“I can’t let myself waste even a second"
Elite Korean Schools, Forging Ivy League Skills and South Korea's Top Students:
"It is 10:30 p.m. and students at the elite Daewon prep school here are
cramming in a study hall that ends a 15-hour school day. A window is
propped open so the evening chill can keep them awake. One teenager
studies standing upright at his desk to keep from dozing. Kim
Hyun-kyung, who has accumulated nearly perfect scores on her SATs, is
multitasking to prepare for physics, chemistry and history exams. 'I
can’t let myself waste even a second,' said Ms. Kim, who dreams of
attending Harvard, Yale or another brand-name American college." -- New
York Times.
Can't waste even a second, eh? Humm. I wasted a lot of seconds when I was in school. Mostly on sports, but a lot in school, too. Oh, well. I'm working hard now. Next life I'll start a bit earlier.
Can't waste even a second, eh? Humm. I wasted a lot of seconds when I was in school. Mostly on sports, but a lot in school, too. Oh, well. I'm working hard now. Next life I'll start a bit earlier.
That's so sad and I wonder about this kid's social skills and employability when she graduates from Harvard. I wasted many, many *hours* in my life. Some of them I would not trade with anything.
Posted by Sin-Yaw Wang on May 10, 2008 at 10:24 PM JST #
I was one of those that studied like a maniac at the university; taking six credits worth of classes per semester was business-as-usual. What that did, was save me a whole year of my life, because I managed to nail a four year degree in three, with cum laudae.
The classes were consumed in a very precise order; the timing was perfect, with no waits in between for classes to become offered. A friend of mine kept pace with me, but failed to sign up for one class at the exact time I calculated. It cost him being a student for another year, because the class wasn't offered for a whole year after that. A whole year!
So I can relate to the young lady in your post perfectly. Smart girl; too bad there aren't more people like her on this planet; most just vegetate. Inefficient.
Posted by uX-admin on May 10, 2008 at 11:23 PM JST #
Sin-Yaw ... yes, these kids are a bit on the intense side, eh? And one dimensional, too. They want to get into the best schools in the US, but once there perhaps they'll realize that one of the things the US has over some other nations is its ability to diversify and innovate and that requires social skills and huge flexibility. Still, I wish I had studied more back then. :)
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on May 11, 2008 at 08:25 PM JST #
ux-admin ... 4 in 3 with cum laud? Amazing. :) Congrats! I think these Korean kids are very smart, surely, but it would be good to diversify a bit, too. I see that sort of intensity here in Japan, too, by the way.
Posted by Jim Grisanzio on May 11, 2008 at 08:32 PM JST #
@jim: "Next life I'll start a bit earlier."
No, please don't. Waste some time. Efficiency is for machines.
@uX-admin: "What that did, was save me a whole year of my life, because I managed to nail a four year degree in three, with cum laudae."
Some waste their time on woolgathering, some on efficiency.
"Smart girl; too bad there aren't more people like her on this planet; most just vegetate. Inefficient."
Advanced Arrogance was your major, eh?
Frank
Posted by Frank on May 16, 2008 at 04:38 AM JST #