[Sponsored Report] Hanwha grads get into Ivy League

Hanwha Bugil Academy students were admitted to prestigious universities.

Hanwha Group’s Bugil Academy, the only autonomous private high school in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, is seeing its first graduates from the global leadership program (GLP) enter top American universities.

Some 25 students were admitted to Ivy League schools such as Yale University and Cornell University, as well as 100 other prestigious schools like Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University. That is 83 percent of the entire graduating class.

First launched in 2010 by the conglomerate president to foster top talents, the program has accepted only 30 students every year. The curriculum focuses on AP exam preparation for college credit and also works to perfect students’ English skills. Expat teachers with master’s and doctorate degrees from top U.S. schools are steering them to succeed. Though the mainstream high school is only open to boys, GLP reserves spots for both genders.

For happier educational experience, the program features a tailored curriculum. It avoids one-way lectures and teaches through active communication. Students are allowed to freely select courses depending on their knowledge and interest in addition to mandatory classes specified in the national curriculum like Korean language and history, arts, music and physical education.

Academic advisers are assigned to each student, enabling one-on-one consulting. Students also participate in forums and exchange programs abroad. It plans to develop more alternative offerings in order to stay away from forced standardization.