Many Korean Choate Students Considered Tougher Korean Schools
By Katie Kilkenny ’10
News Staff Reporter
“Preparing to get to the best American universities has become something of a national obsession in Korea,” says Alexander Vershbow in a recent New York Times article called “Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League Skills.” The article describes the intense, stressful nature of Korean prep schools, such as Daewon Foreign Language High School and Minjok Leadership Academy, whose primary goal is to get students accepted into American Ivy League colleges. These schools compete with American preparatory schools such as Choate for admission to renowned colleges like Princeton, Yale, and Harvard. However, these foreign programs are exhausting. Minjok and Daewon, for example, have fifteen-hour school days, end a month later than American schools, and require students to take two foreign languages in addition to English. Mandatory study halls last until 10:30 P.M., and students partake in very little physical activity during the school day.
Michelle Nam ’10, a Daewon applicant, states: “These Korean schools are much more depressing [than Choate] and very competitive.”
Several Choate students who come from Korea have had experiences with these elite prep schools. “I have a couple of friends who go there,” says Annie Nam ’11, “and they tell me it’s really stressful. I hear [the administration] doesn’t even tell you what grades you’re getting. Usually schools tell you that, but in those schools the kids are really intelligent and competitive, so grades can fluctuate a lot.” Kidon Seo ’09 adds, “I have friends who go to those two schools and I always hear how hard life is there. One of my friends always complains that they have lights out in their dorms, which means the electricity actually turns off at 12, except for in the bathrooms. So because bathrooms have lights, students bring chairs into the bathrooms to study.”
Michelle Nam ’10 went through the application process for these schools. “Their application system is that you just take a test. If you really screw [the exam] up, then you can’t get in. There’s no touring, like at Choate. Every year, only the top test-takers get in.”
The reliance on testing for schools like Minjok and Daewon can be a make-or-break for students in middle school; even the most intelligent and motivated students can make mistakes on the test and be denied acceptance.
The curriculum at prep schools in Korea also differs greatly from those in America. “I condemn the fact that Korean private schools concentrate too much on turning intelligent adolescents with great potential into academic machines rather than people. The curriculum leaves no room for individuality or creativity… It’s really a shame,” says Jung Ha Lim ’09.
Michelle Nam feels disappointed as well: “[The schools] say they’re trying to teach their students ‘global leadership.’ They try to teach American subject areas through the Korean education system, but it doesn’t work. [Minjok and Daewon] are both really good schools, but I don’t think [their students] do very well once they get into Ivy Leagues. They don’t have the same social skills. The school doesn’t teach the students everything; it’s a lot of SAT prep, and that’s really expensive in Korea.”
Annie Nam believes the schools are too focused on tests: “The kids there actually get really high SAT scores, and they do really well on standardized tests. But that’s not the only thing colleges look at—they look at your overall characteristics.”
But for motivated middle school students who strive to eventually attend an American college, there is an alternative to these elite high schools: American prep schools. “I looked into Choate because my ultimate [reason for attending the Korean schools] was to go to college in the United States, so my second option was boarding school here,” says Michelle Nam.
Jung Ha Lim is relieved that she researched American schools. “[Those Korean schools] are probably where I would have gone if I hadn’t come to Choate, and I have to say I’m glad I got out of it.”
Many Korean students who study at Choate are happy with their decision to attend school in the United States. “I’m so much more liberated! I’m actually motivated to learn, not stressed to learn. If I were at one of those schools, I’d be unhappy,” exclaims Michelle Nam.
The pressure to excel is a recognized source of stress at Korean prep schools; only recently has the Minjok Leadership Academy removed the dormitory surveillance cameras, previously used to keep students awake during late night study hours. “Here, I’m actually enjoying my life. At Choate, I inspire myself to do the work—I’m not as pressured to do it. I’m more free, and I can do more extracurriculars and sports here,” says Annie Nam.
The SAT score averages at Korean prep schools are higher than those at American prep schools—at Daewon, the mean SAT score is 2203 out of 2400, while the New York Times article posts Phillip Exeter’s average as 2085, and the Boarding School Review web site cites Choate’s average as 1981. Despite potentially lower test score averages, more extracurricular activities and sports are offered at American private schools. Michelle, a member of the Debate Team and a recently accepted RTA and SRP student says, “I do so much more here than I could ever do at those Korean prep schools.”
Minjok Academy, pictured above, in Korea sends many students to Ivys.
