I hope that all YU students will have a chance to come in contact with people from other countries on campus as a means to improve their ability in other languages. Presently, a large number of students go abroad not only to learn a foreign language, but also to have a variety of cultural experiences. I believe the top priority in most cases is to learn English. Of course it is possible to learn without going abroad; however, learning a second language here is more difficult than studying abroad because our education system focuses on methods for study in order to prepare us to take a test. As time passes, even some of the foreign teachers change their methods and styles and become more like Korean teachers.
Therefore, I believe it is most important to develop an atmosphere to learn English naturally and enjoyably. Frankly speaking, it is hard for students to meet English speaking students and professors outside class on campus or even in the foreign language institute. In my case, after studying abroad, I wanted to meet and establish relationships with English speaking people in order to keep up my English skill. From time to time, I would chat with them for a short time. It was easy to meet foreigners in other schools as well as private institutes, but it seemed more difficult to me on our campus.
I know that there are various programs related to studying English that can introduce us to other international opportunities, such as internships, volunteer programs and work programs. However, these are not ideal ways to implement a strategy for expanding awareness and contact. We have to attract people from many English speaking countries and cultures in order to promote a global campus. By attracting them, a lot of foreign students will have more opportunities to hang out with our students. Then, we will have more motivation for studying foreign languages. Besides, it will also be really helpful for attracting prospective students to YU. I hope I will have the opportunity to hang out and speak in English with people from other countries and have a diverse campus here as soon as possible.
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