Hmm that question got me wondering... I was born in 1997 like Jungkook but my birthday is in March. So hypothetically speaking, would that make me a grade above Jungkook or same grade? Sorry, hahaha I know how Korean age works but I dont know about the school system stuff. Also, I wanted to to ask since Im interested in knowing, did you go to school in other countries like America? How is school in Korea vs school in other countries...
because Im from America & I hated school. There was too much of kids gossiping, smoking weed, being promiscious etc. School was too focused on socializing, at least for me haha. I feel like school in Korea is more focused on the education. I can be wrong, I just wanted to get a perspective from someone who actually went to school in Korea, & to see if they have all that stuff going on there too.
Since you’re a March baby you’re highly likely to be in the same grade as the people your age, which in other words, the same grade as Jungkook. Enrollment into schools as well as which year line you’ll enroll with is decided by when your birth date is, as well as when the school term starts. Usually, the Korean school term starts in March, so January-February babies are enrolled with the liners a year above them. I don’t have an example to give but that’s the school rules here, and I would just like to emphasize again, just because you have to enroll in school with a batch above your own, it doesn’t make you a fast liner. In your case specifically, you’re simply a ’97 liner.
Yes, I’ve attended school in other countries before. But I won’t make any comparison.
I think schooling in Korea is portrayed pretty well online; of course, there are some extremes sometimes, but for the most part, it’s an actual representation of the situation here. I shan’t touch on elementary/middle school, since those are the less stressful periods. As most would already know, 수능 is seen as the most prestigious thing here, and to most, it determines their entire future. Because of the strong belief in this examination, most parents start preparing their children for the test as early as the beginning of middle school. Sounds a little far fetched, since수능 is only taken at the end of high school, but it’s true. In Korea, education is important, but I think parents also see other factors as really important, such as nurturing talents, so a lot of kids here have many things imposed on them since a young age - swimming, piano, violin, all of these “talents” are trained from a young age. It’s always better to have an asset to show off, you know?
In high school, it’s where all the strain and rigor comes in. Students spend about 16 hours a day in school on average, with most continuing on to 학원 after school for even more studying.학원 can last until say, 1 or 2 am to say the extreme, and if you don’t know what a학원 is, it’s basically like a tuition center, where not only students, but sometimes adults too go to for extra classes. If that isn’t taxing enough, we have school on Saturdays too ^^ usually Saturdays are considered half days, so school lasts shorter than the usual weekday timings, but it doesn’t stop the kids from staying in school to continue self study. Because of all the hours students spend in school, lunch and dinner are usually provided in school as well.
For those students who don’t attend학원, they usually go to either 도서관 or 독서실 for self study. 도서관 is more familiarly known to us as a library, but near exams it’s usually so packed it’s impossible to find a space to sit down and study. I’m not sure about other countries but in Korea, usually you can find도서관 in the school compound itself. Because of the lack of space, many students turn to the next alternative - 독서실. Sounds familiar? It’s from the line Jungkook had in ‘No More Dream’ (at the 0:40 mark). I have no idea why it’s translated to library, but it’s nothing like a library. There aren’t books for you to borrow, there aren’t people who go there simply for the leisure of enjoying a good book. A독서실 is basically this.
cr; http://www.hswedu.com/hsw540/32141
It’s basically a place that has great air conditioning, a bunch of cubicles crammed together, and it makes a great environment for studying! Students (mostly seniors) rent a cubicle where they spend their time just studying and studying and studying… to the point where they sometimes just sleep there instead of going home. Since it’s a place made strictly for studying, talking and all distraction isn’t allowed, so students who can’t focus at home would rent a cubicle at a독서실 to ensure they get the right knowledge into their heads. In more extreme cases (to me, but to them it’s no where near extreme), students will rent a place at a고시원. A고시원 is basically just a dormitory. The room is pretty small, with a bed, a desk, maybe a shelf and a closet (those made of tent material, I forgot the specific term). Since teens rent it simply for the purpose of focusing on studying, that’s everything they need to survive.
Also, in some schools, students spend all of their time in the classroom. They sleep there and everything, so it’s pretty common for the students to have toothbrushes, blankets, pillows, and everything else you can think of with them.
However, whatever that is mentioned above are just facilities that have been implemented to facilitate the students in studying. After all, it comes down to self motivation and self discipline when it comes to studying. Since the Korean society is so competitive, many believe that if they don’t study as hard as how everyone else is studying, then they wouldn’t do well and they’d have no future. It’s a pretty traditional mindset, but still proves to be evident in present day society. But, it doesn’t mean that Korea is filled with nerds who do nothing but study. The rapport between teens are strong because I guess they are unified by their will to do well, and they spend more time with each other (in school and all the other places) than they do with their families, hence it’s an upside to this.
I would just like to say that just like any other country, there are delinquents here too, maybe just not as much. There are prestigious schools, but there are also less recognized schools where students have no motivation to learn/succeed, so like any other country, it’s the same here. It’s just that our competitive sides are what usually comes out on the news and everything, so I guess people think everyone is like that here? I’m not, for one. I don’t waste my time/money going to학원 or독서실, and I certainly do not believe studying 24/7 is what’s going to get me somewhere. Granted, I have international influence, so that’s probably why I don’t feel the same way as the majority of Korean kids.
All in all, I think it’s genuinely stressful living here, especially if you’re not a very carefree person by nature. It’s very structured and limited, and people tend to have no avenues to break out from what’s considered the norm. Many aspects here are highly respected, which includes the Arts, sometimes considered unpopular in other countries, so I guess in a sense it’s pretty good too.
But since we’re on the topic, often times a lot of kpop fans talk about wanting to be Korean, wanting to live here, etc. It’s not all pretty guys, think twice before you say these things. Don’t idealize our country, there’s a lot more to living here than meets the eye. Don’t be a koreaboo.
Sorry that this got so long~