Every May brings with it an anticipation for the long summer holicays starting from June. KAIST has long been unique among Korean universities for its unusual academic calendar. Lately there has been talk of "normalizing" the summer and winter vacation schedules. The KAIST Herald has its say on the issue.

Pro: A Policy Without its Proposed Grounds
By Jae Sung Kim

When a tool can no longer serve its original purpose and has more drawbacks than benefits, it should be discarded for the sake of efficiency. The same follows for a policy being implemented. A policy gone wrong is no different from a shackle that prevents a step forward. It is the reason why a policy requires consistent and periodical check ups on whether it is functioning well and promoting progress instead of acting as a hindrance. KAIST’s current policy regarding the student calendar is such an example in that it is a nuisance for both KAIST students and faculty. It is why efforts to change the student calendar back to its original form are being made.

Among KAIST’s current president Nam Pyo Suh’s reform policies was starting the school year in February, a month ahead of other Korean universities. As a result, KAIST currently has a three-month-long summer vacation and a one-month-long winter vacation. The proposed objective of introducing such an odd student calendar for a Korean university was to encourage students to participate in training programs and internships abroad, as well as allow professors to actively work outside campus. However, the status quo for this summer is that although domestic interns have increased, most of them started in July and lasted less than two months, just like other Korean universities. Trainings abroad have been minimal, and less than ten professors were officially engaged in off-campus activities. Judging from this information, the policy is not effective and has lost its grounds for existence, regardless of its well-intended start.

Though the policy is not serving its original purpose, is it still better than returning the school calendar to the way it used to be? The answer to this question can be reached by weighing the opportunity costs on both sides for students and professors. As for the students, they have a lot to lose from starting school in February because the school calendar is then out of sync with those of other universities in Korea. For example, the final exams in KAIST are at the end of May while most Korean universities have midterms at the end of April. This means that while the majority of college students are free from the stresses of exam preparation in May, KAIST students need to study for theirs. On the other hand, after the midterms are over, KAIST students are now at ease in April while other college students are soon facing their exams. Such dissonance in the schedule inhibits exchanges with other university students, whether it is for academic, recreational or personal reasons, adding to KAIST’s geographical isolation from many other major universities. Besides, KAIST students have a hard time participating in outside lectures, cultural activities and festivals, and various contests scheduled with the typical Korean academic calendar in mind. For instance, KAIST students are unable to participate in internships during the winter vacation that is only a month long. Considering that college life is also about accumulating diverse experiences besides studying, the changes in the student calendar seem necessary. On the contrary, starting school in March is not much of a loss from the perspective of the students as their participation in foreign programs is currently minimal.

As for the professors, domestic conferences and seminars are also held in concordance with the ordinary student calendar, so it becomes a burden for professors to prepare for lectures and conferences in February simultaneously. It would be much more efficient for professors if the school calendar were to change to the previous state, since they have only conferences to prepare for in February and lectures to prepare for in March. Since professors’ off-campus activities participation during the summer vacation is minimal at best, there are no more reasons to maintain the unique school calendar.

When both students and faculty are experiencing more inconveniences than benefits from the policy, then for whom exactly does it exist? A policy that has lost its grounds, causes nuisances to the majority and now falters terribly has no reason to be maintained. KAIST’s administration must keep in mind that being able to acknowledge failures is just as important as the virtue of being able to make changes.

Con: For Better or For Worse?
By Dong-Kyeong Lee

A three-month-long holiday: it is a tempting period full of limitless potential and possibilities. One can travel, study, play sports, take internships or simply rest after a busy but fruitful spring semester. However, now due to a change in the student calendar, these exciting summer opportunities are about to be constrained. It is true that there are various advantages to this change in winter and summer vacation periods, but one must question, are the opportunity costs worth it?

One of the greatest advantages of a three-month holiday starting in the middle of May is that there is a greater availability of overseas internships to choose from. The spring academic terms for the majority of the universities in the United States end in May, so most of the jobs and internships there are available starting that month. Consequently, if the start of the spring academic terms for KAIST changes to March, many of the students will not be able to utilize some of the above opportunities. With many of the internship spaces filled already by June, when the holidays will now start for KAIST, these students are given a narrower choice of jobs or internships to choose from.

There is another limitation placed on the internship choices available for the students as a result of this change. With the summer vacation reduced to two months, students are unable to apply for internships that require three or more months of commitment. For example, one of Google’s internship program requirements is that, “Start and end dates are flexible with regard to academic schedules, but you’ll be expected to commit to at least three months of full-time work.” Most of the internship jobs overseas similarly require a minimum period of three months, so the abridgement of summer holiday periods acts as a great hindrance for students who are keen to attempt these new experiences in between semesters.

The advantages of lengthy summer holidays are not restricted to students who wish to gain more hands-on experience alone. A long holiday can act as an opportunity for some to further their academic studies. For instance if one is preparing for external exams due to various reasons such as military service or continuation of studies abroad, the length of the summer holidays may be crucial for that person’s life choices. Due to the already strenuous workload that KAIST requires its students to shoulder during spring and autumn semesters, it is difficult for many to commit themselves to extra studies, especially if their content is irrelevant to KAIST’s coursework. Therefore the ideal study plan for many students is to study for one to two months before taking the exam; if they are not successful, they still have leeway to retake the exam before the end of the holidays. If the vacation periods are changed to two months each, studying for additional exams during either month will be rushed, demanding and costly for many.

Aside from those already mentioned, starting the spring semester in February also provides advantages to those who wish to try various activities such as volunteering overseas. In the case of the National Information Society Agency (NIA), hundreds of volunteers from the organization are sent overseas to provide IT support to countries in need of technical resources. To become a volunteer, one needs to pass through various application processes as well as an interview, all of which are held from early June. Realistically speaking, if the vacations start in the middle or the end of June, the final exams will be in full swing at KAIST, which makes successful application highly infeasible for even the willing students. Currently there are numerous members of the KAIST community going on annual overseas volunteer services through the NIA, so the change in term dates may act as a barrier for students who wish to take advantage of the holidays by contributing to wider society outside the area of pure academics.

One additional benefit of the vacations starting in May is that the costs of travelling in May or June are significantly lower than those in July and August – the holiday season. Therefore with the current school calendar, students are able to visit places within and outside Korea for lower costs. In addition, when visiting these places they are less likely to be overflowing with crowds of tourists, thus making it possible to have a relaxing holiday.

It is the inevitable truth that not all KAIST students will be able to use the three months of their summer holiday in the aforementioned manner, nor appreciate the numerous opportunities that a college-free May and June may provide. However, should the few who are keen to utilize the holidays for greater purposes be hindered by the rest of the student body? The opportunities must be left for the willing to seize and enjoy them as they will.