To get good grades, you need to study. While some people in the United States will read through their notes, students won’t do much past the study guide. We tend to do enough that will at least pass us. But for Koreans, it is a different matter. A stereotype that many Asian countries have is that parents put a lot of pressure on their children to do academically well. Many students will read textbooks, review notes, and even make flashcards all for one subject; they will spend literally hours studying. They will not stop until they know all the material. Why? It's because at my school the grades are competitive! Only the top students can get an A. And as my teacher here says, “Your peers study more than you think they do!” Parents are so serious about their children doing well that they will enroll them in after school academies. These students are normally middle and high schoolers who are trying to get into college. In one Seoul neighborhood, there are many academies--all within walking distance of the middle school.
When I first heard about this study culture, I was sure that it couldn’t possibly be true. I thought that it would be just too much pressure for any student to take. But after I started my classes here, I realized that I was wrong.
