Welcome to Hanyang! An Overview of the Exchange Student Orientation Day

Source: chh.hanyang.ac.kr

In the morning of Tuesday, August 30^th, the 2016 Hanyang University Fall Exchange Student Orientation was held at Paiknam Concert Hall (백남콘서트홀). This Orientation was organized especially for international students including full-time and exchange students. For those foreign students who visited South Korea first time for studying and experiencing new culture, the university’s international department hosted the event. Over four hundred students filled the concert hall. The orientation started with an information session. The session covered course registration and the academic calendar. The main MC of the day was Rick Punt from the Department of International Affairs (국제협력처).

Source: chh.hanyang.ac.kr

The event was followed by Taekwondo (태권도) show. Boys and girls wearing white Taekwondo uniform went on to the stage, and demonstrated various posture and movements. The climax of the show was definitely smashing the pine boards. Using hands and feet, sometimes wearing an eye patch to cover their sight, the performers smashed the pine board. They somersaulted and stepped up on each other’s shoulders to add some variety to their actions. A great applause was given after each movement. Their energetic movements impressed everyone on the site. The audience could feel the true spirit of Korean sport. After the show ended, the host surprized students by telling them that the performers were all high school students.

Warmed up with the exciting spirit, the orientation went on to another formal session. The manager from HYU international department explained how to have access to school Wifi and where to pick up student ID cards. Then she explained a manual regarding safety and security issues in Korea, and asked students to behave well. To alert the listeners’ attention, she told some accidents that had occurred last semester because of the students’ negligence. Then a manager from KB Insurance introduced insurance options for foreigners. The session covered insurance coverage, price, the contract process and some discount benefits students may benefit from by opening an affiliate bank account. It could be a little bit boring to listen to for students, but definitely helpful.

Later on, several school clubs had time to introduce themselves. The first club to come up on the stage was HIVA. The biggest activity of HIVA was its 1 to 1 mentoring program called “Hanmille” (한밀레). Through Hanmille, a full-time student becomes a mentor of an exchange student, and they help each other in school life. HOW made a video to show major activities the club had been organizing. The representative explained that they travel a lot and last time, they had organized a trip to Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The last club to come up on the stage was Glitters. Glitters was organized last spring by the department of international relations of Business School. Since it was organized by the Hanyang University Business School (HUBS), its activities focused on helping out students enrolled in the business school. Also, they were planning a company visit. After each club introducing itself, small handouts about further details were distributed. Students earned opportunities to learn about club activities.

Source: chh.hanyang.ac.kr

The entire orientation ended with a Q&A session. Several students asked questions to the host, and the host gave brief answers. Outside the Paiknam Hall, school clubs and information desks had been ready for accepting interested students. Students had time to meet club members and other international students. Also, free movie tickets were distributed for students.

This summer, Korea experienced unusually hot weather. However, a few days before the day of orientation, the weather changed dramatically into autumn. The fresh wind seemed to signal the new start. For international students, the orientation was the signal of new life. myHUBS hopes everyone enjoy a good semester, and get the best experience while staying in South Korea!