“I really wanted to [study] abroad since I was in high school. As I graduated from a foreign language high school where I [studied] English and Chinese intensively, I was convinced that experiencing a [foreign] culture and diverse world would be a precious opportunity that doesn’t come often.”
Yuna Sim is a junior exchange student from Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. Sim chose to study in the United States to broaden her perspective, and ultimately chose DePauw because she “needed a peaceful and quiet place.”
“Because my home university has almost 16,000 undergraduate students, every space is crowded and sometimes very stressful,” shared Sim. Furthermore, her daily round-trip commute to university took three hours. Sim had quickly grown to love the convenience of DePauw’s small and peaceful campus.
Back home, Sim is a Korean language education major but has now found herself exploring courses in education studies, Asian studies, and Chinese language through DePauw’s liberal arts curriculum. Sim shared that she was used to lecture-based classes before coming to DePauw, but she has grown to enjoy the new collaborative and discussion-based learning environment, where she can connect with peers and professors.
While Sim’s busy university life put a pause on her hobby of boxing, she reconnected with her other hobby of playing the flute by joining the Symphonic Band. “I am really enjoying it because I had no chance to play [the flute] since I … entered university,” said Sim.
Moreover, Sim has taken a liking to her simple lifestyle at DePauw. “Going to watch sports games or orchestra performances and walking around school are happy small events for me,” she said. Although Sim had not left Greencastle yet, she expressed her excitement about attending the upcoming Chicago Trip sponsored by the DePauw International Student Association (DISA).
On behalf of her home university, Sim shared, “all the students that had visited DePauw as an exchange student loved DePauw.” She expressed her hope for DePauw students to visit Korea and Ewha Womans University someday.
While Sim’s exchange program only lasts for a semester, she shared her gratitude for the opportunity to study abroad at DePauw. “Thank you everyone for being kind in DePauw. [It] was, is, and will be a big help for me. My beautiful memor[ies] in DePauw will never be forgotten,” shared Sim.