SNU ‘bamboo’ community in Facebook
SNU students often feel constantly surrounded by overachieving peers. On October 10, an anonymous SNU student wrote a post titled, “10 People You Will Meet at SNU” on the SNU Bamboo Grove Facebook page:
- 1.Ranked as the top academic student in their high school
- 2.Received a perfect score on the Sunung college entrance exam
- 3.Receiving a near-perfect GPA in high school
- 4.Memorized math equations taking over a page because it was easier than understanding the concepts behind the calculations
- 5.Attained certificates even when not required simply out of boredom
- 6.Took standardized tests without preparation to find out the test/question format, only to receive near-perfect scores
- 7.Finding mathematical proofs for absurd idioms
- 8.Seemingly defied the concept of time, winning two academic competitions in a week while going drinking everyday and managing to write a 30-page paper, etc.)
- 9.Solved mathematical or scientific question in their heads because it was faster than referring to the answer key
- 10. Received outstanding grades in classes outside their major requirements that they took “just for fun”
Tacking on a number 11 to this list, the author of the post writes “Does not meet any of the conditions from 1-10: me.”
Getting over 10,000 likes within three days of its posting, this list quickly became a hot topic of the discussion as many SNU students were able to empathize with the pressures of being immersed in this highly competitive environment. Even students not attending this school voiced their surprise at the level of intensity of expectations placed on SNU students. Highlighting the angst of students who come to college expected to be near-perfect and end up feeling out of place, the post serves as a humorous, if slightly masochistic insight into the mind of an SNU student.
Article Source: Insight News
Written by Yu Young Jin, SNU English Editor, coin1234@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr