fordtoy2000 asked 8 months ago
In the U.S., higher education is not defined by age. Okay, I have a cool friend from a neighboring country to South Korea, and we became good friends despite his class discussion comment (en español) that in his country “college students” are “young” [and I assume he defined this by age/s of I would say the late teens to twenties] and what he pointed out was that in the U.S. that there were basically older people in the “college” world. That being said: is South Korea like this chap’s country where other ages are out of place in “college?” As in the U.S. we can get multiple degrees, re-train, and the higher education (“college”) avenue is still there, regardless of age–esp. if one has something to contribute to academia via research or artistic prowess–. Thus, what is the situation in S. Korea, as I sort of imagine it to be the run-of-the-mill “young” experience in S. Korea as well?
J Staff answered 8 months ago
In 2020, 72.5% of high school graduates went to college – this includes technical college and universities. Having a bachelor’s degree is such a common thing in Korea. At least in undergraduate programs, most student body is made up of young & freshly out of high school students. Moving up to master’s and doctoral degrees, I assume the age range varies more. In the U.S. regardless of degree levels, I certainly see more “nontraditional” students who come back to study or begin their post secondary education later in their lives – and not a big deal! It is actually considered a huge step and people applaud for their courage. I was a graduate assistant and I worked with & supervised people who had kids of my age lol it was weird but totally normal and fun!
Thank you so much for that insight! That explains a lot. Much appreciated.
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