Before we realize it, one semester has almost passed and the summer vacation is coming so close. As always, when we look back on our past, there may have been so many mistakes and regrets. Especially, freshmen, who just graduated from their high schools and entered the university, might have felt that this semester has flown away in a heartbeat. Personally, I, who has experienced being a freshman twice, feel that this freshman life is impressively unusual. I went to a college in the United States for studying abroad right after graduating from my high school in Korea. I spent one year there, and, because of an issue in my family, I came to Jeju-NU by taking the Korean SAT.

What I have felt most largely is that whether it is the United States or Korea, college students aspire to travel all over the world. They prepare to travel from small scale traveling such as domestic train trips to large scale traveling like international backpacking trips. During the semester they study hard and take part time jobs. Then, when the vacation starts, they go off and travel for what they have planned during the semester. Even though some students save their money for traveling, many students use the support from some organizations or international volunteering programs to carry out their traveling plan more economically and more meaningfully. Both of American and Korean students claim that they can have opportunities to create memories of their youth and to reflect on themselves profoundly.

Of course, there is more than similarity. Based on my personal experience of studying in the United States, the atmosphere of American universities is more academically free. Numerous students choose to go college for almost purely academic interest and purpose. Consequently, the students’ drive to learn and participate in classes is high, and they certainly know why they take the classes. I saw a lot of students making their class schedules based on their interest not on the purpose of achieving credits and having avid academic discussions all over campus.

Compared to the life in American universities, that of Korean universities is more flexible in terms of social life. Unlike the high school life in which students mostly spend their time study in desks, going to college makes them belong to many groups such as departments that they major in or clubs meet various people from there, and get close by hanging out with them until late in the night. Moreover, unique cultural aspects are developed such as considering ages, senior-junior relationships, or group culture that signifies the group in which they are included. For instance, in the senior-junior relationship, people frequently ask for advice and mentally rely on seniors or those who are older and more experienced than them.

There is no simple answer to which college life is better, American or Korean. However, the most essential point to spend a college life valuably is to realize one’s weakness and complement it to have no a balanced college life, not being carried away with academics or social life.