Korean Job Discussion Forums

[taobenli]

I'm a PhD student in the U.S. This summer I got a fellowship to study Korean in Korea and will be arriving on June 6th. According to the rules of my fellowship I must study "in a reputable language program in Korea," whatever that means. There is no rule about length of program or number of hours per day but I decided to go with one of the university programs, all of which generally last 10 weeks and meet 3-4 hours a day, because I want to maximize my time in Korea and learn as much as I can.

I did one level of Sogang University's program two summers ago and enjoyed it, so planned to go back to Sogang again for a higher level. (I am avoiding Yonsei for several reasons, and have a few friends who hated Korea University's program- and the same goes for Kyunghee. Ehwa may be okay but I'm not sure). The problem is, I was accepted into a two-week graduate student workshop on the SNU campus, something I don't want to pass up, but of course it meets smack dab in the middle of any language program that would meet (from late June through the first week of July). I know it will be tricky to do both but I intend to try, even if this means missing a few scheduled meetings at the grad student workshop or a few class sessions at a language program. Since the special graduate program is just two weeks I would focus on language strictly for the other 8 weeks and work on making up any missed work.

The other option would be to do SNU's program, and that way at least my two committments would be on the same campus. I have get to an e-mail back from SNU about my situation, though.

I DID get a response back from Sogang, a very short e-mail expressing that 1) here's where you send the money, 2) you'll have to do your placement test over the phone since you'll be arriving late (note: although Sogang's program is good, their placement system is terrible), and 3) we can do nothing to help you with your schedule. So, let me get this right: you'll take my money but you won't help me? Sounds like a good deal.

I'm just getting a headache from trying to arrange all this. The state of Korean language education in Korea seems light-years behind Japan, China, Taiwan, etc. (other places I have experience studying), and that goes doubly for the customer service aspect. If anyone has any advice for me I'd appreciate it. I can stay in Korea up until Sept. 4th, so if anyone knows of a "reputable" program in Seoul that begins AFTER my graduate workshop ends on July 8, where I could learn a lot of Korean, I would appreciate the help.

Thanks! (I love Korea, but I feel like venting now. I just want to learn Korean and also participate in this workshop- is that too much to ask?)

[Yu_Bum_suk]

What aspect of Korea are you studying - history, sociology, business, etc.?

Sorry I don't know anything about intensive language programmes.

[VirginIslander]

Yu_Bum_suk wrote:

[Alyallen]

I attended Hannam University in Daejeon in 2002.

You can check out their website here...

http://www.hannam.ac.kr/eng2005/auxiliaries/koreanLanguageCenter.html

[SuperHero]

[taobenli]

1) I am will be in Seoul- so programs in Pusan or Daejeon won't help (although I honestly would rather be in a city that isn't Seoul, I don't have this option).

2) I certainly don't expect teachers and students to change their schedule for me. The only thing I anticipate having to do is missing some of the classes (over a 10 day period). I know they have a strict attendance policy, and that's what I'm hoping they'll bend a little (as long as I make up the work outside of class).

[thebum]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[peachgaru]

I used the Sogang Korean curriculum for two years and found it to be quite good. It goes at a good pace and provides good grammatical explanations, especially in comparison to other Korean textbooks I've used. This is the curriculum my university uses and that many Korean embassies use in their language courses.

Whether or not the language program is comparable....not sure, but at least you can be assured that the materials are good. Last year, I was awarded a scholarship to do a language program in Korea (had to turn it down ㅠ.ㅠ) and my professor, who is one of the best in the (small) Korean as Second Language field recommended that I go to Sogang over Ehwa,Yonsei, etc. I did not realize they were so disorganized though... wish I could tell you more.

I have friends who have attended other ILP (Ehwa and Yonsei), and they didn't learn much. It's basically gyopo summer camp. Seriously.

[taobenli]

Yeahhh....I was being a bit unfair. I'm a grad student nearing the end of a term so my stress level makes me blow things out of proportion recently.

I should clarify- I did the Sogang program (level 3) in summer 2005, and loved it. Their curriculum is good, and so are their teachers. I, too, had friends at Ehwa, Korea U., and Yonsei and most weren't happy. A lot of the Sogang classes seemed to be filled with transfers from those other programs!

My only complaint with Sogang was their relative disorganization (and it wasn't even that bad) with placement. They don't really take into consideration the fact that some people live outside Korea and are only coming for a short time, and so don't have systems in place to accomodate that. I would have much preferred to take an in-person placement test IN Korea last time (even if jet-lagged) than the phone interview they had me do. The connection was bad and I was placed in too low a level, and had to whine (something I'm good at, unfortunately, hehe!) to be re-interviewed and put in a more appropriate level.

Thebum- your comment about attendance is reassuring. Now I'm leaning towards intepreting their comments that "they can't do anything to help me" as more of a don't-ask-don't-tell policy. Of course they need to encourage attendance, but if I miss some classes no one's going to kill me.

Since you seemed to have studied in Korea a lot, thebum, can you tell me if you've studied in any other programs besides Sogang? SNU by any chance? (It's the other program I'm looking at). Unfortunately I'll only be in Korea for the 3 months of the summer (like last time), and then it's back to grad student life for me. I hope to come back for a longer time later, though.

Thanks for your comments.

[thebum]

[Ginormousaurus]

I've studied at Ehwa, Yonsei and Sogang and I reccomend Sogang to anyone who asks. Yonsei is heavy on the grammar and light on the speaking practice whereas Sogang focuses on speaking. I'm not sure what level you'd be at now, but level 5 and up are a lot more focused on grammar than the earlier ones.

[peachgaru]