Seoul vs. the rest: University pyramid crumbling at the bottom

World News@lemmy.world – 123 points – 5 months ago

“I would rather give up another year of my youth studying and trying again if I don’t make it ‘in-Seoul.'”

Kim Tae-yoo, is set to graduate high school in just a month, but he says he would rather endure another year of studying if he is not accepted to a Seoul university.

Koreans divide the country's 335 colleges in two: those "in-Seoul," and the rest.

“Going to university outside of Seoul has never been an option. Even if the schools in other provinces offer full-time scholarships, I would not enroll there. I never considered graduating from a school in other provinces or living there,” Kim said.

'In-Seoul' or nothing

Even before graduation, students flocked to private cram schools that help students prepare to retake the Suenung, the national exam that plays a key role in university admissions.

As a student at a prestigious private high school in Seoul, Kim said half of his classmates were preparing to study another year to improve their Suneung score, rather than accepting a place at a lower-ranked college.

Education Ministry data shows an average of 20 percent of high school graduates opt to study for at least another year. At major schools in Gangnam, an area famous for its focus on education, the proportion rose to 47.7 percent.

I understand that prestige is super important, especially for those who want high achieving careers, so it makes sense kids decide to hold off one year if they can get in a school that will greatly improve or maintain the type of life they're used to, but I'm still a bit surprised to hear that so many kids do that.

The other universities are good too! A friend of mine graduated from one in Daegu and now has a good job in Seoul living well and supporting his family.

Sure, I suppose if they'd graduated from Seoul university, they might be doing even better, but I wonder if going to Seoul university and ending up being average is considered better than someone graduating with flying colors from a "less important" university. Hell, I've seen tons of people graduating from "less important" US institutions and now doing as well than peers from top institutions

Anyhow, it's complicated: ambition is important, but if kids don't get in they might feel like their life is over, when there are plenty of other good options

but I'm still a bit surprised to hear that so many kids do that.

If you know anything about Korean society I don't see how you can be surprised.

I have very limited, but non-zero knowledge of Korean society and I agree with what you say at the higher echelon of the most ambitious students (of which I actually met several and fit your remark perfectly), I guess when I wrote I had in mind the various ones I met who just weren't chasing the same goals and were content (or not fussed) to study elsewhere.

Rethinking the article though, I'm in agreement with you that the percentages mentioned are not really surprising (especially the second one)

Why is a school in Seoul that much more sought after?

the society is very conservative in general, so prestige counts for a lot.. going to a prestigious school means meeting other prestigious people, from prestigious families, etc..

I skimmed the article, and I think this might be the key bit:

Kwak Young-shin, a researcher at Semyung Graduate School of Journalism, who has studied the prejudice against students from provincial colleges, said that the university someone goes to is seen as a fast and simple way of defining who a person is.

“Having a degree from a prominent university is considered a direct signal that the person is adequate for a certain level of ability and diligence in Korea," Kwak said.

He gave Koreans' recent obsession with MBTI as an example of their tendency to want to categorize and identify someone quickly.

As universities are ranked using Suneung test scores, which they see as a comparatively objective barometer, people form a set image around an individual depending on the name of a school, he said.