How do Korean students compare… globally?

By Michael L. McManus

Good fortune has brought me the opportunity to do some college teaching here in Korea at two very fine universities, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) and Sookmyung Women’s’ University (SMU). Both have a global outlook. Both bring students from the world to Korea for a good education and to experience Korean culture.

Since I have taught in U.S. and European universities as well as in South America and other Asian nations, many want to know how Korea stacks up against academic institutions in other countries and what the major differences are. Tomes could be written about this, but let me try to give you, my readers, the main points to ponder. Keep in mind, my role is professor, subject matter expert and class maestro!

Attendance and punctuality:

Korean students show up, mostly ― as well members of classes in other nations would and on time. I declare my class policy on attendance and timeliness (“we run like an airline”). When a student misses a class, they tend to email me about why. Most of the excuses they give are that they are student leaders and that clubs on campus compete for their time. Most cases are handled well and are excused. I have to trust most students, it is reasonable to do so.

Student stress:

I occasionally have the chance to talk to small groups of students. I use humor and informality to try to get close to them, because they are usually so guarded. Last week at HUFS, I asked a small group why they chose HUFS. They resounded almost in unison, “Test scores.” I was amazed. My experience with HUFS students is that they are a magnificent collection of potential artists, leaders and creators. Most are individualists in some way, many have a polite maverick quality. I probed about the idea of “test scores determining choice of college.” Few thought about it, but rather let scores place them at specific institutions. I asked about the tests. Eyes rolled. I could feel the stress. As strong a stress as anywhere on the planet I have seen.

Student sub-cultures:

At HUFS there are basically two communities of students, the Korean students who mostly go home every night to Mama and Papa and true home, Mama’s cooking, even with long commutes. And the international students of whom there are many with very diverse backgrounds… these folks stay on campus in special international dorms which attempt to provide safety, security and a sense of globalism. Most of my students so far want to cross this divide, but the commute to a family home prevents the city campus from being a global village with many Koreans as host students on board, ready to be hosts. Just not knowing quite how…

Cultural values of Korea:

The greatest quality of the composite student body, found also at SookMyung Women’s University, is the respect the students show for me. I have drawn a conclusion, though I might be wrong. I hope I am right! That is, the students embody a true and deep Asian and Korean sense of Confucianism. They consider their role, even with peer foreign students to be that of host. They are polite and almost reverent. Yet they do enjoy humor and being teased. They like to laugh out loud (LOL)!

Limits to creativity:

Drawing students out into deep conversation in an otherwise reticent class is one of the true and rare joys of teaching. They love and wish to express themselves. Like students from many nations this is much easier in small classes, and almost impossible in large classes of 20 or more.

Depth of analysis:

There is no question that Korean students shine in this area. We often assign cases and field assignments. Students must go out and in a team format and find an organization they admire. Then, I teach them to turn their creativity on, using textbook and class discussion to find concepts in reality ― actual examples of corporate culture. Armed with cell phone cameras and notepads for jotting down observations, the teams produce power point presentations of corporate culture. They get it as fast as any international group of students I have taught. They get the adventure of capturing, like an artist does a feature that is a priceless quintessence of the organization. They capture like world famous photojournalists what they see as the essence of management and organizational life in companies. And they become excited about what they have found as a team.

English proficiency and professionalism:

Amazingly, the students I have taught here in Korea have quite good English skills, and the interesting thing is that they think they don’t! I do not grade much of their composite grade on the English quality, though it enters in at the extremes of high end and low end. Notwithstanding, the vast majority of Korean and international students have the ability to thoughtfully express themselves, using relevant theoretical and academic models.

Desire to excel:

This one is important to university professors, especially when teaching graduate students. For the most mature grad students, it is almost a throw-away issue. They do not need to compete with each other… they just shine. My class at SookMyung Women’s University takes about half of its students from around the world, most with professional experience in work and come rather mature in life to the classroom. What a pure pleasure it is when students shine so globally and with such promise.

One story I tell is this. It is deeply felt by most. I sat on an airplane crossing the U.S. about three years ago. Next to me for five hours was a young executive of a company. He was 30 years old and a vice president after five years of work. I asked him various questions to probe how he rose so fast. Here it is: He was asked in the interview for the original job by the CEO, “When could you start work here?” His answer: “Well, sir, I have a fresh change of clothes in the trunk of my car, and with a little time to change and spruce up, I could be back here in about 30 minutes.”

He was hired on the spot, became vice president in five years. He and his wife have two young children and live in Irvine, Calif. He never finished his degree, but plans to before he is 32, he told me. This stuff is hard to teach. But, most people get it. Heads nod approval and praise everywhere I have ever told this story. I consider it one of the great lessons of being a professor!

Michael L. McManus is founder and emeritus president of the California International Business University (CIBU) in San Diego. He is a bi-monthly columnist for the Korea Times and teaches at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS) in Seoul. He welcomes comment at mcmismism@aol.com.