Preparing for college can change your child's college choice!
To get into a top-tier university, you need a strategic roadmap starting in your first year of high school.

The author of this book, Teacher Ollie, received college entrance exam consulting and special lectures from Korea's best instructors, just like any other ordinary parent of a student preparing for the college entrance exam.
However, since the focus was often on SKY and the entrance exam process was so diverse, it was difficult to expect systematic consulting just for my child.
Through repeated trial and error, I learned that while there was confusion in the constantly changing admissions process, there was also opportunity for advancement.
After that, I studied the entrance exam system from the ground up and sent my children to universities that were much higher than the universities I could apply to based on my grades.
I published "Space Upward Growth Strategy" containing the know-how I gained through direct coaching of all processes, including performance evaluations tailored to the department's suitability, analysis of admission guidelines, application writing, and interview preparation.
Through this book, readers will be able to accurately understand the trends in college entrance exams in Korea and draw up a blueprint for successful college entrance in the fierce competition.

The reason why choosing electives is important is because it serves as a criterion for distinguishing between the humanities (liberal arts) and the natural sciences (science).
Integration and cross-support between humanities and science is permitted, but departments have not been eliminated.
The university entrance exam selects new students by dividing them into humanities, social sciences, science, and engineering fields.
In the natural sciences, only science elective subjects are reflected, and in the social sciences, social science elective subjects are given more weight.
Ultimately, elective subjects become an important criterion for determining which department or program a student will apply to.

For example, there was a student who was ranked first in the entire school and was recommended by the principal to Seoul National University.
When this student entered high school, he never thought he would be so good at studying.
Although this student had the grades to receive the only Seoul National University principal's recommendation letter from his high school, he did not complete the required elective courses required by Seoul National University during his second year, and so he ended up having to give up the Seoul National University recommendation letter to another student.

--- p.28~29

Subjects such as technology, home economics, physical education, and art are included in calculating internal grades (when all subjects are reflected), but are not subjects for the CSAT.
Students feel a great burden when preparing for performance evaluations and midterm and final exams in the subject.
Students studying this subject often think, "I'm wasting my time studying something I don't need."
However, if you are preparing for the academic selection process that reflects all subject scores, you should be aware that these subject scores can lower your average.
If you neglect to manage your grades with the vague expectation that "If I don't get my grades, I can just go to the regular admissions program!", you are likely to regret it when you fill out your application in your third year.
You should do your best to improve your grades starting from your first year, and you should never give up until at least your second year.

--- p.35

The story is important in school.
A story-driven resume is one that demonstrates your interest in the department or field you are applying to and the process of exploring how to solve it.
Therefore, in order to create a story-driven life story, it is most advantageous to decide on a department or field early.
Just because you decide on your career path late and are unable to show a consistent story, it doesn't mean you have no chance of being selected for the academic selection process.
However, it is clear that students who have decided on a career path in advance and have consistently explored their areas of interest are at a disadvantage.
In particular, research subjects can be an important factor in demonstrating suitability for a department or field in the life sciences department.
This is why it is essential to have a detailed discussion about your career path before deciding on electives.
Please refer to the subjects offered at the school and the results of the pre-requisites, but make your choice by comprehensively considering your career path (entrance exam, university, department, field, etc.).
--- p.36~27

Since the current student record is reflected only up to the first semester of the third year in college admissions, the number of students absent from the second semester of the third year increases more than expected.
In the case of a general high school, there are classes where less than 10 students out of 30 attend school.
Even students who attend class faithfully can easily get swept up in this atmosphere in the second semester.
If you are unlucky enough to have to retake the exam and apply for early admissions during the retake, you may be disappointed because your attendance from the second semester of your third year, which you didn't pay attention to, will all be reflected.
Some people may be skeptical, but there are still places that require a high school transcript as a required document for employment.

A college transcript only shows grades and does not reveal anything about the student.
If a place asks for a high school transcript, they will most likely first check attendance, behavioral characteristics, and overall opinion (homeroom teacher opinion).
Even if your child is having a hard time going to school every day in the second semester of third grade, you should persuade them by explaining why they should keep the school record until the end.
Rather than pressuring your child to go to school unconditionally, you can compromise with your child by saving the experiential learning opportunities as much as possible during the first semester and using them in the second semester.
--- p.63

What makes a good student record? The ultimate reason for having a student record is to gain the opportunity to apply to top universities beyond those you can apply to based on your academic performance.
This is the reason why we are supporting the upward trend of the academic selection process that refers to the student record.
Many admissions experts say that a good life story that enables upward support is a "life story donation."
A 'life story' refers to a student's continuous interest, effort, and diverse activities related to their major or field of study in special and creative fields, while also showing a deepening of interest and exploration.
A resume that simply lists a lot of activities, like the following bad example, is not considered a good resume.
As students progress through the grades, their interests should broaden, deepen, and explore in greater depth.
When the process of initially being interested out of curiosity, then gradually deepening interest, and then exploring what you want to know more about and gaining enlightenment is revealed in the book of life, then a 'story-based book of life' is completed.

--- p.81~82

March, the month when the third year of high school begins, holds a special meaning for both students and parents.
For students, it marks the beginning of the final race for college entrance, and for parents, it marks the beginning of the real entrance exam race.
There are things that parents need to prioritize during this time.
It is the task of finding the school you are likely to be accepted to or wish to apply to based on your academic performance up to the second year.
When you first start, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know where to start, but as you research college information, you'll begin to get a sense of the university's ranking and the grades required for application.
If your child's grades improve in their third year, it's a good idea to rank universities that fit their career path, with the intention of applying to higher-ranking universities than those they were considering.

After organizing your school grades and mock exam scores in a clear manner, you can get a rough idea of ​​the schools you can apply to and their rankings by checking a few websites that provide information based on entrance exam data, such as Su-bak Book, which compiles all the admissions data.
Once you have decided on the school or department you wish to apply to, you can check the university admission guidelines to find a niche program or department.
After deciding on the level of university you wish to apply to based on your academic performance up to the second year and your mock exam scores, you can change the scope slightly based on your academic performance and mock exam scores to determine your final early admission and regular admission cards.
--- p.108~109

The standard comment from general high school teachers is, “Don’t throw away your grades (early admissions)!”
There are several reasons, but the reason is that 'discarding the odds and going all-in on the regular time' means 'discarding 6 out of 9 cards and going all-in on 3.'
A strategy of abandoning two-thirds and focusing on one-third can be quite reckless.
In particular, the special admission process during the rolling admissions process provides an opportunity to aim for a university that is one level higher than the universities that can be applied to based on regular admissions (CSAT scores) or school grades.
Of course, it is true that this is an opportunity that can only be obtained by putting in a lot of effort throughout the three years of high school, taking performance assessments, midterm and final exams, and special subjects.
However, it is important to note that some students take advantage of this opportunity to attend top universities beyond those they could have gotten into based on their grades.
Even if you focus on the exam on time, you should seriously consider whether you can win against a repeat student who has only prepared for the CSAT for a year longer than you.
The reason why you shouldn't easily decide to "throw away your grades (early admissions)" can be confirmed by looking at the university admission quotas.
About 79 percent of all university admissions are through rolling admissions.
Even if we narrow down the scope to major universities (top 15 universities in Seoul), there are more students accepted through early admission than through regular admission.

--- p.116

The typical example that reflects the life history in the score is the school type.
Looking at the admission quota for each university for the 2024 school year, approximately 150,000 students will be selected through the academic selection process, while approximately half of that number, approximately 80,000, will be selected through the academic selection process.
The burden of having to fill out the application form is great, but because the number of students accepted is small, many students give up on the academic selection process.
However, the biggest reason why you should not easily give up on the academic performance test is because it provides an opportunity to be accepted to a higher level university than the university you can be accepted to based on your academic performance.
--- p.128

Competition rate is one of the important factors that changes admission decisions.
When deciding which college to apply to, the most important factors to consider are grade cutoffs and competition rates.
Since most students consider the competition rate when deciding which department to apply to, the rise and fall of the competition rate shows a recurring pattern.
There are departments where the competition rate fluctuates between high and low every year, while there are also departments where the competition rate does not change much.
In general, departments that had high competition rates in the previous year tend to have lower competition rates in the current year.
Comparing the entrance exam results from the past three years reveals the changing nature of the competition rate.
It is recommended that you download the admission results from the past three years from the university admissions office website and compare them.

--- p.143~144

The college entrance examination system itself has changed significantly.
The ways to get into college have become more diverse and complex, including subjects, academic types, essays, and regular admissions.
The method of reflecting grades also varies for each model.
In our parents' generation, you had to do well in all subjects, but now you can get into college by focusing on just a few subjects by major.
If you are in the humanities, you can get by just focusing on Korean, English, and math, and if you are in the sciences, you can get by just focusing on Korean, English, and math.
There is a process for applying even if you excel in only one subject, math.
You can go to college based on your academic grades alone without taking the CSAT.
As the path to college becomes more diverse, finding the best option for your child has become increasingly important.
The days of lining up students by score and filling out college applications are long gone.
You shouldn't expect your child's homeroom teacher to find the right college and admissions process for them.
Even with a smaller student population, the variety of admissions options has made it nearly impossible to find the perfect program and college for each individual student.
Parents must now take on the role that the homeroom teacher once played.
While you will need help from your homeroom teacher, you will also need to be proactive in finding the most advantageous program, department, and school for your child.

--- p.167

When it comes time to prepare for the September application period, the role of parents becomes very important.
September is an important time to focus on studying for the CSAT, as all internal grades that are reflected in college admissions are finalized.
Even students who risk their lives for the CSAT should not give up until the very end, as it is difficult to predict the results.
Even if you plan to go to college on time, you should avoid the option of throwing away all six of your early admission cards.
It's time for parents and children to have serious communication to develop a strategy for early admissions.

High school teachers in charge of college guidance are most concerned about students losing focus during this period.
Many students complain that they feel like they've already been accepted into a university during the process of choosing a university to apply to, and that they can't focus on their studies.
Some students give up and say, "I'll just accept whatever happens" when the number of universities they can apply to turns out to be lower than they expected.
To ensure that students do not give up until the end, parents, not students, should be actively responsible for submitting applications for early admission.
It is best for parents to take the initiative in finding the programs, departments, and schools with a high probability of acceptance and to discuss the options thoroughly with their children before applying.
If the application process requires an interview or essay, students must actively participate to expect good results.
If you apply to a program or department you don't want according to your parents' wishes, it could be a discarded card.
Finding the most advantageous model for your child is arguably the most important role parents have at this time.
--- p.191

If you are a student who is particularly confident in your interview skills but lacks academic ability, you may want to consider applying to schools with a high interview-based admissions rate.
However, in order to demonstrate your abilities in an interview, you must pass the first round of document screening to be given the opportunity.
Although preparing for the interview is necessary, it is most important to diligently prepare your academic transcript and resume before that.
Changes to recruitment guidelines provide important information for developing niche strategies.
The key to analyzing a recruitment notice is to find out what has changed to your child's advantage or disadvantage.
In the following chapter, we will present an analysis of the admissions guidelines of 35 universities in Seoul and the metropolitan area.
Learn the skills of analyzing recruitment guidelines and use them to analyze the recruitment guidelines of the universities your child will apply to.

--- p.202~203