Korean Education System Needs Global Standard
By Kang Shin-who
Korea Times Correspondent
LOS ANGELES _ The South Korean education system is producing maladjusted students, said Jinny Oh, a graduate adviser at the University of California Los Angeles.
American universities have seen an increase in the number of Korean students who fail to adapt themselves to the schools, according to Oh, a second-generation Korean.
In an interview with The Korea Times, the counselor pointed out the lack of Korean students' communication skills. ``Although Korean students have high TOEFL and GRE scores, they have troubles to communicate with other students.''
``Moreover, they are not trained to do presentations and not familiar with discussion sessions which all have to do during classes in the U.S.,'' she said.
For these reasons, she said, few Korean graduate students become teaching assistants. If they did, according to Oh, it would help them receive scholarships and boost their academic careers.
Korea's tendency to encourage cramming was also mentioned as a contributing factor to the maladjustment of Koreans in the U.S.
``In order to assimilate with other students, you should be well rounded and understand American culture before you come here,'' she stressed. `` Korean students here tend to focus only on gaining degrees. But they are not here only for studies but also to learn how to harmonize with others.''
Oh said Koreans should get away from the misconception that excellent English skills and high academic scores guarantee success in U.S. schools. ``Language and academic scores are just tools to get around at U.S universities. Here people give more value to personality than just academic scores,'' she said.
Koreans' personalities can sometimes make it difficult for them to assimilate with others. Having grown up in a homogeneous society, Korean students tend to be stuck in their ethnic mindset.
``Their circle friends are all too often other Koreans, placing themselves in a comfort zone. If the students happen to go to areas where few Koreans are around, they tend to face even more difficulty,'' Oh said. ``They have to remember this is a multicultural society. They have to step out of their boundaries and go beyond their comfort zones.''
Oh asked Korean students to speak out. ``Many of them are very shy and it gives the impression they are not confident,'' she said. ``The way humbleness is understood in Korea is totally different how humbleness is seen in America.''
Lastly, the counselor asked Korean students not to get the wrong idea about psychological counseling.
``Students' health problems and counseling are normal and common in the U.S. Many mentally distressed students here leave school for treatment,'' Oh said.
She said, ``Korean education does not encourage the expression of emotions of students. For example, if you cry, Americans say cry more as you vent all your emotion, but in Korea they try to stop them.''