—Nearly 4000 Freshmen Enrolled in RC Program This Semester

Beginning this semester, all Yonsei students now spend their entire freshman year in the Residential College (RC) program at the Yonsei International Campus (YIC) in Songdo. Last year, most Yonsei freshmen spent only one semester in the RC program, with half of them studying at YIC in the spring and the other half in the fall. This semester thus marks the first time that all entering Yonsei freshmen, about 4000 in number, are enrolled in the RC program for a full year.
Based on the model pioneered by America’s Ivy League universities, Yonsei’s RC program kicked off in 2011. Providing dynamic spaces for living and learning, the RC program signifies a paradigm shift in Korean higher education. This is especially evident in the diverse, multicultural atmosphere of YIC, where students from a variety of backgrounds can learn from each other by being part of the same community. Emphasizing the importance of communication and teamwork, the RC program aims to cultivate future global leaders, while providing students with a creative and innovative educational environment. YIC also offers a variety of extracurricular activities stressing the importance of service, good health, curiosity, and creativity.

—Emphasizing the “5Cs,” RC’s 12 Houses Embody Diverse Identities

The RC program’s values, intended to cultivate intelligent, creative, empathetic, and globally-minded leaders, are crystallized in the “5Cs”: Communication, Creativity, Convergence, Cultural Diversity, and Christian Leadership. To support these broad aims, both Korean and international faculty members live with students in the different RC Houses, serving as Residential Masters (RMs) and English Residential Fellows (ERFs). Living and interacting with the students, these faculty members strive to maintain and enhance a tolerant, intellectually vigorous, and diverse educational environment. Presently, there are twelve different RC Houses; each is located within one of the Songdo dormitories, and each prides itself on having a distinct identity and theme.