So it’s been over a month since I graduated and I’m finally gonna write some scattered thoughts about Sogang’s KLEC~!
Bottom line: I do think language school is worth it if you need the structure provided by being a student. It really does a lot to improve your level, but you will still need to study additional stuff outside of class, no matter if your goal is having conversations or passing topik. It’s fun to have a community to study with and I benefited from having a set routine that forced me to work on all 4 language skills. Sogang’s focus is definitely on conversation, so I wouldn’t recommend it if your main goal is to get a high topik score or attend grad school because other schools focus more on advanced writing & vocab.
(Feel free to ask questions because I know there’s lots I didn’t cover or explain well here~)
I also know that some people complain about having to speak from the beginning and would rather focus on learning first, then speaking. But for me, this method was very helpful because I already know I am a perfectionist and I’d rather just get over that and be able to talk to people in broken Korean than develop some complex about using correct grammar.
Anyway, here are some thoughts about the levels!
Level 1 starts with Hangul, then gets into the most basic grammar & vocab. The textbook follows these characters, which leads to classroom bonding because the main dude is kinda annoying, and all the readings & listening exercises involve the characters doing normal everyday things like going to school, having a birthday party, asking for directions, etc. It’s honestly stuff that I think most people could study on their own just fine. The people who struggled in my class were just not ready for immersion learning. (During my level 5 class’ debate, one girl didn’t remember the American guy’s name and called him “앤디 씨" and every single person in the room broke down in hysterical laughter)
Level 2 brings in a lot more useful grammar patterns, but you’ll still sound kinda like a robot haha The example conversations you practice in class get a little longer and more detailed. The writing assignments are slightly more interesting. You learn 반말 (informal speech) and there’s still a lot of roleplay, but you have a bit more freedom with it than you did in level 1.
Level 3 is where things start feeling really helpful. Like up until now you are stuck building the foundation and learning basics, but in level 3 there is a lot more really useful conversational grammar and the reading/listening exercises get more complicated. This is also where most of the English speakers need a lot of outside help because the grammars don’t have English equivalents and the book from Sogang does a terrible job of explaining things. The chapters all focus on useful life stuff like going to the doctor and renting an apartment, but it’s also means a lot of vocab that you won’t naturally get to use everyday, so this is also where people start falling behind if they haven’t been keeping up with studying every day. This is also when you get into written style vs. speaking style, so sometimes students become good writers (me) and others become good conversationalists (not me)...
Level 4 was a blast, but I think it was mostly because my teachers were fantastic and my classmates loved being there. Finally everyone is actually able to communicate in only Korean, so class time is more enjoyable. Students have to give a presentation and there are no more example conversations! (So long, 앤디 씨~) Listening & reading become every day classes instead of alternating days. The writing assignments were also a bit more interesting because they tended to be useful topics we’re all asked about anyway (self introduction when applying for a job, describing a place you visit often, giving advice) . You also start learning stuff like news-specific language and how to complain.
Level 5 is now into “advanced” territory. I actually enjoyed a lot of the writing assignments because they tend to be less personal and more about your culture/customs and those kinds of topics. Many of the readings are, of course, helping you learn Korean, but it’s more learning about a topic in Korean rather than just reading some kindergarten level stuff. There is a classroom debate that can be kinda awkward; the topic will be something like saving for retirement vs. supporting your kids, or whether or not the death penalty should exist. Also instead of listening class there is now a video class! You watch short (~5-10min) clips from various movies/tv programs and have a separate workbook for all that vocab and whatnot. I had an amazing video teacher who made the class super fun, even when we were stuck watching incredibly awkward/boring things (looking at you, Ahn Chul Soo & matchmaker guy!)
Level 6 had good moments & bad moments. My classmates were all nice, but my friend never even learned everyone’s names because we didn’t really mingle together much. Our homeroom teacher was wonderful, but a lot of the content was just not that interesting or relevant to my life. I wasn’t interested in the readings, and constantly getting distracted made them even more difficult to understand. It was also hard to be at a point where we were beginning to discuss social issues, but were still very much limited by our skill level and vastly different backgrounds. Like, if we have a list of typical social issues (immigration, low birth rate, unemployment, etc.) and we have to discuss which one is the biggest in our country...trying to explain that America’s immigration problem is actually a racism problem requires the listeners to first be interested in understanding. Also there were a lot of times where we were supposed to talk about our countries, but the US is too huge and narrowing it down to Texas wasn’t much better (the geography & weather of Texas...a place 7 times larger than Korea...)
The most frustrating thing was the book situation. There is a speaking textbook & a reading textbook, but the little grammar/vocab book only covers the reading textbook. This means that there was no explanation or dictionary for the grammar & vocab from the speaking textbook, which was frustrating when you were trying to review. We also only read half the readings (each chapter has 2; we’d only study the first one), which seemed odd, but studying any faster would’ve been a nightmare so I can’t imagine why they designed the books that way in the first place. Also, the little book is only available in English?? The level 5 textbook bundle includes the Korean version, but suddenly you’re supposed to go back to a translated version for level 6?
Honestly, I’m sure level 6 helped my Korean, I mean I was there in class speaking Korean every day...but I think it would’ve been more helpful for me to focus on the stuff from levels 3-5 than bother with what is taught in level 6. There is just so much advanced grammar that I will rarely get the chance to use, especially because I’m still stumbling over more basic stuff. Video class was helpful because I do want to be able to watch the news, but sooo many of the readings were kinda boring and a lot of the writing assignments were basically just dumbed-down versions of stuff I had to write in university (talk about an environmental issue & how to solve it, talk about what’s wrong with the education system & how to fix it). I did really well in writing (boyfriend said the paper I wrote about common types of housing in my hometown was great! hahah), but I actually hate writing papers and that’s not a skill I care about.
Overall, I definitely do not have the discipline to self-study to a high level, so attending class was a good choice for me. I liked ~graduating~ and getting a certificate to show, even though it’s irrelevant for my job. I think it gave me a really good foundation, I have an idea now of how to continue to improve, and I feel comfortable speaking Korean even in situations where I am 100% aware of how many mistakes I’m making. I do plan to attend more classes in the future and will probably eventually take the topik. Language learning never ends~
Sometimes when you think you have found a nice lunch spot full of insects it turns out to be a dragon!! Or, how Kelc met Xasyn. Xasyn is a flightless mirror who has a flower growing out of their back.
done in 2 gel pens 0 pencil sketches for guides and lipgloss that I never use
Statistically, if you put on enough feathers cobbled together and hand dyed by your parents, you’re really just a raptorik with a skin condition, rather than a dragon, right?
Raisa is a harpy scholar that befriended the raptoriks while he was out on a field study of the Savannah. When he’d heard they had a child, he was so excited for them, and invited them to visit so they could all meet (plus he’s pretty sure that it’s good to get Klec into civilization every once in a while), and once he found out that their child was a dragon? He was, well. Worried. Even more so with Klec defending it as a ‘skin condition’. But thankfully, Xasyn is a smart young sprout, and probably fully grown... which. Helps.
