No matter which aspect of Korea you look at, you’ll notice at first glance that it is very competitive. Why is it so competitive? Some would point towards the fact that, whether it be landing a job at a big firm or just winning a game, Koreans want to become the best at whatever they do. This applies, in particular, to the academic sector. People will do whatever it takes to get into one of the top universities with parents going to extreme ends sometimes by sending their children to academies until midnight or hiring the best of the best teachers for home tuition – keeping them studying 24/7. However, apart from taking the CSAT, there is another way to get into university and that way is through the “Comprehensive Overview of Student Records (COSR).” Nevertheless, ever since its reinforcement by the Ministry of Education as another way to get into university apart from taking the CSAT and the pressure of the CSAT has somewhat eased down, the COSR is causing some problems of its own.One way to get admitted into university is through COSR. This type of admission process oversees the student overall, not just based on their scores, but also considers other various aspects such as the student’s school records, their cover letter, and interview. Without determining students based on a single numerical value, COSR judges them based on their aptitude and potential for learning. Not only are the interviews and cover letter included in the evaluation criteria, but extracurricular activities such as reading, club activities and volunteer work are also evaluated. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Yet, in truth, it is not so much. Rather, it might have incited more competition among students and aggravated their burden. Now students have to focus on their studies while also participating in various extracurricular activities that will stand out when written on paper. With students already caught up with so much to do, they have to put aside time just to help out at a nursing home or even to read a book. Sometimes, they get help from academies that are specialized in this area.So then, is this considered wrong in some way? Not exactly. In some way, it encourages students who might not have been interested in reading, to encounter a diverse variety of books in greater detail. Furthermore, it emboldens them to participate in many activities that could help improve their social skills and provide them with the opportunity to gain life experience. However, the problem arises when it comes down to who the students are doing it for. If they’re doing it for themselves, cheers to them. If they’re doing it for the school and not for their own benefit, it becomes, in a way, somewhat forced onto them against their will. What do you study for? To satisfy your own intellectual curiosity? Or is it to meet the standards set by someone else? Wanting to go to the best of the best schools is not the problem here. It is something that students are actually willing to do. Nevertheless, if they don’t do it for themselves, it only ceases to become relevant for the school. The volunteer work or the reading we used to do out of sincerity is turning into a means of getting into university. In some ways, the things we did to take a break from studying could actually turn into one of the subjects that we have to study instead.
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