From the Eyes of International Students
From the Eyes of International Students
  • Reporter Chung Yu-sun
  • 승인 2013.09.04 15:36
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Special Thanks to Judy Ahn (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Junior, Bioengineering), Daniel Lee (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Junior, Industrial Engineering), and Rebecca Stevick (University of Maryland, College Park, Junior, Bioengineering).

During the summer, international students visit POSTECH to be involved in various programs such as the English Campus, exchange program, and lab research. Among the numerous countries in the world, these students chose to come to Korea, and specifically POSTECH. Most come to know about our school through study abroad notices on the bulletin board, or from e-mails. They look at the country that they would like to visit, and the university that works best for them. In the case of Judy, she claimed that the engineering schools in Seoul were more easily accessible but wanted to come to POSTECH, which is not in such a big city. It is mandatory for students of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to participate in a lab research course in order to receive credits. Being involved with other programs, such English Campus was optional. While most Postechians do not get paid for independent research programs, foreign undergraduate students receive a small amount of salary per month. As undergraduate students, there are limits on the extent to which they can be involved in the research; thus, they listen to discussions in seminars, observe the research process, and make presentations during their time in the labs.
A common saying was that POSTECH is a lot smaller and cheaper than the universities in America. In UIUC, which encompasses two cities, there are a lot more activities that students can do both inside and outside the university. For example, students can go ice-skating nearby. In University of Maryland, students can go to museums near D. C. The international students commented that Postechians’ drinking custom probably developed from the limited activities that students can do. Another interesting fact was that in UIUC, there is a big concept called sorority and fraternity. Different housings have different missions or visions, gathering the students to be involved in group activities. Although this concept does not exist in Korea, POSTECH has a similar concept called “Sections.” As soon as students are admitted to POSTECH, they are randomly distributed to 15 sections, mixing different majors. In this way, students can be friend with many people. Daniel envied this concept, and claimed that Postechians were more or less like a family. Moreover, everyone in POSTECH was really nice. In the United States, leaving your belongings in a public space area is unimaginable, as they are sure to be stolen. Though the students are nice, Rebecca wondered what the students were actually like in their mother tongue. An opinion was that POSTECH students seemed to be too competitive. They always worked hard to be better. Although it is a good trait, it seemed a little unfortunate that students were not helping each other out as much.