As the fall semester begins, new guests have arrived at POSTECH. Exchange students from various countries arrived with excitement and passion from all over the world. Their admission to Dormitory for International Cultural Exchange(DICE), was conducted from Aug. 26 to 27. The Welcome Session was held from Aug. 26 to 31 to welcome them. International Student and Scholar Service (ISSS) and PBUD worked for the Welcome Session, which included a campus tour, orientation, and a trip to Gyeongju. The Postech Times highlighted the starting week for international exchange students, approximately two weeks after the semester began.

The first place to welcome exchange students was DICE. Students received their student ID cards and campus maps on the first floor. After a glance at their room, they visited the laundry and bank for payments with PBUD members. It took about an hour to pay for dormitory fees and bedding rental. This registration process took place over two days from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. On Aug. 28, there was an orientation about POSTECH life and the Campus Tour. Due to the large number of people, the Campus Tour was also held for two days. Major buildings on campus such as the Student Union Building, CHANGeUP GROUND, and Jigok Community Center were introduced, in about two hours, to each small team.

There was a Trip to Gyeongju on the afternoon of the 29th. Due to the sudden news of rain, the destination was changed to Gyeongju Expo. The next day, there was immigration registration and an icebreaking session. Since all foreigners staying in Korea longer than 90 days need registration, the ISSS center provided help for administration. The icebreaking session prepared by PBUD aimed to form communication among international exchange students. On the last day of the Welcome Session, “Fall Sprint and Splash” was held. The “Sprint” was the sports competition including a relay race, dodgeball, and push-up challenge. “Splash” was the water gun play with various types of water guns. 

This semester will be an important step for POSTECH’s globalization. Therefore, to suggest some improvement, we asked for the opinions of exchange students about their first week at POSTECH. For the most confusing part, little information about courses and the fragmented reservation system was the common opinion. Several courses only provided a Korean syllabus or inaccurate information. There were some cases in which the professor spoke Korean while the syllabus stated that the lecture would be conducted in English. This forced exchange students to change their lectures after the semester started. Students also expressed their confusion about fragmented reservation platforms: POPO, POVIS, the library reservation app, and P.FRONT. 

Also, there were responses about POSTECH’s administrative work. It took a long time to find the information because most of the information was specified only on the PowerPoint slides sent via exchange students’ mail. Exchange students and PBUD both spent a lot of time looking for information about bank payments. But of course, there was a positive response to the Welcome Session. Sprint and Splash was chosen as the most enjoyable and useful activity. Also, students appreciated the quick and helpful remedy of the ISSS center and the opportunity of meeting PBUD members.

For the next step, the aspects that POSTECH needs to improve seem clear. Fun activities in Pohang are important, but the essence should not be forgotten. The problem of courses run in Korean must be solved first.