On May 16, a group of POSTECH graduate students hosted the “Foreign Exchange Seminar” to introduce and share opportunities and information regarding pursuing graduate school studies in a foreign country.
The Postech Times interviewed Roh Hee-jung, one of the hosts of the event.
Why did you host the seminar?
First of all, the current standard of research in Korea is very high. So depending on personal preferences, studying in a domestic university might be a better choice for some people. However, considering the capabilities of each and every Postechians, if an individual hopes to research in a foreign environment, that will certainly become a great opportunity to change lives. However, POSTECH is a small university and among POSTECH, only a smaller percentage considers studying abroad, making it extremely difficult to access information regarding this. This lack of information can easily lead one to give up, so I wanted to help my underclassmen with hopes of studying abroad to spread their wings and fly by providing them necessary information!
What is the best part about researching in a foreign country?
Before starting, I wish to clarify one big misunderstanding that everyone worries about. Many consider “finance” as the biggest problem to consider when studying abroad. However, most foreign universities, with the chance of 99%, provide financial to students from STEM-related field of a top-ranking university. Additionally, there are many scholarships provided by our country for exchange students. So, considering various situations, there had been many upperclassmen who actually ended up saving money from their exchange programs.
Research depends heavily on not only individual efforts, but also interactions with the research environment which includes but not limited to people, culture, and politics. Considering this, the U.S.A is a land of great opportunities. Especially in the case of top-ranking universities of America, it is very common to interact with amazing people including Nobel Prize awardees, famous professors of various fields of studies, and gifted students from all over the world, or partake in pioneering researches that Korea, which possess a relatively conservative attitude in research means and fields, could never take part in. As one studies in an environment of diverse ethnicity, culture, and environment, one can easily broaden perspective towards the world. Also, the name value of worldly prestigious universities and growing english ability are also great advantages offered by foreign exchange studies.
What is the most important in preparing to study abroad?
I think it is most important for one to contemplate deeply about the meaning of “research.” One must think deeply about what makes one happy and decide whether research is, in the end, the ideal path. As graduate studies are extremely broad and without restrictions entirely, one must also consider about what to study about before actually attempting to do so.
What was the most difficult about preparing to study abroad?
As I mentioned above, the lack of information was the most disturbing for me. I basically had no idea about how and where to start in my journey and I have encountered many difficult situations due to my late start in preparations. So, I wanted to help my fellow Postechians to start early in their preparations and achieve their goals!
