Q1. Please introduce yourself.
Hi, my name is Remy Doust, but my Korean friends call me Do-re-mi! I am 23 years old and come from Newcastle, Australia, which is about two hours north of Sydney. I major in Economics and Politics at my home university, but I am studying Sociology here at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU).
Q2. Why did you choose Korea and SKKU?
I always knew I wanted to attend an exchange program somewhere in Asia. I had never traveled to Asian countries before and wanted to experience life in different cultures and learn new perspectives. During the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdowns, I was introduced to K-dramas, which showed me what life in Korea would look like. They were fascinating and led me to decide to spend my exchange year in Korea. While investigating various universities I could attend in this country, SKKU was a very easy choice with its rich culture and prestige.
Q3. How is your life at SKKU?
There is never a dull moment! There is always something to do that can be exciting and stressful at the same time. However, after adjusting to the different rules and etiquette of SKKU and even Korea as a whole, I have enjoyed the differences from my home university. I especially love the experience of a cafeteria, which we do not have in Australia. It makes me feel like I am in a movie! However, all these experiences are new to me, and confidently asking for help takes work. So, if you see an exchange student sitting alone, please come up and talk to us. We would all love to talk to you!
Q4 What was the most challenging experience at SKKU, and how did you overcome it?
There were issues while accessing information and contacting the university before coming to Korea. What’s worse, the language barrier did not help this at all. I believe that many exchange students faced problems that could have been prevented with a simple Zoom orientation session two or three months before the start of the semester. It could have helped us know what more we had to prepare for the application and visa process. In fact, it was tough to find all the information by myself to overcome the issues.