KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) is one of the leading universities in South Korea, specialising in the field of science and engineering, and also one of the most popular choices of universities in Korea for upcoming futuristic scientists, providing bachelor programmes and more popular, masters and research programmes.

It was my pleasure to exchange at KAIST during the fall semester of 2023. This experience granted me a great opportunity to learn about Korean culture and experience the Korean academic system. Despite KAIST being a Korean-speaking university, due to the large number of exchange students coming from different backgrounds, the courses are all taught in English.

During the exchange period, I enrolled in courses that could force me out of my comfort zone, including physics and maths-involved courses, which were extremely challenging. In particular, ‘Biofluidics’ course was rather difficult, but also useful at the same time since I was able to calculate and estimate how different fluids move in different mediums, for example, blood flow across the membrane and what speed at the ions are travelling via osmosis or diffusion. In terms of courses that are more related to the medical field, which is my major, ‘Intro to Clinical Neuroscience’ was a fun course since we were to choose an interesting neurological disease to fully understand it by self-reading and research and eventually to produce a detailed presentation to the class. This is identical to all 20 students in the class, which means that I was able to gain knowledge through other students’ work, which will eventually be beneficial for my future doctor career.

KAIST has a huge community of exchange students ranging from undergraduates to postgraduates, and also from a variety of countries, for example, France, Germany, Sweden, Singapore… I was able to communicate with them through the ‘Buddy programme’. The Buddy programme is an event where three local Korean students were paired with around ten exchange students, and we participated in different events throughout the semester. After talking to other students, I was able to gain more knowledge on how the European academic system works, what their main concerns were before exchanging in Korea, and what they found the most interesting cultural difference they experienced.

The extra curriculum was a large part of my life in KAIST. I joined a running club called K-RUSH, which was run by the school. They have a programme that runs twice a week as a group with different training programmes. It was also my biggest and proudest achievement for the whole semester since I was able to make friends who shared the same hobby as me, and I was also able to participate in my first-ever half marathon. What added to it was it was held in Seoul, which made it even more memorable. Being able to run with friends instead of alone was good because I was able to take my mind off the busy academic schedule at KAIST and fully enjoy the hobby I really like.

However, there were difficulties, the main one being the language barrier. The students in Korea do not have particularly good English speaking skills, and sometimes, it is hard to communicate and understand in classes. This, though, has developed my problem-solving skills and also improved my Korean language skills, which was my initial aim when choosing Korea as my exchange destination. Since I am very passionate about Korean dramas, pop music, and variety shows, improving my Korean speaking skills is very useful and beneficial for me when watching TV shows.

Sharing a room in the university dormitory has developed my character, especially being sympathetic and more tolerant of others. I have learnt that occasionally, I have to be the bigger person and speak out about problems or conflicts between roommates or flatmates. The most challenging part remains the different sleeping schedules between us since my roommate sleeps really late after midnight. These problems do not usually solve themselves but have to be discussed with each other so that we experience the least obstacles.

Despite the challenges, the overall experience of exchanging in Korea was positive and enjoyable. What I enjoyed the most was the support that was provided by the community of exchange students, where I have learnt a lot from them, and they were able to provide me with help in all sorts of areas or even having dinner plans or lunch plans together. The food was also amazing overall, and the food in the canteen also did not disappoint with the taste and was very affordable for students.

In conclusion, I am so grateful for the donation contributing to the scholarship, which has enabled me to have an opportunity to undergo an exchange programme at KAIST, South Korea. It has allowed me to travel more freely within Korea and to experience the full Korean exchange programme without any limitations. It has broadened my views on the world, and I have learnt a lot about Korean culture since it is very different compared to Hong Kong. For example, how age is very significant and important when talking to Koreans since there are different tenses for the elderly or to friends younger than you. I have also become more independent with better problem-solving skills and communication skills which will be beneficial for my future career in the medical field as a healthcare professional.