Even if cross-applicants have an advantage in college admissions… “Hourly wages are lower after graduating from college”

Students who cross-applied from high school to college earned lower post-graduation hourly wages than students who did not cross-apply. This is presumably because the career aptitude and job satisfaction of students who cross-applied were lower than those who did not.

According to the thesis ‘Analysis of Labor Market Performance of Cross-Major Application’ presented by Go Eun-bi, National Assembly Budget Office’s Autumn Tax Analysis Gazette and Song Hun-jae, professor at the University of Seoul, at the ‘2023 Economics Joint Academic Conference’ held by the Korean Economic Association on the 2nd, It is estimated that the hourly wage level after graduation of college students who chose a major in the field is lower than that of students who did not cross-apply.

The research team analyzed the labor market entry process of college graduates for about 18 months from August 2010 to February 2019 by using the Korea Employment Information Service’s ‘College Graduates Job Mobility Survey’. The target of analysis was 86,181 people who succeeded in finding a full-time job, excluding part-time jobs, temporary jobs, and day jobs.

Assuming that graduation credits, university location, graduate status, gender, etc. are the same, students who cross-applied for ‘humanities → science’ earned 1.6% lower hourly wages after graduation than students who went on to ‘humanities → liberal arts’. Considering that the retained wage (minimum annual salary expected before graduating from college) was 3.5% higher for students who cross-applied from ‘Humanities → Science’ than students who went on to ‘Humanities → Liberal Arts’, job satisfaction of students who cross-applied for jobs seems to fall short of students with non-cross-application.

Students who cross-applied for ‘science → liberal arts’ also earned 2.6% lower hourly wages than students who went on to ‘humanities → liberal arts’. However, students who went on to ‘science → science’ were 5.2% higher than students who went on to ‘humanities → liberal arts’.

The research team pointed out that in a domestic environment where university ranking is solid, there are frequent cases where students cross-apply because of ‘university signs’ rather than aptitude, causing side effects. In such a situation, students who cross-applied for college life are less satisfied or fulfilled, and they end up getting a job that does not meet their eye level in terms of wages.

This is a point to consider in a situation where the liberal arts department integrated college scholastic ability test is introduced in the 2022 academic year, and cross application for liberal arts and science is becoming more active. The research team predicted that even if liberal arts departments are integrated in the CSAT, if there are limits to the majors that can be selected, students will make a strategic choice for college entrance. Accordingly, it was suggested that measures should be prepared to broaden the range of major choices for applicants, such as removing restrictions on subjects for the college entrance exam for natural science departments.

Reporter Cho Yoo-ra [email protected]