Korean University Visit

I am delighted to report that we had an excellent series of visits recently to a number of the top universities and high schools of Seoul. On Day 1, we spent the afternoon at Seoul National University (SNU), followed by a tour of Korea University. The Admissions process for Korean universities is more nuanced than for the US or UK, but it is clear from our meetings that these institutions offer huge potential for our young people, irrespective of background. SNU and Korea are seen as the most prestigious universities, and both are very keen to attract applicants from overseas - Korea University's single largest foreign demographic is Chinese. They offer courses and programmes in English as well as Korean, and whilst the entry standards are very rigorous, they remain fully supportive of our A level and IB programmes.

In addition to a busy round of meetings, we had the pleasure of catching up with one of our leavers from 2015. JungIn Nam is studying Media at Korea University. It was great to see how much she was enjoying her course and university life; we will share her insights and advice on being a student in Seoul in a forthcoming newsletter.

The rest of the week was spent in meeting more admissions' teams from a range of top universities, as well as a visit to the DaeWon Foreign Languages High School to learn more about their preparations for university. Colleagues from YonSei, Hangyang and SKKU all proved excellent hosts, and helped to offer real insights into the way that Korean Higher Education is moving in the 21st Century. There is a clear desire to maintain the impressively high standards of achievement in education, but both schools and universities recognise that well-being is an increasingly significant factor in recruiting and retaining the finest students. The opportunities for personal fulfillment and development, as well as academic excellence, offered by schools such as Wellington are proving attractive to the admissions' departments in Korean universities; the ever-growing number of imaginative routes through the undergraduate programmes is evidence enough of the impact.

Entrance to the top Korean universities remains as competitive as anywhere in the world, but the rewards are extraordinary. Superb facilities, top-class teaching and the chance to study in one of the world's most exciting and vibrant cities all represent good reasons to explore this option as a genuine alternative to the US and UK. 

Julian Jeffrey
Second Master of Wellington College International School