What do you think of the relationship between students and universities? In a student-university relationship, there is a kind of deal. Students can take courses they want, while earning degrees and enjoying the supplementary facilities they want because they pay money to the university. The tuition that students pay every semester is different according to each major, but it costs about 3.5 to 6 million won. So, do you think it is worth the cost? In the past, we did not have to pay for taking higher education. However, nowadays we must pay for taking classes. There are many changes in thinking about higher education. Because students are consumers, they need to get their services and value back as much as what they paid. The most basic service that students receive from the university is lectures. However, many students do not think the university provides enough lectures, because many courses do not have sufficient seats for multi-major students. Let's find out what is happening in the multi-major system in our school and why it has problems.1. CAU’s Multi Major System a. How to Become a Multi-Major Student? The multi-major system at our university is divided into four main categories. There are double majors, minors, fusions and linked majors. To register with each major, freshmen are required to complete at least two semesters while integrators can apply if they complete at least one semester. Student’s may apply twice during the period of registration. Applications can be made on the CAU Portal during each term. Some specialized majors, such as Advertising Promotion, interviewed to select students but most decisions are based on grades to pick out students. The numbers of students to be selected are different for each major. The department can adjust its licensing personnel, considering the capacity of the department. In the case of double major and minor, similar departments cannot be applied simultaneously.2. What Multi-Major Students Want?(Picture) Most students are not satisfied with the multi-major system. Only 3.2% students answered that they are satisfied with the current multi-major system and about 70% of students are dissatisfied with the multi-major system. Then, what is the biggest problem in this system? According to the survey, there are not enough seats to take classes. Some students are worrying about late graduation because multi-major students must take more credits than others. There are also grievances that multi-major students cannot get the same materials as in previous years. However, most students are satisfied with the quality of the lectures. On the basis of survey that multi-major students replied our university needs to increase the number of lectures or seats in one class.3. The Problems with the Multi-Major System a. Too Hard to Become a Multi-Major Student In our school, students are selected generally credit by-credit when picking out courses as multi-major students. For the business department, which is popular with students, at least about a 4.2 GPA is required this semester. Other popular departments also have high grade minimums (more than 4.0 GPA), so students who are not good at their original major cannot take multi-major classes. It means they must manage their credits very faithfully for a year. For the College of Advertising and Promotion, students are not only chosen based solely on their grades, but also by conducting interviews. In Korea University all students must have a second major, so they can take other major’s classes which they want easily. Secondary majors are dual majors, fusion majors, student’s design majors, and advanced majors, and one of them is selected and taken as a course. In the case of a dual major, which is a double major in our school, students are selected according to GPAs, study plans, and interviews. The number of students who can do dual majors will vary depending on the department, but generally 130% of a fixed number, except for the students who are majoring in intensive study, are accepted. To enter dual majors, 4.0 GPAs are usually needed, but because of interviews and academic plans, students can take dual majors even when their GPAs are lower than 4.0. There is also a system called minor and double major, although they are not recognized as second majors. Korea University has a variety of systems. Sogang University has an excellent multi major system. There are no restrictions on the type, specialty, personnel, or grades. It is because this university seeks multi-talented students. There are more than 600 combinations from eight colleges. You can apply at the end of the first year for multi-major entrance. Although 48 credits are required for a single major, multi-major students are required to take 36 credits in each discipline. By reducing the number of credits needed to be earned, students can ease their burden and learn various subjects. If you become a multi-major student, you can freely take several basic subjects of a major, then change to the subject you want to take. You can acquire three majors within four years. b. No Seat for a Course. Many multi-major students cannot take the classes they want because there are not enough classes to take. In the case of basics studies, some classes are opened for multi-major students, but since the department office decides the timetable, you may not be able to take these classes if you do not have time. In the case of required subjects, there are only seven seats for double major students and three seats for linked major students. Even, some classes do not have any seats for multi-major students. So, multi-major students cannot take lectures they want. The reason is that our university divides the number of people who can take classes according to their majors and grades. Yet, Korea University does not divide the number of people who can take classes according to their majors and grades. Instead, the guidelines for applicants are set out in grades, but they do not necessarily have to follow them. Second major students and first major students have the same qualification to apply for the class enrolment. At Ewha Woman’s University, double major students who are majoring in political diplomacy, media communication, psychology, economics, or business are eligible for priority applications. They can select second major lessons in advance and take them. Otherwise, the other students have the same qualifications. In Sogang University’s application system there are not divisions in the number of students who can take classes according to their majors. All students have the same qualifications to apply for class enrolment. However, in the case of some majors, first major students have an advantage when using labs. Our university students pay millions of won in tuition each year to attend the university, but there is always a question of whether they are getting that much back. The university does not provide enough seats for multi-major students, and even some students cannot become multi-majored at all because of their low grades. For these reasons, students cannot take classes which they really want. CAU needs to make more efforts to solve these problems because University’s objective is to provide for its students enough opportunities of taking courses. More students will be satisfied with the university’s academic systems when these problems are solved through expanding the seating capacity or increasing the faculties.
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