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rooster_2006
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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 Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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I graduated from Yonsei's six-level A Course (and I'm not a gyopo, just a foreigner with dedication). I also did a five-day stint at Sogang and disliked it so much (maybe it was just our teacher) that I got a refund and returned to Yonsei in time to finish Level 3 there and get a B.
Problems I experienced at Sogang:
- The teacher was not tolerant of foreign learning styles. I am an active student. It's my nature. She said I was being "disruptive" and made a big deal about it. None of my Yonsei teachers ever had the same complaint, which tells me that Yonsei teachers are a lot more tolerant of true foreign learners.
- There is too much conversation time with other foreigners, and not enough time spent learning actual material. Why should I spend two hours a day of paid instruction time conversing with other foreigners when I could be having the same conversations with the real Koreans with whom I share my house? I mean, not that trying to understand the accents of certain Chinese students isn't fun and all...
- Dictionary use is frowned upon. The teacher wanted us to ask other foreigners for the definitions instead. I got scolded for opening my dictionary.
- They told me before starting the term that if there was a problem, I could switch to another class in the same level. Funny how when there actually was a problem, they said I couldn't. This prevented me from ever knowing if the other teachers were like the bad one I'd had, too.
Most of the stuff in this thread seems to laud Sogang as the best, put down Yonsei for "being too focused on grammar," etc. I disagree. Yonsei brought me up to an advanced level of Korean. Sogang felt like a cult. |
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the_beaver
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:17 pm Post subject: |
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| rooster_2006 wrote: |
I graduated from Yonsei's six-level A Course (and I'm not a gyopo, just a foreigner with dedication). I also did a five-day stint at Sogang and disliked it so much (maybe it was just our teacher) that I got a refund and returned to Yonsei in time to finish Level 3 there and get a B.
Problems I experienced at Sogang:
- The teacher was not tolerant of foreign learning styles. I am an active student. It's my nature. She said I was being "disruptive" and made a big deal about it. None of my Yonsei teachers ever had the same complaint, which tells me that Yonsei teachers are a lot more tolerant of true foreign learners.
- There is too much conversation time with other foreigners, and not enough time spent learning actual material. Why should I spend two hours a day of paid instruction time conversing with other foreigners when I could be having the same conversations with the real Koreans with whom I share my house? I mean, not that trying to understand the accents of certain Chinese students isn't fun and all...
- Dictionary use is frowned upon. The teacher wanted us to ask other foreigners for the definitions instead. I got scolded for opening my dictionary.
- They told me before starting the term that if there was a problem, I could switch to another class in the same level. Funny how when there actually was a problem, they said I couldn't. This prevented me from ever knowing if the other teachers were like the bad one I'd had, too.
Most of the stuff in this thread seems to laud Sogang as the best, put down Yonsei for "being too focused on grammar," etc. I disagree. Yonsei brought me up to an advanced level of Korean. Sogang felt like a cult. |
Some good criticisms there. Still, your Sogang experience was somewhat limited. If Yonsei did get you to an advanced level of Korean I'd say you chose a good program for your particular learning style. However, I still maintain that Sogang is the best for the greatest number of students while Yonsei will be effective only for a small minority.
Last edited by the_beaver on Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:01 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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285285
Joined: 24 Feb 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by 285285 on Sat Jun 07, 2014 7:48 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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catchshime
Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Location: "I am not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land."
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| Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 2:20 am Post subject: Working from 3:30 to 10 PM also feasible? |
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Hey all,
I would like to enroll in Sogang's full time course (M-F). I will likely live in Gangnam/Songpa/Seocho area. If the class is from 9 - 1 and I work from 3:30 - 10 PM, is this overloading my schedule? I am a gyopo (1st generation) and I know very basic Korean such as the alphabet, how to read, and very basic writing, which is why I am so interested in Sogang because I have read that it is conversationally based.
I know that 4 hours a day in addition to teaching M-F from 3:30 - 10 PM is quite a full day. What are people's input/opinions on this? Has anyone tried "overloading" in a similar fashion for a few months? I figure I can push myself hard for a few months so I at least have a decent base of Korean, then change to a private academy (Seoul Korean Language, YBM, Ganada) that is less demanding on my schedule. Of course, I have been waiting to live in Korea my whole life and would be very serious about my job as well as Korean learning.
What are people's thoughts? Also, what is the commute like from Gangnam to Sogang?
Thanks so much everyone! |
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Johnwayne
Joined: 28 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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I was kind of curious if anyone could comment on the difference between levels 2 and 3 at Sogang.
I am preparing to enroll in Sogang this coming fall and could potentially place in level 3 since I am already familiar with most, if not all the, of the grammar/vocabulary in level 2 and below. However, my familiarity is rather limited in that it doesn't extend that well to my speaking ability (lacking fluency). Listening and reading and writing are okay, but speaking on the fly is obviously more difficult.
Anyways, I was curious if taking the level 2 course would be beneficial or if I would be bored to tears and should push for level 3. I was told by one person that there are more opportunities to speak in level 2 relative to level 3. Any truth to that? I was planning on the 3 hour a day course, if it makes any difference. |
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fergalator
Joined: 06 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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Does anyone have any information on other Universitys offering courses?
Im living in Anyang. |
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catchshime
Joined: 25 Jun 2009
Location: "I am not born for one corner; the whole world is my native land."
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 1:48 am Post subject: |
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| Anyone taking the winter course this year? If so I will see you there. |
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rooster_2006
Joined: 14 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2009 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Johnwayne wrote: |
I was kind of curious if anyone could comment on the difference between levels 2 and 3 at Sogang.
I am preparing to enroll in Sogang this coming fall and could potentially place in level 3 since I am already familiar with most, if not all the, of the grammar/vocabulary in level 2 and below. However, my familiarity is rather limited in that it doesn't extend that well to my speaking ability (lacking fluency). Listening and reading and writing are okay, but speaking on the fly is obviously more difficult.
Anyways, I was curious if taking the level 2 course would be beneficial or if I would be bored to tears and should push for level 3. I was told by one person that there are more opportunities to speak in level 2 relative to level 3. Any truth to that? I was planning on the 3 hour a day course, if it makes any difference. |
I had a friend who was a Chinese teacher (E-2 visa, just like English teachers) from northern China. She balanced her Chinese hagwon job in the evenings and Yonsei University KLI Level 3 in the mornings. She was really worn out. Like, REALLY worn out. She made it through one term but didn't go farther. I'd expect that at the higher levels, it would be almost impossible to balance work and study (Levels 5 and 6 are killers, especially Level 6 since you can't retry if you fail a test -- you have to take the level all over again). Of course Sogang is well known to be an easier program, and your work hours may not be as high as hers, but it'll be a challenge. Gangnam is on the #2 Line, right? So is Shinchon. So I guess the commute is a straight subway commute. That's kind of nice, as long as you actually get a chance to sit down (and you may not, #2 Line is busy). Only problem is that it's quite a walk from the Shinchon subway station to Sogang. Maybe there's a bus that is more pleasant, not sure.
If you really have your life together, you might be able to swing it, but personally I'd recommend going lighter on the Korean -- I have friends who went to Ganada hagwon with good results. Personally I think all the university programs OVERLOAD you with more Korean than you can handle.
I'd recommend just going into Level 3. It's terrible to be in a language class that's below your level. Seriously. I did that for Level 1 -- I already knew 1,000+ words and insisted on "starting from the beginning to get a good foundation" even when my teacher said I could move up. Silly me.
Anyways, good luck. I did Level 6 with several part-time jobs, and I passed by a hair's width and graduated from Yonsei KLI, but it was not an era of my life that I'd care to repeat (although you cannot believe the ecstasy I felt when I learned I had passed the final exam by like a 2% margin on writing and was clear to graduate). |
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