| Actually, as (part) Korean, I can attest to what minkijohn is saying. The academic culture in Korea is so very different from America in that all their high school students are completely fixated, almost tortured, about the idea of college admissions. They would do absolutely anything to get into even a Korean university, let alone HYPS. And I gotta admit, some Korean parents (especially the ones with lots of money...and trust me, there's a lot of them) are pretty shady.
BUT you also have to keep in mind that there ARE those kids in Korea who actually do work their butt off for school, bless their hearts, but don't do much else. I don't think the whole "giving back to the community" aspect of admissions has hit them yet. They're just too focused on grades and statistics and numbers. I have a cousin who comes home every morning at 2am from college test prep courses and yet she has been rejected from the university of her choice three times. I feel really bad for them over there :/
But yeah I agree that maybe colleges should be more careful when viewing international applicants' resumes and the such...you just never know. |