D-5 Until High School Seniors Return to School: "Decide on Admission, University, and Major in Advance"

Admission Strategies Amid COVID-19
Draft Your Personal Statement for School Records Early

Extracurricular Activities Focused on 1st-2nd Year
How You Spend June Is Crucial

On the 24th of last month, students at Yeouido High School in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, received the nationwide joint academic assessment test papers through a walk-through method to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Due to the delay in the start of the school term caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) related to Itaewon, Seoul, there are complaints on the ground that "students are practically unable to receive proper regular education. They are unable to properly take mock exams and are facing the real college entrance exam without adequate preparation." As the school reopening is postponed again from the 13th to the 20th, the fatigue among high school seniors preparing for exams is increasing, and their academic tension may decrease.

According to a survey conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission from the 29th of last month to the 6th of this month on satisfaction with online school openings, only 37.5% of parents with high school seniors responded that they were satisfied, which is more than half lower than the 66.5% satisfaction rate of parents with elementary school children. In response, Park Baek-beom, Vice Minister of Education, drew a line during a regular briefing on the 14th after the New Semester Opening Promotion Team meeting, stating, "Currently, there is no consideration to delay the reopening of schools for high school seniors." It is unreasonable to delay various admission schedules, including the college scholastic ability test (CSAT), which has already been postponed for two weeks. High school seniors must thoroughly plan their days and not waste the remaining time regardless of whether they attend school or not. The academic schedule has already started simultaneously with the online school opening.

◆ Preparations that can be made even before attending school = High school seniors should establish their target universities and strategies as soon as possible to make up for the delayed period. Before normal school attendance resumes, it is advisable to analyze the contents of their school records and the results of mock exams, including the academic assessments conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, and based on this, narrow down realistically applicable universities and admission types, as well as desired universities and majors. They should also plan what parts need to be supplemented during the first semester and how to address these after returning to school. Kim Byung-jin, Director of the Etoos Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, "If students establish a plan in advance, they can set detailed directions while having full-fledged college entrance consultations with their school teachers after returning to school," adding, "They should regularly visit university admissions websites to review the 2021 early admission guidelines, comprehensive student record screening guidebooks, interview and essay materials, etc."

For current students applying through the comprehensive student record screening, it is also necessary to draft a self-introduction letter. Preparing it around the usual summer vacation period may be tight this year. Lee Young-deok, Director of Daesung Academic Research Institute, said, "Most universities have the same questions as last year for the self-introduction letter, so preparing according to those should be sufficient."

On the 9th, when middle and high schools nationwide began online classes starting with 3rd-year high school and 3rd-year middle school students, teachers and students at Junghwa Middle School in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, held an online opening ceremony. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

However, it is true that there is insufficient time to prepare for extracurricular activities such as autonomy, clubs, volunteer work, and career activities required for the comprehensive student record screening, which are heavily recruited by major universities in the Seoul area. Simply calculating the time, after finishing the midterm exams in the second week of June and taking the mock evaluation on the 18th of the same month, students can only set their activity schedules around the 22nd. The final exams are expected to be held in the first week of August, and there will be no time to prepare extracurricular activities after the final exams. Since early admissions also require minimum CSAT grades, it will be challenging to prepare for the CSAT after the first semester final exams. Therefore, students should plan volunteer activities, club activities, and participation in competitions before attending school. It is better to prepare as an extension of activities conducted in the first and second years rather than suddenly starting new activities. Lee Manki, Director of Uway Education Evaluation Research Institute, said, "Since extracurricular activities in the first semester of the third year are hardly conducted, the proportion of extracurricular activities from the first and second years may increase."

◆ June, a decisive variable for college admissions = Admission experts predict that June will greatly influence college admissions. If schools reopen normally on the 20th, high school seniors will take the nationwide joint academic assessment organized by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education around the 21st. Then, midterm exams are expected to be held around the second week of June, about one to two weeks later. On June 18th, a mock evaluation organized by the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, also called the "mini CSAT," is scheduled. This exam is taken by both enrolled students and examinees, so the scores of enrolled students may be relatively lower.

For midterm exams, since information related to the exams is likely to be provided during remote classes after online school opening and in-person classes after returning to school, students should pay particular attention during class time. Also, for about four weeks after the midterm exams, assignments and performance evaluations can be critical judgment materials for detailed abilities and special notes in the student record, making class time even more important. Students with a GPA below 3.5 until the second year of high school cannot enter the 2nd grade range even if they receive first-grade scores in all subjects in midterm and final exams, so it is better for them to focus entirely on the CSAT. Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongro Sky Education, advised, "Students can complete the first phase of CSAT progress study from June to August and finish the second phase of full-range CSAT preparation in a practical form from September to November," adding, "Students should recognize that summer vacation is virtually non-existent and decide early whether to focus on the CSAT by simulating the degree of grade improvement through midterm and final exams."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.