Sitting on the terrace seat of the Twosome Place coffee shop, I gaze at the stream flowing out of Mt. Gwanak, bleached in red as it reflects the setting sun. The birds are chirping playfully and the cool evening breeze from the mountains brush against my face. My girlfriend is sitting next to me, taking a small bite off the rich chocolate cake she loves to eat whenever she visits the SNU campus. She is a university student at a private women’s university, and she has already been to the SNU campus five times, on each occasion to use the library facilities to study for her own exams. This time, however, she is here for an interview for which she gets to borrow my student ID card in exchange, giving her access to millions of books in which she can immerse herself as soon as the interview is over.

I ask her what she likes most about SNU. “This!” She exclaims as she takes a sip of her coffee and strokes her arm in the air. “In our school,” she adds, “we only have one very inadequate coffee shop, and no place where you can enjoy the mountains during tea time. Also, you have so many places to eat and a wide choice of menus right here in the campus. You know how much I love tacos, and the waffles are just magnificent.” I can’t help but smile. She is always overly concerned about what she eats. Although it is true that since the new building have been completed, a lot of places have opened up and students can enjoy a wide range of restaurants, stores and coffee places.

During the exam period, her school doesn’t have enough study places to accommodate all of their students, so sometimes she has no choice but to study elsewhere. “I love the impression of SNU. Our school is atrociously unfriendly to its students; it is nearly as if it’s forcing the students to leave as soon as the classes are over. On the contrary, SNU welcomes students. There are signs of care and consideration for the students everywhere, and it seems like a perfect place for students to study. Everything that is needed is provided right here on the campus.” I cautiously ask if whether we were still on the subject of nutrition. She replies with a slight stare, “Not just the food, the central library is so huge and accommodating that it’s asking me to study inside. On one occasion, we went to the law department’s library, the atmosphere was incredibly intense; I’ve never been so absorbed in my studies in my life. Also, the school staff are so friendly, and the student welfare SNU provides is probably the best around. The time when you injured your leg and we went to the school medical center, I was astonished because of the size of the place and the diverse fields of medicine that were available there. Our school’s medical center is worse than my high school’s!”

I ask her if there are any bad points about SNU, and she is quick to answer, “It’s too big, it’s isolated from the outside world and the distance between the subway station and the school is ridiculous. Also, there are too many uphill roads in the campus, which isn’t high-heel friendly at all. Admittedly, though, it’s great that you have buses running in and out the school, and the shuttle buses that operate internally and externally kind of compensate for the outrageous size of the school.” As a SNU student, I have always taken the buses for granted, but never stopped complaining about the distance.

Money, I thought was a controversial topic that was under the spot light quite recently and I asked of her thoughts. “It’s unfair. You get all this for what is probably the cheapest tuition in Korea. While the whole country is troubled by the ever-rising tuition fees, SNU students enjoy the best education in the nation for the cheapest price in the nation.” This part was true; my brother, who attends one of the most prestigious private universities in Korea, pays more than 3 times as much as I pay for tuition. Also, SNU has frozen tuition fees for 3 years in a row, distinguishing itself from many private universities that are driving their tuition fees higher at every chance they get. I remind her that the Tacos we had for dinner and the cake and coffee she is having now also discounted because I’m a SNU student, just to rub it in.

We’re interrupted briefly as a little boy flies past us, as his anxious looking parents call for him. My girlfriend is making funny faces at the little kid, making him chuckle and imitate her. “The school is a great place for families to visit,” she says as the kid returns to his parents, “The cherry blossom is beautiful around the Jaha pond. The abundance of trees and plants attracts animals and makes the air pleasantly fresh.” Also, in some sports classes, the professor took us up to Mt. Gwanak as well. Although I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never been, I’ve heard that the museum and art gallery have interesting programs as well.

She is frustrated that I have not taken advantage of the SNU experience, “You get so many lectures from great people world-wide and the only one you’ve attended to is a base-ball player’s. If I were you, I would attend all of them!” She is always right; I definitely didn’t experience the whole package SNU has to offer, though I am more than satisfied with my time here. There aren’t many factors that deterred my girlfriend from visiting the school; instead she found the school quite an attractive place to visit. Ultimately, though, I like to think that I am the reason she comes to SNU.

Written by YU Minseok, SNU English Editor, brits@snu.ac.kr   ?
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor