<p>THe kids at these schools are the elite of Korea. Some of them are damn near fluent in English. For some of these kids English is their first language, so dont be too mazed at the SAT or TOEFL scores they put up. A couple of my students had to take a test to prove their proficiency in Korean because they had been overseas for so long.</p>
<p>HS in affluent areas like Bundang and Kangnam also produce these IVY bound schools. The one thing that most of these schools and students have is MONEY.</p>
<p>Looking at how some people here view memorization reinforces my opinion that a major problem of our nation’s educational system is that it assumes everyone is a genius (i.e. “so super cool.”) In reality, that is not true. Most people need to do problems and lots of them. Not doing enough problems causes statements like, “I get the concept, but I just can’t apply it” and “Why is this question so much different from the others?”</p>
<p>When American students write songs to help them remember historical dates, are they engaging in rote memorization, or are they “understanding the concepts?” When American students make flashcards to remember Spanish vocabulary, are they engaging in rote memorization, or are they trying to “make connections” between our language, Spanish, and Latin? When American students learn the names of the elements on the Periodic Table, are they engaging in rote memorization, or are they trying to think like the chemists of old and using their reasoning to figure out why Iron is Fe?</p>
<p>^^^
I think the whole memorization versus actual learning debate is pointless if we are ignoring the connotations of these two words. I would contend that just because you remember something, like that Iron is Fe, does not necessarily mean you “memorized” it. In the context of education and seeking knowledge, “memorizing” implies something that is totally different than “learning;” thus people should not be assuming the two are synonymous or even complementary of each other…</p>
<p>Nope. I know several international kids, whose parents were wealthy enough to pay triple the cost of tuition at ivies, they still got rejected from all the ivies + duke + stanford, and others. Top schools only admit internationals with money and good scores. Since many top schools aren’t need blind to internationals(meaning that many internationals won’t get aids even if admitted), only those who are both wealthy AND smart will end up at many of the top schools. Besides, HYP are need blind to internationals.</p>
<p>I don’t know. If you’re one of those guys that can put things to memory after a single exposure to something, then you probably have a brain that’s better wired than most people. And it would make sense that a brain with more pathways, would understand concepts better.</p>
<p>fabrizio..i think what most people are saying that US kids dont just memorize TO THAT EXTENT as Asian schools make the kids memorize..I’m talking abt it from personal experience..while memorizing helps u pass the test…u wud very unlikely be able to actually learn a lot through memorization…and when ppl refer to memorization..they usu mean just absorbing all the infos w/o having any idea what it means or cud be used…</p>
<p>Hey guys, about the whole foreign language debate…</p>
<p>Just my $0.02, but I’m pretty sure that even though English is technically a foreign language in Korea, these kids have been learning English, probably even had English medium education since an early age, so it’s not all that foreign. So, as an analogy, would you feel comfortable doing an SAT in Spanish IF you had done your schooling up till now in Spanish?</p>
<p>Once again, Spanish is MUCH more similar to English than Korean is. Korean is possibly THE most difficult language for English speakers to learn, whereas Spanish could be the easiest. So if it’s the same vice versa, then…</p>
<p>Also in Asian countries learning a language isn’t like immersion, it’s just regular classroom instruction with instructors that don’t have English as a first language themselves.</p>
<p>I’ve learned Chinese from childhood. Would I feel comfortable taking an AP or SAT test in Chinese? Absolutely, absolutely not. And I’m good at this kind of thing.</p>
<p>I agree with diamondback. Living in America you’re not expected to be fluent in any other language because english is the world’s language. If you either have to 1) be fluent in english or 2) not be fluent and go nowhere in life. You’re forced to learn english.</p>
Considering that Samsung Electronics just surpassed Sony as the #1 electronics company in the world I think it’s pretty safe to say that they’ve master the concept of “multiplication”.</p>
<p>Many of the students at the elite schools have very rich parents that can afford to have their children immersed in English from a very young age, usually in foreign countries.</p>
<p>Many of these prep schools have teachers that are native speakers of English. Dont assume that they struggle to speak English. The curriculum for these schools are very similar to what is taught in the US amd taught by certified teachers from the US.</p>
<p>As a Korean American (born here), I’m surprised that even after all the extensive tutoring and supplemental education that students receive, major companies still can’t grasp basic English grammar. </p>
<p>Here’s a notebook my friend recently purchased during his trip to Korea. </p>
<p>I thank my parents every chance I get (well, in my head at least) that I was fortunate enough to be born here where I could be a mediocre student and still do well, instead of having to slave away just to make ends meet.</p>
<p>but you know, for them, it’s not really slaving away. Everyone around them is doing that so why not do it? You can’t really be harmed, even though your creativity might get squashed a little bit. I guess what the foreign lang. schools believe is that you have the rest of your life to be creative and have fun and all that jazz so if you suffer a little bit (18 years out of 80 years), you can be successful AND have fun..</p>
<p>but i don’t agree with that although I understand it…</p>
<p>As a korean, living in Bangkok for 7 years, and having my older sister attend Daewon Foreign language highschool about 7 years ago, I am glad that I don’t have to go through Korean highschool system. It has its own vices and virtues, but you know, frankly, I would much prefer to get into ‘okay’ college all on my own, without help from school imprisonment, than get into harvard through all the fantastic teachers, tutors etc. It shows more individualism and really teaches you how to dream. </p>
<p>just to let you know people out there, all koreans have different ideas about education and what ‘success’ is. the article shown shows a limited section of the population.</p>
<p>chrislksrockets, there are tons of those “cute” consumer products in Korea. </p>
<p>You actually think companies that make those do not know basic English grammar? Even 3rd graders in an ordinary Korean public elementary school would know how to structure a simple english phrase/sentence like that.</p>
<p>It’s just a marketing strategy because many people find it appealing. I personally don’t, but my gf loves those stuff. </p>
<p>And contrary to what you think, many Koreans who get educated in well known Korean universities make a lot of money even by American standards.</p>
![http://farm3.static.■■■■■■■■■■/2041/2435585998_a9f648a3cc.jpg?v=0[/url]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2041/2435585998_a9f648a3cc.jpg?v=0%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
