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Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongno Academy, is speaking at the 'Asia Economy Chatham House Roundtable' held on the 6th at the Asia Economy conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

With the government's announcement of university-specific quota allocations confirming an increase of 2,000 medical school seats, experts have suggested that students from provincial areas with a math grade of 3 might still be able to gain admission to medical schools.

On the 22nd, Lim Seong-ho, CEO of Jongro Academy, stated on YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' that the completion of the allocation of medical school admission quotas by university is "a considerable scale that could affect not only medical school admissions but also top-tier science and engineering universities overall," adding, "especially for provincial regions, this is good news for top-tier examinees."

Lim also noted that students with grade 2 scores are developing expectations that they can enter medical schools. He explained the changing student atmosphere by saying, "Many students who were preparing for top-tier science and engineering fields are waiting for the medical school recruitment guidelines by university to be released before preparing." He added, "There are even opinions that students currently enrolled in specialized science and technology universities like KAIST or special universities are considering reapplying and shifting their focus toward medical schools," and "Since it has become easier to attend university in provincial areas, even elementary school students are thinking it would be better to move to the provinces by middle school." He continued, "People in their late 30s also come for (medical school admission) consultations," forecasting that "such situations are more likely to occur compared to before."

He also mentioned that because the number of medical school seats in provincial areas has increased, it is insufficient to select only students with a math grade of 1. Until now, in Seoul and the metropolitan area, the number of students with a math grade of 1 was six to seven times the medical school recruitment quota, while in provincial areas it was about twice as many. Lim explained, "Statistically speaking, in provincial areas, it is not a competition only among students with grade 1, but students with grade 2, and depending on the situation, even those with grade 3, cannot be ruled out from entering."

If this atmosphere continues, examinees who had no intention of going to medical school might turn their attention to medical schools, where admission is easier compared to science and engineering fields. Lim said, "It is expected that the relative admission scores and competition dynamics for science and engineering could decrease," adding, "we can anticipate gaps in science and engineering fields or a drop in admission cutoffs."