foreign language high school

From a Korean foreign language high school to US private school

-11^th grade, Do Yeon Lee-

Do Yeon Lee began studying abroad in US in junior year in a foreign language high school in Korea at relatively late age. She says that studying in US was a very satisfying choice, and we asked her about difference between foreign language school and a US private school.

Q. Hello, please tell us about yourself.

Hi, I am Do Yeon Lee, a junior in a Christian private school in Eastern part of US. I was attending Korea Foreign Language High School, and began studying in US since January of 2019 after making my mind in the end of second semester in my junior year.

Q. What made you study abroad?

When I was in the 6^th grade in an elementary school, I participated in a camp where I could live in US for a month and a half and stayed in a homestay. I went to school, stay with a homestay, and toured Ivy League schools with the students who went to camp together, and volunteered during the weekends. During that time, I had had lots of good memories, and I always wanted to go to school or get a job in US. That's why I went to Korea Foreign Language High School. But after being admitted in the school, I found it that the school curriculum didn't match the direction of study that I pursued. During my summer break in junior year in high school, I had a sincere conversation with my parents and chose to study in US. Although it was short, I wasn't afraid of my study abroad because I had experience living abroad. If I hadn't participated in the camp, I think I would have been afraid until I decided to study abroad.

Q. How was your life in Korea Foreign Language High School?

It was a foreign language high school, so the tuition was expensive and I have more time learning foreign language than other high schools. Students can focus more on foreign languages. My goal was to communicate fluently with foreigners when I travel abroad in the future and hoped that the foreign language I learned in school could be used practically. However, the foreign language I learned in the foreign language high school was a language requiring skills such as writing, grammar, reading, etc. I was learning English for a typical exam. When I asked myself whether there would be any problems with working abroad after graduating from this school, I couldn't answer to my own question. So, I came to a conclusion that studying in US is relatively more valuable.

Q. What was difficult in learning English in Foreign Language High School?

I majored in English and Chinese in Korea Foreign Language High School. Studying English in the foreign language high school was nothing by memorization from start to finish. During the exam season, everyone was busy memorizing texts in English, so I studied while erasing all the texts with a whiteout. Certainly, there were parts that require memorization, and memorizing lots of English vocabularies seems to have been really helpful. However, the study method I did for exams was really reckless, and I didn't fit well because it was both physically and mentally difficult.

Q. What do you think is the difference between Korea Foreign Language High School and a private school in US?

The curriculums of a private school in US and Korea Foreign High School are really different. When I was in Korea Foreign Language High School, all the classes were just for exams. But I have many classes where I propose my opinion and participate in the subjects I am taking in a private school in US. Surely, it is similar that there are tests and quizzes for both schools, and it seems that schools in US give quiz more often. The biggest difference is that I had to study with knowledge infused like a robot in a school in Korea, but I can study more goal-oriented in US.

Q. Compared to Korea Foreign Language High School, what do you think is better at a private school in US?

Learning foreign language is the most effective by going to the country where the language is spoken as a native language. When I go to a school in US, I think I'm interested because even if it's a subject I don't like, I am studying English itself. To me, it is a big advantage that my school does not practice infusion-style education. I like the teachers who participate more actively in the class and answer questions with interest and try to help.

Q. You are staying with a homestay family. Tell us about goods and bads about it.

For homestay, it is really important to meet a good family. I personally have met a really good host family. Of course, I had my time of regret because of living with total strangers out of blue. But after resolution and adjusting to each other, I had a lot to learn from the family. To me, I don’t find any major disadvantage. When you are searching for a homestay family, it is important to know whether there is any young child and their life pattern. If you have a roommate, you have to get along well with them to have a good homestay experience.

Q. How did you like study abroad consulting with Connected?

Because I began studying abroad late, I didn't have much time to get information properly, and the timing was very tight. But, Connected has recommended schools fitting the conditions I wanted, and provided all the information of the school which made prep process a lot easier. If I had done it myself, everything would have been difficult and must have taken a long time. But I think the preparation process for studying abroad was shortened because Connected helped me a lot and took good care of me. In particular, I was worried about the sudden outbreak of coronavirus. But I was confident of the fact that Connected kept in touch with the school and informed me how the situation was going .

Q. Tell us about your plan and desired major.

I'm still thinking about it, and there is a possibility that it may be changed in the future. But now I have become interested in biochemistry field. So, I am considering a career path in the field.