By Anonymous

Aerial view of Incheon Global Campus in Songdo, South Korea (Courtesy: Google Image)

In this article I discuss my unmet expectations and displeasure on Incheon Global Campus (IGC)- a multicampus facility in Songdo that hosts four international universities- State University of New York, (SUNY Korea), Utah Asia Campus (UAC), George Mason University Korea (GMUK) and Ghent University Global Campus (GUGC).

My first major disappointment is with insufficient number of international students. I expected a reasonable number of foreign students and hoped to build friendships and networks but I am disappointed. Compared to China Global Campus in Beijing, the number of student and proportion of international students here is totally not enough. Most IGC students are Koreans.

Secondly, the number of on-campus extracurricular activities are inadequate to engage college students. I thought there would be lots of activities and student groups but again, this is not the case. As a university, there should be more events, contests, and other things to stimulate students’ interest.

My high school background was more interesting. I attended an elite, top-class high school with 15 per cent admission rate. Most of my mates at high school are now high fliers in college. Some of them are presidents of students’ councils and leaders at various levels. The school adequately prepared us to do well.

IGC needs to focus on opening up more opportunities to students in order for learners to engage in extracurricular activities. This sort of exposure is necessary for students to develop their talents and discover their purpose in life. Students need to be well-exposed and well-equipped to do well.

My final displeasure is with the little interrelationship between the four universities on campus. I expected to meet other university professors, staffs, and students. However, I didn’t get to meet as much as I would have wanted.

The different focus of each university as well as the unique interest of professors and students could bring about a strong network for all stakeholder on campus.

Although there are some forms of collaboration- music festival, club booth, sport tournament and other events held every semester; these are beset with several limitations. I dare to propose a networking event for all IGC students, faculties, staffs so as to facilitate broader communication and forge new relationships.

I am somewhat optimistic about the possibility of seeing positive changes happen on this campus. I hope that IGC will develop a mechanism through which issues I raised in this article will be addressed. My sincere desire is to see in-coming students enjoy their stay on campus.