On Tuesday 16th June the International Office hosted a pre-departure briefing session for Aston students going to South Korea this summer.
Students spent an afternoon learning basic Korean phrases and finding out more about the culture and customs of their new temporary home country. The event was led by David Tobin, International Officer for South Korea and Jongmin Wong, a current BSc Logistics student and member of the Korean Student Society.
A total of 17 Aston students will visit Korea this year – six undergraduates will spend a full year abroad and the remaining students, both undergraduates and postgraduates, will attend an international student summer school which runs from 29th June - 7th August. The host university in Seoul is Korea University, an Aston partner institution.
The visit came about through the efforts of Pro-Vice Cancellor for External Relations, Professor Helen Higson who applied for and was awarded 10 grants of £800 under the PMI2 funding initiative. Funding was topped-up by the University to give a total of 12 grants, available to UK/EU students only. Korea University was selected as a suitable host for its excellent reputation and because it had already signed an exchange agreement with Aston Business School. This has since been extended to a University-wide agreement.
Professor Helen Higson, Pro-Vice Chancellor for External Relations, said: 'This initiative would not have been considered without the award of PMI2 funding. It has allowed us to build on an embryonic partnership with Korea University to develop our aims in encouraging our students to have a more intercultural experience and to increase placement opportunities where they did not exist before. Aston will definitely be applying for more scholarships with more partners in the future.'
For further information please contact David Tobin.
Words by David Tobin
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