Sinan, South Korea – In a remarkable feat, a student from a remote island in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, has been accepted into the prestigious Seoul National University Medical School. The student, identified only as A, had no access to private tutoring or cram schools, yet managed to surpass thousands of other applicants.
A, an 18-year-old senior at Dochogo High School, was home-schooled throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years due to the remote location of her island. Despite these challenges, she not only secured a spot at Seoul National University but also received acceptance letters from other medical schools.
Dochogo High School, founded in 1978, has seen its first Seoul National University Medical School acceptance in its 46-year history. The last student to be admitted to Seoul National University from the school was in 2016. Among the 90 public high schools in South Jeolla Province, Dochogo is the only one to have produced a Seoul National University Medical School student this year.
Located 54.5 kilometers southwest of Mokpo, the nearest city, Dochogo is accessible only by ferry, which takes about 50 minutes. The island is surrounded by reclaimed land, mountains, and the sea. Despite being the largest high school in Sinan County, Dochogo has an enrollment of only 160 students, including those from neighboring islands. The senior class, including A, has just 44 students.
To overcome the challenges posed by the remote location, Dochogo has been designated as a boarding school since 2008, requiring all students to live in dormitories. Although there are no private tutoring centers on the island, students study diligently until the dormitory lights are turned off at 10 pm.
Teachers, who also reside in the school's dormitories, provide invaluable support to the students. "Since there are no private tutoring centers, students come to us whenever they have questions," said Im Dong-kyu, vice principal of Dochogo. "In addition to A, several other students have received acceptance letters from major universities in Seoul."
As a leading high school in the Sinan region, Dochogo offers a regional cooperative education curriculum and a student-centered, autonomous curriculum focused on career exploration. The school has also been designated as an autonomous high school by the South Jeolla Provincial Office of Education. Due to the school's reputation, over ten students from the mainland have enrolled at Dochogo each year for the past few years.
A expressed her gratitude for the support she received from her teachers, family, and friends. "Studying on an island has its limitations, but I've been encouraged by those around me," she said. "I want to become a doctor and give back to society by inspiring hope in others."
Park Woo-ryang, the mayor of Sinan County, praised A's achievement, saying, "A has given hope to students in rural areas, showing them that anything is possible. We will continue to support our students so they can pursue their dreams on a larger stage."
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