Q4 2021 SLAS TIMES Summer Summer 2021 | Page 48

Students Prep for College in After-school Academy Classes

by Lynn Kang

According to research from interviews with SLAS students, four out of five kids, usually Korean, go to after-school academies.

Tommy currently takes Korean and English. A senior, he is preparing for the notoriously difficult Korean college entrance exam called the“ Suneung.”
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Inbee Park, an 11th grader, takes three academy classes( microeconomics, art, and Chinese) five times a week. She goes to the academy to prepare for her AP tests and the SAT. She has microeconomic and Chinese for about 2 hours, and she spends 4-6 hours on art.
“ Academy teachers help out with work when I am stuck, and they teach new things that I did not get in school,” she said. She does not think it is a must to go to an academy, but it helps her despite the stress.
Tommy Seo, a 12th grader, finds it stressful having both academy and regular school homework( on top of reviewing previous lessons). Since he is at the academy for about six to nine hours per day, he gets so exhausted from having less sleep. He feels like his lifestyle is destructive due to fatigue.
Tommy said,“ It does help me a lot because I can learn specifically about the lessons that I don’ t understand, and the teachers help me study efficiently. The teachers motivate me to study, and they lead me in a good direction.”
9th grade student Kitty Li does not understand why anyone would want to spend so much time in afterschool programs. She said“ If I ever need any help, I ask my parents.”