Studying Smart, Living Fully: Advice from Upperclassmen to First Year Students
Students enroll in MCH with their dreams in their burning hearts, but we can see this strange phenomenon - students transferring to other schools at the beginning of school year. There would be various reasons as to why they are leaving MCH, but the most common reasons expected are dormitory problems and long self-study hours. So, for the seamless school life of freshmen, we heard about their struggles and interviewed sophomores and seniors to hear the advice and tips that they have to give.
Freshmens’ struggles
Q: What do you think of waking up in the early morning and going to the dormitory late in the night?
A: Adjusting to a regular routine and not having time to myself was the hardest thing for me. In middle school, I had time to play or relax on my own after school, whether it was at the academy or at home, but I think the long school days and living in a dormitory for the first time were the hardest things to adjust to.
-16th Spanish Department
Q: How do you resolve conflicts with your friends when you spend five days a week in the same space?
A: l tried to not care about trivial conflicts, because when l had experienced conflicts between a group of friends in middle school, l came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t suffer from tiny problems. As l started to care less about the friendship problems in our classroom, it became fine as time went by.
-16th Japanese Department
Q: What was the hardest thing to adjust to when you entered MCH?
A: Getting up early was the hardest part to accept as l first entered this school. It was difficult for me to start a morning study before 8 and to continue it until 11:30. But I tried my best to accept this routine as l believed if this routine was embodied in me, it would be far easier to overcome anything, such as diligent performance ability, not just studying.
-16th French Department
Q: You have to go to school during the week and to cram academies on the weekends. How are you coping with that?
A: I had a very hard time overcoming this problem. As l had to get help from academies, l had to make a solution to handle excessive homework from school and academies. At first I didn't know how to spend my study time in the evening, but now l have a systemized schedule so that l can handle the assignments from every subject.
-16th Chinese Department
Sophomores’ and seniors’ advices
Q: How did you cope with the early rise and late finishing of school?
A: I was initially concerned about the 6:30am wake-up time, but once I got into the habit of going to bed early, my sleep rhythm worked out well. Even during the test period, I slept an average of 5 hours, which was not too bad. I think MCH's wake-up and sleep patterns worked well for me.
-15th Spanish Department
Q: How can the freshmen use their long study time effectively?
A: I set up my own routine and followed it. For example, Monday 8th period is my major language, 1st period is English, 2nd period is Korean, morning period is math, 7th period is math, and so on. Having a fixed routine like this helps me to study in an organized and efficient way without having to plan every day. I recommend that you try to set up a routine that works for you, but I think the best way to study is the one that works for you.
-14th Japanese Department
Q: Is there any study method you can recommend to help me do well in my major language and English?
A: I analyzed the test papers after every exams, analyzing what types of questions I got wrong and always wrote self-feedback in notes, which I used as a reference for what I should pay more attention to when preparing for the next one. For English, I found it very helpful to write down the texts in my own language and expressions when I was studying, so that I could have it next to me when I was doing revisions, and I often used it to check my understanding by explaining it to my friends. There are so many different topics in the original English text. Economics, geography, literature... There were many parts that I didn't understand even in Korean, but I think that looking at these difficult parts in Korean first, marking the parts that I didn't understand with questions, and structuring them with my own expressions and pictures that were easier for ‘me’ to understand laid a solid foundation for understanding and proceeding to the next stage of study.
-15th Spanish Department
A: For French, I made sure I understood grammar by filling in the blanks in the example sentences in the worksheets or writing my own sentences; I memorized the spelling and pronunciation of words and memorized everything in the worksheet so that I didn't forget any of them; for English, I made sure I understood the entire text thoroughly when I read the original text for the first time. I memorized the flow and details of the text by reading it repeatedly to prepare for any sequencing or comprehension questions. I tried to interpret and understand the text on my own rather than relying on interpretation.
-15th French Department
A: I suggest reading the text over and over to get a good grade in English. And for a major language, l recommend just memorizing the words and grammar. Both subjects require some degree of time investment, so we should spend some time to achieve a good outcome in these subjects.
-14th Chinese Department
A: First of all, consistency is the key in major language really! As a Japanese major, to say, Japanese classes can feel a bit easy because we sing songs in the first year class and the teacher is funny, but when I got ahold of myself, the progress had already passed by. So I always review Japanese in the 8th period on the day when there’s Japanese class. Especially from the second year, the difficulty level increases significantly. I memorized words and kanji by hand. I made a separate notebook and wrote the texts, checking the vocabulary and words in it. It's the most basic and simple method, but in the end, it's the most reliable. It's the same with English, because if you lose the track once, you can't handle it later.... I finished my test coverage at least two weeks before the exam and kept reading for the rest of the time. As we all know, reading is the only answer in English.
-14th Japanese Department
Q: As you advance in grade, there are more activities you can focus on. What activities are good to do, and how can you complete them and perform them well?
A: I can’t specify superior activities as the future hopes and interests are different for each person, but I think that U.N simulation, major language academic conference, and MYRC are the essential activities so that we should participate in those activities at least once during the 3 years at MCH. You can juggle those activities and performance tests if you spend your time effectively and engage yourself sincerely.
-14th Chinese Department
A: I participated in almost every activity I could in first grade, which helped me develop the ability to select activities I needed and combine them with school work. It may be difficult to combine them in the first year because you’re still adjusting to school, but since you have more time than other grades, I recommend actively participating in programs such as English Literacy and Major Language Culture presentation. As you move up the academic ladder, you'll have more opportunities to participate in major programs of MCH. Rather than recommending specific activities, I would say that as you move up the grades, you should focus on a smaller number of activities that are relevant to your career and interests, so that you can produce meaningful results. When working on assignments, I tend to utilize free time, such as breaks and lunch, to increase my efficiency. In addition, I try to maximize my concentration during my free time to quickly complete tasks or activities within the given time, and I try to focus on studying during my free time.
-15th French Department
Throughout the interviews, sophomores advised to review the subjects they learned that day, during the same day. Also, reading English texts repeatedly and memorizing the smallest details in major languages was recommended multiple times. The sophomores and seniors had experienced the problems the freshmen are having, and are still experiencing hardships now. Like them, the freshmen will cope with the distress they are now having and become a true MCH student.
By Staff Reporter Dong Chaeyoon (1-6)
Kim Soohyun (2-3)
