We were able to make a lot of connections between the readings and our observations of education in Seoul, South Korea. From the beginning, we noticed that students would often be up much earlier than us and would be studying with each other in the common areas. When we got back at night from our adventures in Seoul, we would still see people studying late into the night. Having the chance to visit an actual hagwon was an eye opening experience. The study areas were completely filled with students studying for the TOEFL, TOEICS, LSAT, and SAT exams. We were able to sit in on an SAT preparation class and it was shocking to find out that the students studying for SAT were sent from the United States to study in hagwons in South Korea.
We also learned in one of our lectures that parents are very supportive of their children. They would do almost anything to make sure that their children receive the education that they need regardless of the tuition price. It’s crazy that parents would spend more $2,000 per month for hagwon. The pressure for the students to pass the exam is very extreme and we are able to see that during this study abroad.
