South Korean education

Testing is one of the biggest issues that South Koreans face. Their entire lives are dedicated to studying and getting into a good college. School days begin in the morning and end in the afternoon, very much like our own school days in the United States. Instead of playing a sport after school or practicing their instruments, however, South Korean students attend supplemental schooling that prepares them for the entrance exams to get into college.

For six days of the week, these students study in the hopes of scoring high enough on the university entrance exams to get into a good college. Many students take the tests, which are comparable to the SAT. In fact, other Korean students who are not yet old enough to take these exams gather at the testing facility to cheer the students on and wish them luck. 

The unfortunate side of this issue is that these tests are so stressful for students that they feel that if they do not do well on the exams, they need to kill themselves. These exams cause more students to commit suicide year after year. These students would rather die than fail these exams or get into a bad college. The level of pressure that the students are under is unreal. However, this kind of pressure is acceptable. South Koreans believe that to have a good brain is very important and value education highly and that acceptance to a good school opens doors to the rest of their future.