SNU Medicine with a Predicted IB 43: No SAT Chemistry or AP Chemistry Score, After Advance IB Chemistry and Biology Lessons

Here are a few glimpses of the lessons.

An IA lesson within IB Chemistry.

A look at students' IA progress—of course, I can't show everything!

These are the 2020 AP Chemistry and AP Economics results.

JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationParent

The exam result was a 4.

Teacher

Oh no... That is such a shame.

Parent

Still, studying with you is what allowed the student to get even this result. Thank you.

Teacher

It really is disappointing. Thank you. I am grateful.

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One student received a 4. The other four all received 5s in Chemistry. In Economics, there were four subject results of 5.

First, AP Chemistry.

JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationParent

Teacher, the student got an AP 5. It is exam season, and they are too busy to contact you, so I am writing instead. Thank you for teaching them so well. Have a restful night!

Teacher

Yes, three students got 5s. The student got a 5. Congratulations!

Parent

That is wonderful! We worried because the questions were difficult, but we are relieved. Thank you for looking after the student.

Teacher

I thought they would get a 5, but when they sent me the questions, I worried—I felt they might make a mistake. You must always have been confident, though. Congratulations again! I feel very rewarded too. Thank you.

Parent

It is final exam time, so we had not even thought about it. A group chat said the results could be checked through a US VPN, so I quietly logged in and looked.

Teacher

You must be so happy. This was their first AP exam. Wow... They are really an amazing student.

Parent

It must be rewarding to see students do so well. You are the best teacher. If I were in Ho Chi Minh City, I would treat you to a meal.

Teacher

News like this makes me want to come see you. I am so happy the students all did well. You worked very hard too. It is rewarding for me, and I am grateful.

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JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationStudent

Teacher, I got a 5! [Shares a score report.]

Teacher

Oh! Congratulations. That is great!!!

Student

Yes, haha. It was easier than the regular exam.

Teacher

Well done. Yes, haha.

Student

What percentage got 5s? Could it be high?

Teacher

I have not heard from many yet. We have to wait. But the questions were all different. Anyway, you did well. Besides you, one more student has a 5 so far.

Student

There were several different sets of questions in Physics too.

Teacher

How many AP 5s did you get?

Student

I took Physics later, so that result has not come out yet.

Teacher

Haha, that one will come out too?

Student

I think I messed up one exam, haha.

Teacher

Ask your mother to buy you something delicious. You did well. It feels rewarding.

Student

Haha, thank you.

Teacher

All right! You worked hard.

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JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationTeacher

Only around 8% get a 5 in AP Chemistry—eight out of a hundred. How did the student do so well!! I am just so grateful.

Parent

Oh my, really? Thank you so much!

Teacher

You really should buy the student lots of delicious food!!! I feel rewarded and happy.

Parent

Yes, I will visit you. Thank you so much.

Teacher

Yes, I am so happy!!!

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And here are the 2020 AP Economics results.

Two students studied, and both received 5s in both subjects: four 5s in total.

JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationParent

Oh... I am sorry. I meant to contact you, but wanted to wait until the result came out. I asked the student, but they will not tell me whether they did well or not.

Teacher

Please give the student a gentle nudge.

Parent

Hello, teacher. The AP results came out: both students got 5s! Thank you for helping them do so well. Having met such a good teacher seems to have brought good results too. Thank you for your hard work!

Teacher

Congratulations! The student worked so hard!!!!

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JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationParent

Teacher, how are you? I am still stuck in Korea. The student got 5s in both subjects. It is thanks to your excellent teaching. Thank you! [Shares an anonymized result.]

Teacher

I keep getting good news today. Every student I taught got a 5. I did not worry at all about this student. Thank you for sharing the news!!!!

Parent

Thank you!

Teacher

Please keep cheering the student on!!!

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—

Hello. Something extraordinary has happened.

I wrote about this student once before.

I described students fluent in four languages. This is a female student, although I think that earlier post focused mainly on the male students.

She was also fluent in four languages.

She got into Seoul National University Medicine. Wow.

I knew she was a strong student, but I had another student who was academically even stronger,

so although I expected her to enter a good university—and thought SNU was possible—

I never dreamed that it would be SNU Medicine. There really was another student whose academic work was stronger.

That other student had a predicted IB total of 45, and I had written a post about them.

The title concerned an Oxford rejection. They were rejected by Oxford and went to KAIST.

Both students were extremely capable.

One was rejected by Oxford, while the other was accepted to SNU Medicine.

Of course, their admission routes differed. The Oxford applicant qualified for the three-year overseas-study route; the student accepted to SNU Medicine qualified for the 12-year route.

Anyway, I'm delighted to see such a good result.

The part you probably most want to read is her academic profile.

It doesn't sound especially unusual, to the point that you might wonder whether I'm making it up.

I taught her Chemistry and also helped with Biology. I used to teach Biology, though I no longer do.

Before she started IB, I remember finishing Chemistry and Biology with her through private lessons every weekday, four hours a day.

As I explained each point, she kept reacting and nodding, though sometimes I wondered how much she was taking in.

After several sessions, we even worked through about five years of core past papers. Reaching that point took two months.

We completed in two months what normally occupied two school years, then parted ways. She returned around exam periods for further help.

I don't have a perfectly verified record of her profile, because it's awkward to ask for every detail after someone gets in.

I can say, 'Congratulations on SNU Medicine! You worked so hard back then; I'm glad it paid off,'

but following that with, 'May I ask for your entire application profile?' isn't easy.

Still, we had talked a lot, so here's what I understood: I don't think she had an SAT score.

Her TOEFL was nearly perfect, and I heard that she had language-test scores corresponding to the four languages she spoke. As for Chemistry and Biology,

she had no AP or SAT subject scores. Her predicted IB total was 43—not even a perfect total. And she qualified for the 12-year overseas-study admission route.

I understand she also did various activities. Her mother prepared a great deal, attended many information sessions,

and asked me many questions. I imagine she helped organize quite a number of activities.

I think this case gives us a lot to consider.

I teach SAT Chemistry and AP Chemistry as well as IB, but looking at this student

made me wonder whether those additional scores were always necessary for SNU Medicine.

Of course, having them could be better than not having them, but for such a highly competitive department, it seems important to choose a strategy and obtain the qualifications that serve it.

I think I've been fortunate. The students I taught this time all seem to have entered good universities.

Of course, I didn't get them admitted; they worked hard across all their subjects. Still, I'm delighted that their university outcomes were so good.

The blog has gained followers and more readers.

Whenever I write a post, many related questions come in.

But honestly, I didn't do anything directly related to their university admission.

I mainly taught Chemistry, so I don't claim to know all the university-admissions information.

I wonder whether I'll teach another student capable of entering SNU Medicine.

There is, however, another outstanding student whose potential suggests an even more remarkable university outcome.

They already have around ten AP scores of 5 and many perfect SAT subject scores. I really wonder where they'll go.

I'm looking forward to finding out.

Now, I think more students will begin preparing for IB and SAT Chemistry again.

Another Oxford admission story:

2025 University of Oxford acceptance… — Naver Blog

JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationTeacher

Wow!!! This is a first! Wow! Amazing!

The student message is cut off at the bottom of the source image and cannot be translated reliably.

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Other medicine and pharmacy admission stories:

2024 IB Chemistry students accepted to Sungkyunkwan Pharmacy and other programs… — Naver Blog

JJStudent & parent messagesEnglish translationStudent

Thank you—it is thanks to you, teacher!

Student

I love you all the time! [sticker]

The original image is only 120 pixels wide. Several teacher bubbles are too blurred to read reliably and have not been reconstructed.

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