Admission System for the Majority
YONSEI UNIV. is currently considering changing its admission system from an integrated admission system to enrollment by separate departments, starting from 2010. After the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology released its plans to abolish the regulations regarding the integrated admission system last April, some universities started to consider returning to admission by separate departments, and Yonsei is among them.
The integrated admission system, hakbu, was first introduced to Yonsei Univ. in 2000, with three major goals: to secure enough time for freshmen to choose the right majors; to give them more chances to acquire knowledge outside of their major fields; and to reinforce liberal arts. However, aside from such ideal goals, the system created a serious side effect: excessive competition to enter popular departments, of which there are only a few.
The integrated admission system in Yonsei Univ. has continually undergone changes. Some subdivisions were established within the same division, and a course called “Gateway to College” was opened. Despite attempts to close its loopholes, many universities are returning to the enrollment by separate departments. According to the data analyzed by a member of the National Assembly, Jung Bong-joo, in 2005, among 129 four-year universities that he analyzed, 66 universities (51.2%) returned from the university college system to enrollment by separate departments.
Although now public opinion is inclining towards returning to enrollment by separate departments, Yonsei does not have to be so agitated by such an atmosphere. In Yonsei Univ., the two systems could be applied together according to the characteristics of each college. For example, enrollment by separate departments will be more appropriate for the Col. of Liberal Arts, whereas the integrated system will be more appropriate for the col. of Social Science. If the basic course guidelines used in the integrated system are used for colleges using enrollment by separate departments, the advantages of the integrated system will still remain.
About ten years later, the public may assert that we should return to the integrated system, after experiencing the disadvantages of enrollment by separate departments. After all, history repeats itself. There is no perfect system, yet we can make improvements to make a system that satisfies the majority.
Nah Noo-ree (Editor-in-Chief)