Dorm Life

6th October, 2018, by Amy C. (G.11)

Korea International School Jeju is a boarding school, and about half the student population are residing in the dorms. Freshmen and sophomores live with their roommates in double rooms, and the upperclassmen -- juniors and seniors -- live in single rooms in different buildings. Various dorm facilities and opportunities are provided to dorm students to enrich their social and academic experiences. But are dorm students satisfied? Or do they want more freedom?

More privileges are granted to the upperclassmen: more “self sign-outs” during weekdays, open lounges and overnight phone usage, and late check-out times in the mornings. Freshmen can only go out during weekends. Sophomores and juniors can “self sign-out” and go out once during the weekdays as well: Tuesday for girls and Thursday for boys. Seniors can “sign-out” twice during the weekdays: Monday and Tuesday for girls, and Wednesday and Thursday for boys. Dorm students use the “self sign outs” for visiting convenience stores and eating dinner in nearby restaurants. Also, for juniors and seniors, the house lounge is open all night, so students can get snacks and even use phones after 10:30pm, the mandatory check-in time for students with their dorm staffs. They can also check-out in the morning anytime they want, before school starts. However, the freshmen and sophomores have to check-out at 7:55 am, and are restricted from using the lounges after 10:30pm but have to stay in their rooms. Apparently, more restrictions are imposed on the underclassmen.

Andy R., a current junior who has lived in the dorms since his freshman year, is quite satisfied with his dorm life. He comments, “I love spending time with my friends and the friendly dorm staffs who give emotional support when I need it.” Andy also points out that his current dorm life as a junior is much better than his previous years when his privileges were limited. He, however, believes that not too much freedom should be given to students because it can interfere with their academic performances and might cause some safety issues.

Edward H., currently a senior living in the dorms, also showed a positive response when asked how his current dorm life is. He, however, stated how he definitely feels lazy because of all the privileges, but he thinks he deserves them because he is a senior.

However, Kyle J., a sophomore, believes he should be given more freedom and have more frequent “self sign-outs” during the weekdays. He is also dissatisfied about the “study hall time” during 7:30-9:30pm, when students are required to either stay in their rooms or in the reading rooms to work on their school work. During this time, students are also not allowed to cook and make snacks. Caroline R., a junior, had to do House Service, a simple chore given to students, because she was hungry from studying and cooked ramen. Kyle also showed disapproval of the policy that he is not allowed to visit his friends’ rooms after 10:30pm, or else he would receive Loss of Privilege (LOP) and be restricted from going out for a week. Clearly, Kyle is dissatisfied with some of the dorm policies and believes that he needs more freedom.

Clearly, dorm students are divided of whether they should be granted more freedom. While some believe certain restrictions are necessary to maintain a safe, healthy environment, some feel less respected and dissatisfied when their rights are limited.

Besides “freedom” and privileges granted to students, there are also various dorm facilities and events for students to enrich their academic and social experiences: academic labs, student lounges, dorm “house cups”, music practice, and open gym. Students have opportunities to shift away from their homework and tests and interact with others by playing sports, music, and cooking to relieve their stress. Jehee K., a junior, commented how the student lounge and academic lab are great places to collaborate with others and found it really helpful to get help for her school work from the dorm staffs and teachers. The facilities are also used by all grade levels, making it easier for students to expand their social circles beyond just a single grade level.

Such opportunities create a welcoming, positive atmosphere for the students and make them feel at home. The diverse, opened facilities also create an inclusive atmosphere for dorm students to feel more connected to the dorm community as well. Compared to their opinions regarding dorm policies and restrictions, most of the students found the dorm facilities very useful and satisfactory.

Every year, the dorms are incorporating new changes and responding to the students’ feedback to provide a more supportive environment for the students to expand their academic and social experience. Students are showing different opinions regarding their “freedom” and privileges, and their overall dorm life.