Spring has arrived. Already a month has passed since the beginning of the 1st semester. Soon, Haeongwon Park (the area with benches in front of the business building) will turn pink with cherry blossoms. Oops, in fact, cherry blossom means the midterm week is coming.
Source: Internet Hanyang (http://www.hanyang.ac.kr/user/WeeklyUserList.action?command=print_view&work=pdf&weeklyId=2012-04-3-8)
Thomas is a second year MIS major student from University of Central Oklahoma. Excited to come to HYU as an exchange student, he is trying to be open minded to new ideas and concepts.
“For sure, there is going to be a small language barrier that can hold back information. Maybe people are not able to communicate clearly with each other. In this setting, you have to be a little bit more patient with each other.”
Besides overcoming the language barrier, you might have no idea what exams in South Korea is like. Midterm and final exams take a large percentage of grades. Some might be intimidated to see many Korean students studying hard at library and cafes. For those worried about exams, and for those who need motivation to study, here are some tips of how to prepare for exams in Korea.
1. Exam dates and time depend on professors
As mentioned on each course syllabus, midterm exams are usually held during the eighth week of a semester, which is the third week of April. However, exam dates vary depending on class. This means, even if both you and your friends take course of the same title, exam dates can be different if professors are different. Also, some exams are taken during usual class hour while others are taken in the evening after 5 or 6 pm. Therefore, it is advisable to plan your study following the order of exams.
An MIS course at HUBS
2. Know the formats of exams
It gets much easier to study when you know the formats of exams. Due to the large number of students in each class and in order to maintain objectivity of questions, many of the exams are comprised of short answers and multiple questions. Few classes have essay questions. Most professors explain the formats of tests and the number of questions before exam dates, but if not, ask them kindly. When studying for multiple questions, try to memorize steps and processes of course topics. For blank questions, try to understand important diagrams and graphics. If there are exercise questions given, solve them at least once.
Source: Internet Hanyang (http://www.hanyang.ac.kr/si_programe/hanyang/weekly/user/file_view.jsp?filePath=/top_news/2010/104/cover.html )
3. Write a memo of examples or cases professors introduce during lecture
For some classes, professors come up with many real life examples to enhance students’ understanding. Try to write a short memo of those examples on your notes. These remind you what was learned in class when you study later. Also, you can apply those examples when answering essay questions.
4. Make a summary of the class materials
Make textbooks, powerpoint slides, and additional notes into one summary. It is inefficient and time consuming to go over each by each. Especially, writing notes on textbooks is cumbersome. After finishing skimming through those notes, copy important concepts you need to memorize from textbooks into either powerpoint slides or notes.
Source: Internet Hanyang (http://www.hanyang.ac.kr/si_programe/hanyang/weekly/user/file_view.jsp?filePath=/top_news/2012/062/campus3.html)
5. Study together with classmates
There is an old Korean proverb saying, “백지장도 맞들면 낫다”, which roughly translated, “Even a piece of paper is lighter when held together by many”. This means “Two hands are better than one”. Sometimes, your peer can point out important things you may have missed. Also, if there are academic terms you misunderstood in class, you can ask your friends and get to correct them. During exam week, several classrooms are open for those who stay in school late until night. Group study rooms and the lounge on the 2nd floor are also recommendable.
6. Arrive earlier to the exam place
Try to arrive at least thirty minutes to an hour earlier to the exam place. You can choose where to sit, the area you will feel most comfortable. You can have time to prepare needed utensils on the desk and get some water. Also, if you have some urgent last-minute questions, you will have a chance to ask peer students who are also studying in the exam room.
Thomas Campbell, a sophomore in MIS major from University of Central Oklahoma shares his class experience in HUBS.
Article by SangEun from Korea, junior in business administration
myHUBS 
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