stressed and confused about what to do with my Korean language program and university plans in Korea.
I came to Korea in March 2025 to study Korean, and I basically have about 2 years before applying for a bachelor’s degree (undergraduate) in March 2027.
Right now I’m in Level 5 out of 6 at my language school. I passed all the previous levels, but honestly my actual Korean ability feels much lower than my level. I feel like I’m maybe Level 3 in real life, especially when it comes to speaking and actively using the language.
The problem is that throughout the earlier levels, I was mostly studying just to pass. Because the classes move so fast, I memorized a lot without fully understanding or retaining things. There are so many grammar points and vocabulary differences that I “recognize” but can’t confidently use.
Originally, my plan was:
repeat Level 5 twice
repeat Level 6 twice
until March 2027
I thought I had to take each levels twice for visa reasons and couldn’t go backwards after finishing Level 6.
Because of that mindset, I honestly didn’t take this semester seriously:
my midterm grades were bad like 62% while the minimum is 70%
I barely studied consistently
I already have around 9 absences (10 is the limit)
But recently I talked to my teacher and she told me something I didn’t know,
After finishing Level 6, I can actually choose to go back and take Level 3 or 4 again if I want, while still staying enrolled.
Now I’m completely confused because my final exams are this Wednesday and Thursday (May 20th/21st), and I honestly don’t know what decision to make right now.
Part of me thinks:
“Maybe I should just try hard these next few days, pass Level 5, finish 6, then later go back to lower levels properly and rebuild my foundation.”
But another part of me feels:
“My attendance this semester already looks bad, my grades won’t be great anyway, and maybe repeating Level 5 now would help because I was so careless before.”
I’m also worried about university applications in Korea and whether attendance/grades in language school matter a lot.
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Would it be smarter to:
push through and pass Level 5/6, then go back to lower levels later
or
repeat Level 5 now and rebuild slowly from here?
I’d really appreciate advice from people who studied Korean in Korea or applied to Korean universities as international students.