In POSTECH, there are several Chinese exchange students who have experiences in Chinese and Korean universities. Therefore, they can explain to other Postechians about how different life is between China and Korea. Liu Qian wen, an MSE sophomore last year, and Gao Liang jie, an MSE junior this year, told their impressions about their life in Korea compared to China.
Liu Qian wen: Chinese students get up early to study. In contrast, Korean students stay up late to study. I went to bed before 12A.M. when I was in China but I always went to bed at 2A.M. or 3A.M. while I was in POSTECH. Shops and restaurants in China also open in the morning and close early, before 10P.M. I went shopping in the morning in China but it is impossible in Korea, where shops open late and stay open even after 10P.M. One thing I like in Korea is that Korean restaurant delivery service is well developed and available even at midnight. Public transportation in Korea is also great. It was very convenient for me that I could get a bus ticket whenever I wanted to travel to other city. In China we have to reserve train tickets several days in advance to go to another city.
Gao Liang jie: Most Chinese university students live in a dormitory because they come from outside the city. As you know, China has a large population. Each department of a university has more than 2000 students and within a department there are also tens of majors, so we use a bedroom in dormitory with six to eight peers. In the bedroom, there are just beds and two small tables and we study in study room which is in the dormitory. So, I like dormitory system in POSTECH very much, including two people using a bedroom, dining room and rest room to hang around with friends in dormitory.
In Korea, we can make our own semester schedule, but in China, universities fix students’ schedule so we cannot listen to other department lectures except double major or minor. We also cannot go into other department buildings. There is a big difference in calculating grades in China and Korea. Korean curriculum sets a high value on presentation as high as 30% of the final grade, but China further emphasizes writing. When I first came to POSTECH, I spent a lot of time to prepare presentations, which I was unfamiliar with. The bulletin board, in the Chinese university I attended, is not as cheerful as POSTECH’s. There are many steps involved in transferring students’ opinion to school members, which makes students give up voicing their opinions on the board. I think POSTECH’s system is quick and very efficient. I can see instant response to students’ opinion on the board.
Both students said Korean students go out to drink very often and Chinese students don’t drink so often but a lot at once. Gao Liang jie said his friends drink 12 bottles of 500cc beer per person for six hours. There is culture in China that Chinese treat people and do business with drinks, and they drink a lot when they drink. POSTECH students usually go out at midnight, but Chinese students go out between 6P.M. - 8P.M. to eat and drink and then come back before 12A.M. They also added that Koreans become very cheerful when they are drunk. Gao Liang jie said sometimes their “extreme cheerfulness” astonishes him.
Of course, there are pros and cons in the lifestyles of each country. And the two students’ comments are based only on experience in POSTECH so it could be different in other Korean universities. I would like to thank the two students for sharing their sincere responses.