Literally ‘International Campus’,

Where All Students Mingle Regardless of Origin

 

-UIC Student Mark Li

 

 

 

 

Until the last semester of high school, I was planning to go back to Moscow and attend university there. However, in my last semester, I realized that Korea is a very nice place to live and that university life here is fun too. So upon graduating I applied to Yonsei’s Underwood International College because it offers what I was interested in: a good education in English in Korea.

 

As an English speaker, once I started to attend classes, I was relieved to see that Yonsei offers a lot of courses in English in pretty much any department and any field. This meant that I could take the courses I wanted without being limited by my language skills.

 

Apart from classes, I was amazed by the student club union and how many club there are. After only a couple of weeks, I was already in two clubs. The first one was a football team, Underwood United, and the second was an ice hockey team, the Titans. Even though I was the only foreigner on each team, I didn’t feel left out, and we had great time in Songdo. Because the Titans are a central club, we participated in ‘Yon-Ko (Yonsei University-Korea University) jeon’. That was probably the most exciting experience of my college life, playing in such a big event. It really brought the team together and helped me get to know many good Korean friends.

 

The next surprising thing was when I was elected captain during my junior year. It was a huge honor and a big responsibility. And that brings me to today. Even though I am a senior getting ready for graduation, I still play for the hockey team. And I think that is because I made really good friends there. And I think the best thing about Yonsei is the opportunity it gives to every student to participate in student life. No matter your origin, you can find friends and do what you are interested in, and that is really what a global school should be.