[Letters] Dear editor

In the editorial “Colleges: Accentuate the practical,” the writer maintains that college students should focus more on practical subjects that better prepare them as competent applicants in the job market.

Ever since high school or even middle school, students have been told that they need to score well in the essential subjects such as Literature, Math, and English.

Consequently, they believed that striving in such subjects is the most ensured means possible to enroll in Korea’s most prestigious universities- often perceived as the gate to success.

Here a question is raised: Who determines what subjects are more valuable?

In my opinion, the current liberal arts studies are not mere subjects in which students get meaningless credit for kicking a ball around the playground.

They provide students to experience something new, and expand their scope of knowledge other than the subjects the writer claims “practical”.

They create an environment for students to become well-rounded, which is also an important character global companies look for in the recruiting process.

As a senior high school student, I cannot wait to see what college life awaits for me- especially the various liberal arts studies programs.

I am the one, as Park mentioned, who is paying for the high tuition, so I should be choosing for myself which subjects is more beneficial and how I will prepare for my future career.

If Korean universities truly aim to produce students who are capable of competing on the global stage, they should first realize that a greater number of so called “practical” subjects do not lead students to become high-quality intellectuals.

Kim Min-seon, Kwacheon Foreign Language High School