In contrast, the average tuition of Seoul National University is cheaper than the tuition at AISG, whereas the tuitions of most Ivy League universities are twice or sometimes even three times as expensive (compared through tuition displayed on SNU (Seoul National University) official website and Ivy League Colleges Comparison). Furthermore, while most Korean universities are public schools, schools in the United States or around many places in Europe are private, causing the tuition to naturally be more expensive.

Referring to the problematic side of Korean society, they also mentioned the fact that Korean graduates of universities in other countries can struggle finding a job in Korea, due to local Koreans having lots of pride in the country, assuming that the education their country offers is the best. For example, doctors in other countries cannot become doctors in Korea unless they take the Korean medical test that other local students take. They will also have to go through internship again in order to become a doctor officially in South Korea.

Additionally, I interviewed another senior student that demonstrated a different perspective on this topic. She commented that although as a Korean, it is a privilege to attend great Korean universities using the 12 years overseas program, there are also many features about the society itself that often dissuade the students from applying to Korean universities. For example, “people in Korea have set a very high standard in [one’s] physical appearance.” I cannot do anything but nod and agree with this fact. While education is still key, one’s physical appearance often determines how successful their social life will be, and in Korean society, the more successful social life one has, the more successful in general one will be. Being above, or “prettier” than the Korean standard of beauty will also allow for an easier school life from upperclassmen and seniors, especially for female students. In a country like Korea, where people do not accept the concept of feminism, female students are often classified by their physical appearance, just like immature readers picking books by their cover, demonstrating the inequality of gender and emphasizing a stereotypical viewpoint of gender in Korean society.

Revealing a different opinion than the previous senior, when a question about the 12 years overseas privilege came up, the student emphasized the negatives rather than just speaking about the positives. She stated, “although it definitely is a privilege as one can be accepted to the better universities in Korea, international Korean students like me often get ignored during their university years and often will find it a struggle to fit in.” This problem has been a major issue for international Korean students. As the society we experience in early academic life is so different from the Korean society itself, many struggle to adapt and sometimes even end up taking gap years due to this.

While having the privilege to attend the best Korean universities more easily than local Korean students is something to be thankful for, as it allows students like us (international Korean students) to get a better job in Korea, I do think that it is not the best choice that could be made for all students like us. Although getting into a good university of your nation brings you pride, universities in other countries may better fulfill your needs and dreams. However, this article is not to persuade or to convince anyone that Korean society is bad. Instead, it is for people to know that one, the 12 years oversea program isn’t actually that much of an advantage, especially for IB students; and two, most of us international Korean students will struggle to survive in a society so different from the ones which we have adapted to in our early lives. This article isn’t about degrading Koreans or the society, but started out as a question in my mind and something for those from different backgrounds or others like me to read about.