Following “Happy College Life”, which opened last semester, “Exciting College Life” is a similar mandatory course opening this semester that is designed for freshmen who have not yet declared their majors. This newly established course aims to give freshmen opportunities to strengthen their relationships with other students and enjoy their campus life to the fullest. The KAIST Herald met with two student assistants responsible for the class to hear more about their tentative plans for this semester’s course.

Can you introduce yourselves briefly?
[Kang] Hello, my name is Young Jee Kang, and I am a junior in Biological Sciences. I have been working as a teaching assistant since last semester’s “Happy College Life” course, and I am in charge of Class 21.

[Lee] Hello, my name is Min Hyung Lee, and I am a senior in Biological Sciences. I am a proctor for this course, and my job is to assist the teaching assistants in caring for the students. I am responsible for Class 8.

Can you introduce “Exciting College Life” as a course?
[Kang] “Exciting College Life” is a course for freshmen admitted in 2011. Its purpose is to help freshmen adapt to campus life more comfortably in a relatively informal setting. Classes are held every Thursday from 7 p.m. and lasts around an hour or two.

[Lee] “Exciting College Life” provides various activities. For example, during last semester, we had the chance to attend lectures and enjoy a play called Room Number 13. The tentative plans for “Exciting College Life” so far include attending musicals, comedy shows and lectures such as “Introduction to Love Affairs,” which are interesting enough to attract the freshmen students’ attention.

What prompted you both to apply for your jobs?
[Kang] I wanted to help the freshmen have a happy and exciting campus life. Since I know how difficult and demanding KAIST can be, I am hoping to give valuable advice to freshmen regarding academics, future plans or any other school-related problems. Being a teaching assistant gave me a chance to approach the freshmen first and listen to their concerns.

[Lee] In my sophomore year, I was in charge of freshmen classes. Although students in the same freshmen class tend to maintain close relationships at the beginning, many end up getting back together with their old friends from the same science high school. Thus, students from ordinary or foreign high schools have difficulty making new friends and adjusting to campus life. I wanted to help these students get along with the others better.

Moreover, as a proctor, I stay in the same dormitory as the freshmen. Unlike high school dormitories, which are strictly controlled by teachers, a more liberal residential life in college can be unfamiliar to most freshmen. So, proctors are also able to assist them in daily life.

In what ways did “Exciting College Life” improve compared to last semester’s “Happy College Life” course?
[Kang] Last semester’s “Happy College Life” offered programs, such as meeting with the academic advisor and taking part in group activities to promote the unity of classes. Among the diverse programs provided, most students gave positive feedback on meeting with their academic advisors. Thus, during this semester the number of meetings with academic advisors increased from two times in total to four. Also, students who are admitted through fall admissions are distributed evenly to each class in order to help them integrate with other students in their year group.

[Lee] Last semester, some students had trouble participating due to recitation classes that overlapped with the course. So this semester we made schedule adjustments with other mandatory courses in advance to prevent possible schedule conflicts. Moreover, a class only for international students, Class 31, was added because managing classes with both Korean and international students was quite difficult. From now on, international students have the option to choose between taking the class with Korean students or with other international students.

Also, since choosing a major is an important task for freshmen, some programs were included to explain the various majors in KAIST to freshmen and provide them with useful information. Overall, “Exciting College life” has improved significantly to benefit freshmen in terms of offering a more comfortable environment in which they can adapt easily.

Do you have any last comments for your prospective students?
[Kang] I hope freshmen can have a meaningful college life through learning and experiencing various things. If you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact us at any time, and I wish you all good luck this semester.

[Lee] Although KAIST is known for its rigorous academic disciplines, campus life can still be fun and enjoyable. Since college students are able to enjoy more freedom and flexibility than high school students, I hope freshmen will be given opportunities to experience the full benefits through this course.