[Jeong Gyu-young's Presidential Election and College Admission④] A Selection Method Needed to Develop Students' 'HOOK'

Published 12 Jan.2022 10:27(KST)

Proposal for Reforming University Student Selection Methods

Editor's NoteWe are running a series of expert contributions aimed at improving the structural problems of education in the Republic of Korea and suggesting necessary policy directions. This is a proposal from Jung Kyu-young, president of the nonprofit organization 'Studying Athletes, Exercising Students.' President Jung studied at Stanford Graduate School in the United States and served as the president of the university's fencing association. He analyzed the selection process of outstanding students from various countries overseas and the elementary, middle, and high school curricula these students completed. Based on this, since 2008, he has been promoting an education system that combines study and sports, as well as scholarship projects, to establish the American education system and school sports system domestically. Drawing on his experience, he discusses stories worth referencing in domestic public education and university entrance examination systems. Editor's Note

☞Reference

Speaking about Education to the President of the Republic of Korea

The College Scholastic Ability Test is Not a Bar Exam

The College Scholastic Ability Test Should Be Hope and Opportunity for Students

Jung Kyu-young, President of the Studying Athletes Exercising Students Association

As previously proposed in the revision plan for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the CSAT should change from being a tool that fails students from entering university to one that helps students organize and internalize high school lessons, achieve the scores they desire, feel a sense of accomplishment, and assist their university admission.

Then, how do universities like Stanford and Harvard in the United States, where the entrance exams are easier than our CSAT, attract gifted students while maintaining their world-class reputations? Also, how can the proposed revision plan for the university entrance exam be successfully established? The answers to these two questions lie in abolishing the high school equalization policy and applying the student selection methods presented below.

For example, imagine a monkey, a Jindo dog, a duck, and an elephant. The current CSAT is like a single exam where the 100m sprint record must be under 5 seconds to pass. For a proper student selection method, the 100m sprint record for the monkey, Jindo dog, duck, and elephant only needs to be under 12 seconds to pass, with under 5 seconds earning bonus points. Additionally, bonus points should be awarded for special skills such as climbing trees well, lifting heavy objects with the trunk, flying, or guarding a home, even if their sprinting is lacking.

In other words, the basic math ability test, the CSAT, should not be difficult, and students should be able to be admitted to universities by having their exceptional talents in specific fields recognized. Talents can be in a wide variety of areas such as history, art, music, singing, sports, dance, writing, theater, or Go, and are not limited to certain academic fields.

In 2004, I introduced the term 'HOOK,' which means the individual talents and uniqueness of students, for the first time in Korea. This is reflected in the admission process of top universities, including the Ivy League in the United States. Now, the word HOOK has become commonly used by many educational institutions, parents, and students. I believe it is time to apply this to our university entrance system as well.

Imagine Dr. Einstein applying simultaneously to Seoul National University and Stanford University. Considering his genius, admission to Stanford would not be easy, though Seoul National University might be uncertain. This is because American prestigious universities do not admit freshmen composed solely of academically gifted geniuses. If Dr. Einstein, instead of highlighting his genius in math and physics on his university application, emphasized his passion for Mozart's music and his mathematical interpretation of the complex scale rules to make the sheet music accessible to the general public, his chances of admission to Stanford would significantly increase. The 'HOOK' that American prestigious universities would focus on in Einstein is his passion for music, utilizing his genius in math and physics.

For this to be possible, our universities must have the authority to select students with their own unique characteristics, or 'HOOKs,' just like American prestigious universities. Students should not be selected solely based on difficult CSAT scores or simply by giving admission benefits based on their residential area. The CSAT should be easy as a basic test, but students with distinctive talents should be selected evenly. A diverse group of students formed this way also requires an educational curriculum and support programs where they can cultivate their 'HOOKs' deeply and diversely.

Furthermore, I propose that university applications be made by college rather than by major. Especially, the current entrance policy that clearly separates the sciences and humanities is not appropriate. Instead, it is desirable to apply by colleges such as engineering, arts, medical school, and integrated colleges like the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences, which combine humanities and sciences, and allow students to choose their major themselves in their second year.

Readers who have attended university in Korea, think about this together. How can high school graduates decide their university major in advance? Once decided, whether they like it or not, they study that major and strive to find a job in that field. This is our current structure. If it does not suit their aptitude, they transfer to another university or prepare for national exams in a different field to pursue a completely different career. In other words, we are creating 'study robots' without uniqueness, requiring students to study a predetermined major before entering university, and if it does not fit their aptitude, they must find other solutions outside the university on their own.

A bigger problem is that important subjects such as art, music, and physical education have been made exclusive to arts and physical education majors. This is also a side effect caused by the difficult CSAT. I will address this issue later as well.