Korea
America
America
I moved to England at the age of 11, shortly after finishing 5th grade, and attended Hall Grove primary school. Sure enough, English was one of the biggest obstacles I had to endure. Every class, I had difficulty in deciphering what the teachers were talking about, and in most cases, I was only able to grasp a few words and had to guess what the teachers wanted me to do. Almost every teacher became frustrated with me and my inability to follow the class work, and this made it clear that they had never had a student like me before, someone who spoke virtually no English.
However, every cloud has a silver lining, and every Korean student has the mathematics ability to be top at any local school. At such a young age, it is important to not feel let down by anything, and furthermore, it is even more important to be praised and commended for your work. The way I suggest to Korean students in surviving through the hardship of studying in a foreign country is by focusing on your strengths, and showing everyone else what you are capable of. Show everyone else that English and only English is your problem, and that this problem takes only time to be overcome.
After a year at Hall Grove School, it was time to move on to secondary school. I had always set my eyes on one particular school – WestminsterSchool. I did not know at the time the prestige and the popularity of the school, let alone the difficulty of entering it. Situated by Westminster Abbey and the House of Parliament, Westminster school, founded by Queen Elizabeth I, boasted one of the highest Oxbridge acceptance rates in the country, and this is why I applied to this school – to go to Cambridge. It was hard enough being accepted for a place at Westminster school, but I decided to go one step further, and tried for Queen’s scholarship. Almost every student and teacher at my primary school was surprised at my decision to take the scholarship examination at one of the most prestigious schools in England. Many questioned the audacity of my decision. They believed that a foreign kid, who had only been in England for a year and whose English was still basic had no chance of being accepted at Westminster school, let alone as a scholar. However, this disbelief only edged me on. I was eager to prove them wrong. I knew that I was at a serious disadvantage when it came to English and French but I had my strengths, as most Korean students do, in mathematics and science. I was ready to show the examiners and the interviewers atWestminster School that all I needed was a little more time and opportunity to succeed at the highest level. And thankfully, Westminster School saw not what I could do at the time, not how little I knew compared to the other candidates, but what I could potentially achieve in the near future, given the right education that Westminster School offered, and accepted me as a scholar. Hearing this wonderful news made me ecstatic and joyful will be a serious understatement. This brave, audacious, and a little extreme ‘stretch’ shows that anyone can do what they want to do, achieve what they long to achieve, if, and in most cases only if, they have the hunger for it. As in my case, it may be to prove others wrong, or it may be to please yourself, as long as they want to do it, and not because their parents want them to do it.
Life at Westminster school was one of the best times of my life. Situated in the most desirable site anyone would admire, life at Westminsterschool revolved around not only studying, but also around enjoying the great life central London offered. It is important to find a balance between studying and playing. We all would like our sons and daughters to work hard when they have the opportunity and play however much they want after they leave the educational system. This may work for those studying in Korea, living in sweet home, who have plenty of opportunity to see close friends at school. However, for many of the students who study abroad, especially without their parents or any close relative to rely on, single-mindedly focusing on studying is almost impossible and sometimes dangerous. It is more important (many would disagree) that they enjoy their adolescence than they study. There are many stories about Korean students studying abroad, without family and friends, feeling isolated and depressed. As much as parents would like it if it were true, we are not machines. We do not and cannot sacrifice 15~16 years of adolescence to solely work, in the hope of having a successful career later in life. Enjoying life outside of work and study is essential to having a healthy mentality and social relationship, which in turn increase your concentration when it is time to work. No good can come out of studying 24 hours a day, or even worse, not studying 24 hours a day. It is all about finding the right balance that makes you work efficiently, with a little free time for fun on the side.
Westminster
There is a reason why a great school is great – the teaching. The excellent quality in teachers and their classes allowed students to absorb and understand everything easily and efficiently. The classes were so concise and well taught that during the examination period, we were surprised at how much we already knew and learnt from the classes. The excellent teaching made it easier for us to prepare for GCSEs and A-Levels and to be more time-efficient when revising. But importantly, great teachers do not make everyone succeed. One needs to listen to them.
England
