Downsides of College Life in Korea
Could Korean university life be any different from other foreign universities?
Some of you might be considering to study in a Korean university. According to a survey in 2019, South Korea has 160,165 international students, and it is likely for this number to increase. The Korean drama Cheese in the Trap is a love story between a handsome seonbae (a senior student) and a freshman. Can this happen in real life? Some Korean university cultures will come shocking to foreigners! Today, we will explore what real students face in their everyday life as a university student.
Note that these are personal experiences and opinions. Not all Korean universities are like this.
Freshman and Seonbae Relationship
You must have heard that Korea is a country that puts high weight on the age of a person. Therefore, if you enter as a freshman, the first questions they'll ask you will be your name how old you are.
In Korea, when speaking with seonbae, you have to use honorifics. It's not like Europe or the USA, where students with different age can talk as an equal. After you become a friend of the seonbae, you can open a free talk. It depends on the seonbae you meet.
This sounds bizarre, but in some universities, you are not allowed to take a bite before your seonbae. For example, if 10 of you went for lunch and seonbae was absent for some reason, everyone would have to wait until the seonbae return. This tradition dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. You have to wait until your seniors pick up their spoon. This outdated custom is still happening in some universities.
Staying Late
tvN: Cheese in the trap
Typically, when your class for the day is done, it is normal for you to go home, but not in some Korean universities. In my freshman year, I went home straight after class as I didn't have any assignments or work to do. But when I got home, one of my seonbae called me back and told me to stay late and study harder than other students. As I didn't know anything about Korean university culture, I thought it was normal and followed his order. I also didn't want to be the odd one out. I remember him saying, "What are you going to do when you home?" with a sarcastic tone.
Coming to university in the afternoon, even if your first class is in the afternoon, was not allowed in my freshman year. You had to come every day at 9 am and go home late. Some days I would stay till midnight. From my two years of personal observations, I felt that seonbae was checking my time.
It's not the case in many universities, so choose which school you apply carefully.
No Saturday, Sunday or Holiday
tvN: Cheese in the trap
Another strange behaviour I found was that seonbae and other students would come to university even during weekends and holidays, regardless of whether they have work or not. I once asked a Korean friend why you stay till night and why you come to the university on weekends and holidays. He laughed and said, "This is because I saw my seonbaes behaving this way and in a way, and everyone does it."
For most of you, going to university during the holidays and weekends is unthinkable unless you have assignments or studying to do. But having to go because it is culture is quite strange, in my opinion. But like I said, not all universities in Korea are like this.
Taking a Leave of Absence
tvN: Cheese in the trap
In Korea, taking a year off from university is very common. 4 out of 5 students choose to take a year off mostly on their 2nd or 3rd year.
Most male students take two years off due to their military service. And another most common reason is to go on a trip and take a break. In Korea, it's customary to get a job immediately after graduation. Therefore they will be no time for them to take a break after graduation. That's why they take a leave in the middle. Most students work part-time, so they could go on a trip and do something they always wanted to do.
That's why there are seonbae and freshmen taking the same classes.
Making Korean friend
tvN: Cheese in the trap
This is a personal feeling me and foreign friends felt. My class was full of Korean students, and I studied with them for almost 2 years, but I didn't get to make one Korean friend in my class. So does that mean there was something wrong with me?
Whenever I say hello, they would greet me with a smile and sometimes they would say hello first, but that was it. Deep down, I felt that they didn't want to associate with me. Before I came to study in Korea, I heard from a friend who had studied in Korea said, "You can't make Korean friends in Korean university" which turned out to be true for me. I felt that they didn't want me to be part of their circle. It could be because I was a foreigner, and the language barrier would have been a burden for them.
But that doesn't mean all Korean students don't want to be friends with foreigners as I had other Korean friends that were nice and kind.
Speak Korean Only
tvN: Cheese in the trap
When I was applying for classes, I was told that some of the lectures would be in English, but that was not true. Professors spoke Korean the whole time, and I had to speak in Korean the entire time. In some classes, I didn't understand one word but pretended to understand and noded when other students nodded.
In most of the classes, I had to prepare a Korean powerpoints. Luckily, in some lectures, the professors allowed me to use English in my powerpoints but still had to present it in Korean. Some classed didn't even allow foreigners to speak any other language than Korean.
I think the quality of the class depends on the professor. So you must search in detail how the lecture is run, before applying. Knowing these unique cultures will definitely become handy.
This blog was about my experience that occurred during my university life in Korea. But that doesn't mean that every international student who studies in Korea have this kind of experience. I guess I went to the wrong university. Therefore, anyone who is planning to study in Korea research the university that you will go to and be prepared to learn and adapt. If any of you had a similar experience or other experience, please leave it in the comment section below or email us at help@creatrip.com.