Road to being smart: university rush

Do you remember what 'Sa-nong-gong-sang' is about? If not, you may refer to the link right with the title.

The thing is, office workers have been considered as the most valuable.
Korean students ready to go to high school need to choose the type of it.
One is to go on to university of college, the other is to go on to the business world just after the end of high school.

There is an issue when students choose the type. Korean parents still have a tendency to look 'business, industry, commerce' down while. They also have a prejudice that smart students must go to university. They would think their kids (even at the end of teen) should normally want to go to university, as that is the only one way to be a winner.

Once the students choose where to go, another choice should be taken when they are about to be in the 2nd grade of high school. Liberal art track, or science track. The former course is to prepare a grounding for university majors like business administration, economy, language, psychology, etc. The latter is to do it for majors such as math, engineering, science, etc. Then, bloody competitions begin.

As far as I know, Americans don't think 'everybody wants to go to university'. But Koreans do. The way of thinking from the past still works. It causes way of life. Many Koreans admit that there is 'a few' ways to have a succesful life. So, young children are 'strongly recommended' to think about how to defeat others, although it is too early for them to do it. People have different talents to do different roles in society. That's what it is supposed to be like. But Korean parents' enthusiasm for their children's education is one of the highest in the world on average. They usually don't stop stressing their children as they excuse "All is for them. I can't help it."

There is a national exam named College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) on November every year for all those who are in 'such' high schools getting students ready to go to university. Somebody calls it the Korean SAT. It looks OK despite some diffecences. On the D-day, almost everything looks focused on the test. airports halt not to make noises annoying the exam takers in the listening part of it. Business people start working later then normal to lessen traffic jam to let students be on time for the test. Each high school's 1st, 2nd graders show cheering performances in the early morning in front of the test place. Imagine how festive the scene! After the CSAT, many exam takers feel they failed to achieve what they wanted. So they decide to try it again next year. While they try once, twice, three times again, one, two, three years--or more and more!

Oh, it's been longer so far than I expected, that's it for today.