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Totally in loveeee with Yonsei University!  I have so many thoughts running through my mind on how to improve international student services I can’t even begin to digest them all!

I’m on such a mental high!  This was by far the best use of the money I’ve saved up and one of the best learning experiences abroad.  More thoughts and pictures to come soon!

Off to do some shopping in Insadong.

A friend took me on a mini-walking tour of Seoul and I saw the Cheonggyecheon - a small stream that runs through the middle of the city.  The pictures I took really do not capture how gorgeous it is, especially when juxtaposed against a dense and bustling city like Seoul.  The miles-long stream used to be completely covered in concrete and be a major artery of transportation, but in 2003, the then mayor of Seoul, Lee Myung-bak uncovered the stream.  A couple years later, the walkways opened and it is now lauded as a major success in urban renewal and beautification.  Along the stream, there was artwork on display - tax propoganda art actually.  The picture I took apparently says, “paying taxes is fun.”

I also saw the Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was absolutely breath taking.  It typically closes, but in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, is open in the evenings.  Can’t wait for the lantern festival this weekend!

Food in Seoul over the past few days!

1. Sausages from a street cart.  They had rice cakes inside!

2. Bulgogi burger from McDonalds.  I just had to try it!  It was definitely just a burger with sweet bulgogi sauce on it.

3. Red bean and walnut pastries, that I bought at a subway stop.

4. and 5. “Army base stew” - sort of a hodge podge of random ingredients thrown together to make a meal.

I’ve been working at the USC Korea Office for the past couple of days and it’s been quite an experience!

Dr. Lee and Ms. Han are extremely welcoming, and even took me out to eat Korean shabu shabu on my first day.  I’ve been collaborating with one of the interns to create a PR and recruitment plan for USC in Korea.  While USC is a reputable institution, in Korea, schools like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and UCLA are more well-known.  Since students choose schools based on a hierarchical structure, it makes sense that top ivy league schools would be their choice over SC.  Over the past decade, USC has made notable strides and has significantly climbed up the rankings.  The issue in Korea though, is changing that image for not only current students, but their parents’ generation as well.

At the office, I’ve spent most of my time doing research on what the perception of USC is to local Koreans, what top Ivy league schools have been actively doing in terms of brand recognition, and setting a short-term and long-term action plan for the office. I’ve been learning a lot about the Korean education system and it’s been great to work with some of the top students from the SKY universities!

Korea University was extremely different compared to Sogang.  It was HUGE, and because it’s one of the top three universities in Seoul, boasts gorgeous architecture - including buildings sponsored by LG, Samsung, and Posco.  

While there, I met with a couple staff members from the Office of International Affairs.  Overall, the meeting was much more sterile than my meetings at Sogang, in part, because I was meeting with key staff members as opposed to hearing more candid answers from students.  The manager though, did provide insight on the admissions process.  At a selective SKY (Korea’s version of Ivy League) university such as KU, the admissions office receives over 75 thousand applications, but can only admit about 6 thousand.  Korea University takes the top 5 percent of high school students, and is primarily comprised of wealthier students.

Because of the structure of the Korean higher education system, I wondered if this prestigious university had scholarship opportunities or made an attempt at increasing access for low-income students.  The manager gave me a very general answer and mentioned that the Korean government mandates that a certain number of admits come from specialized regions in Korea (farming regions, etc.) and can be loosely compared to affirmative action in the U.S.

With that being said, many students work hard and pay the premium cost for tuition to attend a university with endless opportunities and resources.  Just in the building where my meeting was, is an office of gender studies, a woman’s lounge that includes a nursing room, shower, study lounge, etc. and a comprehensive library of information on study abroad and graduate study programs around the world.  Though a gender studies office was surprising to see, the university had no mention of an LGBT resource center or counseling or disability services units.  While there may be circles (Korean clubs) on campus that focus on LGBT issues, it is still not widely accepted in Korean culture.

There is however, a Center for Teaching and Learning at Korea University, which aims to help students with their writing, presentation skills, and provide other forms of academic tutoring.  This I feel, is the closest to a tangible support system for students.

In all, I was very impressed by the staff’s professionalism.  I am curious to see how KU compares to the other SKY universities.

After my visit to Korea University today (that’ll be a subject of another post soon!  Just too tired to digest my notes at the moment), I explored Hongdae, the shopping/college area around Hongik University.  While there, I of course, had to pay a visit to the Hello Kitty Cafe.  I almost died from a cuteness overload!  It’s definitely a novelty, but wouldn’t be able to call myself a true HK fan if I didn’t stop by.  After a bit of shopping, I grabbed a quick bite to eat at an outdoor food cart.  I went with the dukbokki because I didn’t recognize any of the other deep fried items the lady was selling. It was so spicy, but SO good! The woman in the picture was travelling alone too, and stopped me to ask if we could shop together.  Turns out, she is a Japanese teacher in Seoul and is currently trying to learn English.  She spoke very limited and very broken English, but she was so endearing.  She used her English phrasebook to talk to me, and I used my Korean phrasebook to talk to her.  Take that language barrier! :)

Later, I watched NANTA, a live performance at the local theatre in Hongdae.  It was hilarious!  The show combined taekwondo, drumming, dance, cooking, and interactive audience participation to tell the story of three cooks who need to prepare food for an upcoming wedding.  The entire show was told in pantomime, so thankfully I didn’t have to struggle to understand it.  I even got pulled up on stage during part of the show!

Needless to say, I had a packed day and I’m pooped.  Goodnight, Seoul!

only a dollar (1000 w) from the familymart near my residence (a 7-11 type convenience store) i love gimbap!

Yesterday, I had my first university visit - Sogang University, a small Jesuit university in Seoul.  On my way there, I met an guy from Texas, who is in Seoul to teach English and just happened to be taking Korean language classes at Sogang.  He showed me around campus a bit and helped me find the lecture hall that my class was in.

I sat in on a Leadership Studies class taught by Dr. Choi, a Rossier School of Education graduate!  She was so welcoming, and her class was structured similarly to my graduate classes including a lecture, presentation, and discussion activity.  She admitted to me later, that she picked up this technique up from her Ed.D. classes at USC, and really wanted to make classes more interactive instead of traditionally lecturing to students.  The students however, weren’t as engaged as I would have expected.  Most were checked out on their phones, iPads, laptops, and whatever techy gadget they had.  I thought students in the U.S. were bad, these students didn’t even try to conceal their electronics!  They were clearly accustomed to sitting in class and passively absorbing information.

After the class, five student volunteers gave me a campus tour, showing me the athletic field, the library, and the dorms.  What I found so interesting was that there were only two dormitory buildings on campus as the majority of students live at home with their families.  Instead, students find a sense of community from their chosen major and classes.  Sogang University students can apply to live in the dorms, but it is mainly for international students.  To be selected, students are evaluated based on how far they live from campus and their cumulative GPA.  

This seemed to be the overall theme of student life here in Seoul.  GPA and test scores mean everything.  At dinner, one student admitted that there is an immense  amount of pressure placed on students to succeed at a very young age.  Parents send their children to top kindergartens that often times cost more than university tuition. They all talked about the stress and anxiety they experienced while preparing for the Korean SAT.  This exam, unlike the SAT in the U.S. is only offered once a year, and a student’s score will determine what universities they can apply to.  The university they attend, will then determine what companies find them desirable post graduation.

There is a very clear hierarchy amongst the universities in Seoul - with SKY being the acronym for the top tier “ivy league” schools: (S)eoul National University, (K)orea University, and (Y)onsei University.  Sogang falls just under this top tier.  One student admitted taking the Korean SAT twice in an attempt to transfer to one of the “ivy league” schools.  What broke my heart was that she was bright, curious, and had an invigorating spirit, but evaluated her self-worth from a university reputation.

Another student shared that since Korea doesn’t have natural resources like fossil fuels, etc., education in many ways takes its place.  Large Korean companies like LG or Samsung will hire students from the top universities, and they believe that the country’s strength lies in its human power and knowledge.  However, creativity and innovation doesn’t seem to be stressed in this quantitative based education system.  The students were shocked to hear that my courses are often times discussion based and aside from Professor Choi’s class, experience only lecture-based courses.  This can be traced back to the Confucian and paternal based culture of Korea - in which students do not question the professor or speak up in class.

The students were also surprised that in the U.S., students will often have a practical learning piece to supplement their theory based classes.  Internships and involvement opportunities at Sogang are not well facilitated, and the students who were involved with extracurricular activities said they found those opportunities through an external website.    The same goes for academic advising units.  One student said she wished she had more guidance in terms of choosing her classes.  External websites similar to ratemyprofessor.com exist, but there is no staff person she can talk to for guidance or advice, only professors and older students.

In general though, the students said they had worked so hard to get to where they were, that they all just wanted to enjoy the freedom of university life.  It’s funny because when I asked what kinds of clubs they were involved in, one student joked that “club” reminds him of nightclubs instead.  Drinking and partying, they shared, is a huge part of Korean university life because students experience a new found sense of freedom after working so hard.  

I had such a good time visiting Sogang and talking to the students, I can barely wrap my brain around everything I observed, listened to, and felt.  I’m still comprehending everything and digesting my notes, and I only hope my visit today at Korea University is just as eye-opening!

Gas masks in the metro.  I guess you can never be too prepared!

Galbi Tang. Perfect meal for a rainy afternoon in Seoul!