Korean High School Student Torn Between Pursuing Medicine or Law – Seeking Advice!
I'm a Senior Year high school student in South Korea preparing for university entrance exams. Here, university admissions are largely determined by a standardized national test called the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), commonly known as Suneung. Universities rank applicants based on their Suneung scores.
Only the top 0.2% of the 500,000 students who take the exam each year—those who rank between 1st and 1,000th—are eligible for medical school admission. South Korea doesn't have a pre-med system; instead, medical education is a unified six-year program straight out of high school, similar to a combined BS/MD program. Students who get into medical school through the Suneung generally proceed to obtain their medical licenses without significant hurdles.
In Korea, medical specialists earn an average annual salary of around $200,000, while private practitioners can earn about $300,000. For context, the median household income here is between $20,000 and $30,000.
On the flip side, becoming a lawyer is a more complex process. After completing an undergraduate degree, aspiring lawyers take the Legal Education Eligibility Test (LEET), similar to the LSAT in the U.S. Admission to law school depends on your LEET score, undergraduate GPA, and other factors. After three years of law school, you take the bar exam, which is relatively easy to pass.
The most prestigious career paths for lawyers in Korea are:
- Joining a Big Law firm: This involves working over 80 hours a week. The starting salary is about $100,000 after taxes, which is considered high here. However, being a partner lawyer is quite challenging.
- Becoming a Judge or Prosecutor: These positions pay about half of what a Big Law associate earns but are highly respected and hold significant societal power and prestige.
Up until middle school, I was interested in various fields, including law and medicine. Under my parents' guidance, I enrolled in a top-tier high school specializing in social sciences and humanities to become a prosecutor. I've spent the last three years focused on this path without much second thought.
However, as university approaches (our academic year starts in March), I've started to worry about my future. In a country like Korea, where the population is declining, becoming a lawyer may become increasingly difficult. Many believe that doctors will thrive in our aging society. Additionally, considering Korea's uncertain future, some suggest pursuing a career that allows for easier immigration—like attending a medical school recognized internationally or majoring in STEM fields.
If I continue with the law, I can proceed as planned. But to become a doctor, I would need to start studying high school science subjects from scratch. In the Suneung, students choose elective subjects. Those who select science subjects like biology and physics can pursue STEM fields. In contrast, those who choose social studies subjects like economics and law are generally limited to humanities and social sciences majors. The science section of the Suneung is notoriously difficult and requires extensive preparation, meaning I'd be competing against students who have been focusing on these subjects since elementary school.
My mock Suneung scores place me in the top 1–1.5% nationwide. To raise my scores to the level required for medical school, I estimate that I need at least one additional year of study, possibly up to four years. (The Suneung is held annually, and retakes are allowed; some people retake the exam multiple times over several years.)
Given all this, and the fact that I don't have firmly established personal convictions about my future, I'm torn between two options:
Option A: Major in law and become a prosecutor. (In this case, if we consider reputation within Korea alone, attending a Korean law school with prestige comparable to that of Stanford or Yale Law Schools seems possible.)
Option B: Study for an additional three years to try to get into medical school (though there's no guarantee that three years of study will be enough). In this scenario, you are likely to gain admission to an average medical school in Korea, yet it still offers significantly greater financial benefits compared to attending law school.
What would you do in my situation? Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!
- I believe the legal and medical fields in the United States are quite similar to those in Korea, so I'm wondering if I can get some helpful advice. Thank you!!