Debriefing Session of the Summer Program in Sungkyunkwan University in Korea
On February 5, 2018, a debriefing session was held by the students participated in the summer program in Sungkyukwan University in Korea. (Program period: July 24, 2017 – August 18, 2017) Six (6) undergraduate students from Nagasaki University and thirty (30) students from Shandong University joined the program, and the students from Nagasaki University reported their experience through the program. In the session, they also gave some study abroad tips for the current Nagasaki University students who plan to study abroad in the future.
＊Below are the comments from the participating students
○ Special Classes
Special classes offered at Sungkyukwan University were well designed for students to learn about the fundamental elements of civil engineering, such as water, structure and ground, as well as the advanced technology used in the field. For me, learning in the program became a great opportunity to have different perspectives on the subject. I was very inspired by the talk on how Korea perceives Japanese technology used in the field and decided to work hard on my graduate thesis and future career. Korean classes were also offered about ten times as a total in four weeks, which enabled me to read Hangul characters by the end of the class. Taking Korean classes also gave me the courage to talk to people in Korean outside the class.
○ Facility Observation
We observed one of the world biggest tidal power plants and construction technology laboratories in Korea. Facilities had models for sewer pipes, subway stations and urban city to conduct flood drill, and the scale of the models were breathtakingly huge.
○ Overall Comment
Joining the program was a mind-broadening experience for me. Although I didn’t see dramatic improvements in my English skills, it was a stimulating experience for me to realize what I am capable of at the moment, and what I need to do work on to accomplish more in the future. I was also able to see the difference in infrastructure system between Japan and Korea, and truly realized that, in the future, I would like to make people’s lives better and work in an infrastructure development site overseas.
This summer program was a great experience for the students and it gave a strong motivation for them to continue studying hard. The debriefing session was meaningful to those students who plan to study abroad in the future.
