Going to Korean Colleges

Going to college is always an awesome adventure fraught with fear and worries, but with enough research and diligent preparation, you can easily apply and enroll in Korean colleges without third-party help. This article will explore what you need to do.

May God be with you in all your endeavors! Always remember the Biblical precept: “You reap what you sow.”

General Information about Korean College Admissions

Before going to Korea and graduating from Saipan high school, you need to seriously think about your major. Unlike American colleges, Korean colleges have different entrance requirements for different majors, meaning changing a major is as difficult as enrolling at a different college. So, think seriously before declaring a major.

Another reason you need to pick your major beforehand and stick to that very major is that the recommendation form asks for the applicant’s major, and the recommendation is sent to schools before you leave Saipan. If you change a major in the meantime, your declared major in the application and the major in the recommendation will be different, and this may cause a serous problem with the school officials. Furthermore, colleges (and any organization) do not want applicants who are not sure of what they want to do. You need to look firm and resolute, not “wishy-washy”.

To apply to any Korean college, you need to have 11 things listed below. These are basically default admission requirements that colleges will ask for any applicant, and these are the necessary documents for the first admission procedure (1차 서류심사). All school documents are recommended to bear an official seal. Submission of SAT scores is strongly recommended although it may not be listed in the requirements for that specific university. For achievements, colleges take only high school achievements. AP scores are important as UIC and other schools accept AP scores for credit (though you usually need a 4 or a 5 on that subject).

Although it is acceptable to turn in a copy of the SAT score and TOEFL score, it is best that one mails the scores through Collegeboard and ETS if the Korean university is listed. The TOEFL original score report should be kept for proof because, though you may submit a copy of the score, colleges will ask for the original for verification when you submit the score. This applies to every document that has only one original copy. Diplomas and certificates should be preferably color-copied and submitted separately to prospective universities. The originals of all documents should be kept in one folder because you need to show the originals to the admission officers when asked. This is very important because if the original is not shown, they will disregard the score/achievement.

To fill out the application, you need a digital photo. Most photo studios will provide a digital file of your photo, and you need to guard this with your life because most of the pictures will be sent to colleges via internet.

Korean colleges will examine application materials and announce the students who pass the first admission procedure. Then for the second step, schools will almost always have an interview with you, and in some cases they will give you evaluation tests (i.e., math, English).

It is strongly recommended that you visit the university to turn in the documents, for the purpose of the original checking and, if anything is missing, the admissions officers can tell the applicant what to do. Also, you wouldn’t want to be late for your interview after passing the 1st admission procedure because you do not know the location of the university.

The interview is usually reading a passage about a topic and answering the question orally in front of the interviewers. Some are just sets of questions from every subject. Questions may be social, scientific, moral, and current-event-related topics. The key to success in interview is the confidence. Answer with poise and even voice. If you are not familiar with the topic, admit that you are not familiar and wish that you know something about the topic. Before or after the interview, the interviews might ask why you chose their university and what you will major. Make certain that you have answers for these two questions

1. Application Form This is the general application form that you fill out, which is very simple to do, and the format is almost the same for every Korean university. The site you need to know and love is www.uway.com. This site regulates all applications for Korean universities and has a universal web “coding” for the applications as well. What you need to do first is when applications are open for the university you want to go, you fill in the appropriate information at that university’s section in uway and upload a digitalized passport photo unto the application. Then after payment of the respective application fee, the web program actually does everything and makes out a form including all the information of the applicant in printable format, along with your picture. What people are sometimes confused by is that the universities use the words INTERNET APPLICATION and APPLICATION FORM as if they are different. These two applications are basically the same thing because the internet application becomes the application form after payment. When you are finished with application and payment, there should be five or six forms one can print out including additional information one must fill out by hand (e.g., registration form, and a release form for grades, and academic verification, etc.) Please make certain that you print out these forms and fill them out to be hand-delivered to your prospective universities. 2. Study Plan and Personal Statement There are no essays required for universities, except YONSEI and Seoul National University (SNU). SNU requires a study plan (i.e., what you plan to study, the questions you want answered while studying that major, what you want to become after graduation) and a personal statement essay (“who are you” essay in which you write seriously about your background information of where you lived, how high school was, the accomplishments, awards, and activities.) Yonsei UIC has a different format; you need to write, two essays, “official” personal essay (in which you write about personal experience, influence) and “Why Us” essay. Yonsei (regular) have differently formatted essays. 3. Two Letters of Recommendation from your teachers Only Yonsei and SNU have recommendation requirements. But these forms of recommendation, you must search the respective admission’s site because during the month of April and May before graduation in Saipan, the universities have not undated application site for the next year. The recommendation forms available from the previous year are perfectly applicable. One thing to notice and remember is that you need to get recommendation letters from teachers that know you personally, those who are willing to comment on your personal traits, not just academic achievements. Korean universities, like American universities, get your high school transcripts have that information. 4. Official copies of High School Transcript and Graduation Certificate This is basically the transcript that one can get from the his or her high school 5. A copy of the applicant's passport 6. Copies of both parents' passports 7. Official document indicating parent-child relationship between the applicant and his/her parents This used to be 호적등본, but now they call it 가족관계 증명서. You can get it at the local office (동사무소) where they regulate all these records. It usually takes one, two days to receive the form, so you won’t have to worry about this before departing Saipan. But you must use original copies for all universities you apply to; Universities will not accept copies.

8. A score report of a recognized English proficiency test (TOEFL, TEPS, IELTS, TOEIC, etc.). TOEFL is most recommended.

9. Supplementary materials for applicants to programs in the Fine Arts, Music and Physical Education (portfolio, photographs of works, recordings of performances, etc.) If you are planning to major in music and physical education, you must be prepared for a 예체 기능 실기시험 as well. Details of these are usually on the admissions guide for that university (i.e., what piece to play in what key and tempo, the exercises one must do around the school yard). I highly recommend that you enroll 입시학원 for details, though some arts colleges are trying to do away with 입시학원. Though these institutes may be excessively expensive, they may be found very helpful.

10. A score report of the Korean Proficiency Test This is not really a requirement for admission, but SNU will make you take it if you have not taken it before and will ask for one during admission. It is better for you to take it before applying to colleges. Also most Korean universities have a Korean proficiency test that you must take for that university upon acceptance, so it is better for you take the test beforehand and use the test score to substitute the actual examination if that is possible. However, if you are applying to international studies department (국제학부), in which most, if not all, classes are taught in English, you need not take the Korean Proficiency test.

11. Additional documents for applicants of Korean origin:

1) Certificate of Facts Concerning Entry and Exit of the applicant and parent (entire record) This is 출입국증명서. You can get this at the same office where you get the 가족관계 증명서 (호적등본).

2) Official transcripts, certificates of attendance, and diploma from elementary, junior high and high school (primary and secondary schools) You need grade records for each year starting from elementary. Most schools should have a certificate of attendance. The diplomas from junior high school and elementary are required if available.