my Korean study plan

This is an excerpt from my Language Study Plan, that I submitted with my 2022 GKS-G application. It was created considering the reality of a GKS scholar, which consists of one full year exclusively studying Korean before grad school. I ended up not coming to Korea through GKS, so I did not really follow the plan I sketched… But I still think the ideas were good! The intention was solid! Maybe you will find it inspiring, or useful 🙂

Language Study Plan:

My Korean Study Plan for GKS-G is adapted from the one I’ve been following since February, 2021, when, as a Beginner, I decided to take TOPIK 2 in October, 2021 (78회). It was developed considering how much time my schedule afforded me, how long until the test, my strengths and weaknesses, and my target score (125-135).

Background: 

  • Mar/2019: learned to read and write Hangeul
  • May/2020: (not completed) 6-week course offered by Yonsei University on Coursera
  • Sep-Dec 2020: 10-week Beginner course offered by the Embassy

2021 TOPIK Plan: 

  • Assessment and Preparation (Feb-Mar, ~15 hours/week)
  • Integrated Development (Apr-Jul, ~25 hours/week)
  • Pre-TOPIK Intensive Focus (Aug-Oct, ~25-35 hours/week)
  • Post-TOPIK deceleration (Nov-Dec, ~15-20 hours/week)

My experience working as an English teacher for adults and study plan advisor for the past three years equipped me to develop and follow this plan, assess my progress and efficiently adapt it and improve it. At the end of the process, instead of the original target of 125-135, I achieved a score of 155.

My guiding principles: 

  • Weekly planning, with weekly and monthly goals
  • Set realistic targets and manage expectations
  • Periodic assessment of skills for accurate adaptation and improvement of study routine
  • Favour an integrated approach over too intensely focused practice all the time
  • Seek (more) external assistance as needed
  • Always make room for casual exposure and integrate my hobbies to keep learning interesting

For GKS-G: I will adapt my plan to accommodate the change in location, and the scores I intend to achieve 

1. Before coming to South Korea (pre-scheduled modifications/additions)

  • Since Nov/2021: at least 1-3 hours/day of variety shows and vlogs 
  • Daily reading with books designed for Intermediate learners, webtoons and news articles
  • Mar: month-long focus on a workbook specifically for Casual Conversation 
  • Apr: start a personal project to write a blog entry about one album I enjoy every week 
  • May: increase the number of weekly classes from 2 to 4 (for more speaking opportunities)
  • Jun/Jul: resume regular TOPIK mock test taking routine 

2. After coming to South Korea (anticipated modifications/additions) 

  • TOPIK score goals: 200-210 (Nov/2022), 240-250 (May-Jul/2023)
  • Analyse and decide on time slot, duration of study sessions and weekly hours target
  • Keep at least 2 weekly conversation classes with speaking tutors
  • Extra practice for question 54 with a weekly writing prompt 
  • Seek opportunities to connect with locals (volunteering, joining clubs, attending a local church)
  • Introduce more essays, papers and books related to my research field

If you have any questions concerning this, feel free to reach out via email, Instagram, or using the contact form! 🙂