United States and South Korea's Education System

By : Hye Ri Park

United States and South Korea have different education programs. It is important to examine the differences and similarities. First, School year systems in United States and South Korea have both elementary school and high school program. However, United States divides the school system into to two parts that include elementary school (K-6) and high school (7-12), but South Korea divideds into three different schools; elementary school (1-6), middle school (1-3) and high school (1-3). Second, both American students and Korean students need to take college entrance test to study in college or university. The difference is that Korean students only have one time a year which is called Soo-neung, so if the students want to take again, they have to wait until next November, but American students have entrance test which is called SAT, they are able to take this test as many as they want because there are more than one time. Last, United States and South Korea students are using transportation to go to school, but American students use their district school buses or their parents’ cars to attend school. However, Korea does not have district school bus service for students because schools are mostly located in walking distance, so until elementary school and middle school, they walk with their friends to go to school, but in high school, sometimes students have to attend little far away so they have to take buses or subways to go to their schools. There are similarities and differences between education system such as school year system, college entrance test and transportation to school in South Korea and United States.






Citation: Hyesoon Lee. Yangji middle school. 2010. Doopedia. Ansan, Kyunggi-do. Web. 13 November 2015.

Caption: This is a picture of South Korea middle school






Citation: Susan Luzzaro. Sweetwater School District Kids Face Bus Cuts. Sandiego reader. 2012. Web. 13 November 2015

Capture: school bus in United States





Citation: Young Soo Son. In Seguipo, the students are using buses for late night 'Popular'. jejuinnews. 2013. Web. 15 November 2015

Capture: Korean students who are taking a bus








Citation: This year there will be no 'Soo-neung cold weather'.."it is going to be warmer than average temperature during these days". EduinNews. 2015. Web. 13 November 2015

Capture: Class room, students are taking Korea college entrance test




Citation: Tamar Lewin. A New SAT Aims to Realign With Schoolwork. The New York Times. 2014. Web. 15 November 2015


Capture: American Students are taking SAT

The Difference in education between America and China

There are many differences between America and China in education system. First, students in two countries have different ways to go to university. In China, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China holds Gaokao only once a year, which is the only way to go to college for all high school students. Gaokao is the largest and the most difficult academic exam in the world. Mathematics, Chinese and English are mandatory subjects for both scientific and art examinees, and students who major in science need to take physics, chemistry and biology, which are called “science comprehensive exam”. Art subjects include history, geography and politics. All these exams are held on 7,8,9 June every year. On the contrary, American students have many ways to go to college. For example, they can take SAT or ACT test many times a year, and the highest grade can be selected to show their aptitudes. SAT test includes mathematics, writing and critical reading; however, other subjects like history or physics are in SAT Subject test, which is not mandatory for all students. Second, students in China and America apply for universities differently. Chinese universities only ask for Gaokao grades. If you take 690 out of 750 in the exam, you can go to any university you prefer. Tsinghua University or Peking University? It is your choice. However, in America, students need to submit their high school GPA, SAT or ACT grades, personal statement, essay, letters of recommendation and other materials that are required. Or, in other words, grades do not represent everything. Third, universities in China and America are totally different. Chinese college students have to take some mandatory courses like Marxist philosophy. Nonetheless, American universities will not force students to take some specific classes. Also, Chinese universities' managements are not as strict as high schools', so some students may relax themselves during undergraduate courses. In contrast, American universities are more competitive and professors will put more pressure on students: limitless reading, exams and quizzes are proof. In conclusion, American and Chinese have vast difference in education.







Citation: China Education Online. "Harbin Normal University High School Exam Site." Photograph. gaokao.eol.cn. eol. 6 June 2015. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption: One of Gaokao exam sites.





Citation: Seth Rollins. "The Beginning of Gaokao." Photograph. bbs.hupu.com/bxj. hupu. 6 June 2015. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption: The ruthelessness of Gaokao.





Citation: Doug Curran. "Still of Chris Evans in The Perfect Score (2004)." Photograph. www.imdb.com/media. imdb. 29 January 2004. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption: One of SAT exam sites.





Citation: Yan Li. "Sun Yat-sen University Dormitory." Photograph. www.cbda.cn. cbda. 3 September 2012. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption：The classic dorm of universities in China.








Citation: Sam Kirschner. "Which dorm at UC Berkeley is the best." Photograph. conferenceservices.berkeley.edu. berkeley.edu. 15 November 2014. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption: Unit 2 2650 Haste Street





Citation: Xianda Chen. "Principles of Marxist Philosophy." Photograph. book.douban.com. douban.com. 1 July 2004. Web. 13 November 2015.


Caption: A required course of universities in China.

In FOOD, we find DIVERSITY

Through the two-month on campus eating in the dinning hall, I came to notice several similarities and differences between Chinese and American food culture. Firstly, the food ideas are different. Chinese put great emphasis on the flavor of the food. Each dish has to meet the 5 aspects of “ color, fragrance, taste, shape and tray” to be counted as delicious. On the opposite, Americans have more rational appeals on nutrition. They count how many calories, vitamins and protein people have to absorb everyday, eating strictly as the rules. Secondly, there are also differences in food ingredients. Americans believe that food is to appease hunger, so they tend to eat pizza, big loaf of meat and a whole chicken, which can satisfy their stomach in a very short period of time. While Chinese cuisine is "taste", Chinese Chefs can make great dishes out of ingredients that are deprecated by foreign Chefs, such as animals' internal organs or chicken feet. Though it may take a while to cook, the flavor is so worth it. Still, there are similarities in eating habits. Both Chinese and Americans like to eat with groups of friends together, and they both like to have desserts or drinks at the end of a meal. The differences and similarities in food show the ones between perceptual and rational difference, which are getting blurred with the development of science. Nowadays, people tend to rush through their meal with fast-food like hotdogs, hamburgers and sandwiches, making the food culture much more similar between Chinese and American.







Qian. "SongHe Restaurant". Photograph

Food Jiangsu. 13 May 2015








Jennifer Richmond. "Tonight's Dinner: Cheesy mini meat loaves recipe". Photograph. Sheknows. 20 Dec. 2011







Lauren Rsussell. "7 NUTRIENT-PACKED ANIMAL ORGANS". Photograph

Men's fitness. 30 June 2015







Tony. "High school classmates reunion". Photograph

Tonylee. 12 Jan. 2013

Chinese and American education system-two different and effective education system

Although both of the education system of the USA and China are pretty successful, they have really different focuses and methods. In China, teachers are very "pushy" and strict to students. It is really hard for a student to not working hard, because you will always feel the pressure coming from your teachers who try to bring the best out of you. On the contrary,in the USA, professors give respect to every students, even to those who prefer not to work as hard. And whether students choose to study or not are their own choices which means professors never push you to study hard. When I made mistakes, I feel that I can feel "free" to make mistakes and correct them later.

Citation: BBC. "Are our kids tough enough,Chinese school: Trailer-BBC Two." Online video clip. Youtube. BBC. 24 July 2015. Web. 14 November. 2015


On the other hand, the subjects students learn are different. In China, students have to choose between Arts or Sciences during the senior year of high school, for example, if one chooses Sciences, then he or she has to study only subjects within Sciences and no Arts classes, which limits his or her choices to some extent. Nevertheless, in the USA, students can choose whatever classes they want to study in high school. For example, they can choose Arts as well as Sciences, which gives students more experiences and choices of subjects they interested in.


Also, there are different times of opportunities given by the education government of the university entering exam. In China, each student is given only one chance per year for the university entering exam, which makes it more like a "one shot game". For example, if one failed in the exam, he or she has to wait for another year before taking the exam again. However, in the US, there are several times of exams every year that students can choose to take whenever time they like to take the exam, or students can choose to take several times in the same year.



Citation: ZhengZhou Gaokao Culture company. "Celebration on the day before Gaokao" Photograph. Wumii. 5 July 2014. 11 Nov 2015



In summary, there are no absolutely good or bad aspects in both education systems, though they have many differences.

Difference in Education System between China and US

There are many differences in education system between China and US.First, time students spent in studying is different. Before entering university, Chinese students tend to spend more time in studying. They have masses of homework(see picture) and sometimes the extra class outside the classroom. But after entering university, Chinese students get 'freedom', which means they have plenty of spare time to do what they want. On the contrary, American students have few homework before entering university. While US.' university requires students spend more time in studying outside the classroom. Second, exam model between two countries is also different. In China, there is a exam called Gaokao which is taken by all senior students in high school, in order to decide their future university. it held in the certain two days in June. If students miss it, they should wait until next year. While in US, SAT exams are available in the whole year, and students are able to choose their own score to apply for the university. Third, students in China and US. own different right to choose courses. Chinese students have less freedom to choose their preferred subjects before entering university.They only choose “art” and "science" in high school and take the specific courses. On the other hand, American students always choose the subjects they prefer. In summery, education system in China and US is so different in several ways.





"A classroom of students". Google. 19 April 2010. Web. 11 November 2015.


Caption：This is the Chinese classroom.

The differences between Americans and Chinese in dating

Dating plays an significant role in college life, and interestingly there seems to be a bunch of similarities and differences between American teens and Chinese teens in the opinion of dating.




“¿Cómo conseguir pareja?” photograph， Loventine blog，ANDREA RAITELLI，28 SEPTIEMBRE, 2014，web， 13 nov 2015


To begin with, although the purpose of a date seems like the same - to improve relationship with the one you date with, American teens tend to get to know more about each other. By contrast, Chinese would like to only enjoy in a date instead of doing it for a specific reason.


Then, it is about choosing a place. In most cases, people opt to date in theater or restaurant. However, American seems to be more romantic in this respect - they probably choose to go on a hike, go to a beach or have a long drive together.


When in a date, people are inclined to talk to each other or do something depending on the situation. Nevertheless, American date seems more open, since the date is usually end up with a kiss, which Chinese think it is too fast.



"Happy Kiss Day Cover Pics, Cute Images for Facebook and WhatsApp" photograph, Galaxy reporter, Gaurav, Web, 13.Nov. 2015


Finally, if a date goes pretty well, when it ends, American would like to have further dates to make sure their true thoughts about the person they date with. On the contrary, it is more likely for Chinese to establish relationship after a date, which means no matter whether they can be together or not, there won’t be many dates after.


In conclusion, Although the main process of a date seems to be the same, there are still some slight differences between a date in Chinese style and in American style.

We date differently

The American way of dating is different from that in China. The reasons are as follows. To start with, the first step of asking for a date is different. It is similar that American and Chinese both ask for phone numbers and Facebook when they feel that they like the boy or the girl. However, Americans ask for phone numbers directly while Chinese prefer to get the information from their friends. Moreover, the ways of dates are also quite different. Although Americans and Chinese mostly choose to date in restaurants, parks, churches or tourist attractions, which is the same, but dating is never the same concept for American and Chinese. Americans date before having a relationship between each other. They consider that dating is just a step for knowing more about each other, so they do not take that serious. Conversely, Chinese people date after they have already formed a relationship. It also explains why Americans date with many people at the same time. In China, dating with more than one person in the same period of time is so bad because Chinese people are considered being in a relationship when two people hang out. Furthermore, there are some differences in date details. Take dating fees as an example. American and Chinese boys are expected to pay during dating. Americans tend to AA when they are not sure about forming a relationship. However, Chinese boys pay all the time. Considering all the differences, Americans and Chinese really have great differences in dating.





Citation: 'How do Chinese young people date', Channel C. Youtube. Dec 22,2013, web, Nov 11,2015


Caption: It is a video for the differences in dating culture from the Chinese point of view.