Hoobae Unnie (Older Sister Who is a Junior)

What’s the most unconventional search amongst your search history as of late? Maybe a random fact about an animal, or how long your body hair should grow, or something that you can’t tell someone else. I see you. Mine would be, “What is the average college entrance age?”. In Korea, formalities and age differences are so intrinsically integrated in the culture and daily conversations, that it is almost impossible to hide your age. I am 23 this year, and entered Ewha as a freshman at 22. It might be considered late for a college student; some of my friends in my batch are already graduating college, have graduated and are currently working, or worse still, married. Can you imagine how weird it feels to be called “Unnie” by someone who is my “Sunbae”? It has now, unfortunately, become a daily occurrence.

The reason for my “delayed” entrance to college is simply because I had worked for 2 to 3 years before applying for school. Borders were closed when I had my graduation online, in bed. I already had preconceived plans to study overseas, but I was stuck in my home country. I then worked as a podcast producer at the company I was at for my internship. This then garnered a very common question I received and will likely continue to receive in college, “Why did you decide to study again?”.

The reason is simple, I felt like I was not learning anything at work. The job title “producer” might be impressive to some people, and it may not make sense that I quit my job to pursue studies again, but the truth is, it is never too late for education. This is something that I myself am learning too. I do get insecure from time to time for being “behind” my batchmates, but as someone who worked before college, I realised that I appreciate education so much more now, more than I would have if I entered right after my diploma. My attitude for learning is different; I have fun studying for my courses, and everyday is a new experience for me, instead of the repetitive routine of going to the office to sit in front of a computer, or to the studio for recordings.

Since I was a young girl, I’ve always heard the saying that “you will want to study when you are working, so appreciate your school now”, and never truly understood. What can I appreciate about being forced to do thousands of mathematical questions, or memorise the periodic table of chemistry? However, after actually becoming a working, young adult, I realised that even in a job that is stable, with a position that is considerably impressive, I did not feel fulfilled at all. I was constantly under pressure as the consequences for making mistakes would actually affect other people, and what may seem like a small decision could potentially affect the entire department, or worse, the entire company. I still vividly remember the horror I felt when I realised I had entered the wrong date for one of the podcasts, and the CEO of my company had mentioned it to my boss. It was just a difference of a single digit, but it caused the entire department to go into panic, especially myself. I will not deny that making mistakes in school is difficult, it does reflect on your grades after all, and worse still, if you are aiming for a scholarship, however, at the very least, you are not affecting the lives of others because of your mistake.

The moral of this story that no one really cares about is that there is no need to be insecure about being older than your batchmates, college is for everyone and anyone (those that can afford it at least please give me a scholarship).