Dec. 26. 2019
Finals at Seoul National University is very different to UHM. First, the professors are the one who set the date and time of the final exam, where as UHM, the school sets the time depending on your class time. It was hard when professors asked when we our availability for final exams are at the beginning of the semester. So we would set tentative dates, but when it gets closer to December, professors are setting exact time and days. The worst part is when they would set a possible date, there is a conflict with other classes that have set the final exam times first.
One of my professors scheduled a presentation day last minute and I had an exam at the same time. I was stressing because I did not want to miss the presentation date, but our teacher was understanding and allowed my group and I to present early.
This was one thing that I could not understand because two of my professors set the final exam time at 6pm and 7pm. One of my exams was the week after "finals week", meaning I had to go back to school when there was no official classes. I just thought it was inefficient and bothering to go back to school at night; and this exam was 3 hours long - meaning we ended at 9pm.
I had friends who dormed and was in the same 7pm exam time class. And it was rougher for them because dorm move out was the Friday before the exam. If they did not sign up for the winter extension they had to find their own places and commute.
Also professors at SNU, expect you to study by yourself. In class, the lectures are very broad and they go over the general topics briefly. And so you need to study by yourself a lot before the midterm or final. And the worst part is that you are not sure what you are studying by yourself is even the right thing. And so I had a difficult time preparing for the final and midterm.
Overall, it was a stressful and eventful final exam week at SNU. I appreciate and am so grateful for UHM. :)