조선에듀

미국에서 유학생활을 하는 고등학생으로서, 필자는 우리나라 고등학교 생활과 미국의 고등학교 생활의 차이점을 느꼈고 이에 대한 의문이 들었다. 한국과 미국 고등학생들의 일상은 일반적으로 어떤 차이가 있을까. 한국 학생들은 대학을 위해 학원과 시험에 시달리는데, 과연 미국 학생들도 이렇게 힘든 고등학생 생활을 보내고 있을까. 필자가 개인적으로 미국에서 생활하며 깨달은 것이 있다. 이에 여러 학생들의 관점에서 비교하고자 3명의 한국 학생들(금호은, 배수빈, 장보국)과 4명의 미국 학생들(소피 던리비, 바네사 림, 엘리슨 밀스, 잭슨 로피아노)의 일상을 인터뷰했다. 인터뷰를 통해 한국과 미국의 교육 및 입시가 고등학생들의 일상에 깊게 영향을 미치고 있는 것을 볼 수 있었다.

-입시 목표와 하루 일상이 어떻게 되는가.

“저의 드림스쿨은 미국 캘리포니아대학교 버클리(UC 버클리)이고, 정치과학과 마케팅 전공을 목표하고 있어요. 제 하루일과는 오전 6시에 일어나서 학교 수업을 준비해요. 8시 30분에 등교해서 오후 4시 30분까지 공부를 하죠. 우리 학교는 5주 학기 시스템에 걸쳐 주로 세 가지 이상의 과제들과 수업과제들이 주어집니다. 저는 주로 모의유엔, 스피치와 토론, 춤 수업을 하고 이외 시간에는 방에서 쉬면서 음악을 들어요. 잠은 보통 오후 11시에서 오전 1시 사이에 자고요.”(소피 던리비, 세인트 마리 스쿨(St Mary’s School) 11학년(고2) 재학)

“저는 장래에 금융, 회계, 경영 관련된 일을 하고 싶어요. 따라서 이와 관련된 전공에 맞춰 대학을 가려고 해요. 졸업 후에는 아마 창업을 하거나 큰 회사에서 일할 것 같아요. 제가 다니는 학교는 오전 8시 30분에 시작하기 때문에 보통 7시 30분에 일어나요. 등교를 하면 오후 3시 30분까지 학교에 있죠. 이후 4시 30분부터 7시 30분까지 일을 하고, 집에 가서 1~2시간 정도 휴식한 후에 10시부터 숙제를 시작해요. 보통 자정이나 오전 1시에 끝나죠. 시험기간에는 오전 3시 30분까지 학습에 매진해요. 저는 교과 외 활동으로 양궁과 모의재판, 스피치와 토론을 주로 해요.”(바네사 림, 10학년(고1) 재학)

 “저는 장래희망으로 의사를 생각하고 있어요. 저는 매일 밤 3~4시간 정도 학교 숙제에 매진해요. 교과 외 활동으로는 모의 재판, 스피치와 토론, 과학 올림피아드 ,모의유엔, 로보틱스, 육상을 주로 해요. 처음에는 대학을 목표로 시작한 활동이 대다수였지만, 지금은 재미로 하고 있어요.”(엘리스 밀스, 10학년(고1) 재학)

“저는 주니어(고2) 때 경영학과에 가기로 결정했어요. 그때부터 제가 지원할 수 있는 대학들을 찾아보기 시작했죠. 그게 제가 주로 한 일이었습니다. 결과적으로 최근 펜실베니아 대학교 와튼 스쿨(UPenn Wharton School)에 합격했습니다. 이곳에서 금융이나 경영을 공부할 계획이에요. 제 주니어(고2)와 시니어(고3) 때 일상은 비슷했어요. 8월~12월 저의 교내 활동은 주로 로보틱스와 양궁이었습니다. 오전 7시부터 8시까지 양궁 연습을 하고, 오후 3시 30분까지 학교에서 공부를 했어요. 하교 후에는 2시간 동안 로보틱스 연습을 하기도 했죠. 집에서는 주로 숙제를 했는데, 12학년 (고3) 때에는 대학 원서 준비와 지역 대학교의 다변수 미적분학 수업 숙제를 해야 해서 추가적인 숙제가 더 많았죠. 3월~6월에는 양궁 연습이 없기 때문에 매일 오전 7시에 일어났고, 8시 30분부터 3시 30분까지 학교에 있다가 하교 후 4시부터 6시까지 테니스 연습을 했습니다. 이 기간이 AP 시험기간이기 때문에 시험 5일 전부터 시험 날까지 매일 1시간 30분 가량 시험공부를 했어요. 매주 주말에는 일정이 조금 달랐는데요. 숙제는 일요일 정오부터 약 오후 5시까지 했습니다. 그리고 토요일에는 주로 가족, 친구들과 시간을 보냈습니다. 예외로 12학년(고3) 초반에는 토요일에도 대학 원서 작업을 했어요, 써야 하는 추가 에세이가 많았기 때문이죠. 학기 중에는 일을 다니지는 않았고, 여름 방학 때에만 일을 했어요. 10학년(고2)과 11학년(고3) 사이 여름에는 로펌에서 접수원으로 일을 했으며, 11학년(고2)과 12학년(고3) 때 제가 살고 있는 도시의 한 기술 회사 인사과에서 인턴으로 일했습니다. 여름에는 대학교 탐방 여행을 많이 갔어요. 2주 반 동안 12개 이상의 대학교 캠퍼스를 둘러보며 학교 분위기를 답사했습니다.”(잭슨 로피아노, 12학년(고3) 재학)

다음은 국내에 거주하는 금호은, 배수빈, 장보국 학생을 인터뷰했다. 다음은 일문일답.

-입시를 위한 하루 일상은 어땠는가.

“제 대입시절은 크게 고3과 재수로 나뉩니다. 고2 .3 때는 오전 5시에 일어나서 학교 가기 전 국어공부를 하고, 하교 이후에는 친구들과 식사를 한 후, 학원에 갔습니다. 학교를 가지 않는 주말에는 낮에 학원에 갔죠. 재수 때는 오전 6시에 일어나서 오전 9시까지 국어공부를 하고, 이후부터 수학 공부를 했어요. 수능을 보는 순서와 똑같은 순서로 공부를 했죠.”(장보국 고려대 2학년 재학) 

-평일 일과는 어떻게 됐는가.

“오전 7시 50분에 일어나요. 이후 8시 30분부터 오후 4시 30분까지 학교에서 공부를 합니다. 이후 6시부터 10시까지 학원에서 추가 공부를 하죠. 이후에는 숙제 등을 하다가 정오 쯤에 잠을 잡니다.”(배수빈 한국 세종대성고등학교 3학년 재학)

“저는 아침 6시에 일어나요. 기상한 후 가장 먼저 하는 게 국어공부입니다. 9시 10분부터 오후 4시 30분까지 학교에서 공부를 해요. 저는 학원을 다니지 않기 때문에 하교 후에는 바로 독서실로 이동해서 시험을 준비해요. 집에 도착하면 정오쯤 되는 것 같아요.”(금호은 일반고 3학년 재학)

-주말의 일과는 어떻게 되는가.

“제가 예술계 학생이다 보니 고등학교 2학년 때 자유롭게 다녔어요. 딱히 이렇다 할 일과는 없었습니다. 고3학년이 되고 나서는 오전 8시에 일어나서 오후 8시까지 학원에 있죠. 그 후엔 자유시간을 가지거나 학교 숙제를 합니다. 입시 학원을 다니면서 입시 대회나 공모전 참여도 했습니다.”(배수빈 한국 세종대성고등학교 3학년 재학)

-따로 하는 특별활동은 없는지.

“대학에 가는 그 절차가 굉장히 많고, 복잡하고 까다로워요. 원하는 학교에 가기 위해서 얻어야 하는 성적도 너무 높고 경쟁도 치열하기 때문에 교과 외 활동을 하기에는 시간이 부족합니다. 체력적으로도 힘들고요. 그래서 따로 하는 건 없습니다.”(금호은 일반고 3학년 재학)

이처럼 국내와 미국 학생들을 인터뷰한 결과, 다음과 같은 결론을 도출했다. ▲미국 학생들은 대부분의 공부 시간에 학교 숙제를 하는 반면, 한국 학생들은 하교 이후 학원에서 많은 시간을 보내고 시험공부에 많은 시간을 투자한다 ▲미국 학생들은 다양한 특별활동을 입시의 한 부분으로 참여하는 반면, 한국 학생들은 주로 공부와 입시 준비를 중점적으로 한다 ▲한국 학생들은 교과과목 및 입시에 중점을 둔 학원에 가지만, 미국 학생들은 취미, 스포츠를 제외하고는 대부분 학교 외의 수업을 받지 않는다. ▲한국에서는 주로 대학교 순위와 명성을 기준으로 학교를 결정하는 반면, 미국에서는 다년간 생활할 캠퍼스와 학교의 위치적 특성 또한 고려해 본인의 삶의 기준에 부합하는 대학을 결정한다 등이 있다. 

이렇게 한국과 미국 고등학생들의 일상이 다른 이유는 무엇일까. 인터뷰한 국내와 해외의 입시, 교육 체제의 차이가 이러한 차이를 불러온 것으로 파악된다. 전반적으로 한국은 학습력과 학습 잠재력을 중시하는 반면, 미국 교육은 개성, 비판적 사고, 창의적 지식 양성을 중시한다는 점이 대조된다. 이렇게 상이한 가치관이 교육 과정에도 반영돼 한국은 사실적 지식의 암기 능력을 위해 주로 주입식 수업을 하고 시험을 통해 평가하는 반면, 미국은 학습력과 더불어 사고 능력과 창의력, 표현 능력을 강의식 수업뿐 아니라 에세이, 창작을 통해 교육 및 평가하는 것으로 보인다. 

What is the daily life of American and Korean high school students? How is it different?

American students with individuality and creativity vs. Korean students with learning and testing ability

Jiwoo Son

As an international student who is from South Korea, going to a high school in the U.S., I observed the difference between high school life in Korea and the U.S. What is the difference between the daily life of Korean and American high school students? Korean students suffer from taking many after-school classes and preparing for tests, but is American students' daily life also that stressful? To compare the different lifestyles of the students, I interviewed three Korean students and four American students about their daily routines. Through the interview, I observed that the education and college application processes are highly affecting both groups of high school students' daily life. 

First, I looked into the future goals and daily life of four American students (Sophie Dunleavy, Jackson Lopiano, Vanessa Lim, and Allison Mills). The interviews were done in English. 

The first student is Sophie Dunleavy, who is a junior (11th grade) in St. Mary’s School, Medford, Oregon.

Sophie: “My dream school is UC Berkeley and I am thinking of studying political science and marketing.”

Q. What is your daily routine like?

“I get up at around 6, prepare for school work, and finish up any of my later assignments. I go to school from 8:30 to 4:30 to do some extra (1 hr) studying. And I usually have speech and debate practice in between during lunch, and I either prep for my speech routines or go to dance class. I usually have at least three ongoing assignments throughout the period of a MOD (5 weeks), as well as class structured work and overlay work from other classes. I do participate in ModelUN, Speech and debate, and obviously my dance class, but those are my top 3. Other than that, I usually just jam out and listen to music in my room. I go to bed between 11 and 1 a.m.”

The second student is Jackson Lopiano, who is a recent graduate from St. Mary’s School. He is going to UPenn Wharton school in the fall of 2022, studying finance or management. 

Q. What was your daily life routine during your junior and senior years?

Jackson: “From August to December, the main things I had going on were Robotics and Archery. So, I would start my day– I would wake up at 7 a.m. or at 6 a.m. depending on whether I had archery practice in the morning. So I would wake up, I would go to the Archery practice from about 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and then I would go to school from 8:30 to 3:30. After school, I would either have a robotics practice for about 2 hours or just go straight home. And I would just have a snack, then start my homework until about 6 p.m. Then I would have dinner for an hour or 2 hours. And I would do homework from about 8 p.m. to usually about 11 or 12 depending on how much I had that night. During senior year, during that time, I had extra homework because I had college applications that I had to do and I had a class at a local university for multivariable calculus so that gave me extra homework on top of that.

From the months from January to March, I had the same routine except for college applications and multivariable calculus that I had to deal with. So I ended up only doing homework until about 11 or 11:30 and I was able to go to sleep earlier. 

And from the months of March to June, I no longer had Archery, so I would wake up at 7 a.m. in the morning every day. I would go to school from 8:30 to 3:30. And I would have tennis practice every day after school from 4 to 6. And since it was also AP season, I would do AP prep, from 5 days until the AP exam, an hour and a half every single day, and do homework till about 6:30, eat dinner, and I would go to sleep either around 11:30 or 12. And once AP season was over, I would go to sleep a lot earlier: 10:30 or something like that.

On the weekends, it would be a little bit different. I would usually do my homework on Sunday afternoon from 12PM to maybe 5PM. And on Saturdays, I would usually do things with my friends and my family. Or at the beginning of the year, I would have to do college applications on Saturday, because I had a lot of supplementary essays that I had to write.

On Fridays after school, I would usually do homework for about an hour, and I would go have dinner with my friends or family after that.”

Q. Do you have any job experience?

Jackson: “I’ve never had a job during the school year; I only worked during the summer. From 10th to 11th grade, I had a job working as a receptionist in a law firm. And from the summer of 11th to 12th grade, I had a job as an intern in a human resource department at a technology company in my hometown.”

Q. What did you do during your summer breaks?

Jackson: “When it was from junior year to 12th-grade summer, I did some work writing my common app essay, and I would do that for an hour every week or so.

During my 11th and 12th-grade summer, I also did a lot of traveling to visit colleges, so we spent two and a half weeks visiting 12+ schools to see the campuses and to see a kind of a vibe of how the school was.”

The third interviewee is Vanessa Lim, who is a sophomore (10th grade) in St. Mary’s School, Medford, Oregon.

Q. What is your future goal?

Vanessa: “For my future, I want to do something with finance, accounting, or business, so I plan to go to college in that type of major. And then after, I’ll maybe start my own business or work at a big company.”

Q. What is your day like?

“My daily routine is like, we start school at 8:30, so I wake up maybe around 7:30. And then I go to school until 3:30. And after that, for around 4:30 to 7:30, I go to work, and then after that, I go home, chill out for one to two hours, and then around like 10 o’ clock, I do my homework, maybe until 12 or 1. And if I have a test the next day, I’ll probably study until like, maybe 3:30 if the latest.”

Q. Do you do any other activities?

“[For the extracurricular,] I do archery, mock trial, speech and debate (all school activities), but not too much, because I mostly work a lot.”

Lastly, Allison shared her future goals and daily life. Allison Mills is also a sophomore (10th grade) in St. Mary’s School. 

Allison: “[For the future,] ]I’m thinking of becoming some kind of a doctor.”

“I do about 3-4 hours of homework every night, and then I procrastinate in between homework (laugh), and for extracurriculars, I do mock trial, speech and debate, science olympiad, Model UN, Robotics, and I do track. Next year, I’m planning to do archery. I also do 4-H and girl scouts. .[...] I started doing them for college, but now I am doing them because [they’re] fun.”

Next, I interviewed three Korean high school students: Bokuk Jang, Subin Bae, and Hoeun Gum. 

Bokuk Jang is a sophomore at Korea University, who graduated from a standard high school in Korea and got into Korea University by taking CSAT the next year. 

Bokuk: “My college prep season is categorized as Junior, Senior, and repeater years. In my junior and senior years, I would wake up at 5AM and do Korean before going to school. After school, I would have dinner with my friends and would go to classes.

On weekends, I would go to classes in the daytime and would play soccer. 

In my repeater year, I would wake up at 6AM, do Korean until 9 o’clock, then do math… I would study in the same order as CSAT.”

Subin Bae is a Senior in a private high school in Korea. He is preparing to major in arts–animation or game major–which is different from the majority of South Korean students. 

Q. What is your daily routine on weekdays?

Subin: “Wake up by 7:50 AM. 

8:05 to 8:20: Breakfast 

8:30 to 16:30: School classes. 

16:30 to 17:30: Dinner & go to take classes

18:00 to 22:00: Class

22:30 to 24:00: Homework and free time

24:00 to 2:00: Go to bed.

Q. What is your weekend routine like?

Subin: “In my junior year, since I am an art major student, I had more free time and didn’t have a specific routine then. But in my senior year routine is: as soon as I wake up at 8AM, I go to class and come back home around 7 or 8PM. After that, I’d rather have free time or do homework.”

Q. Do you do any other activities for college?

Subin: “For the extracurricular, I basically go to the college prep class and participate in college application competitions or contests.”

The last Korean student is Hoeun Gum, who is a Senior in a standard high school in Korea, aiming for a medical or mathematical field as a major. 

Hoeun: “I wake up quite early. I wake up at 6AM. As soon as I wake up, I do Korean until like 7:30. At 7:30, I have breakfast, take a shower, and go to school by 8:30. The time I need to get to school is by 9 o’ clock, and the classes are from 9:10 AM to 4:30 PM. We repeat 50-minute classes and 10-minute break times, and there’s one-hour lunchtime. When school is over at 4:30, I either come back home and have snacks, or have dinner when I have to go to class right away. When all the classes are over, it’ll be like 10PM, but since I don’t currently go to classes, I go into a study room or a cafe and study for tests after school. The tests include CSAT and school tests, so when studying for them and coming back home, it’s around midnight. I take a shower around midnight, then go to sleep around 1AM or 1:30AM.

Since I’m flexible these days as I don’t go to classes after school, I often get PT or go to the gym to run on the treadmill. Yet, I don’t have any hobbies in sports to do them continuously. I don’t have time for it. (laugh). Maybe I’ll do sports again once I get into college.”

Q. Do you have any extracurriculars?

“The process of going into a college in Korea is very tight and requires too much effort needlessly, so there’s no such thing before becoming a college student. I only study. And once I get into college, I’ll have the freedom to do any extracurricular, but the way to get into college in the first place is complex and hard… also the grade I have to get to get into the college I want is too high and competitive. So I don’t have time or stamina to do something other than studying.”

The following is the conclusion from a series of interview: 

Among the interviewees, American students spend the majority of studying time on their school homework, while Korean students spend a lot of time in after-school classes as well as studying for CSAT. 

Among the interviewees, American students participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including hobbies, sports, and clubs, as a part of their college preparation, while Korean students only focused on studying for tests, in which it was hard to find other activities other than studying.

American students not only focused on their academics but also participated in at least one sport or hobby (dance, instruments, etc) regularly. They also broadened their experiences by working during the school year or break times. 

Many Korean students go to classes focusing on academics and college prep (CSAT), but many American students do not go to extra academic classes other than school, except for hobbies or sports. 

Korean students tend to choose a college by its ranking and fame while American students also consider the geographical location, campus, and atmosphere of schools to find the college that fits their lifestyle. 

Finally, why are Korean and American high school students’ lives different like this? Considering the daily life of the Korean and American interviewees are directly or indirectly related to their school and college admissions, the difference in college admission and the education system seems to cause this difference in their daily life. The interviews highlighted that American education focuses more on individuality, critical thinking, and creativity while Korean education focuses more on learning ability and learning potential. It seems that these different values are reflected in their education curriculum, in which Korean high schools pursue cramming education for the memorization of factual knowledge and evaluate students through tests On the other hand, the U.S. education system seems to emphasize thinking skills, creativity, expressing ability as well as learning ability, in which they teach and evaluate students through lectures, essays, and creative works.