Evaluation of Sogang University's KLEC Program

Oops, this would actually be my 52nd post :)

So here is my evaluation of the program:

In one word? Go.

If you are not a heritage speaker, I say that Sogang is an amazing program to be able to bring you up to a level where you will feel extremely comfortable communicating in the language with others. The environment of international students, most of whom do not speak English, allows for you to be forced to speak Korean, even without a language pledge. Also, you may not believe it when you first go there, but you will be able to cultivate very very deep relationships with these people who are mere strangers when you first meet them (especially if you go for a whole year). Being forced to use Korean in all kinds of situations with your friends, especially if you take trips or decide to talk about more difficult subjects, will let you slowly gain vocabulary and figure out different forms of speech.

One thing I would advise though is to meet with Korean friends as often as possible too. Although speaking with your friends from class will give you amazing practice, they are second language learners just like you and will not be able to correct you like a Korean friend can.

Yes, there are improvements that can be made to the program (one thing I think is that it would be nice if there were less students per classroom), but Sogang is indeed a young program, so it is rapidly changing and I'm sure will only get better over the years.

The teachers are, for the most part, devoted and very sweet and try to involve the students as much as possible in discussions, and you will find yourself being able to discuss virtually anything with Koreans by the end of your studies at Sogang.

As for workload--Sogang is probably one of the less intensive Korean programs, but don't take the work too lightly. It's very important to keep up by studying the next lesson's vocabulary and grammar (known as 예습) and important to review as well. Otherwise, you WILL find yourself quickly falling behind your classmates and unsure of what is going on in class. That said, the homework is not unbearable, which is a plus in and of itself, because it allows for you (for those who try) to expose yourself to the Seoul environment as much as possible and to meet friends often, which will skyrocket your speaking skills and make you much more familiar with Korean culture.

There are two tests per semester--the midterm and the final, which can be very stressful as 90% of your grade depends upon them. It's not ideal, and I would argue for more common little tests so that there isn't a lot of stress built up for two exams (not to mention, cramming--which is not effective for retaining information) or for class participation to actually count as more than 10% of the grade.Try to take them with as little stress as possible. If you 예습 every day and review often, the tests should not be horrible. My feelings about the test are, don't take them as indicative of your ability--they're designed to see how much you've retained from the course. One thing that I do think is done well, though, is the interview test at the end of each semester. Albeit super stressful, as oral tests tend to be, the teachers will often go off the set questions, allowing you to have a natural conversation and really show your ability to carry on a conversation in Korean. Memorization is a large part of the interview for the first three levels, but by level 4 and definitely by 5, if you go in with a general idea of what you want to talk about with the questions, you should have no problem, and the teacher will actually be able to evaluate well your ability.

Sogang gets a big plus from me--possibly one of the best language experiences I will ever have in life.

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Now let's go into specifics:

SPEAKING: As I've emphasized, Sogang is centered around improving your speech skills in multiple situations. The makeup of the classes with students that do not share a common language allows for optimization in practicing your speaking in natural situations. By the end, you will find that Korean is almost as comfortable language for you to speak in as English is.

LISTENING: Levels 5 and 6 are wonderful examples of using media to improve listening skills. Although Levels 1 through 4 have normal, possibly dry dialogues, they are necessary for building a strong base in listening. Through those levels, if you have a television, it would be very good to try to attune yourself to listening to Korean through it. By Level 5, you get a video class, which is excellent for attuning your ears to natural Korean. Listening is done very well at Sogang. One thing that I found myself struggling a little bit with (as well as some of my friends) was listening to Korean men speaking. One reason is that they often slur their words more, but also, the vast majority of Sogang teachers are women, so if you want to even out your listening skills more, I suggest you to find a Korean male language partner.

READING: The Sogang readings are nothing super intense and you will be able to synthesize the vocabulary you learn from the chapters. By the end, you will definitely be able to read Korean at a very decent speed and be able to capture a lot, but if you possibly find time, I suggest looking for Korean texts on your own once you reach a higher level (perhaps from Level 4 or even Level 3 onward), because even if you do not memorize every piece of vocabulary, you will expose yourself to a lot and will find yourself recognizing more and more words and also be able to get a taste of natural Korean, as most of the texts in the books are artificially written to train certain grammar skills.

WRITING: One of Sogang's weaker points, but that's because of the great emphasis on speaking. I do agree that writing should come secondary to speaking, but my advice would be to take advantage of writing class to try to write creatively and incorporate as much new vocabulary and grammar as possible. Don't be afraid to experiment writing different sentences or using different words and seeing if they're acceptable in Korean or not. That's one of the best ways to improve your writing in the mere 50 minutes of writing class. The topics given are very diverse and so you'll have plenty to write about. As long as you take advantage, writing class can be very fruitful.

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Okay, now I'll evaluate the levels that I took:

LEVEL 3: The first level I took at Sogang. Level 3 is a difficult level, partially because you start to learn many grammar patterns that are not quite translatable into English (not to mention the languages your classmates speak as well) and partially because there is a large jump from Level 2 (I have heard). 예습 is very important here and it's good to ask the teacher anything you're unclear about. As Level 3 is where you'll start to reach intermediate Korean, DEFINITELY try to hang out more with your classmates, as it will be very important to start cementing your Korean speech before heading into the higher levels. All in all, the topics are pretty fun, so Level 3 is a good, but difficult level.

LEVEL 4: Ah, the hazy Level 4. It's hard to tell exactly what goal Level 4 is trying to achieve. The grammar is nothing very difficult and the material is rather dry, not to mention, there's no color in the books! Alas, I had an amazing Level 4 experience, as it was where I met a few of my closest friends. As long as your classroom dynamic and teacher makes the material fun, it will be a fun level. Try to look past the dry material and focus on increasing your vocabulary. As the level is easier than Level 3 (in my opinion), take the advantage to hang out more and cement your abilities to speak. By the end, you should find yourself fairly comfortable conversing in everyday conversation.

LEVEL 5: The dreaded Level 5. Actually, Level 5 is a very fun level with lots of well-written chapters and interesting grammar points and a plethora of vocabulary. Yes, it is a difficult level. Yes, you will have to put in quite a bit of time if you want to get the most out of the level. 예습 and review are crucial and the level is very fast paced, so be careful not to fall behind. You will start to talk about advanced topics in this level so test the waters and don't be afraid to make mistakes. My teacher in Level 5, 오승은 선생님, was absolutely amazing and taught us very well. Don't be afraid to ask the teacher questions, as there should be nothing you should be unclear about. Take in the material and enjoy using your new knowledge with your classmates. Also, Level 5 is where Listening class becomes Video class, an excellent introduction to Korean media. You will watch one drama (새는...) and one movie (그해 여름), both obscure pieces of work. Although it may feel very difficult at first to understand what they're saying, don't give up hope, as by the end, even though you may not understand everything, you will probably understand at least 90% of the media in Level 5 and will probably be able to understand at least 50% in other Korean media you listen to. Level 5 gets a big thumbs up from me as one of the best designed levels at Sogang.

Level 6: The notoriously "boring" level. Level 6 is an interesting one. Reading past blogs and/or reports, as well as hearing from other Sogang students, Level 6 is well known for being "boring" and not very useful. I agree in the sense that Level 6 is not exactly the most fast-paced or fun level, but it is a nice break from the fast pace of Level 5. Also, I would disagree that Level 6 is a useless level. The lenience of the level and atmosphere in class allows for a LOT of natural discussion. You also really tackle advanced topics, and by the end of Level 6 you will be comfortable speaking to Koreans about virtually anything, from health care reform to population problems to the ethics of abortion, cloning, and euthanasia. It's a nice close to the curriculum (as most students graduate at Level 6--I can't speak for Level 7 as I did not take it) and will give you the skills to be able to study Korean on your own. Take the advantage of time to bulk up any skills you feel you're lacking in and make the most of your time in Korea in this level. You deserve it after Level 5! As for the video class, although my teacher was far from the best, the material is very useful. You will encounter all kinds of media (news, lectures, a drama, a game show, a talk show, and a documentary) which will bring up your listening to understanding probably at least 75% or more of Korean media out there. The one complaint I have about Level 6 (apart from that it would be nice if it were more organized and more interesting) is that there is no grammar taught. Yes, there are some patterns you go over in review session, but there is no core grammar, which would be very nice to learn as there is still a lot of grammar after Level 5 that would be useful to know.

All in all, as I said before, go to Sogang! You won't regret it :)! If any of you are reading my blog and decide to go to Sogang, say hi to any of my teachers for me :D. Just ask about 세창 and see if they remember me ^_^.

박다래: Level 3 Writing, Level 6 Speaking
이혜전: Level 3 Speaking
정영미: Level 3 Listening
신효원: Level 4 Writing
구은미: Level 4 Speaking
최연재: Level 4 Listening
박진희: Level 5 Writing
오승은: Level 5 Speaking, Level 6 Writing
조재희: Level 5 Video
윤혜숙: Level 6 Video

And with this I conclude my blog! It's been a good year :).