By This does not surprise me:
There were more than 100,000 South Korean students studying in the United States as of the end of last year, making them the largest group of foreigners at American academic institutions, according to a latest tally by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The 103,394 South Korean students accounted for 14 percent of foreign students studying in the U.S. It compares with 93,728 at the end of 2006. [Yonhap]
Considering the stringent admission system into Korean universities and the urge to learn English, going abroad to study is becoming more and more appealing to many Koreans.
2:14 am on March 5th, 2008 1
And, lest we forget, spending tons of their parent's money to boot!
2:51 am on March 5th, 2008 2
Well, at least since the small growth in conservative student groups and the slide toward being more apolitical on campus in South Korea, at least we might not see it as bad as it was before when so many of these coming over to the US loved to say they despised it….
4:25 am on March 5th, 2008 3
Actually it's not all that hard for a Korean high school graduate to obtain admission to a Korean university. There are plenty of universities here which are in financial trouble due to inability to attract enough students, so much so that the Ministry of Education (or whatever we're calling it now) has floated trial balloons about forcing universities to merge.
The problem is that other than Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University (the so-called SKY triumvirate), undergraduate degrees from all other Korean universities are perceived as worthless — by the Korean public because they don't confer access to a powerful alumni network based on success in the high-school tournament; and also by the Western world because Korean universities don't teach anything we value, in particular any semblance of logical thinking and an ability to articulate an idea.
Faced with such a situation, Korean students who have talent and any access to money to finance overseas study think Hell, I'm going to Indiana University where even if I don't get access to the SKY network, I'm going to learn something. At a minimum my English will improve.
5:43 am on March 5th, 2008 4
That is what I'm referring to is the admissions process to the top universities in Korea. If a student cannot get into a top university in Korea many feel it is better to go overseas.
3:40 am on March 6th, 2008 5
Wonder how many of that 100,000 have guns? Oh, that wasn't very nice.
4:12 pm on March 7th, 2008 6
Well…I'm attending a visual art school in San Francisco. My school has a lot of Korean students studying 3D animation art. Unlike these students, I'm a US citizen of Korean parentage. Majority of Korean students here are hoping to get hired by US production companies, if not major TV networks in Korea.
From what I heard, Korean mentality of finding a good job in some major corporations is ingrained into both the students and their parents. Thus learning English from the U.S. half-guarantees successful employment to well paying corporate jobs in Korea (or US). In my opinion, this is unequal and unfair. There are plenty of intelligent, not bookworm type, people in Korea who can't afford to go abroad to learn English because their parents
I think that South Korea's education system and social value are NOT inspiring young people use creativity to make new opportunities. The society don't motivate them to apply intelligence and experience to navigate through real world.
So what if a person don't make to a top university? With enough intelligence and hard work, anyone can be successful without college degree or not.
4:15 pm on March 7th, 2008 7
Correction: There are plenty of intelligent, not a bookworm type, people in Korea who can’t afford to go abroad to learn English because their parents and guardians are poor.