<# 280 World Campus>


   As the pace of globalization accelerates these days, universities all over the world are concentrating on cultivating their students to remain globally competitive. Driven by this trend, Chonnam National University (CNU) has sent CNU students to foreign universities to pursue sisterhood relationships. From the 280th issue, Chonnam Tribune offers information about universities through exchange students’ voice in this column. Let’s meet CNUians at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, Tokyo Gakugei University and University of Missouri-Columbia located in Missouri in the United States. – Ed.


Study Fever at Fudan University

By Kim Mi-yeun, Overseas Correspondent

  

Fudan University (FU) is one of China’s outstanding universities along with Peking University and Tsinghua University. It has a long history and is famous for its professors of the highest standing in their major fields and hard working students. FU students’ study fever is excessive. Although students take only a final examination during the term, most of them study in the library, dormitory and lecture rooms until late at night. Foreign students should devote their best efforts to study because professors equally treat international and Chinese students without considering Chinese competence of foreign students. As the unemployment rate is currently high, Chinese students also endeavor to learn English and to participate in internship programs using their spare time in order to gain practical experience.
   About six months already passed since I came here, to FU in China. In the beginning, I had some problems writing reports and taking lessons in Chinese. I have studied Chinese indefatigably; I now feel more confident in my language proficiency. The new semester started. It is not easy for foreign students to study abroad in a foreign language, but my heart is palpitating with expectations that I will encounter some challenging opportunities.
 


Culture Shock in Tokyo Gakugei University

By Kim Seung-wook, Foreign Correspondent


   Before I came to Japan last year, I thought there were only a few culture differences between Korea and Japan. To my surprise, however, I often feel some culture shock due to my weak knowledge of Japanese

culture. I would especially like to introduce two cases at Tokyo Gakugei University (TGU).
   The first thing is about TGU’s lunch time. TGU’s lunch time starts at 12 o’clock and it takes fifty minutes. Most students eat lunch at the commons, but I often see students eating a box lunch in TGU. It is a very unusual scene to me that students enjoy eating a box lunch on campus, even though Japan is famous for the lunch boxes which are on sale at train stations or convenience stores. When I was in CNU, I ate a box lunch occasionally because there are not many stores selling lunch boxes around CNU. I think it is very familiar to Japanese people to eat box lunches. Maybe its quality is good, too.
   The other cultural surprise is that students participate in club activities very diligently. It is because students’ club activity experiences during university days are very important when they get a job after graduation. Unlike our campus club activities, club activities at TGU are under the university authorities. It has some differences from circle activities for promoting friendships among the members. Circle activities are considered as students’ autonomous ones, and club activities with rigid rules should be administrated by the school.
   I have spent my time to learn many things together with other foreign students. TGU has many foreign students. I would like to spend my remaining time in experiencing various cultures through activities and school life.

 

Enjoy and Learn with Joy in University of Missouri-Columbia

By Jung Su-kyung, Foreign Correspondent

  

When I arrived at the small city, Columbia, Missouri and looked around the campus of the University of Missouri Columbia (MU), I was so excited to see such beautiful buildings on campus and how well equipped they are. There are many student oriented facilities such as a library and a recreation center.
   As I became a student here, I found out that there are a lot of benefits for students. There are also review sessions for certain classes where students can get together and learn from a tutor. Furthermore, most professors and teaching assistants I met are willing to listen to students and spend time with them and have a positive attitude and their passion seemed to encourage students to join a class and be a hardworking student.
   Also, I am so impressed that there are a variety of helpful programs and interesting events concerning international students, as well as all the MU students. Most of all, I loved to go to a variety of events such as international parties where we can see cultures of different Asian countries, try their traditional foods, and get to know international people. Besides this, I loved attending fun theme parties such as Spa Night or Valentine’s Day Bash. Utilizing helpful facilities and participating in various school events and programs helped me adjust to a school life better in many ways. I could then enjoy classes, forget about homesickness by doing fun things with new people through events and find myself growing and appreciating such a wonderful chance to be a MU student as an exchange student.

 

Reception for Celebrating 30 Years CNU-MU Relationship

By Kwon Jeong-ha, Tribune Reporter

   The reception for celebrating the longstanding 30-years relationship between CNU and Missouri University of Columbia (MU) was held at MU on January 28. The relationship was formally started in 1978 and was kept with various programs such as exchanging students and professors, joint research and cultural exchanges. Many students and members of faculty from CNU are studying at MU in these programs. MU annually has three exchange students from CNU and operates the EPI (English Proficiency and Internship) program every vacation period.
   Many visiting professors from CNU and EPI students and exchange students participated in the reception and had a meeting with members of the MU faculty. Sang-sun Kim (Director of Asian Affairs Center at MU) said, “CNU is a university having the best relationship with MU for a very long time. CNU has a receptive and welcoming attitude. We hope to keep this relationship continually.”


<IC Bulletin: 2008 New Program!>
◈ Freshmen Globalization Course

This program, as its name shows, is newly organized for freshmen except other graders. Only freshmen are qualified to apply for this program that consists of English course and Chinese course. Those students passing two kinds of selection tests (Document screening- Interview; applicants for English Course need to take a simulated TOEIC before an interview) will be sent abroad (Philippine for the participants of English course and China for the participants of Chinese course) on a scholarship that supports about 70~80% of whole program expenses. Through this program about 150 freshmen students will be able to get a chance to go abroad during summer and winter vacation to study English or Chinese. The purpose of this program is to help our CNU students to have a kind of challenging and global mind-set as well as to prepare themselves as a global leader practicing and improving their language skills in the early days of university life. If you are interested in this program or have any inquiry, please contact the coordinator of each program, Lee Ji-eun (English Course): 530-1268, Lee Seon-heon Lee (Chinese Course): 530-1275.

********”World Campus” is a newly introduced column for the 280th issue to cover CNU’s foreign sister universities and exchange students’ stories. The stories of correspondents in China and Japan were translated by Gim Ye-seul, Student Editor. (*Jung Su-kyung, Dept. of English Language & Literature, Kim Seung-wook, Dept. of Japanese Language & Literature, Kim Mi-yeun, Dept. of Chinese Language & Literature)

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