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 .”