Student Corner Just Be Yourself!
By Chi Youn-hyung
People tend to care about how they are seen by others and many are easily influenced by others. You may have such experiences. However, my experiences have taught me one very important lesson ``Just be yourself!’’
I want to share the experiences that taught me this lesson. They were experiences in which I had to stop myself from being swayed by the influence of others and overcome difficulties that came my way. I stuck to my beliefs, remembered who I was and as a result, I can say that I am truly happy with my present.
From my childhood, I had a dream to be a person whom this world wants. As I felt that the world is becoming globalized and all things are synthesized in rapid pace, I had been eager to be a person who has a high proficiency in foreign languages and a versatile ability to solve complex problems.
Thus I seriously considered entering foreign universities or departments of international studies at local colleges. I believed I could develop my foreign language proficiency as well as a global mind by preparing and getting into them. However, as I had no experience studying abroad, I needed to study English far more than my friends. Also, as foreign universities encourage students to show more of themselves than the scores to standardized tests, I needed to find ways to show how I stood out.
I not only studied for the TOEFL, TOEIC, SAT and AP but also participated in various activities like Model United Nations, Youth Assembly and ``Chicago Meeting in Seoul,’’ a video conference with Chicago high school students at the United States Embassy in Seoul. Although I began my journey with innocent and huge hope, studying English among the students who were already highly proficient in English was never easy.
Besides, as I engaged in such activities while other students sat at their desks studying only for their college entrance exam, I realized that I was leading a life very much different than that of my peers. Sometimes it was hard to ignore the feeling that I was different, which also led to a sense of discomfort.
Looking back, the activities that I took upon myself to participate in thankfully even gave me the things that normal Korean high school students cannot have during their high school days.
Even after getting admission from my university in Japan, another crisis awaited me. In fact, I hoped many people would encourage and applaud me. However, many people were worried about me and dissuaded me rather than giving warm compliments. People thought I was too young to go abroad alone.
There were even people who told me to try the Korean SAT and apply for one of the top Korean universities. Many seemed to believe that getting into a top Korean university should be the ultimate goal for a Korean. I was hurt by such unexpected responses from people and wondered how people could have such a narrow perspective. Moving abroad was a real big deal for me as well as my family, and living outside my comfort zone meant I had to believe in myself.
However, I decided that Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies was just the place for me. I wanted to interact with students and professors from all over the world. It seemed to be the perfect place for me.
Time goes by fast and I already find myself in the middle of the spring semester. Life here is much more than I had expected. I doubt that I could be more content with my life than I am now. The lectures are interesting and challenging and my peers are supportive as well as motivating. This environment constantly reminds me that this is a prominent stage in my life to mature and further develop and improve myself.
I believe that one should approach each of life’s challenges and obstacles like a swimmer does a competition. The best thing a swimmer can do is to focus on doing his best in his own lane, not minding how he is doing compared to the swimmer in the next lane.