Exchange program offers change of pace

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Ju Ran Park has spent her entire life preparing for college.

From kindergarten to high school, the MSU exchange student from Seoul, South Korea attended competitive private schools. She dressed in strict uniforms and refrained from having a boyfriend so she could focus entirely on studying.

High school was seven days a week, beginning about 7:30 a.m. with a full day of classes. There was a break for dinner, but then the students were required to study until about 1 a.m.

“The only holidays we had (were) on New Year’s Day and Korea’s Thanksgiving Day,” Park said.

Taking action

Studying abroad has been Park’s plan since she was young, and she said she believes attending MSU for the fall semester could be one of the most unforgettable experiences of her life.

“If the opportunity is provided, there’s no reason to miss it,” said Park, who is majoring in politics overall, is an MSU political science and international relations sophomore from Yonsei University in Seoul.

Park technically is an exchange student, instead of an international student, which means MSU sends students to Yonsei and both groups of students pay the tuition of their respective schools. The exchange program is more economical, said Sandy Tupper, an MSU Office of Study Abroad program coordinator.

The exchange program has seen growth similar to the increase in international students at MSU, Tupper said.

“When I first started, (exchange students) were in the thirties every semester,” she said. “Now we take 50-60 a semester.”
Park’s exchange program lasts for one semester, Tupper said.

The upbringing Park experienced is not unusual among her peers at Yonsei, who have done nothing but study and prepare to be accepted at what is ranked as the second-highest ranked university in South Korea, Park said.

“The nation is kind of small and there are so many intelligent people but limited good job openings,” Park said.

Although Park lived close to her high school, she said some students from nearby cities rented and rode a bus, and typically would not return home until 2 a.m.

“They were all sleepy, but we (couldn’t) be sleepy or we would be scolded by teachers,” Park said. “That’s why all the students went to the good universities — because we really tried hard.”

Studying to be ranked at the top of the national monthly exams was what every student hoped to obtain, said Park, who was nationally ranked in the top 1 percent of high school students in South Korea.

Once they are accepted at the university, the students see the first couple of years as a chance to relax, Park said.

“In our whole lives, first year and second year in university is the best period,” she said. “Except then, we have to study and make (an) effort.”

Adjusting to changes

One of Park’s biggest surprises in regards to American students was the combination of girls wearing dresses, but with backpacks and sneakers.

“I can never find people who are wearing high heels,” she said. “In Korea, most of the girls wear high heels on campus and they seldom wear backpacks — just handbags and purses.”

Park said one of the reasons for dressing up is the freedom to finally wear whatever the students want, instead of dictated uniforms.

“When you enter the university, first year and second year in university are like a long, exciting holiday,” Park said.

The students’ social lives change most significantly as they begin going to bars, participating in school activities and finally having time to date. Having a boyfriend was allowed during grade school, but Park said she and her peers avoided it.

“We know if we (have) a boyfriend, we will go backward because we (won’t) have enough time to study,” she said. “All of the students just study — we think nothing but study.”

After the first two years that somewhat emancipate the students from the pressure of school, Park said she must again buckle down as a junior and senior to study in earnest to get high test scores, which will translate into a high-ranking job.

“Even though it’s really competitive, we were like family,” she said. “We really rely on each other because we have the same goal and we are on the same way to go there.”

Park took advantage of her first couple semesters to become involved with an international affairs student group, where she said it was easy to interact with European and American students.

At MSU however Park said it seems almost as if a boundary exists between the ethnic groups, unlike at Yonsei.

“Helping international students and being an international student myself is quite different,” Park said. “What I found interesting is here, there are so many international students, but most of them gather by races.”

The bigger picture

According to a recent report from MSU’s Office for International Students and Scholars, or OISS, there was a 12 percent increase in international students at MSU from 2008 to 2009, said Peter Briggs, director of OISS.

“A lot of it has to do with China,” Briggs said. “China’s economy is vibrant, so students can afford to pay four years of non-resident tuition here.”

South Korea’s economy also has been strong, and the similar issue is the top students in other countries do not necessarily get into the top universities, Briggs said.

“Everything that I’m seeing is the numbers from Korea and China are going to remain strong,” he said. “(International students) certainly contribute immeasurably to the university academically, culturally, socially — in every way.”

Park said she had the option of applying at up to 25 universities before she came to MSU. Park said she wanted to attend school in Washington, D.C., but the spots filled up in her first-choice schools. Although MSU was fifth on her list, Park said she is satisfied to be at MSU.

“I feel really carefree here and I can learn a lot from many students here,” Park said. “Maybe I can have a lot of time to think about myself and my life.”

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