After freshman year, students at Seoul National University (SNU) naturally drift to different directions of their lives. Many of my classmates are serving in the army, others are preparing for internships. I am graduating after four years, and will be leaving not only this university but also the country. This season of change and transition has left me pondering the years I have spent here at SNU. I realize that almost nothing has changed, and yet nearly everything has changed since I first wrote the “Things I Learned from Freshman Year at SNU” article. If anything, I believe I have acquired a greater appreciation for what this university has to offer. Perhaps it is only my impending nostalgia that tinges my emotions but I realize there is no way to leave this university unaffected. Here is my list of things I will never forget from Seoul National University:

Enjoying the view from the Kwanjeong Library rooftop garden

1. The first thing that comes to my mind is the library, both the old and the new. I understand it is almost cliché of me to say I will miss SNU’s library, but I list this with the utmost sincerity. The old Central Library, where I have more than once been delightfully lost in the maze of cluttered books, has been my home during stressful exam weeks. And the high-profiled Kwanjeong Library, which not only made me realize that a building can be subtly seductive, but also allowed me to see the Gwanak Mountains from a completely different angle for the first time in my four years here. My only regret is that it was completed in my last semester but I am still blessed I had this one semester to enjoy it.

Check out the vegetarian buffet at Gamgol Cafeteria

2. One of the many perks of attending a national university is the quality of cafeteria food available at a subsidized price. The cafeteria meals are surprisingly tasty and filling, yet the prices range from 1,700 KRW to 4,000 KRW (approximately 1 USD to 3 USD). I will never forget how the cafeteria ladies would kindly give you larger portions if you asked. You must try the YongGye BaekSook (Korean style chicken soup) if it is being served in any of the cafeterias on campus.

3. How many times have we complained that the subway station is too far from the campus? I feel guilty because I would always complain about this distance, all the while I got on the free shuttle bus run by the university. How easy it is to forget that the university provides these shuttle buses for our convenience.

4. Many times when on campus, I forgot that I was living in the cosmopolitan city that is Seoul. The serenity brought by the Gwanak Mountains is cathartic. The fresh air, purifying. Looking at the mountain ridge, I am reminded of how insignificant I am, motivated to make a difference.

Making good use of the football field

5. SNU is not particularly famous for its sports performance. Perhaps this is why the university lacks facilities for sports activities, or maybe it is the other way around. But one thing worth mentioning is that the university really is deficient in adequate facilities for sports. The university’s official sports teams have to use the small space together during practice, while student sports clubs are forced to find extreme hours, such as early in the morning or late at night, to practice on the field. This is an issue that the university has been working on, but any progress is almost nonexistent.

My last chocolate and whip cream waffle

6. SNU is full of yummy treats if you know where to look. The most common ones are chocolate and whip cream waffles sold at Café Neteenamu, or the ice cream inside cold coffee. Other guilty delights I crave for are the lounge-ball sandwiches sold in the sandwich store on the third floor of the Student Center, the crab-meat sandwich sold in Café Eyagi next to the College of Law, and the banana pudding sold in The Lab located in the College of Engineering Haedong Hall. I hope you graduate having tried all of these.

7. SNU is a hub for interaction with exchange students from distinguished schools all around the world. I have met many who aspire to be politicians or influential professors in their home country. If there was one statement that could characterize the exchange students here, it would be that they are ambitious. There is much to learn from such ambition.

8. Because bulletin boards are all over campus, you may easily overlook them. But they have posters introducing concerts, new memberships for student clubs, academic contests and more. When you are in SNU you are immersed in opportunities, opportunities to try new things. I remember trying the student salsa club, competing in a speech contest, attending a philharmonic concert, all which were advertised in these boards. Keep your eyes open to these opportunities.

9. I once wrote an article titled “Enchanting Sights to Visit on SNU’s Gwanak Campus”. During an editorial meeting, someone mentioned that I had only written places to visit at night. It wasn’t done intentionally. But there is just something completely mesmerizing about how the campus changes at night. The lights illuminate the trees in a soft manner. The Gwanak mountain ridge contrasts against the navy night sky. You are more aware of the stars and your place in universe. Try walking around the campus at night. You might not recognize it.

10. I will not forget how challenging the printers are on campus. This may have to do with the fact that SNU has different forms of payment for what you print: the CP Gate, K-Cash, or cash. There have been calls for a uniform system for printers, but we have yet to see if it will occur. Just a word of advice: give yourself enough time to print something rather than going a few minutes before your class starts.

Admiring my friend Maria’s graduation exhibition

11. Students in the College of Music and Fine Arts in SNU are arguably among the best in the nation. Thus, when these students perform, whether it is a concert or an art exhibition, the quality is exceptionally high. I remember being blown away multiple times by the flittering sounds of a freshman playing the piano, or an incredible sculpture made by someone my age.

12. SNU is an institution that attracts many interesting professors. I have met various professors who have come from various backgrounds. There was a professor who was American but worked and lived in the favelas of Brazil, and ended up specializing in Brazilian studies. I knew another professor who was Korean but grew up in England, studying English literature and returning to Korea to learn more about her home country’s culture. More than the things I learned from the lectures, I will remember the stories the professors told me, the episodes they had experienced. Interacting with such professors allowed me to obtain a glimpse of knowledge from their experiences.

13. Similar to the point mentioned before about subsidized cafeteria food, SNU stores offer reduced prices for a lot of products. Juices, cookies, and all sorts of snacks, cost less than they would outside the campus. It is a nice consideration of a college student’s wallet.

14. One thing that has always surprised me is the lack of interest students have in student elections. It is almost the norm to have a second round of elections due to the lack of required voters (50%). This is alarming, and it echoes the general attitude among students who seem more concerned with their studies and adding to their resumes than in participating in student politics.

15. You can truly experience all four seasons on our campus. With the flora that surrounds us, your five senses live through the changes in nature. Cherry blossoms during spring, bright flowers during summer, the yellowing leaves in fall, and the pristine snow during winter. It is so tempting not to leave the campus during these changes.

Experiencing all four seasons in SNU

16. During my four years at SNU, there have been devastating disasters both near and far, such as the typhoon in the Philippines back in 2013, or the recent earthquake in Nepal. I applaud the SNU community for actively seeking to help such communities by organizing donation campaigns and other efforts. It is through such actions that members of the SNU community can learn to adopt a giving spirit.

17. There will always be at least one place on campus that is undergoing construction. At first I saw this as a hassle, the screeching sound of metal being cut, the constant hammering. But such construction symbolizes the progress of the university. SNU is constantly improving, with renovations of old buildings, or new buildings being built from scratch.

18. There is a grand piano in the student lounge located on the third floor of the Student Center (Building 63). I will never forget how students casually played a Mozart classic, or a contemporary pop song with their own variations added. No one plays to be recognized, but simply because they have an urge to play the piano. I always felt privileged to be able to hear the pleasant tunes, as if I was experiencing a pure form of art.

19. SNU international students come from a variety of backgrounds. I will remember how surprised I was every time I met someone who told me their stories, and why they had come to SNU. One of my most memorable experiences is with a friend of mine, who has completed his undergraduate studies here, and is currently in the master’s program. He told me about his dream to go back to Nepal with the knowledge and experience he had earned here, and apply it to help improve his community. Inspiration is everywhere in SNU.

With Yun from Bangladesh
and Abhas from Nepal

20. I have been privileged to listen to renowned guest speakers here at SNU. The two most memorable were Bill Gates speaking about the Gates Foundation, and Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank. Listening to such prominent figures provide advice to students was enriching. SNU is constantly growing as an influential institution around the world, attracting prominent figures to visit the campus.

21. I won’t forget how often I visited the Health Center on campus. There is a comprehensive health care service provided on campus that really calms the hypochondriac in me. Whether it is a toothache, a chest pain, or a simple runny nose, you can get it checked at the Health Center at very little or no cost.

Chicken Masala curry at the 2015 Spring Festival

22. Many may cringe when I say this, but I will most definitely miss the small but cozy Spring and Fall Festivals. Compared to other universities, such as Yonsei or Korea University, our festivals seem at best like an outdoor pool party held in Siberia: a noticeably small percentage of the school population is present. But this is precisely what I will miss. SNU’s festivals had cute details. I won’t forget how I laughed like a seven-year-old on the trampoline every festival, or how I got to taste a variety of food from the International Food Festival.

23. SNU is like a village of its own, which means that in order to run smoothly there is an infrastructure in place. I will never forget the patient shuttle bus drivers, who would wait if they saw me running towards them, or the campus police that would routinely survey the campus. I can never thank the cleaning staff around campus enough, particularly those working in the library and in the dorms, who would pick up our trash and empty the trashcans, providing us with a clean and safe environment to continue our studies. Without you, SNU could never exist.

24. I cannot describe this feeling precisely, or why such a feeling arises, but one thing about SNU that I always felt was that I was safe here. I could walk late at night around the campus, and not feel any sort of panic. I could leave my laptop in the library out in the open when I went out to grab dinner. There was a sense of trust that made everything feel safe in this community. I don’t know if I will be able to feel that anywhere else to this extent.

Enjoying the sense of endless possibilities
behind the College of Natural Sciences

25. SNU instilled in me a sense of endless possibilities and opportunities for exploration. A portion of that has to do with the academic knowledge I learned from the institution. But more than that, it comes from the stories I heard, the people I met, and the experience I lived through in this university. I am aware that there is an infinite amount of possibilities for me out there. And now, I am confident that with all that I have obtained from my four years here at SNU, I have the courage to take the first step for further exploration.

Three years have passed since I first wrote my article listing the things I learned from freshman year at SNU. These four years in SNU have allowed me to develop and grow in ways I never imagined possible. A lot has changed since I wrote the article. But one sentence in the article remains truer than ever: “As for everything I experienced, and didn’t experience at SNU, I am grateful.”
No words can describe my gratitude.

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