- How I Found My Family Away From Home at Yonsei as an International Student February 05, 2020
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Yonsei School of Business student Sarah Gomez Alvarez from Mexico
Name: Sarah Gomez Alvarez
College: School of Business
Major: Business Administration
“I started learning Korean when I was in Mexico, but I was never really good at it. In particular, I really wanted to improve my speaking, but I had no one to practice with. Since I wasn’t able to move forward in my language studies, I figured the only way I can improve was to situate myself in an environment where I have to speak Korean. After searching up various Korean universities, I chose Yonsei because it appealed to me the most: from the range of classes offered in the Business School to Yonsei’s symbolic color blue, everything about Yonsei drew me in—and that’s how, in 2017, I ended up as a freshman here and am now in the heart of Seoul, South Korea, 7,000 miles away from home.
The classes are stimulating, and the professors are helpful. Here at Yonsei, I get to experience a unique campus life and a college lifestyle substantially different from the likes of Mexican universities. In Mexico, there are no interactive school events like the Yon-Ko Games* and AKARAKA** where almost the entire student body vigorously participates. Also, as an international student at Yonsei, I get to meet people from all over the world. I’ve always thought that I was pretty open-minded, at least back in Mexico, but after coming here and meeting so many people, I realized just how little I knew about the world.
*Yon-Ko Games: Yonsei University and Korean University friendship games held every September
**AKARAKA: Yonsei school cheering festival held every May
I think getting to know all of my friends here has been the best part of college life in Yonsei. I’ve met people and found friends that have become my family, and I deeply cherish all the times we’ve spent together. None of my friends here are from Mexico, and yet we’ve become so close within this foreign university, in this foreign country. I’d never thought that I’d be in this position where my best friends are from completely different backgrounds than me, sharing our individual cultural experiences and enjoying the quintessential, Korean college life here at Yonsei.”
Interview by The Yonsei Annals reporter Vivian Fan
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For more information on how to study in Korea at Yonsei University, click here. Fall 2020 online application period for international undergraduate students is during January 20 – June 4, 2020, so apply soon.
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