During your stay in Korea, you may be wondering what the culture is like here. Today, we'll find out the differences between college life in the U.S. and Korea. While they are similar in that you have more freedom as a grown up, there are some cultural distinctions. Let's take a look.
The first major difference between Korean and American schools is college application. While you can apply to schools regardless of your major in the U.S., students apply to the colleges or departments of a university in Korea (students submit their application to the school, but are interviewed by professors from the related department). For example, let’s say the goal is going to Seoul National University to major in international relations. To do so, a student would have to apply for the either the college of social sciences or department of political science and international relations. These days, schools in Seoul and national universities are accepting students that apply to college or department of jayul jeongong (free major), which is basically for students who haven’t decided their major yet. However, there is a limited selection of majors students can choose from (e.g., cannot select pre-med)
The second major difference between Korean and American schools is the academic calendar. Unlike the American schools, the Korean academic is based on the calendar year. The first semester is between March and June, and the second semester is from September to December (first day of school varies by school). Students can also take seasonal sessions during breaks, which are taken as supplementary credits that make up for any inadequacy within a short period of time.
* Fun Fact: In the U.S., colleges either follow a semester or quarter system, but all colleges in Korea have adapted the semester system.
The third major difference between Korean and American schools is housing. At four-year universities, most American students live in dorms during their freshman year. However, Korean students usually rent apartments near their schools. Many schools don't have dormitories, or you may not be eligible to apply for the dorm unless you live far away. While American students search for apartments on Facebook or Craigslist, Korean students contact real estate agencies.
The fourth major difference between Korean and American schools is social life. Since college campuses in the U.S. are huge and have a mix of students from all over the world, it's common for students become friends with people in the same dorm or through extracurricular activities. In Korea, you are going to be very familiar with the students within your department. Because most college students are legally adults in Korea—everyone can drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes on January 1st of the year they turn 19—they befriend one another through festivals, club activities, and group retreats called "MT,” which is short for membership training. At festivals, the school invites K-pop artists for a concert and opens street bars for social gatherings. However, the sale of alcohol has recently been banned at college festivals to prevent related accidents.
The last major difference between Korean and American schools is tuition. In the U.S., tuition depends on whether you’re an in-state or out-of-state student, and whether it is a public or private school. In Korea, tuition depends on your major and national universities are half the cost of private colleges. Korean colleges cost much less compared to the U.S., however that does not mean Koreans consider tuition cheap. For that, many scholarships and financial aid programs are available for students.
We've gone over the similarities and differences between Korean and American college life. We hope this was helpful for those of you who are interested in going to college in Korea.
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