The public education in Korea does not make it easy to have individualized English classes. While there is systematic education in English, and the subject is taught both as a mandatory and as an elective course, it does not offer much opportunity to discover one's individual deficiencies and develop them further. To compensate for that, Sookmyung Women's University founded a program that allows students to receive additional in-depth education for free. The English Spot Program also known as ESP is managed by SMWU's Department of General Education. It offers students the best opportunity to improve their English skills through sessions with native English speakers. Students can register to meet one of SMWU's foreign instructors on a 1:1 basis or in small groups to practice speaking English. The program is offered each semester to all undergraduate students. There are two ways to register for the program. First, students may go to the website of the Department of General Education and apply on the site. Students should select 'non-subject program' from the list of options at the top and click on English Spot Program. Students may also apply through bulletin boards or by phoning the ESP center. The second way of registering is only for students who are currently taking English language courses. Each of the courses' native English speaking instructors will post a link for Ace-Self-Study posted on Snowboard. Students can enter the Speaking & Writing Help section under study materials. They can then check the ESP schedule at the bottom of the registering page, which means they have control of the date, time, and instructor when participating in ESP. After making those decisions, students should call 02-710-9365 to make a reservation. It is hoped that students are better informed of and participate in the programs at SMWU such as this one, which offers great opportunities to improve one's English skills.
