KoreaToday SolBridge Opens Door to Korean Students
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
SolBridge International School of Business, an international school set up by Woosong University, will open its doors to Korean students from March.
John E. Endicott, 72, vice-chancellor of the school, said SolBridge is a unique and ``true'' international college that Korean students must consider for their future careers.
``At SolBridge, young Korean students can get four major things which will be real assets in their future global life,'' Endicott said in an interview with The Korea Times at his office in Daejeon, fifty minutes away from Seoul by bullet train. ``First, they will acquire the practical and specialized knowledge in business management. Second, they can get a high degree of foreign language capability. Third, they can build a working network among the elite from many countries.''
He said international students enrolled at SolBridge are well educated and highly motivated. ``The human network will be an incomparable resource in the future. Finally, Korean students can get real multicultural experience while they study, live and share dormitories with international students.''
The international school plans to recruit 50 Korean nationals for the next spring semester; 22 for random admission and 28 for regular admission, which begins from December 19 to 24. Eligible Korean applicants should hold a certain level of English scores ― over 770 for TEPS, 850 for TOEIC and TOEFL (CBT 240, IBT 95).
However, those who have majored in a foreign language or international studies, graduated from overseas high schools or achieved at least level two scores in more than two subjects on the CSAT can apply to the school without English certificate scores. Successful Korean applicants who meet the minimum English requirements or achieve a level one score in more than two CSAT subjects will get full scholarship.
The vice-chancellor said that SolBridge hopes to have the best Korean students but the number of Korean students cannot exceeded half of the total enrollment. To attract quality Korean students, SolBridge will make a special offer to them.
``One of the major differences is our scholarship program for Korean students after graduation from SolBridge,'' Endicott said. According to him, if a graduate is accepted to one of the top 100 business-related universities overseas, SolBridge will pay half of the tuition for two years. ``Of course, we will not do that forever, but it will be one of the major attractions at SolBridge in our start-up days,'' he said.
The school has some 200 students from 14 countries including China, America, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Kenya and Mongolia. All classes are conducted in English only. For international applicants the requirement is TOEFL (PBT 550, CBT 213, IBT 79) or IELTS (6.0).
``At present most students come from China, Southeast Asia and several Islamic countries. Within only two years post establishment the number of student nationalities is more than satisfactory, and we will expand applicants from those countries in the Middle East, Japan, Russia, the U.S. and Europe,'' Endicott said.
Students study five academic fields ― international finance, entrepreneurship, international marketing, international business and IT management. Also, they will be trained to speak other foreign languages beyond English fluently.
The school curriculum focuses on balancing theory and practice. ``One of our unique courses is the immersion program. The two-week immersion program during each semester provides students with practical knowledge of business. During the program there are no lectures, and students can concentrate on specific business issues in team projects, seminars and presentations. All faculty members join this program,'' the vice-chancellor said.
The school boasts quality faculty members as well as its new 14-story SolBridge complex which is equipped with state of the art educational, leisure and sports facilities. Currently it has 18 professors holding degrees from world-renowned universities including Harvard, Yale, Brown, Cornell, the University of Michigan, the University of Tokyo and the University of Calcutta. ``Faculty should have a Ph.D. degree from an eminent university. They should have outstanding credentials in research and teaching. They have a place, as well, as we wish to make sure the `real' world is always at hand for our students,'' Endicott said.
``English fluency, as a native speaker, is a minimum requirement. Of course, we are not saying that everyone has to speak like me. My home was Ohio, so I speak rather slowly and clearly.
Some from New York, Calcutta, Boston and London will have their own distinct accents and ways of speaking,'' he said. ``However, let's face it; it is world English we are trying to teach ― a common and essential tool that permits exchange at a personal and professional level, but is always different than the person in the next room.''
On top of the educational environment, SolBridge plans to make dual degree agreements with major overseas universities. The Business School of Georgia Institute of Technology will be the first partner of the school and this program will be gradually expanded to other schools including Beijing Foreign Studies University Business School, the vice-chancellor said.
Founded in March 2007, SolBridge seeks to be Korea's representative international school much like HKUST in Hong Kong, ISB in India, CEIBS in China and SMU in Singapore. Furthermore, it plans to expand to accommodate 1,800 students within three years and work with other top universities overseas to grow as a center for a ``Business Intelligence Network between the East and West.''
