Global Assessment Certificate Program Responds to Korean Students’ Needs
As Korean students’ interest in overseas study rises, a Seoul-based center that offers the Global Assessment Certificate™ (GAC) is responding accordingly.
The Hanyang University GAC Center expanded the number of GAC classes available, enrolling 350 students taught by 20 teachers in 14 classes earlier this year. This breaks a previous record of 127 students set in 2011. The GAC is a university preparation program taught and evaluated in English that provides students with the knowledge and skills to successfully complete a bachelor’s degree at an English-speaking college or university.
The center has graduated the most students from the GAC program in the eight years it has been offered in Korea. Demand for the GAC in South Korea has grown, in part, because of the role it plays in giving students a competitive advantage in college admission.
“South Korea’s education system is known to put pressure on students who compete to seek highly prized university entrance,” said Simon Lee, senior academic director at the Hanyang center.
Students must pass a set of examinations for which they spend months or sometimes even years studying. Those who want to learn and gain experience in a western educational system need additional preparation. That’s where the GAC program comes in.
Korean GAC candidates first complete their high school diplomas, and then study the GAC program, which is considered a “school of transformation” for students at the Hanyang center, said Lee.
“Itׄs very rewarding for the entire GAC team to witness the transformation of our students.” Sam Han, Hanyang University GAC Center
“In the six years we’ve been offering the program, we’ve watched as students undergo a two-step transformation. They develop academic and independent learning skills, and then they build their self-confidence as they apply those skills.”
Once students are confident of their skills, they become motivated to work harder in the program, which leads to improved academic success and, ultimately, college admission, he said. “The academic performances of our graduates attest to their transformation.”
All Hanyang GAC graduates who have applied to United States universities and colleges have received at least one acceptance letter.
“We always encourage our students to aim high and do the best they can. We help them set goals and to think about what they want in life,” said professor Sam Han.
Gaye Pullyn hands out Global Assessment Certificates to program graduates. Pullyn is general manager of ACT Education Solutions Limited, which operates the GAC program.
