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Filipino Students’ Dreams Are Similar to Koreans’
 
By Jo Eun-hye, Guest Reporter
 
I am currently studying in the University of the Philippines (UP). Sometimes I have had a hard time not only in adjusting to the situation, but I have also been surprised by the students and their talents here. I have wondered about the similarities and differences between universities in Korea and the Philippines.
To find out those things, I interviewed two students at UP. One of them is Christian Samia. I just asked him what he and his friends want to do after graduation. Their plans are the same as Korean students. Some students want to find jobs related to their majors, others do not. He said most students, whose majors are related to social science and philosophy, do not find jobs in that sector because the border of their studies is not clear. Usually, engineering major students become engineers. Some students want to be public officers, others want to work at corporations. I feel it is similar to Korean students’ situation.
Also, there is another similarity. Some people in Korea may have a preconception that most Filipinos do not go to universities and find other ways to get jobs, but it is not true. I realized it when I interviewed Ivy Yleana, who is majoring in Library and Information Studies. In Korea most of the high school students study hard and they are eager to go to good universities. We really want to go to the best university when we are high school students. In the Philippines the situation is the same. It does not matter where you live. Even though it is far, people want to get into good universities if they can. She told me that most of her classmates in high school really wanted to come to UP. About 10 students who were good at studying in her class took a test for UP, but only 5 passed. She lived in a distant province before she came to UP. She has to take an airplane because she is from a different island. Actually, she is not the only one from a province who took a test for UP.
Many Filipino friends in my dorm are also from different provinces. I was surprised, but I think it is similar to Korea. Even though it is far, people usually want to choose the best universities that they can go to. When I asked about their dreams for the future, I felt they were really ambitious, and want to be leaders in this world. I just hope that Korean students also broaden their sights and dream of being global.
 
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