A 77-year old South Korean woman takes 2010 College Entrance Exam
By: Cassidy Kim
From November, 2009
A 77-year old South Korean woman applied for 2010 College Entrance Exam, scheduled to take place on November 12. Mrs. Jae-gu Cho, aged 77, will be writing the Entrance Exam along with students around her grandchildren’s age. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said, “Mrs. Cho is the oldest test-taker in Seoul.
But it has not been confirmed whether she is the oldest to take the exam in Korea.” Mrs. Cho was born into a relatively wealth family in Buyeo, Choongcheongnam Province. But she was raised in the society where women’s social participation was strictly forbidden. Furthermore, Confucianism was deeply rooted in her family background; so she was not able to continue her education beyond elementary school.
Looking back, she regrets the fact she did not fight for her right to go to school. She said she wanted to find her passion and get her life back. So she decided to start studying again, but only after her 5 children went their own separate ways.
After her husband passed away, she could not bear the loneliness and eventually became depressed. Seeing what depression was doing to Mrs. Cho, her children thought it best that she start studying again to take her mind off of her life without her husband and help her focus again on the life she had ahead of her.
Thanks to her children, Mrs. Cho was admitted to adult school in 2006. She was 74. It took her 4 hours of commuting to get to school. But it was the class itself that was more challenging than the commute. But she said that, “that was one of the happiest times of my life. I was learning all I wanted to know.” She continued, “I still remembered the day I received my certificate for passing the 7th grade. It overwhelms me to this date. And the confidence that I felt that day helped me challenge myself even further. Now I’m looking forward to this 2nd chance at life.”
Mrs. Cho has already been accepted to Japanese Studies at Kyungin Women’s College. She smiled, saying, “I’m taking this exam because I want to know how much I can achieve, and I want to experience everything I can as a student. I want to be a 19-year old student, not 77 year old student.”
From November, 2009
A 77-year old South Korean woman applied for 2010 College Entrance Exam, scheduled to take place on November 12. Mrs. Jae-gu Cho, aged 77, will be writing the Entrance Exam along with students around her grandchildren’s age. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said, “Mrs. Cho is the oldest test-taker in Seoul.
But it has not been confirmed whether she is the oldest to take the exam in Korea.” Mrs. Cho was born into a relatively wealth family in Buyeo, Choongcheongnam Province. But she was raised in the society where women’s social participation was strictly forbidden. Furthermore, Confucianism was deeply rooted in her family background; so she was not able to continue her education beyond elementary school.
Looking back, she regrets the fact she did not fight for her right to go to school. She said she wanted to find her passion and get her life back. So she decided to start studying again, but only after her 5 children went their own separate ways.
After her husband passed away, she could not bear the loneliness and eventually became depressed. Seeing what depression was doing to Mrs. Cho, her children thought it best that she start studying again to take her mind off of her life without her husband and help her focus again on the life she had ahead of her.
Thanks to her children, Mrs. Cho was admitted to adult school in 2006. She was 74. It took her 4 hours of commuting to get to school. But it was the class itself that was more challenging than the commute. But she said that, “that was one of the happiest times of my life. I was learning all I wanted to know.” She continued, “I still remembered the day I received my certificate for passing the 7th grade. It overwhelms me to this date. And the confidence that I felt that day helped me challenge myself even further. Now I’m looking forward to this 2nd chance at life.”
Mrs. Cho has already been accepted to Japanese Studies at Kyungin Women’s College. She smiled, saying, “I’m taking this exam because I want to know how much I can achieve, and I want to experience everything I can as a student. I want to be a 19-year old student, not 77 year old student.”
