There has been a great influx of international students in Seoul National University (SNU) in the past few years. Despite this, information available for foreign students regarding life in SNU has been limited. This interview series attempts to provide a glimpse at what life is like in SNU, focusing on foreign students in the engineering department.
In Seoul National University, many believe it is rare to find female students in the engineering department. Building 301, where the College of Engineering is located, is thought to be inhabited by male students who never get out of their sweatpants and slippers. But then there are young students like Maira who completely break the stereotype. Maira surprises many when she reveals what department she comes from. But there are more surprises Maira has in store than simply her major. Maira is a down-to-earth character who appreciates small details in her life that others tend to look over. The ability to appreciate the quotidian, mundane things in every day life can be felt even when engaging in a quick conversation with her.
Thank you for meeting with me today. Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Maira Callupe Arias, you can call me Maira. I come from Peru and am currently a third year student at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
What led you to come to Korea, and SNU specifically?
Like the majority of my friends here in Korea, the Korean Government Scholarship Program (KGSP) gave me the opportunity to study at Seoul National University. I am currently twenty-two years old and for the first seventeen years I lived in Huancayo, the town I was born in. I rarely went to other places outside the town, so I felt like I was missing out and was very anxious to get to know other places, especially outside my country. I knew the only way to explore would be by obtaining a scholarship, and so after a lot of paperwork I finally obtained it and arrived in Korea in 2011. Choosing Seoul National University was simple, because I was determined to study engineering from the best university in the country.
How have you found your time at SNU so far?
International students in SNU always suffer from the same affliction: there are few courses that we really need that are offered in English. The thing is, those who receive a scholarship from the government are supposed to take one year of Korean language courses to get accustomed to take classes in Korean. But in real life, that one year of language studies brings a level of Korean that is only useful to talk to friends or to ask for discounts. Although I know during my time as an undergraduate student it will be difficult to get core classes that are in English, I hope that more classes will be availabe in English for future international students. Despite the fact that this one issue makes my university life stressful, I still feel at home. I like that our campus is like its own little village. We can eat good food, look at flowers in the spring, get a hair cut, play pool…and we even have our own mountain in our backyard.
You have been in Korea for a few years now. Is there anything about Korea that surprised you?
A lot of things surprise me about Korea, and there are always new things that surprise me every day. All year round there are festivals, an abudance of couples wearing the same clothes, a population that is infatuated with cafés. When I first sat down on the warm toilet seats during winter, I began to think of how common it is for Koreans to have technology incorporated in their lives. In Korea, someone who does not have a modern smartphone is stuck in the caves. Despite that, Korea is still stuck using Internet Explorer!
The engineering department is known to have very few female students, with a ratio of one female student for every six male students. What has your experience been like, being a female foreign student?
If I take classes that are only located in my department, it is true that I would only see around four female faces in the entire day. But honestly, this has not been such a problem for me because since I was young I used to get along better with boys than girls.
It seems like you have dealt with it very well. Are there any challenges in being a foreign student in Korea?
Studying in the university implies many changes in one’s lifestyle. If you add the fact that you are in studying in another country, the situation may become a bit more complicated. I also have the impression that many universities here are not prepared for the quantity of international students that they wish to bring. As I mentioned before, you can see that in the minimal quantity of classes offered in English and other things like dorms that cannot accomodate more than a small portion of students, and cafeterias that do not have food options that can be consumed by Muslims or vegetarians.
Despite these challenges, you have stayed in Korea. What are your plans for the future?
I want to travel more around Asia and eventually receive a master’s degree before returning to my home country. The scholarship I received was given with the objective that I apply all that I learned in my country and aid in its development, and I believe it is important to always keep that in mind. Also, I would like to return to Korea after some time so that I can see how much has changed.
Do you have any advice for people who are interested in studying in SNU?
Learn the language before coming to Korea. That will definitely be very useful. Also, come with an open mind, ready to appreciate a culture despite the fact that it is very different from your own. Oh, and bring deodorant! It is very expensive here.
Written by OH Jung Eun, SNU English Editor, josefinaoh@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr