People believe that enrolling in a good university is necessary in order to live the goal of their life. Consequently, the competition to go to a good university is incredibly tense in Korea. From how competitive it is, students are sensitive about how just and fair the university admission system is.
In Korea, there are two ways to enroll in university. One is going to university by an annual test called Jeongsi via the Korean SAT. The other is by submitting the three years of high school grades called Susi via the Korean GPA. Currently, Korea is going through a question whether Susi is equitable enough compared to JeoungSi, as some people have been dispatched on faking the Susi documents. From these incidences of illegal document manipulation, experts and the public insist on declining the amount of Susi, and alternatively increasing the percentage of Jeong-si.

-For Fairness

Jeongsi and Susi have different attributes. Jeongsi is an annual exam which students who have finished the prerequisites could undergo only once a year. Students who either enrolled in school or finished the General Equivalency Diploma (a test for homeschooled students) is qualified. On a chosen day in November, students must arrive at their predefined test centers until 8:40AM. The test proceeds until 5:40PM, including lunchtime. Taking the Korean, Math, English and Korean history test is mandatory, and students have to choose whether they would take a Social study test or a Science test. Students persevere for three years to make the most out of themselves on this day. However, if the students are not satisfied with the results they could try next year, for multiple times.
Susi offers a more thorough understanding of the student. For three years, a student’s performance is accumulated and assessed. Above the grades, it includes extracurricular activities consequently conveying student’s unique individuality. Sometimes, this collective information could be appraised more than grades. Only teachers can edit or append the information in Susi, which was intended to make a permanent and a reliable record for the assessors. Students who choose to enroll in university with Sue-si often put more effort in participating in as much extracurricular activities as they could, since unlike Jeoungsi, Sue-si students have to stand out from competitors with quantity.

Being distinct from others is crucial in Susi. However, because of this nature, Sue-si is accused of being corrupt. In the distant news, the head of the school affairs department was suspected on fabricating his daughter’s Sue-si document. A few months ago, the senior presidential secretary Cho Guk was questioned on his daughter’s Susi document distortion.

Being distinct from others is crucial in Susi. However, because of this nature, Susi is accused of being corrupt. In the distant news, the head of the school affairs department was suspected on fabricating his daughter’s Susi document. A few months ago, the senior presidential secretary Cho Guk was questioned on his daughter’s Susi document distortion.
The abstract of Susi was to make an objective assessment out of subjective matters, so it had to be confidential and transparent. However, the public is questioning government officials whether they have taken advantage of their authority and used it to manipulate documents. Also, Susi is blamed for being unfair, because if it’s the same quantity, Susi prefers quality. From this attribute, more information on what activity is qualified is crucial, which students with richer backgrounds can obtain more feasibly. There are even cases where rich parents hired Susi coordinators and made sure their children only focused on their grades. These coordinators cost a fortune to average people.

In Korea, the route towards success is influenced immensely by which university the student enrolls. As prestigious university degrees are descended to the next generation by wealth, it is getting more difficult for people with disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in our society. As time goes by the gap between the wealthy and those who are not is getting wider, making the old story of black hens laying white eggs indeed an old tale. Sue-si has its advantages only when it is proceeded with just. People are reluctant to talk about this as they have different stances. Some want it to be abolished, while some agrees that Jeongsi and Susi should exist concurrently. The society should be responsible on helping students start their first step in the world equally. A solution to this phenomenon should be addressed in the distant future.

 

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