Filed under: Journal
1. What does Kim say is the most likely explanation for the high dropout rate among Koreans?
Kim says that the high dropout rate among Koreans comes from social isolation and too much time spent on studying. Compared to other students, many Koreans do not spend much time on extracurricular activities. For example, Koreans spend about 75% of their time studying while American students only spend about 50% of their time studying. As a result, many Korean students have almost no social life, which is why they drop out of college.
2. How does the dropout rate among Koreans compare to the dropout rate among other groups?
The dropout rate among Koreans is relatively high compared to the dropout rate among other groups. For example, Koreans in the “Top 14″ colleges have a dropout rate of 44% while Chinese and Indian students only have a dropout rate of 25% and 21%, respectively.
3. What are you currently doing to increase your own college readiness? Is there anything you think you should do before you graduate from high school to be better prepared for university?
I think being involved in more social activities before I graduate from high school we help me be better prepared for university. If I develop my social skills and learn how to interact with different people, I think those activities will prepare me for meeting people in school and the workplace. The “social” activities that I get involved in can be purely recreational, such as playing music and sports. In college, life is not about just studying, but building up social skills that will help me long after education. However, I will still study hard before I go to college, but I will study independently and not go to hagwons. A major reason why Koreans fail college is because hagwons prevent them from being independent learners and thinkers. Since being independent is crucial in college, I will try to learn new things without the help from hagwons.
NEW WORDS/PHRASES: “First and Second Generation Conflict in Education of the Asian American Community”
Institute of International Education
Kim claims that social isolation and too much time studying are contributing factors to dropout rates.
Filed under: Journal
1. What role do the SATs play in your overall education? Considering discussing this exam in relationship to your class grades, extracurricular or athletic activities, relationships with teachers and letters of recommendation, college application essay, or other aspects of school life.
I find the SAT to be very useless in my overall education, because the exam does not test any of the material I learn in school. The test is merely an indicator of how well I will do in college and it does not actually test what I have acheived over the school years. In addition, the SAT does not reflect any special talents or interests I have. Therefore, I find the SATs to be a burden on my education, because it does not help me prepare or learn anything that would help me in college. However, I will still study hard for the SATs, but with reluctance, because I know that it is still a fairly important part of the college application.
2. What do you know about the SAT scandal that resulted in the cancellation of all scores from Korean test centers two winters ago?
All I know about the SAT scandal was that there was an exam “leak” – the SAT exam was released by Korean hagwons the day before the test. As a result, students who went to these hagwons were able to take the actual SAT before the test day and get extremely high scores (mostly 800′s). Collegeboard noticed that the scores in Korea were abnormally high, so they did an investigation and found out that hagwons had released the test prior to the test date. This made Collegeboard cancel all SAT scores in Korea. A moral that can be learned from this scandal is that a few people can ruin everything for everyone.
3. How do you think the scandal might impact how college admission officials perceive applicants attending school in Korea?
I think the scandal will make college admission officials view the SAT test as an unreliable source of student aptitude and achievement. Instead, officials will focus on school grades or extracurricular activities to assess students. In addition, Korean students will be looked down upon. After the SAT scandal, many colleges are suspicious about the academic integrity of Korean students. This may harm the chances of Korean applicants being accepted to top colleges.
4. What are you most concerned about in regards to the next time you take the SAT (section scores, time to prepare adequately, frustrations with the structure of the exam, etc. ?)
The thing that troubles me the most about the SAT’s is relaxing and managing my time during the test. When I took the SAT II this October, the test itself was not difficult, but I was very nervous and stressed, so the test seemed hard when it was actually manageable.
Frank Zappa is a talented musician who is extremely underrated. Most of his music is experimental, so many people who listen to Zappa think that his music sounds “strange” or too surreal. However, his experimental music has been very influential because it tested many sound effects that are now often heard in rock music. For example, he was on of the first artists to experiment with wah-wah effects, distortion, feedback, and synclaviers. His first few albums, such as Freak Out! and We’re Only in it for the Money are classic examples of how Zappa integrated many strange sound effects with his avant-garde music.
Zappa was not only an amazing experimental rock artist, but was a great guitarist as well. Many of his later albums, such as Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar! and Guitar show that he was a very entertaining guitarist who was able to improvise many solos. Although Zappa’s guitar work is well-known by guitarists, many people today have never heard of Frank Zappa. Most of his works failed to meet the expectations of “mainstream” music. Nevertheless, Zappa’s influence on jazz and rock music is astounding. The only thing Frank Zappa’s music lacks is recognition from the general public. He is a perfect example of an underrated musician – so go listen to Zappa – now!
Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
New Words:
Synclavier: an early synthesizer and sampler
Avant-garde: works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.
Howard White
2) Two other essays from the This I Believe Series include “Deciding To Live” and “The Choice To Do It Over Again”. Both of these essays discuss about how the author was able to make a comeback in his or her life. “Deciding To Live” talks about how the writer was once depressed and thought about committing suicide. However, she abandoned the idea of committing suicide when she found a new hobby – rock climbing. In the essay “The Choice To Do It Over Again”, the author was once uneducated, but his son and fatherhood makes him motivated to start learning, “re-do” his life, and enter college. The reason why both of these essays were so interesting is because they both show that those who have failed always have an opportunity to make up for failure sometime later in their lifetime.
Filed under: Journal
LIFE IS SHORT | Autobiography as Haiku
Sunday, March 25, 2007; Page D01
Hearts. I cross mine and hope to live. At 26, it only ached. My diagnosis was heartbreak. At 36, a team of doctors diagnosed coronary artery disease. Hmph, I think it’s cheating to wait for a massive attack to be sure. Eight months later — having lost 45 pounds and after four stents, two cardiac catheterizations, a morphine drip and a child’s handful of pills that tries daily to finish me off by turning lengthwise as I swallow them — I realize heartbreak is still worse.
Lois Raimondo
This haiku caught my eye because it starts with very short simple sentences. As the haiku progresses, the sentences get longer, which creates suspense and makes the style of writing very interesting. In addition, the author’s use of dashed lines (instead of commas) helped create a very serious and intense voice. All of these different factors made this haiku very exciting to read. Finally, I thought that the ideas expressed in this autobiography were very unique. Many other autobiographies dealt with happy events or funny issues. However, this piece of writing was very different, because it talks about pain and a terrible fate.
Filed under: Journal
1) My definition of a comedy is anything that can make people laugh by turning everyday events into something that is humorous or satirical. However, I think that comedies are not only funny, but also present serious issues in a very satirical manner. Stewart claims that his primary role is that of a comedian because he creates shows that are not only very funny and satirical, but also relate to serious issues about countries or people. The Daily Show is different from many other comedies because it focuses on current issues and politics that are rarely mentioned in other comedy shows. The Daily Show is very entertaining, but it has purposes other than making people laugh. This show tries to make the public more interested and concerned about politics and the government.
2) M*A*S*H is an American TV series that satirizes the Korean War. It was popular during the 70′s and it is well-known as a “black comedy” because it makes a very serious issue very funny.
1) Piracy can benefit business by helping open new markets or by innovating companies to create new products. In many places, people often use pirated versions of a product. Although this might harm sales in the short run, it helps out many companies in the long run, because consumers will begin to use the real products once they become legit. Piracy can also be an important source of innovation. Many companies can often incorporate ideas from a slightly modified pirated product to their own product. By doing so, people will begin to buy the company’s new “remixed” product, which will make the company more popular.
2) Peer-to-peer connection has changed the way people access media by making people get products for free rather than buying them. This allows people to get easier access to the media, which actually boost the media’s popularity. Although the media can lose sales from peer-to-peer connection, it allows businesses to analyze what is popular in the media. Therefore, peer-to-peer connection can benefit both customers and businesses.
