Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Sireno]

Hello. I am trying to figure out what University in Seoul I would like to study at for the upcoming Fall term. I have never studied formally at a university for Korean so I have been researching as much as I can about different programs. According to reviews/opinions it seems to me that Sogang would be ideal, except it's too expensive for me. Yonsei seems very grammar/academic based and is not what I'm looking for. Seoul National University seems very grammar based as well with little talk time and I've only seen a couple negative reviews. I don't think I fancy being at an all girls school, Ehwa or Sookmyung either. There are more universities that have programs but I have heard little about them and can't find much info on the web from people.

Any suggestions for me from experience or hearsay? Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.

PS, I don't want this to turn into advice giving of "you don't need to study at a university to learn Korean" Please leave those comments out.

[coralreefer_1]

Almost all are pretty much the same. Of course the programs in Seoul are likely better than universities outside of Seoul, but the design of the textbooks used are different.

That said, I have studied in the Korean program at two different universities here in Daegu. One first I did a full year and that program uses the SNU Korean language program. The one I am currently at now uses the Sogang program and I am about halfway through my second (and final) semester.

Here are a few of my personal observations from my experience. Keep in mind I am not insulting either program, but rather expressing my dissatisfaction about how the material was presented.

1. Neither of the universities made use of the workbook that compliments the student book. Now I guess maybe I would have to take it upon myself to do these workbooks, but i would have appreciated it if the teachers actually assigned pages from the workbook as homework...and checked it for completion and correctness.

2. I am currently doing the Sogang series..which is said to be more geared toward speaking. However we hardly ever speak in my class..and much more of the class is very heavy on listening and writing. I dont know if this is the way the program is taught at the actual Sogang University (others on this board have been very happy with their experience there) but in my case we hardly ever are put in a position to take the presented grammar, form unique sentences with it..make conversations in an attempt to use that grammar/vocabulary. On this point, I am highly disappointed.

3. The SNU program IS a bit heavy on grammar in regards to once you get up in the levels..there can be as many as 8 or more new grammar points per chapter, and since that program is designed to do one chapter a day, taking in and retaining 8 new grammar points, perhaps 30-40 new vocabulary words..etc..is really a chore.

4. From both of the universities I attended, i got the impression that they are running their respective Korean program much like the rest of Korean education ..to pass a test!!! Most of the students in these programs are taking the courses because they want to pass a certain level of the TOPIK test to enter a Korean university as a student. That may not be a bad thing..but for folks who are taking the courses because they want to be able to do daily things in Korea, speaking is probably the most important..and while it is supposed to happen later this year or early next year, to date the TOPIK exam does not test speaking..so...

5. Probably my biggest gripe would be actual course testings. At both universities, with the exception of grammar, all points on the test were not actual tests at all. For example..the speaking test consisted of something like " get together with a partner a week before the exam, make a short conversation about such and such topic, and on test day recite the PREPARED conversation for the teacher. For writing...well.."write a short paragraph or essay about topic X, give it to the teacher to correct...and then on test day...write it again. IN other words..it was all more about memorizing said conversation or essay rather than testing your actual and true ability to do either one. Dictation? Well..the teacher handed out the 10 sentences a few days before the test, and will randomly chose 5 or so from those ten. Again, seeing the test beforehand really takes the "test" out of the test.

Private universities don't really wan to get the reputation of having a very difficult Korean language program mainly because private universities (actually all) want to attract a diverse and international student body. If students know that passing the program is difficult..they will choose another school. Added to that..a university that has a program that expects real results from its students likely wont have many A+ students...so they cant market their program and say "Look how great our program is....70% of our students have A-level scores.

Public universities do not need to rely on foreign students (foreign income) as much because they are already highly sought after, so from what I have heard over the years their programs seem to be less devoted than others. I cant say that is true for SNU, but I can say that seems true for the national university in my area...and I have heard that not only as the opinion of foreigners, but other Korean language teachers, and several faculty and Korean students at that university.

Sogang may be a rare exception because that university is most famous for its language departments.


Even with all of the above..I firmly believe that a university program is the best way to immerse yourself in Korean language and get the most out of it. 4 hours a day is intense, and honestly after the first semester, to keep pace with the classes you will need to be doing probably at least 2 hours a private study/review/workbook material on your own to keep up and absorb everything to a point that you can keep it.

I would suggest Sogang. If that is out of your price range and you cant get any kind of special scholarship help...then I would suggest either Yonsei or Korea University.



Again, please keep in mind all of the above are only my personal opinions and experiences.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[furtakk]

I wouldn't knock Ewha off your list just because it's a women's uni. The language program is mixed and you won't be wondering around campus too much. I took the night program for a semester and really liked their material and teachers. They're also cheaper than the other big names which is a bonus.

Sorry to hijack a bit, but coral, which unis did you study at? I was actually thinking of moving back to Daegu (I lived there for a year) to take some time off and just study for a year. The rent and tuition is a lot cheaper there and I still have a good network of friends who are around. I did a semester at Keimyung while I was in Daegu and really enjoyed it. They actually had their own series of books which I thought were great, but if they've switched over to the SNU books (hate these for class, although I do like them for reference) I'd be a bit less inclined.

[Murakano]

[Sireno]

Thanks for the replies. I've started to compile a list of some of the prices of Universities I am or was considering and housing when i could find it easily. Here they are:
Korea University: KRW 1,540,000 per term
Sogang University: 1,575,000 and dorm housing basically unavailable
Ehwa: 1,430,000 (1,300,000 for a single room 3 months dorm)
Hongik: 1,300,000 - couldn't find dorm housing info.
SNU: 1,500,000 or KRW 1,350,000 afternoon class +
기숙사 (dorm) 502,000원 for a double and 3 months
Dongguk: 1,200,000, however only 180 hours rather than 200 hours. no dorms
Choongang: Seoul campus - 1,350,000 Won
Kyung Hee: 1,540,000 as of 2007
숙명여자대학교 (sookmyung):1,140,000

I was leaning towards SNU however just as I was reading about the dormitories it mentions that the guest policy means no people in the rooms at night to my dismay. Is that normal everywhere? I am concerned because I would like my girlfriend to have the ability to stay past 10:30pm.

Otherwise I am still fairly undecided. Any more info would be helpful. Does anyone know about Sookmyung's program or Hongik's? Or housing prices around those campuses?

Thanks for the discussion thus far.

[Drew345]

It's a shame what was said above about a Daegu university using the Sogang book series but not having too much student talk time in class. That school should have sent a couple of teachers up to Sogang to observe how to do it right. At Sogang, you are up on your feet moving around taking to the other students continually.

I didn't know Hongik had a Korean language program. Thanks for that info!

I also go to Ganada often. It is cheaper than the universities. They cut the number of hours down from 20 a week (at the universities) to 12 a week by eliminating all review and most in class practice. It can be hit-or-miss depending on the teacher; some are lecture oriented, some are student practice oriented. But Ganada could be a real bargain for a motivated student. If you can force yourself to augment the lectures with the CD series (listen a couple of time) and do the review sections on your own, and find a practice partner (language exchange?, another motivated student?) then Ganada could be a real cost-savings.

[taobenli]

I've studied at both Sogang and SNU. Sogang for levels 3 and 4 (intermediate), and SNU for 4 and 6 (skipped 5 through self-study because I felt that I had been placed in too low a level and had limited time to work with and wanted to finish the program). I can't really talk about Yonsei's program but I have friends who have done it, some of whom have really liked it and some of whom have hated it.

I really think that the best program for you depends on your Korean level. If you're looking at beginning classes or low-intermediate (level 3) I would highly recommend Sogang. There is a lot of speaking practice and teachers are good about helping students with individual learning issues- when I was there (this was several years ago) they also had free pronunciation clinics in the afternoons, as well as special grammar review classes. I didn't feel like anyone was left to "sink or swim" (I mean, I did know people who failed levels, but this was generally because they weren't really trying that hard).

I don't think Sogang is as good for levels 4 and up. I didn't enjoy level 4 there much and think I would have gotten a more solid grammar foundation at Yonsei or SNU. This is why I chose SNU for my next language-learning stint. Both SNU and Yonsei are a little more "sink and swim," and as you go up the levels you will find fewer and fewer Western students. This can be motivating for some (it was for me- I considered it a challenge to keep up with Japanese students who learn Korean as easily as English speakers learn a language like Spanish), but it can really discourage others. The lack of other Western learners was a fatal flaw or the program for my husband (who decided to give learning basic Korean a go for 6 months while I studied, before he began teaching English). He was okay in level 1 but couldn't keep up in level 2. The Japanese and Chinese students were running circles around him and there was hardly any speaking practice in class, just tons of grammar work, which overwhelmed him. I feel bad that he had to start his language learning experience at SNU, when Sogang would have been much better. I had a good experience at SNU at the upper levels, and found that it was a good mix of all skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing).

It seems like location isn't much of an issue for you as you're planning to move into dorms or student housing. I lived in a one-room while studying at SNU and so I don't know much about the dorms. I don't know how strict they are with rules. Housing is not too expensive in the SNU area and you may be able to find a cheap place to stay in Sillim-dong or Naksongdae (one subway stop from SNU in either direction). I think housing near both Yonsei and Sogang (as well as Ehwa) tended to be more expensive- in 2005 I stayed in a goshiwon across the street from Sogang that was about 400,000 won a month (included private bathroom, but like most goshiwon, was cramped).

I don't have experience with Kyunghee's program but have met a lot of good speakers of Korean from that program. I have also heard the university has a big internationalization push and has a lot of scholarships available for foreign students, so that may be worth a look.

[Privateer]

Yonsei has a good program and good teachers, and there's an interesting mix of students of varied backgrounds so you won't be the only westerner regardless of level. However, it's quite light on speaking practice so I'm thinking of giving Sogang a go next time.

[shong109]

anyone know how much it cost at SNU without the dorming?

[Murakano]

[Tundra_Creature]

[Sireno]

[World Traveler]

[Sireno]

[Hugo85]