Surviving at KAIST: Making Friends

I speak Korean. I eat Korean food. My parents are Korean... yet I'm a foreigner here.

I have lived overseas basically my entire life and now I face the dilemma of making networks at KAIST. 'Sure it's easy' you might say, but I can't accept your comment knowing that you haven't been in my shoes. Do you remember that odd exchange student at high school who you say hi to but don't really hang out with because he doesn't 'belong' in your group? I'M THAT GUY

Let's face it, we all do it. We all stick with the bunch of friends that we make in high school. So where does this leave all the others? Those who come from other countries, perhaps on their own?

Perhaps I can provide some tips I discovered on how to network when you are trying to fit in at KAIST

1. At the beginning of the semester, separate orientations are held for international and Korean students. It is a good idea to meet new people and make friends at the orientation. Usually, there is an after-party or gathering where people may socialize and get to know each other. This is important to meet people who you can hang around. Sadly, I missed this opportunity

2. In the Spring semester, the Korean students are assigned to groups where they are able to socialize. These groups have frequent meetings and many Korean students become good friends. International students, to what I've heard, are also assigned to these groups, so I suggest that you ask around and find out which one you belong to. Then you can attend the outings and have a good time

3. Although you won't many opportunities to make friends during lectures, but it always helps to have some people who you can discuss, meet, and study with. If lectures are too busy or you'd rather listen to the professor, night-recitation class are quite handy to interact with a bunch of students to focus on the subject.

4. Club activities are quite important at any university. Not only are these sources of meeting new people, but you can share a common interest. There are many types of clubs ranging from sports to charity work. If you are good at sports, or have played at high school, perhaps joining a sports club is a good idea. If you played a musical instrument, there's an orchestra you could join, or other musical groups that meet twice a week to rehearse and perform. Remember, if you don't get yourself involved in these, you are less likely to meet a lot of people.

5. Network. If you make a new friend, then perhaps have lunch with them and his or her friends. I met heaps of students just by getting to know one or two people per each new person I met. This way, you also won't have to make a lot of effort in finding a lot of different groups. Since people are likely to stick together, this is a good idea if you want to familiarize yourself with groups.

I know these are pretty simple and easy to disregard. However, I only found out how important small things were until I actually applied them. During the first semester I got quite depressed at the fact that I was at a university full of people and still felt alone. This was mainly due to the fact that everyone seemed to know each other. You can easily overcome this by diving in and just blending. I'm usually a very social guy. I love meeting new people and I love to network. However, it becomes quite tedious when you have to make so much effort in trying to socialize.

That's what I love about western culture so much. If someone is unfamiliar with other person, then they have this desire to get to know them and become familiar. The thing I found here in Korea, and at KAIST, is that international students are seen differently and usually they seem to segregated themselves or become segregated. What I hope to achieve in the future is where everyone becomes a bit more open and sociable. It would be great if everyone was so easy to approach.