Academic differences between S. Korea and US

□ ACADEMIC DIFFERENCES:

o Workload (# of tests/assignments/outside of class work) 

=Tests and homework are minimal, there are assignments relate to writing assignment we call “report”. Most of grades are from big exams (mid term and final)

o Classroom culture, 

=Quiet, no discussions or raising hand for questions. TA is doing the attendances. Mostly lecture style.

o Flow of the semester
=They have midterm in the middle of the semester and a final at the end. There might be several quizzes and tests that don’t work a lot.

o Expectations of students

=Active, helpful, participative

o Faculty/student relationships

=Formal, not casual, set an appointment to talk, no open door policy, questions usually to TA

□ CREDITS:

o How many credits are classes normally worth?

=Usually 3 credits per class, and 4 if they are high level class

o Are credits/workload valued differently in your host country than here? 

=Credits are same, but workload is less than here

o Can you find information on how many hours/week each class will meet?

=2-3 times a week, 50-1:25 hour each class

o How will your credits transfer?

=15 credits to 15 credits

□ GRADES:

o Are letter grades in host country equivalent to the U.S.?

=Korean school’s full GPA is 4.5

American college’s full score is 4.0

And Korean schools use Alphabet grades

□ SUPPORT:

o What kinds of support services, academic resources, and tutoring available are available at your host institution?

=Disabled center, academic support center

□ FULL-TIME STATUS:

o How many credits do you have to enroll in to be considered full time at both your home and host institution?

=9 credits for full time, less than 9 for part time students

o What is the minimum number of courses you have to take to be full-time there and full-time here?

=12 credits