Korean Job Discussion Forums

[misher]

I'm about to start their program in 2 days. I was wondering for the veterans out there how hard the actual program was. Is there a lot of material to cover? I plan on doing level 1-6 and they say that you can enter the university if you pass all 6 levels. Does that mean your korean is that good? Or are the uni entrance requirements a lot lower than usual.

I'm not working at the moment and I just want to know if here will be enough material to keep me busy and if it is easy or hard to "keep up" with the rest of the class.

misher. [/i][/list]

[the_beaver]

[Bryan]

Right now I'm having a tough time deciding on whether I should get a job next year and study Korean on my own time fairly intensely, or go to Sogang's KLI. Isn't it pretty expensive?

Korean is actually a big goal for me. I want to be able to speak to my girlfriend's father and mother, who seem like they would really like me if I spoke Korean. But the price of Sogang is pretty high when you consider the language is all around you for free.

[misher]

yeah the classes are a bit pricey. I'm bringing over canadian money so it goes a bit farther. I am determined to learn this language and I'm the kind of person that needs a classroom environment. I can't pick up a book and do it for free. There are other schools that are cheaper but I heard they aren't that great. You get what you pay for I guess.

Beaver,

Thanks for the response. So tell me how many hours of studying should I be doing per night? I will go to class for 4 hours. I know that is kind of a difficult question to answer.

Also, do they give you grades at all? Or is it just a pass/fail type of scenario.

misher

[the_beaver]

Bryan:

Yes, Korean is all around you. There are a number of people who are able to take advantage of that and learn. The research shows, however, that people who take formal classes tend to outperform those who don't in the areas of speed of acquisition and level reached. Try going it by yourself and if it isn't satisfying, sign up for classes.

misher:

Number of hours spent studying per night is difficult to answer because it depends on you. For my money, I'd say just do the homework, review what you did in class, and preview what you're going to do the next day -- a couple of hours. Spend the rest of the time watching Korean TV or movies, and meeting your classmates and doing things in Seoul (research shows that people get the best/most practice with others of a similar ability level).

They give grades.

[PeteJB]

Personally I have found over-studying leads to less than positive results. Taking it in strides, one step at a time and not overdoing it is the best study method for me. I find I learn faster and recall things more efficiently when I spend time enriching my life. And whose to say you cannot learn at the same time as enjoying your free time? TV, Movies and Music is definitely a good way to do that. Formal classes can be 'intense' if you aren't prepared to learn, but all you need is one hour of study time each day to really meet the requirements for the homework.

[misher]

Beaver,

I wish to study Korean history in the Korean language (preferably a masters). I know it sounds far fetched and I probably won't be able to start for a few years. Will Sogang give me enough language to be able to start? Do you know of anyone who did a masters degree in Korean? bachelors?

[the_beaver]

[misher]

When you say a lot of work. Do you mean just vocabulary building? In terms of speaking I do it 4+ hours outside of class with my girlfriend who doesn't speak to me in English.

Should I change schools for a more academic approach? Yonsei?

I have to admit that Level 1 is a bit slow...and the homework isn't a lot. I can get the vocab down in less than an hour..I'm jsut wondering if I should quit sogang next semester and buy the books and study with my girlfriend. I already speak more korean outside of class. Inside not so much as everyone just resorts to english. I hope this changes.

[the_beaver]

[Johnwayne]

I took the level 3 course (part of it at least) and found that although it was useful, it felt rather slow. I was learning new vocabulary, but a lot of the grammar was review or was rather simple to understand/apply (so there wasn't much explanation required).

I am kind of curious if the later levels keep the same format as the earlier levels or if you get I guess, a bit more freedom, in the later levels.

The overall structure of the class seemed good, just the pace felt slow. However that may sound strange since the class was paced at two units a week. I didn't find the homework to be that intense either. I think I was expecting a bit more.

The English thing wasn't a problem in my class because most of the other students were Chinese or Japanese and didn't speak English, which was great.

[coralreefer_1]

I cannot add much to the above comments about Sogang, as I did not study there. However I did spend a full year studying Korean in another university here in Daegu, and went on to enter there International Trade program for a second degree, so since our cases are somewhat similar (both studied Korean to enter a university program) I will share my experience.

First , my university is not renowned for its Korean language program as as Sogang or some SKY university. However I think the point of the matter is that most universities require a minimum of level 4 Korean ability to be able to enter a degree program, and specific majors (I believe yours may be one of them) may require a level 5.

The main point I would like to stress to you in that if you study at Sogang, and then enter a Sogang University degree program, it really does not matter how you score on the test, as they will likely accept you anyway. If for example, you did you Korean study at Sogang and then wanted to enter a degree program at another university, the admissions department would more than likely be more strict about your Korean language ability (You would have to produce an official TOPIK/KLPT score, rather than take a test administered and judged by the university you studied Korean at). In my case, I took a level 3-4 TOPIK exam which was given by my university to students who wanted to enter a degree program. This test was not an official TOPIK, but printed exams from the TOPIK website. Actually about 2 weeks before the exam, they gave all of us wishing to enter the degree programs a book which contained 3 complete TOPIK exams, with the actual test we would take on exam day coming from that book (They basically gave us the test in advance) If I had chosen to enter another university, I would have had to take the official TOPIK exam, and I feel certain that my level at that time would have not allowed me to enter their university. As you can probably guess, all universities are a business, and it pays for them to give the students that already spent thousands of dollars there a little extra slack so they can enter their university and pay thousands more to them rather than another university.

I know for a fact I should have failed that exam, but I was "passed" and allowed to enter the university anyway. Now my Korean is far better than most of the other foreign students at my university only for the reason that I am the only English speaking person, while most of them have other Chinese, Mongolian or Vietnamese friends they spend their down time talking in their native languages with. I get much more practice with Korean (as I have to) so I tend to do better in the actual lectures than they do.

As was mentioned, the TOPIK/KLPT are actually no real indicator of your Korean ability as far as in an academic setting. Professors do not speak nowhere near the same way as Korean Language instructors do, and between their different speaking styles, tone, and overall demeanor, it would be very easy to score well on the highest level of each exam and still find yourself baffled in a lecture.

This is currently my 4th semester taking International Trade courses fully in Korean. Even after all of this time, some professors I still cannot understand more than 30% while others I understand close to 90%. Of course having spent two years learning the immense amount of new vocabulary has helped me greatly to understand more and more,(aside from the fact that I already have a masters in economics) but in many cases I find that if I could read a transcript of the lecture, i would understand every word, but their speaking style prevents me from getting the gist of what they are saying in the classroom. This means i know and understand every word they are saying, but coming from their lips is a different ballgame altogether. Textbooks(which can be digested slowly) and English resources for information I have searched far and wide for have been the saving grace, and between those resources and hard work, i places 12th in my department last year as far as GPA...which doesn't seem like much but considering I am a foreigner, it says alot

It is true that vocabulary is the main issue to deal with when making the transition to Korean Language study to degree programs listening to Korean lectures. However it is also very important to not overestimate Korean ability based on a test at any given level to prepare you for a lecture given by someone who does not speak kindly, gently, or even near common Korean. Considering your area of interest, I would suggest getting started ASAP on learning Hanja as well, as you are likely to find that a good portion of your research materials will include a good deal of Hanja.

Its not that difficult to do, and even the mid level TOPIK will prepare you as well as you need at a basic level . The grammar is not an issue, and after the mid level, you will not learn much that would be of more assistance to you in the actual lectures, as the main thing that will be more concerning to you will be the new vocabulary associated with the field you choose to study, which the TOPIK or KLPT cannot or will not prepare you for.

Good luck~ Let us know how it goes.

[misher]

Thanks coralreefer,

I was wondering where you were at.

Anyhow I appreciate the response. I hope to study at SNU in their history department so maybe I should think about doing language classes there in the future in order to gain entrance. I think you have to be over level 5.

I'm still in the infant stages of this quest. My plan was to study korean for 1.5-2 years, then get accepted into SNU and study there for 2 years hopefully with some financial assistance



I don't want some GSIS program that is mostly in english and has a student body fluent in English. I'll take a program like that at home if I cared to.

I would like to be among domestic Korean history students.

THanks for the responses guys

misher

[coralreefer_1]

Agreed. If you spent 1.5 -2 years studying in a full-time Korean program, and supplementing that time with doing your own work into your area of interest and learning vocab associated with it, you should be good to go^^

[the_beaver]