Dear Reader,

The air has grown crisp. The chilly breeze carries the sweet scent of soil and fallen leaves. The trees begin to dye themselves a warm gradient of yellow and red. For some reason, I find autumns here at KAIST nostalgic. As I watch the wispy clouds languidly flow by, I reminisce back to my first couple of months on campus.

As clichéd as it is, time really does fly. The most heated discussion I’ve had with my friends in the past few weeks was about how we would soon be entering what would be considered our “mid-20s” (thankfully, this is in terms of my Korean age, so I’m reassuring myself that I’m not actually that old yet). It seems like yesterday I ventured into the labyrinth of KAIST, a quiet and innocent fresh high-school graduate, oblivious to the ordeals in the years ahead. My newly made friends and I would explore the unknown territories of Eoeun-dong, Gung-dong, and even Dunsan or Eunhaeng-dong. We would spend hours on end taking walks or chatting in bed. Even those all-nighters writing up our General Physics Lab reports were filled with jokes, laughter, and breaks to the maejeom.

I can no longer see through the eyes of that girl from two years ago. First, I’m sure many can affirm that I have become significantly more outspoken and social. Even on an objective scale, my introvertedness level from my MBTI results have shifted from over 90% to around 70% — which I consider a remarkable transition. I would also argue that I have learned to be more easygoing on myself. In retrospect, I have always set strict expectations. I’ve probably only missed class once throughout my entire high-school life. Not studying for a test days in advance would have been unfathomable. Every mistake I made, whether it be academic or otherwise, would linger in my mind for days. I felt a near-obligation to give in to others in most conflicts. But I now feel the necessity of loosening up my own reins.

Perhaps this is my way of “surviving” at KAIST and as an independent person as I experience a wider world — progressing away from stereotypes I had set for myself and finding a position that I truly want to be in. The introspection in comparing my past self to my present self makes me question what my future will look like. Slowing down my pace now may have facilitated my growth as a person up to this point. But how will the experiences I am to have further affect me? And at this point, I would also like to ask you, dear Reader: How has your time at KAIST changed you, and how will it change you?

With midterms right around the corner, it seems difficult to reflect on our time at KAIST as simply joyful or rewarding. Nevertheless, during such an unsettling period, I’d like to encourage you to take a short break from your studies and contemplate both the good and bad experiences that KAIST has provided, and the personal development they have catalyzed.

Striving to change for the better,

Hae-Rim Kim

Editor-in-Chief