Hi! I am currently a high school senior in America in the process of applying to colleges both in the US and Korea. I’m pretty good standing with my GPA: 3.92, I have a very diverse background (born outside of the US and only came here when I was Freshman in High School); I speak 4 different languages fluently (English, French, 2 dialects from the country where I was born), I am also currently learning Korean from CD’s and dramas. I have a lot of work experience ranging from tutoring English and Math and teaching swim lessons to Painting houses under a construction company, I also have more than 500 hours of volunteering services from the local Old People Center, Library, and Hospital. I’ve also done internships such as Police Academy and Business accumulating at least 100 hours (reason for interning in such different fields of studies is that I wanted to explore my capabilities and what I want to do in life). I have been doing Tae Kwon Do for two years and in that time, I’ve skipped two belts and have won both the State and International Championship. I’ve also taken a handful of AP’s and a college class. My SAT is not that great: 1950 because I hate 5 hour long tests and I can’t seem to focus cause it was so boring especially the reading section, I also sucked at the writing portion cause I’m still having trouble with English Grammar because of its infinite rules :(.
Anyways, having read my biography, What do you think are my chances of getting into Yonsei, Korea, Seoul, and KAIST University, I’m also applying to the Underwood International College of Yonsei University. How choosy are they in choosing international students?
BTW, I am thinking of majoring in nursing. It would be great if you could tell me which of these colleges would teach the course in English as well! Thank you
if you really want to go to Korean universities, then u gotta get high SAT/ACT scores. It’s not like most American private universities in that they view your application “holistically”. SKY + KAIST is mostly about that numbers game.
Think about korean admissions. They take into account your GPA, but also Sooneung takes a very big chunk of consideration. If you want to be seriously considered by SKY/KAIST, I highly suggest you to retake the SATs.
To start things off, Korean Universities don’t care AT ALL about extracurriculars. They only care about your credibility (grades in high school, English and/or Korean proficiency, and SAT/ACT test). Also, knowing “4” languages by counting 2 dialects is… untrue (unless you’re Chinese). That’s like saying because I know Spanish, I know 20 different languages for every dialect there is. I know English, German, Spanish; I am also “diverse” (Hispanic). I am intermediate in Korean, and will also apply alongside you. As a person with a 3.5 transfer CC GPA; I would assume they would take both of us as long as we had a rather decent SAT. Most Koreans would have at least a 2100 SAT, and it is MUCH MORE difficult for a Korean to get into their schools than us. I’ve read from some places that 25% is the chance that most foreigners get for admission, and some other places have told me that they accept most foreigners. We don’t know the credibility of these “foreigners”, and I would have to assume that many of them are from third-world countries and know little English. English proficiency is a GIANT thing in Korea. I guess you and I would have about a 40-50% chance to get in (averaging in what I’ve seen everyone write). Do make sure that your HS is a very accredited one. I graduated from an Early College with a 3.5 unweighted (4.4 weighted), and my school is one of the top 20 in the United States (Guilford Early College); I also graduated with an Associate’s Degree at the same age (18). Sorry for bragging. Either way, strive to get a 2100+ SAT, so you can stand out among the rest. I think we can both get in.
Which university are you most interested in? I am most interested in KAIST. In a few weeks, I am going to speak with an American teacher that taught there for 6 years; I will be able to get a possible inquiry of average GPA, and the amount of foreigners that currently attend the school. The feasibility of getting in will also hopefully be obtained; what is your motive for going to Korea? When are you going, as well?
I want to get into either Seoul National University or Yonsei University, my motive for going: to integrate myself in a different culture and to explore other parts of the world as well. That would be great if you told me what your teacher told you! Thank you so much!
I know this is pretty old at this point, but I am a current American senior who was just accepted to Yonsei UIC. I speak only basic korean (I could order food, ask for directions, or teach a martial arts class). Since UIC is all english that is okay for now. While I do respect the general sentiment that these universities don’t care much for extracurriculars, it is not completely true from my observations.
UIC has two rounds of admission. the first seems to be mainly scores and achievement based. the second round in an interview and they asked a lot of questions about my interests, both academic and extracurricular. I think the two main things that I mentioned were my work as a business captain for an FRC team and my Tang Soo Do training. While the awards you’ve won for TKD seem good, only being a practitioner for two years may counteract in a way. I have been practicing for 12 years and teaching for 3 and I believe that the interviewers were more interested in the committment factor and some awards than the actual activity.
Still, make sure any application to any Korean university is heavily based on scores, academic achievement, awards, and maybe your personal statement
