During the February 19 airing of JTBC 'Ssul Jeon', the panelists addressed the controversial topic of special privileges that celebrities have, especially when it came to college admissions.
Every time a celebrity is admitted into a prestigious university, the public is often quick to jump to conclusion that the celeb was given special privileges and admitted to the university just based on their popularity. The panel mentioned that one recent case that stirred up some heat was A Pink's Namjoo's acceptance into Sungkyunkwan University.
Netizens pointed out that Namjoo was probably absent during the testing held by the university due to her A Pink schedules that took place overseas. They insisted that if she had not attended this testing, then there is no way she would have been accepted if she had been an ordinary student. However, Namjoo's reps denied the speculations and stated that Namjoo was indeed at the testing and that she had beaten out even other celebrities who had applied for the same major at the prestigious university with her good scores. The college admission team also stated that the professors who had been judging during the testing also did not even realize Namjoo is an idol and that she had gotten in through general admissions, not special admissions.
The 'Ssul Jeon' panelists pointed out during their discussion that there is definitely a high probability that the professors on the admissions panel did not know Namjoo is an idol as many of the older generation are not familiar with young girl group members. They also, however, did argue that a college would definitely view having celebrities in their student roster as a good opportunity and would likely not pass up on a celebrity candidate.
The discussion also took into account the public's point of view saying how unfair it must seem to college-hopefuls who studied so hard to get the very best scores and grades in school, only to lose out on admission to a celebrity, who was more busy with entertainment promotions than studies. Many celebrities who also get into universities of their choice find their schedules too busy to attend their classes, and this also raises criticism.
Heo Ji Woong commented, "Now there are celebrities who are giving up going to College," while naming Suzy, Yoo Seung Ho, Eunji, Taemin, and IU as the few idols/celebrities who decided in the past not to apply to college. Whether the decision was made due to the controversy or their own personal philosophies, we will never know for sure.
Lee Yoon Suk brought up what IU had said in the past, praising her sensibility and responsibility. IU had said, "College is a place where those who worked really hard to get in should go. College is not a necessity for my singing promotions, so for someone like me, who cannot properly complete the requirements of a college life, it is better not to go." However, he also mentioned that no one by any means should actually discourage a celebrity who has serious interest in furthering studies from attending college.
In addition, 'Ssul Jeon' panelists also mentioned that there are more than 3,000 different types of special college admissions (sports, arts, music, poverty, etc.) that are given. For these actual special admissions, only celebrities that have experience in the field are accepted. Although there is such an admission for athletes and musicians as well, the panel pointed out that it seemed that netizens were the most opposed to the special admissions that are for celebrities.
Heo Ji Woong stated, "Usually, when these special admission types are created, it is in consideration of those who are in weaker conditions. But as celebrities/stars already have popularity, money, and everything else, including the ability to go to college [with that privilege], it becomes harder for the public to understand." The panelists however reminded the audience that although it might seem like idols are getting a free pass for everything, that these idols have dedicated so many years to practicing, and actually beat out thousands of people during their auditions to become trainees and to make it to debut, so their skills should be acknowledged.
Check out this topic being discussed in the clip above (starts at 11:55 mark).
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