The initial release of result of accepted students was scheduled on the 3rd of January, the same day of my kid's graduation. We were a bit in trepidation on how that day will turn out. Fortunately, waiting time has been shorted and we were informed the day before that he made it in.
We just had to show up for the graduation the next day with real celebratory feeling. ^^ (The graduation day itself might have a different post.)
After the results were published on the school website, there was also another date to add to the calendar. This is basically the "enrollment" of sorts, I think. There is a file downloadable from there with all the information we needed to know. Included are a few pages of forms for printing to be filled up and submitted on that specific date.
Enrollment Day: January 8. 2-3 PM
This is the closest to enrollment day if I would compare it with the system in my home country.
Most of our concerns were the fees, uniform, bedding, rules, curriculum, and when they will be expected to move to the dorm.
All of these were covered in the downloaded file before we actually went to the school so no lines for payments except for the parking. :D
Info included:
1. school year curriculum
2. dorm rules and points system
3. 4-day dorm life orientation (scheduled a week before official school starts)
4. *fees (uniform, 4D Camp, and general school fees) bedding was not included
*info on possible discount on fees depending on family income is also included
(The documents for this has already been submitted during the initial document submission, early on the admission process. Additional fees later for after-school activities, field trips are also discounted if qualified. To sign up for these discounts, a visit to the nearest jumin center or online are both possible.)
Forms that we printed and signed up:
1. Online-banking sign up for the school fees
2. second language choice
3. pick up time for the kid every week, Friday night or Saturday morning
4. uniform reservation sign up
5. bedding reservation sign up
6. dorm sign up form and contract
As I've guessed, there was a table with samples of bedding. What I was hoping to see was a thrift shop kind for the uniforms but there was none. :D Pushing it too much as this is Korea where everyone thinks it's better to buy new stuff all the time.
Bedding: The materials seems decent but I'm pretty sure that one can get better price if you dig some more online. K hub simply signed up for what I think was a crazy price even if already checked for way cheaper ones online. I am not sure that it would be the same ones (four-season items) though.
If you want to save a bit, check out bedding options somewhere beforehand to compare prices. There were two color choices: pink and blue. I was just too much in a hurry to try to take a photo.
180K for Quilt bedding Set 1: quilted blanket + pillow cover (pillow case?)+ mat cover (bed sheet?) + double sided pad (mattress pad?) + cotton pillow
199K for 4 Season bedding Set 2: duvet + pillow case + bed sheet + mattress pad + cotton comforter + cotton pillow
Company name: Blooming Deco
Delivery will be between Feb. 12-14.
*insert photo
Uniform:
As for the uniforms, there is a three-day date scheduled for us to visit the one and official uniform store a few weeks later. Uniform related info will be in another post.
Notes and reflection on this one hour school admission process.
Come earlier than the scheduled time to secure good parking. It rained the day before so we were not allowed to park on the field, I think. I had to figure out my hubs parking logistic after we got there separately since I had to head to work with just enough time for me to check out the beddings supply. That was really my main concern. K hub will have to manage the documents and stuff.
As I reflect on the this part, this is basically the enrollment day. Almost everything was covered. No lines for fees as everything will be set up thru the school banking system. The forms and other documents which we already printed before coming were filled up and we just have to submit them. Process was a breeze even though the cost of stuff is a storm. :D
My son could have gone back to my home country or stayed there to study. Both would have the pros and cons. As for now, we opted to do it here in Korea even if it has the notoriety of Hell Joseon. Once he finishes high school and taken the Korean CSAT three years later, we will have to re-evaluate again our options.
Showing posts with label high school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high school. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Korean High School Admission (Part 2)
The next part of the admission process is over and another waiting game begins.
Quick recap of this month:
Week 2. Part 1 Submission of documents online (3 days)
Week 3. Result for the qualified ones and submission of personal essay the next day (2 days.)
Week 4. The interview.
We were scheduled to be there at 12 o'clock which is just super fine with me as the official driver, moral supporter/parent. :D We had time to cook and eat hoteok as brunch (not necessarily the best choice for nutrition but all for setting the good mood for a possibly stressful hours ahead.) I had my gears packed: 3 screens, papers, and snacks. I knew we will be in for a long wait.
We got to the premises almost on the dot, drop the kid off and found myself a good place to park. There were already a lot of cars in the field/parking lot but not as full as it was during the "orientation." As few minutes after we got there, the morning set started to finish and leave. I didn't bother to go inside for the next 2 hours since there were a lot of other parents going in and out of the building just waiting.
Much more than the interview that got us there in the first place, I was keen on working on my monthly plan, writing and figuring out my new Ipad. lol. Kidding aside, I knew it would be another few hours of hanging so gotta keep myself busy. I chose to stick inside the car but when I finally felt cold and needed a break, I went in to get some hot drinks. There were still a few more parents waiting inside near the heater, and inside the gym while some are milling about with younger kids in tow. I just can't stand sitting around with them while waiting for the interview to finish. I headed out for a walk to warm myself up.
I found a nice little hill behind the school with about a hundred steps to the top. It took me a minute to go up but almost two to go down. I had to stop in the middle as I've realized that it's because it's steep and I had to be more careful as I take each step while looking down. There's more "fright factor" in every step. Unlike heading up, my focus is on what's at the top.
It's time to head back to the car even if I still wanted to explore since my battery is almost gone. I had no idea when my kid will finish and call so better find a way to charge. It still took almost an hour's worth of me making a rough template on the "good notes" app. All is good for the day except for the blog writing that I didn't get around to as there was not much call to write for me. ;) (This came later day.)
My kid finally emerged from the building around half past four and he was, of course, hungry. We both were. I got a bit of quick run down of what happened at the interview in the drive back home but we left more details for later. We hurried home to cook rice and salmon for dinner with an hour or so before my husband got home around half past six.
So here is what we got from the kid.
The phones were collected and they were made to wear graduation gowns over their clothes. Only some papers were allowed while waiting. Unfortunately, kid didn't bring any book. And the gowns, I figured it's to keep any bias towards outfits and all. Hubs also thought the same. Pretty neat.
There were two rooms. One for the similar question and the next is for the more random ones.
There were 4 questions.
1st Q. They were given a few minutes and a sheet of paper to write down their answers. This, I think, is to jump start the interviewees to answer questions and calm the nerves. I really had no idea if P had to calm any nerves since he said that he fell asleep while waiting for hours. :D
2nd to 4th Qs. The basic oral questions which can sometimes be actually fun for both parties. As an interviewee, you have to think on your feet, be creative while being honest and leave a good impression. As an interviewer, it's interesting how different people will behave in such circumstances and how varied their answers will be for the same questions. I find interviews pretty interesting, generally speaking, as long as it is not an oral-quiz-kind of interview. That reminds me of something else that I really don't want to rehash right now.
Back to the present interview, the kid emerge not feeling very confident on how it went. It was all a very new experience for him. Some questions were from real life while some were a bit philosophical.
One question was about the country's declining population, and another from his self-introduction essay. He was pressed to come up with a "career type" of question and his answer totally had both me and his father trying to suppress our laughs. We instantly thought about the time when we were stressing out over his essay. Writer.
But who knows? The next three years of his high school life might be a revelation on what he can do, whether it be writing, public speaking, or something. I'll leave at that.
We got a few days to wait for the final result on this whole thing and I can now start on the "lists" and financial part of this next phase. One day at a time.
Quick recap of this month:
Week 2. Part 1 Submission of documents online (3 days)
Week 3. Result for the qualified ones and submission of personal essay the next day (2 days.)
Week 4. The interview.
We were scheduled to be there at 12 o'clock which is just super fine with me as the official driver, moral supporter/parent. :D We had time to cook and eat hoteok as brunch (not necessarily the best choice for nutrition but all for setting the good mood for a possibly stressful hours ahead.) I had my gears packed: 3 screens, papers, and snacks. I knew we will be in for a long wait.
We got to the premises almost on the dot, drop the kid off and found myself a good place to park. There were already a lot of cars in the field/parking lot but not as full as it was during the "orientation." As few minutes after we got there, the morning set started to finish and leave. I didn't bother to go inside for the next 2 hours since there were a lot of other parents going in and out of the building just waiting.
Much more than the interview that got us there in the first place, I was keen on working on my monthly plan, writing and figuring out my new Ipad. lol. Kidding aside, I knew it would be another few hours of hanging so gotta keep myself busy. I chose to stick inside the car but when I finally felt cold and needed a break, I went in to get some hot drinks. There were still a few more parents waiting inside near the heater, and inside the gym while some are milling about with younger kids in tow. I just can't stand sitting around with them while waiting for the interview to finish. I headed out for a walk to warm myself up.
I found a nice little hill behind the school with about a hundred steps to the top. It took me a minute to go up but almost two to go down. I had to stop in the middle as I've realized that it's because it's steep and I had to be more careful as I take each step while looking down. There's more "fright factor" in every step. Unlike heading up, my focus is on what's at the top.
It's time to head back to the car even if I still wanted to explore since my battery is almost gone. I had no idea when my kid will finish and call so better find a way to charge. It still took almost an hour's worth of me making a rough template on the "good notes" app. All is good for the day except for the blog writing that I didn't get around to as there was not much call to write for me. ;) (This came later day.)
My kid finally emerged from the building around half past four and he was, of course, hungry. We both were. I got a bit of quick run down of what happened at the interview in the drive back home but we left more details for later. We hurried home to cook rice and salmon for dinner with an hour or so before my husband got home around half past six.
So here is what we got from the kid.
The phones were collected and they were made to wear graduation gowns over their clothes. Only some papers were allowed while waiting. Unfortunately, kid didn't bring any book. And the gowns, I figured it's to keep any bias towards outfits and all. Hubs also thought the same. Pretty neat.
There were two rooms. One for the similar question and the next is for the more random ones.
There were 4 questions.
1st Q. They were given a few minutes and a sheet of paper to write down their answers. This, I think, is to jump start the interviewees to answer questions and calm the nerves. I really had no idea if P had to calm any nerves since he said that he fell asleep while waiting for hours. :D
2nd to 4th Qs. The basic oral questions which can sometimes be actually fun for both parties. As an interviewee, you have to think on your feet, be creative while being honest and leave a good impression. As an interviewer, it's interesting how different people will behave in such circumstances and how varied their answers will be for the same questions. I find interviews pretty interesting, generally speaking, as long as it is not an oral-quiz-kind of interview. That reminds me of something else that I really don't want to rehash right now.
Back to the present interview, the kid emerge not feeling very confident on how it went. It was all a very new experience for him. Some questions were from real life while some were a bit philosophical.
One question was about the country's declining population, and another from his self-introduction essay. He was pressed to come up with a "career type" of question and his answer totally had both me and his father trying to suppress our laughs. We instantly thought about the time when we were stressing out over his essay. Writer.
But who knows? The next three years of his high school life might be a revelation on what he can do, whether it be writing, public speaking, or something. I'll leave at that.
We got a few days to wait for the final result on this whole thing and I can now start on the "lists" and financial part of this next phase. One day at a time.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Korean High School Admission (Part 1)
It’s the holiday and I have this headache bugging me to get a nap but I can’t help the draw to write.
Part 2
We are in the middle of waiting for the second part of the process in getting into the target high school. I heard that a friend we know I had already got the result from another school that they had applied for around the time that our had started. This holidays had not been very specific yet as we still have to complete the whole process for ours. There are a lot of things going in relation to that school admission so other things had gone down the priority list.
The self-introduction essay has been the one that gave us a lot of stress for the past few weeks. We only got a bit of break after submitting it last week. Got a weekend off before the interview this coming weekend. I have no idea how other kids are preparing but we definitely are not. The initial documents screening has been a bit stressful as well because we had to keep an eye on the numbers coming in as compared against the quota set by the school. Fortunately, the numbers are almost perfect for what we had been hoping for. There was some worry on the second day when it didn’t add up but it went down the next day to the ideal numbers to keep our minds with less worry. We sure breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the submission period.
The next part is the interview this weekend and the final result will be released next Friday. This is also the same day as their middle school graduation so it’s going to be a pretty tricky day. There’s so much suspense in this schedule. I will have to start making a possible schedule on my calendar on what needs to be done around next week and after we get the results.
Let me just get this through one day at a time. On to my lists now!
Part 2
We are in the middle of waiting for the second part of the process in getting into the target high school. I heard that a friend we know I had already got the result from another school that they had applied for around the time that our had started. This holidays had not been very specific yet as we still have to complete the whole process for ours. There are a lot of things going in relation to that school admission so other things had gone down the priority list.
The self-introduction essay has been the one that gave us a lot of stress for the past few weeks. We only got a bit of break after submitting it last week. Got a weekend off before the interview this coming weekend. I have no idea how other kids are preparing but we definitely are not. The initial documents screening has been a bit stressful as well because we had to keep an eye on the numbers coming in as compared against the quota set by the school. Fortunately, the numbers are almost perfect for what we had been hoping for. There was some worry on the second day when it didn’t add up but it went down the next day to the ideal numbers to keep our minds with less worry. We sure breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the submission period.
The next part is the interview this weekend and the final result will be released next Friday. This is also the same day as their middle school graduation so it’s going to be a pretty tricky day. There’s so much suspense in this schedule. I will have to start making a possible schedule on my calendar on what needs to be done around next week and after we get the results.
Let me just get this through one day at a time. On to my lists now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
