A day before graduation, seniors of Hana Academy Seoul shed uniforms and cheer in unison Thursday at the school campus in Eunpyeong District, northern Seoul.Graduates will be moving on to overseas universities like Oxford, Cambridge and the California Institute of Technology. By Park Sang-moon

Though it was just one day ahead of graduation, seniors at Hana Academy Seoul - which gained recognition for half of its seniors gaining acceptance to the top three Korean universities - were busy setting up electrical cords, sound boxes and props at the auditorium on Thursday.

A student-formed seven-member band, Via, took the stage, strumming out their heartfelt final chords. Two band members are heading off to colleges in London and Hong Kong. Other groups belted out pop songs, performed traditional dances and hip-hop and did skits in their last performance before their Friday graduation.

“I feel regret thinking that this will be the last time we will all gather together and perform like this,” said Choi Min-ji, 18, who will be heading to Cambridge University to study English, in the midst of directing underclassmen as equipment coordinator for the final concert. “This was a part of daily life and we always performed frequently.”

Choi visited England for the first time for her college interview and was excited to find out her dormitory will be next to a theater. For three years, Choi has been an active member of the theater club. However, she said, “Back in middle school, I was introverted and did not like taking leadership positions. At this school, we have been encouraged to make our own choices in how we make use of the time we have here.”

In the half-year before she starts university, she will work as server at Outback Steakhouse. “I really wanted to have a part-time job, not just tutoring or studying,” she said.

The fledging private boarding school, one of a kind in Seoul, was founded by Hana Financial Group and opened in spring 2010.

Already, the school gained attention for the matriculation rates of its graduates to top schools. This class is its first batch of graduates. Out of a class of 200 this year, Hana Academy saw 99 students accepted to the elite SKY (Seoul National, Korea and Yonsei universities) this year through the early decision process. An additional 18 were accepted to Kaist.

Of these students, eight opted to apply to colleges abroad. As the first from the school applying to colleges abroad, they faced challenges, including three college advisers in three years.

“Universities are hesitant to accept students from high schools for the first time, so there was additional pressure when applying,” said Park Sang-hyun, 18, who was accepted to Oxford University to study engineering. He chose the school because of its focus on the close bond between professors and students. “We also have the burden of knowing that how we do will pave the way for our underclassmen when they apply to colleges abroad.”

While some Hana students are waiting to hear from colleges in spring, others have received early decision acceptances from such top schools as California Institute of Technology, St. John’s and the University of London.

Woo Nam-jae, 18, initially considered continuing his studies in the United States. Because he spent several years in Shanghai, he decided he wanted to keep up his Chinese skills and will matriculate at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology in the fall.

Park and Woo go back to their freshman year interview, when they were assigned as roommates. They formed a band called “Via,” from scratch.

“We came up with the name ourselves. In English, means ‘by way of,’?” said Park, a guitarist. They spend at least four hours a week practicing. “The band didn’t take time away from my studies, in fact it helped me focus more and be refreshed.”

Combating students’ dependence on private academies, or hagwon, is currently a key educational issue. Hana Academy’s take is to keep students busy at school and thus does not allow its students to attend hagwon.

Another controversial policy is mandatory electives, where students have to take sports and either art or music. The school states its students’ physical health and cultural appreciation is as important as studying to develop strong and creative leaders.

Lim Joon-ho, head teacher in the foreign language department and adviser to study abroad students, said, “As you can imagine, there was a lot of controversy from the parents initially. They were concerned that their kids were starting on their studies only after 7 p.m. when other students would have been studying since after classes end at 4 p.m.

“Actually, I was one of the ones who did not approve of the system. I did not know if it was necessary for all students to spend so much time dedicated to such extracurricular activities. But now, I completely agree on the importance of having them.”

Lim, a Seoul National University graduate with experience at a top foreign language school who joined Hana in 2011, admitted he had no experience in overseas college admissions.

“In the beginning, I had to make a lot of phone calls, ask a lot of questions and learn with the students,” said Lim.

The students, however, said having Lim was “an assurance because he was constantly supporting us.” And as his class of 20, which included the study abroad section, gathered in front of the school steps for a group photo, students called out to him.

“The students should not be the center of attention,” said one. “The teacher should.”



By Sarah Kim [sarahkim@joongang.co.kr]