The Best of The World Wide Web

Posts Tagged ‘Korea’

One of the most nerve-racking days in South Korea just passed. Nearly 700,000 high school students took the national college entrance exam. This is no minor thing. The yearly test determines a student’s potential. There is so much importance placed on the exam that planes can’t even take to the air near the test site, and the workday begins 60 minutes later so students can get to the testing center ontime.

Police officers even escort girls toward their school. There are 1,100 test locations throughout the country. Many parents accompany their children to the test and cheerthem while others stay outside and observe their students taking the test. Students even come prepared with water bottles and seat cushions.

Students train for this test their whole life. One student revealed that they studied six hours a day outside of school in order to prepare. The tension is high because that’s what colleges look at. One student said “It’s all going to be changed by this.”

The stress gets so high for some students that they end up committing suicide. For those that have decided to take the test and used up a large part of their time studying have parents and grandparents praying at Buddhist temples in Seoul and all through the country. Parents pray their child’s college placement exams will turn out well and the scores will be great. Some parents have been praying for this in excess of 100 days.

A students future careers and ultimately their existence comes down to one test in one single day. But since the country does give emphasis to education 83 percent of high school grads go to universities. But in order to get to a university they have to do well on the nine hour long test.

The stress and pressure placed on these kids is enormous. A child’s opportunity shouldn’t depend on one day and one test. Plus the fact that many kids don’t test well. It goes back to the fact that people understand and test differently. Some do good on tests while others do better on interviews or projects. The government ought to give students more of a chance to show that they can be do well in life without this one test.

Even though their graduation rates are high, and their college attendance is high students still need to be able to have a life. They need to waste time with friends socializing, playing sports, and spending time with relations. Not everything can be learned in the classroom. They need to experience high school and College because for many of us that was the best time of our life.

There is way too much pressure positioned on these South Korean students. The U.S. also has a valuable test but there isn’t as much nervous tension involved. While the ACT or SAT in America are the big test they don’t determine your future. They give a background to present what you have learned. However students can go on to college and live a triumphant life with the value of hard work and even if you have low scores many still get into college.

Education is terribly important but many Americans go on to college, open their own businesses, and lead successful lives even if they didn’t score well on the test. While the American system needs a lot of improvement, the South Koreans need to calm down a little bit. There is no way one test can conclude the aptitude or worth of a student.

About the Author Info
Diane Johnson graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah and enjoys writing about current events, politics, college degrees, online school, and the office.