My name is Alaine Brett, 24. I'm from the United States, and am currently studying for an MBA at the SolBridge International School of Business. I have lived in Daejeon for three months now. I love to travel and meet people, and learn about other cultures. Here I have the opportunity to do both, and also get a good education. The future of business is in Asia, and I'm excited to be in the middle of it here at SolBridge.SolBridge is the only university in Asia that has an entirely international faculty with classes taught in English, allowing students from around the world to come together and learn from each other.
Other schools may offer the same course material in English, but the experiences that I have had here are unique to Korea and SolBridge. I don't know of any other university that offers the same.
While studying at SolBridge, I really enjoy having the chance to make friends from so many other countries. I have learned a lot about my friends from Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Russia. The university shows consideration for all students by celebrating different holidays for each culture. Most recently, we had a Halloween and Dewali party, which was a great success and really fun.
Without SolBridge I would never have been able to meet so many people of different nationalities and get to know and appreciate their culture. In addition, SolBridge offers immersion week, which is a pivotal time in our studies. This activity is designed to integrate and build on the business concepts we've learned over the first half of the semester. In addition, keynote speakers are invited to the university to help guide us on relevant business topics. These are just a few of the many advantages SolBridge offers to students.
I am a scholarship student, and some of my friends are as well. SolBridge has been very generous in supporting my education here.
On campus, SolBridge offers the chance to join in clubs such as the Student Union, chess, dance lessons, various languages, peer groups, religious groups, and more. The most recent sports offered are soccer, badminton, volleyball, table tennis, and basketball. Next semester we hope to start a debate team and a formal Student Government, and maybe a swim team as well. SolBridge also offers many opportunities outside school to assimilate with the local culture and enjoy time with friends. Korean language learning courses are taught both in and outside the university for those who wish to immerse themselves. There are festivals nearly every weekend, and often transportation and meals are provided for students who wish to participate. My vision for the future is simple: I want to work in a good company here in Korea. With SolBridge to guide me, I can achieve this goal.
Studying abroad is an experience like no other because it broadens your mind to new people and ways of living. Westerners live their lives very differently from Koreans and I am learning to appreciate the exciting world outside my home country day by day. Communication is a daily challenge, which motivates me to learn to speak Korean with proficiency and help others to improve their English-speaking abilities. I find that living and mixing with new cultures has made me more understanding, more patient, and wiser.
petiteamerican@hotmail.com
My name is Paulus Thomas,24. I'm Indonesian. I chose to study at SolBridge, because of the lecturers they have. The lecturers are coming from famous and top universities around the world such as Harvard, Yale, Warwick and many more.SolBridge uses English as its main language, so it isn't a problem for us to study here. What I love most is my experience in interacting with people from many countries around the world. I have met friends and also lecturers from other countries, and really have a wonderful chance to speak and work with them.
I'm joining the chess club at SolBridge and also church activities. After graduation, I'm planning to undertake Ph.D research. I hope I can get a scholarship to do that in the U.K. ― I know it's hard, but we'll see.
The main difference is of course the language used. But studying here, where English is used daily, has been improving my literacy, and also gives me the courage to give presentations in English, in a more professional manner.
paulus_thomas1984@yahoo.com
I'm Deng Tian Bai (Sabrina), 23, from Jiangsu, China. I'm an MBA student at SolBridge International School of Business. Since completing my bachelor degree at Yangzhou University in China, I have been here for a-year-and-a-half. Next year I'll graduate.I came here initially because of the partnership between my precious university and SolBridge and the faculty here comes from world top universities like Harvard, Yale, University of Tokyo, and Brown University. They have very distinguished academic backgrounds as well as practical international business experience. Their extensive networks with different industries and organizations may provide much more valuable opportunities for my future career.
Most exciting of all is mixing with so different faces here. At other universities it's not very easy to make friends with students from roughly 14 countries such as U.S., Russia, China, Indonesia and Mongolia. At SolBridge, we get familiar with different cultures and build up our international friendship, which is also very important in our increasingly global world.
Another difference between SolBridge and other business schools is our "case-study" model within the background of the international general economy and Asian-specific business. Because most of us come from Asian countries, we really feel that the practical study of Asian business is very helpful since we can easily apply it to ``real world'' situations.
I'm so impressed by our faculties. I never really knew academic spirit until I came here. From my professors, I can see very clearly they are always in the pursuit of academic achievements. They are always teaching us with passion, helping us with our studies and are the strictest professors I have ever seem. But I really appreciate them for their teaching style and personality.
I not only receive a world-class business education from them, but my character is enriched by their encouragement. These days I'm unsure if I should pursue a Ph.D. My professors have really helped and encouraged me to take the challenge. I'm very impressed with and thankful to them.
SolBridge provides full and half scholarships to those who work hard and perform well academically. In my case, I got a two-year scholarship and part-time job at SolBridge assisting the Asian institute and Chinese marketing team, helping to cultivate my communicational skills and problem-solving ability.
The Asian institute brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world to engage in critical issues in business, policy and international cooperation, especially between Korea and other countries. In my free time, I interview important people from Korean institutes and companies, write articles about them, try to link them to counterparts all over the world and build up an international network.
I'm preparing to apply for a Ph.D program in Hong Kong or the U.S. since I want to be a successful and respected professor, just like my professors.
In China, we are focusing on theoretical, rather than hand-on, skills, which sometimes seem less practical for students. Many graduates with high advanced degrees can still not compete in the job market because there is a wide gap between their knowledge and real business situations. No employers want to waste training costs on employees who bring no benefits to their organization. But in SolBridge, our regular internship and projects immerse us in the "real world", giving us enough confidence to win in the job market.
Another benefit is learning responsibility. This is my first time away from my hometown and parents. For the first several weeks, I could not get used to living by myself and was homesick often. But now, I'm confident in arranging everything on my own. I've learned to cook, communicate with different people and make decisions. Yes, now I feel I have grown up a great deal for having studied abroad.
dengtianbai@hotmail.com
[출처 : 코리아타임스]
