University War is a South Korean reality show series program which will air on November 23 2023 with a total of eight episodes. The main concept of this reality show series is featuring student representatives from several prestigious universities in South Korea. This event will test participants’ abilities in mathematics, deduction and memorization packaged in the form of game challenges.

The first season of the series had 24 student participants from six universities. Each competing university team will have four student representatives. They will compete against each other in various rounds and questions to test their intelligence. This reality show applies the concept of elimination for any team that cannot complete the challenge and provide the correct answer. The winner of this event will receive an educational scholarship.

The Top Six Universities in University War

There are several reasons why these six universities were chosen to take part in the University War series program. The first university introduced in this series is Seoul National University (SNU). SNU is the number one university in South Korea and is ranked 41st in the world according to QS WUR 2024. This university is famous for the difficulties of being part of the students there. One of the SNU medical study program student got a perfect score on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) or the South Korean college entrance exam in 2021. The SNU team consisted of Jung Hyunbin from the Medicine department, Kyung Dohyun from the Economics department, Song Hyunseok from majoring in Electrical Engineering, and Park Hyunmin majoring in Psychology.

The second university is the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST). KAIST is second to SNU and the number one Institute of Technology in South Korea. KAIST is the first research-oriented university in Korea. KAIST excels in physics, mathematics, engineering, even social sciences, business and management. The KAIST team consists of Heo Sungbum from the Computer Science major, So Hyunji from the Business and Technology Management major, Yang Junhyuk from the Mathematics major, and Choi Seoyeon from the Electrical Engineering major.

Next there is Yonsei University. Yonsei is in third place and 76th in the world. Yonsei University was founded in 1885, making it one of the oldest universities in South Korea. One of the interesting things about Yonsei University is that it is one of the South Korean universities that has initiated student exchange programs abroad. Thus, Yonsei has the most extensive network in South Korea with more than 700 partner institutions in 77 countries. The Yonsei team consists of Park Nayoon from the Department of Dentistry, Son Juhyung from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kim Kihoong from the Department of Pharmacy, and Cho Hyunjun from the Department of Medicine.

Fourth is Korea University (KU). KU is in fourth place in South Korea and 79th in the world and is also one of the best private universities in South Korea. KU is the place where the 10th President of South Korea, Lee Myungbak, studied. Together with Seoul National University and Yonsei University, Korea University is included in the ‘SKY universities’, the three best and most selective universities in South Korea. The KU team consists of Lee Dongkyu from the Mathematics department, Kim Jungmin from the Business Sciences department, Chae Seungmin from the Statistics department, and Lee Jisoo from the Physics department.

Fifth is Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech). Postech is fifth in South Korea and 100th in the world. one of South Korea’s educational institutions that focuses on researching the fields of science and technology. Until now, Postech has produced many outstanding talents in the field of science and technology. Postech also opened an accelerated master’s-doctoral program so that they can take both levels of education in a shorter time. The Postech team consists of Shin Jaeyoon from the Physics department, Lee Hyunsoo from the Chemical Engineering department, Shin Minsub from the Computer Science department, Moon Soyul from the Engineering department.

The last university is not from South Korea but the United States, namely Harvard University which is in fourth place in the world. Those who took part in this event were South Korean students studying at Harvard. The Harvard University team only appeared in episode two when one of the teams was eliminated and left an empty spot. The Harvard team consisted of Janice from the Applied Mathematics and Sociology departments, Kwak David from the Mathematics department, Sky Jung from the Computer Science department, and Ray Noh from the Mechanical Engineering department.

Best Episode

The most impressive episode was the first episode where the five teams had to solve 300 basic math problems without any wrong answers. Even though it’s just basic mathematics, the numbers calculated are quite large. They have to complete 300 questions to find out how many questions they got wrong. The first team to enter answers into the system was SNU but they got 28 questions wrong and had to find them. Followed by the KAIST team with 106 wrong questions. The KAIST team uses a strategy to fill the answers in the system to zero in order to quickly find the wrong questions. In the end, the Yonsei team became the first team to solve 300 questions correctly. Followed by the KU team and finally the SNU team. The last place in the first challenge is the KAIST team and the Postech team, where they will carry out another challenge, namely a deathmatch to find out who will be eliminated.

Another episode that has the most lasting impression on the brain is the seventh episode during the deathmatch between the SNU team and the Harvard team, namely a suit of scissors, rock and paper using dice. This challenge is the most difficult challenge because you have to know where the scissors, rock, paper are that have been rotated in such a way. The most interesting thing here is the strategy of the SNU team, Kyung Dohyun. Dohyun’s strategy brought safety to the SNU team from being eliminated.

University War ended with the SNU team being crowned the winner in its final episode against the KU team. However, this victory is not only a testament to the students’ intelligence but also their ability to work under pressure, strategize and work together as a team.